Karaoke Forums

Finally got my new rack !
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0392997161
fitting my A&H zed 12FX,behringer EP2500,2x DBX 266xl's and a DBX Driverack PA.
All seems to be working fine ,set up amp and speaks as custom in the Drive rack ,i only have 2 fullrange speakers and after swapping the red and grey wires going in and out on the 266xl mics are now working.
Any basic setups that might be useful i would appreciate as not used a compressor before .i think im right as im only using them for mics i will not need to use the Expandergate so do i turn them both fully to the left?what would be starting settings for the rest in order of the switches and dials.
if your not sure of order here is the site with a picture.
http://www.dbxpro.com/266XL/266XL.php
Next the driverack pa ive not got a rta mic so best way of tweaking and would the limiter be of use as i know the 266xl's dont have limiter the same as the 166xl's.
Well i think thats it ,but if anything else you can think of that would be useful i would be greatful.
Roy

Hi mate ! Nice setup ! Are you using the mixer inserts for the compressors ? If so start by bypassing the comps and set the channel trim pots for about 0dB average on the mixer meters in PFL mode.
Initial starting point for comps :-

Threshold red led peaking occasionally (around 0dB I would guess on the knob)
Output gain = 0dB
Ratio = 2:1
Release - try mid point for starters

The ideal is to have about 6dB gain reduction max on the comp meters in normal use.
Using the bypass switch alternate the button in and out so your mixer meters read the same with button in and out.This is done with the output gain control on the comp.

It's a starting point

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Gadget's Karaoke : Boldly singing what no one has dared sing before.

yes m8 im using the inserts,had no mics at first but had the 2 plugs going into the comp the wrong way around at first ,will give thoses settings a try later this afternoon ,do i leave expander knobs fully to the left as they wont be needed?

Yeah they're basically noise gates, handy if your gonna record your punters but don't want excesssive crowd noise. I used to set mine around -40dB and around 3:1 ratio on my Behringer MDX4600. I miss my expanders

I've just been reading the manual for your comp. You could try the auto mode but manual control is best. I forgot to mention the attack and release times. As I don't have those options on my dbx1046 I'd set them midway for starters. If you release too quick then you may hear the vocals pumping in quieter passages. Attack is normally set quite fast to capture vocals or fast transient sounds.

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Gadget's Karaoke : Boldly singing what no one has dared sing before.

cheers gung m8 ,you did mention release in your first post but not attack, already seen in a earlier thread about using auto but nice if it can be worked as its ment too.
try both and if all fails for my first go at it i can hit the bypass.
so thats best part of that sorted now to see what i can learn on the Driverack PA .
one thing i did notice yesterday that when everything was together that i seems to have alot more volume for some reason ,dont need to have the channel fader for the music up so much and thats with the gain at the position as it was before and master faders in the same place. so dont know if its something the driverack does.
set it up as a 2 speaker passive fullrange as i have just the 2 speakers Kam IMS PRO15s http://www.prosound-dj.com/pro15-speaker-p-685.html

That's what my ex wife said after she remarried....

This could come as a result of the -10/+4 switch which is located to the left of the left output jack. It's easy to miss if you aren't looking for it and makes a huge difference in the output of your rig. It could also come from the L/R Compression stage as you can add boost there if needed. Come to think of it there are several places in the driverack that will either boost or attenuate your signal. Try this link for additional assistance.
http://www.dbxpro.com/Download/Training ... _Guide.pdf

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Quickness of mind will deceive the eye

ok thanks london as long as nothing is clipping or distorting it doesnt matter what ever the -10/+4 is on does it.
and thanks on the interactive guide.

No, not really. It is suppose to be used to match you mixers output. In my case with my A&H I could use the +4 easily, but because I have so much headroom downstream I almost always run it at -10 just to keep ambient noise to a minimum. Isn't it nice what you can accomplish when you have good gear

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Quickness of mind will deceive the eye

Yes it is ,just need find a good gig to make full use of it ,the place ive been doing is really bad but good for trying new things out as no one notices if things dont go just right .compressors went well last night didnt have any of my big screamers in but did seam alot more level through out the night.

Are you using the usb audio option or your build in audio card on your computer? I did noticed that the USB option on the zed will give you alot more gain

Yes Micky ime using the Zed USB but was using that before i connected the driverack or compressors.