User manual TC ELECTRONIC C300

[. . . ] C300 DUAL STEREO GATE & COMPRESSOR USER'S MANUAL IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS The lightning flash with an arrowhead symbol within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated "dangerous voltage" within the product's enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons. The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of important operating and maintenance (servicing) instructions in the literature accompanying the product. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Read these instructions. Install in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including amplifiers) that produce heat. [. . . ] (read more on parallel compression later in this manual) · Now adjust the Makeup gain for level compensation. 11 CABLES C300 can be connected with standard insert cables but in some situations a better signal to noise ratio level can be obtained using slightly unconventional cable types. Type 1 Type 2 Type 1 and Type 2 cables are used when C300 is used as channel insert effects with mixing consoles that has unbalanced insert points on 1/4" stereo jacks. Type 1 The Standard split cable or "insert-cable" is the commonly used cable with products like C300. This type of cable will work perfectly well with most setups. Type 2 Many mixing desks do not feature balanced insert points and thereby downgrade these signals compared to the balanced main inputs. The result is potentially hum and noise induced in the insert cables. The C300 has special designed ground sensing inputs and outputs, which are "enabled" by using the ground-sensing split cable. The use of this cable makes the C300 collect and deliver an optimal signal "to the door step" of the mixing desk and thereby raise the performance of these connections The ground-sensing feature on the C300 is invoked by using the ground-sensing split cable. 12 CABLES Connecting to balanced equipment. When connecting to C300 outputs to downstream devices with balanced inputs you MUST use mono/unbalanced plugs in the C300 outputs. Type 3 Warning!Do NOT use balanced cables from the C300 outputs. This may introduce unwanted hum or noise. It is a common problem that you will loose 6dB of signal when connecting unbalanced equipment to balanced. This is not the case with the C300 if you use the cables as described in this section. 13 PRESET APPLICATIONS This chapter describes the C300 programs and their suggested applications. You are of course encouraged to experiment and twist controls to reach an optimal result for your specific application. Composite Use the composite preset when you have a complex or many faceted signal like a full-mix signal. You can use it in compressor mode or in expander mode and it delivers true multi-band processing. That means that the C300 does the work for you ­ what was previously a complex operation has now become a simple operation thanks to the optimized composite preset. Applied algorithm in Comp/Lim mode: Multi-band Compression + Peak Limiter Applied algorithm in Exp/Gate mode: Wideband Expansion Female vocal The female vocal preset is tailor made for high pitched vocals. Use it as a compressor or expander to bring out the sonic qualities of your taste. You'll immediately be amazed about the audible perfection you can attain with this multiband preset. Applied algorithm in Comp/Lim mode: Multi-band Compression + Peak Limiter Applied algorithm in Exp/Gate mode: Wideband Expansion Male vocal Male vocals can become a bit muddy due to their lower pitch. For optimal clarity and performance, you should apply this multi-band expander/compressor preset, which brings out the true essence of your vocals. Applied algorithm in Comp/Lim mode: Multi-band Compression + Peak Limiter Applied algorithm in Exp/Gate mode: Wideband Expansion Voc. Choir If you want your backing vocals to stand out, while preserving the group like character that a band of singers have, the Voc. [. . . ] Seems pretty simple, but there are definitely downsides to that method. - If you make any level changes on the compressed or the direct signal it will affect your stereo mix due to the lack of level-compensation in the two signals. Also - you cannot mix digital and analog devices in the chain unless time-align all signals correctly. So there are several pitfalls that invites to mistakes, - especially in stressed situations. [. . . ]