This is an issue I've been struggling with for a while. Maybe someone here can shine a light on it for me?
 
I often run into a problem where the signal is too hot coming into the PC76 compressor. Nothing I do seems to be able to reduce the level yet still allow me compression. It seems that frequently, regardless of how much I lower the gain coming into it, raising the PC76's input to setup the threshold, returns the gain to a (red) overload...
 
What's the secret here?
 
Thanks...
Keni
 

Hmm, I've never had that issue.  Is this a pretty ordinary track, like a vocal or something?
 
One random and unlikely idea:  There is a gain control on the track at the top.  If that somehow got moved up too high and IF it is pre ProChannel, this could happen.
 
Is the POST switch on or off on the track?  

It could be the signal it not very dynamic and in order to have a trip of the threshold you have to increase the signal too much.  In this case a compressor may not be appropriate.  

konradh
Hmm, I've never had that issue.  Is this a pretty ordinary track, like a vocal or something?
 
One random and unlikely idea:  There is a gain control on the track at the top.  If that somehow got moved up too high and IF it is pre ProChannel, this could happen.
 
Is the POST switch on or off on the track?  

Thanks Konrad...
 
I typically have the trims set at zero, but I often lower them to resolve overloads feeding into the first device in a ProChannel strip...
 
This is the crux of the matter.... I lower the gain using that trim, until the overload is gone, but then I must raise the input level to the PC76 so that I can compress the signal as I choose... It doesn't have a threshold control and sets the threshold by use of adjusting the incoming gain.
 
What's the point of having a compressor that can't be used to compress? This has been an issue for me ever since the creation of the PC (which I do enjoy other than this issue)...
 
How can the incoming gain be so low that it barely triggers the threshold, yet Sonar reports overload happening there?
 
Frustrating... I've been using 1176's for decades in the real world and never had such input/gain problems as I have in PC...
 
Keni
 

John
It could be the signal it not very dynamic and in order to have a trip of the threshold you have to increase the signal too much.  In this case a compressor may not be appropriate.  

Thanks John...
 
I'm using it on a percussive organ which has very definite peaks. In the past I've used a compressor this way so that I like how it sits in track better....
 
And even if there were no peaks.... How can the signal be too low to trigger the compression (threshold) yet too loud for it's input? that just doesn't make sense...?
 
Keni
 

Use your ears and not the PC76's meters as they may not be reliable. I can hear compression being done to a signal going into that compressor and the meters hardly ever read. so there you go.
 
Does it happen with other compressors? Gain settings (dB levels) are all relative, so you may need to do and have different db values for each instruemtn going into the compressor.
 
CJ

CJaysMusic
Use your ears and not the PC76's meters as they may not be reliable. I can hear compression being done to a signal going into that compressor and the meters hardly ever read. so there you go.
 
Does it happen with other compressors? Gain settings (dB levels) are all relative, so you may need to do and have different db values for each instruemtn going into the compressor.
 
CJ

Thanks CJ...
 
Yes, I've seen this as well... Sometimes the event is faster than the display can mimic....
 
I can use other compressors, but most of the compressors I use have a threshold control, so this doesn't ever occur... I guess I can try one of the S-type compressors (I believe there's one that uses input and net a threshold control), but this still doesn't explain my area of concern...
 
How can signal be so low as to barely move the PC76's meter, yet overloading the input???
 
Using my ears? I am always doing that... and I don't hear the distortion that is being displayed by the PC in many cases... Maybe my ear? I do my best to eliminate any overs even if I can't hear them as I believe the summation of many such will tend to cloud the final sound...
 
this was much easier in the analog world.... I don't remember ever having cases where low signal overloaded the input of any devices I used... It always showed as loud (high on device's meter) if it was overloading...
 
Keni
 

Is the compressor the only device in there? The overload indicator could be picking up an overload subsequent to the compressor, like an EQ boost affecting headroom.

Are you sure the signal's too hot coming in and not too hot coming out? What happens when you turn down the output on the compressor? Is the light still lit red? If it has a fixed threshold then obviously that threshold should not "overload" the ProChannel.

Anderton
Is the compressor the only device in there? The overload indicator could be picking up an overload subsequent to the compressor, like an EQ boost affecting headroom.

Thanks Craig...
 
No I watch for where in the chain the overload is (supposedly) happening.
 
The PC chain is pretty basic:
 
PC76
Quad-EQ
Console Emulator
 
When the PC is displayed, the overload only happens to the PC76's LED... As I can't read these LED's very well I always check the inut strip itself first to locate any problems, then go to the PC to see where in the chain the problem is.
 
The PC76 is set to -2.7 input, 4:1 with zero make-up gain/change the meters barely show any movement... Below 1db of gain reduction before I start getting overloads in the PC76...
 
I don't get it... Coming directly from the recorded clip, where the gain has to be zero max, It shouldn't be too loud for the compressor's input... In this case, the recorded signal is very moderate...I don't come near an over on the recording itself... Now if the meter isn't showing any movement, and I begin to raise the PC76's input to add compression, I immediately get overs (front of PC76 - Lowering the PC76 output changes nothing relative to the overs)...
 
I've been engineering for some 40 years and in the analog world, things were different... Maybe it was overloaded and I couldn't hear it? There were no LED's to read overs on the input of the 1176, but if the meter wasn't showing any gain reduction, I simply raised the input level to get what I wanted... Hearing no distortion... If I was hearing distortion, the meter was showing a lot of gain reduction...
 
Keni