Gem Audio Labs Compactor Manuale utente

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Rev.2

Date 03.07.2012

Page 1 / 14

User’s Manual

Compactor

Zener compressor / limiter

Gem Audio Labs

Tel. : 00 48 508 377 982

[email protected]

www.gemaudiolabs.com

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Date 03.07.2012

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CE Conformity

We declare with sole responsibility that this product complies with the following norms and

directives:

2006/95/EC LVD (Low Voltage Directive)

2004/108/EC EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility)

DIN EN 55103-1 EMC of audio equipment- Emission

DIN EN 55103-2 EMC of audio equipment- Immunity

This declaration becomes invalid by any unapproved modification of the device.

Wroclaw, 02.06.2011 B. Radziszewski

SPLASH BARTOSZ RADZISZEWSKI

Wietrzna 36/1

53-024 Wroclaw

POLAND

VAT Reg. Nr : PL8862784446

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................4

FOR SAFE OPERATION.....................................................................................................................4

CAUTION ..............................................................................................................................................5

FOR CORRECT OPERATION...........................................................................................................6

DESIGN ..................................................................................................................................................6

THE FRONT PANEL CONTROLS AND THEIR USE..................................................................7

THE REAR PANEL.............................................................................................................................10

BLOCK DIAGRAM............................................................................................................................11

TECHNICAL DATA...........................................................................................................................12

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION..............................................................................................13

LIMITED WARRANTY.....................................................................................................................14

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INTRODUCTION

First of all, we would like to thank You sincerely for choosing this GEM AUDIO LABS

Compactor which combines ease of operation with support for multiple usage environments.

As a company and first of all, as fans of pro audio devices, we do our best in our daily work

to satisfy your most sophisticated sound expectations. We put in your hands the highest

quality product, precisely designed and hand manufactured by our qualified staff, without

any compromise. To build our devices we use only the best, hand-selected electronic

components, we take care about all parameters repeatability and high quality of all our

products.

Please take a little time to read this manual thoroughly, as it will help You to entirely

understand how the Compactor works and what is important to use it safely.

Gem Audio Labs team.

FOR SAFE OPERATION

INSTALLATION

Before You connect the power cord to the device please check fuses value and make

sure that the voltage switch setting reflects the correct local power line voltage. For

line voltages from 100V to 120V, set the switch to 115V and use 1A fuses (slo-blo;

5x20mm). The 230V position is good for all line voltages from 200-240Volts; fuses:

500mA (slo-blo; 5x20mm).

This unit is equipped with a three-pronged AC power cord. To reduce the risk of

electrical shock never remove or otherwise attempt to defeat the ground pin of the

power cord.

Do not allow water to enter this unit or allow the unit to become wet. Fire or electrical

shock may result.

Do not place a container with liquid or small metal objects on top of this unit. Liquid

or metal objects inside this unit are a fire and electrical shock hazard.

Do not place heavy objects, including this unit, on top of the power cord. A damaged

power cord is a fire and electrical shock hazard.

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OPERATION

Do not scratch, bend, twist, pull, or heat the power cord. A damaged power cord is a

fire and electrical shock hazard.

Do not remove the unit’s cover. You could receive an electrical shock. If you think

internal inspection, maintenance, or repair is necessary, contact your dealer or

producer.

Do not modify the unit. Doing so is a fire and electrical shock hazard.

If lightning begins to occur, turn off the power switch of the unit as soon as possible,

and unplug the power plug from the electrical outlet.

If there is a possibility of lightning, do not touch the power plug if it is still connected.

Doing so may be an electrical shock hazard.

Use only the included AC power cord for this unit. Using other types may be a fire

and electrical shock hazard.

IN CASE AN ABNORMALITY OCCURS DURING OPERATION

If the power cord is damaged (i.e., cut or a bare wire is exposed), ask your dealer or

producer for a replacement. Using the unit with a damaged power cord is a fire and

electrical shock hazard.

Should this unit and AC cord be dropped or the cabinet be damaged, turn the power

switch off, remove the power plug from the AC outlet, and contact your dealer or

producer. If you continue using the unit without heeding this instruction, fire or

electrical shock may result.

If you notice any abnormality, such as smoke, odor, or noise, or if a foreign object or

liquid gets inside the unit, turn it off immediately.

Remove the power plug from the AC outlet. Consult your dealer or producer for

repair. Using the unit in this condition is a fire and electrical shock hazard.

CAUTION

INSTALLATION

Keep this unit away from the following locations:

-Locations exposed to oil splashes or steam, such as near cooking stoves, humidifiers,

etc.

-Unstable surfaces, such as a wobbly table or slope.

-Locations exposed to excessive heat, such as inside a car with all the windows closed,

or places that receive direct sunlight.

-Locations subject to excessive humidity or dust accumulation.

Hold the power plug when disconnecting it from an AC outlet. Never pull the cord. A

damaged power cord is a potential fire and electrical shock hazard.

Do not touch the power plug with wet hands. Doing so is a potential electrical shock

hazard.

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To relocate the unit, turn the power switch off, remove the power plug from the AC

outlet, and remove all connecting cables. Damaged cables may cause fire or electrical

shock.

OPERATION

Do not cover this unit and use it only in a well-ventilated environment.

If you know you will not use this unit for a log period of time, such as when going on

vacation, remove the power plug from the AC outlet. Leaving it connected is a

potential fire hazard.

FOR CORRECT OPERATION

CONNECTOR PIN ASSIGNMENTS

XLR connectors (INPUT, OUTPUT) are wired according to the AES standard : Pin 1 =

shield, Pin 2 = hot (+), Pin 3= cold (-).

INFLUENCE ON CELL PHONE USAGE

Using a cell phone (mobile telephone) near this unit may induce noise. If noise occurs, use

the telephone away from the unit.

REPLACING ABRASIVE PARTS AND CLEANING THE UNIT

The performance of components with moving contacts, such as toggle switches, rotary

switches and connectors, deteriorates over time. The rate of deterioration depends on the

operating environment and is unavoidable. Consult your dealer or producer about replacing

defective components. Clean this unit only with lint-free damp cloth and do not use cleaning

agents.

DESIGN

The GEM AUDIO LABS Compactor is a two channel (stereo/dual mono) pure analog (Class-

A, discrete) dynamic processor, in which the gain reduction is made by a discrete VCA based

on bipolar transistors and Zener diodes.

ENCLOSURE

Compactor’s enclosure is a solid (2U high) and compact construction based on aluminum and

steel. It has been designed according to EIA 19” standard. For enclosure painting the best

coating powders have been used (scratches and cracks resistant).

POWER SUPPLY SECTION

Special care has gone into the design of the power supply of the Compactor because the power

supply is the heart of any electronic system, and the better it is, the better the whole system

works. In an audio system, this translates into a better sound quality, lower noise and

unwanted distortion elimination. Compactorsr’s power supply is based on a 60VA toroidal

transformer, which is made on our special order from properly selected cores. It is

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characterized by the highest quality, good supply of power, silent operation and excellent

electrical parameters. It has the core and windings impregnation, electrical shielding

(between windings) and magnetic (external screen), its center is flooded with resin. The

transformer has an anti-vibration mount.

Primary voltage can be switched between 230V~50 Hz and 115V~60 Hz via the switch

located on the rear panel.

The device is connected to the line by a standard 3 core cord with an IEC plug.

There are two safety fuses located in the mains input socket on the rear panel:

500mA (slo-blo; 5x20mm) for 230V~50 Hz

1A (slo-blo; 5x20mm) for 115V~60 Hz.

On the primary side of the transformer a special EMI filter is installed. It filters out any

interferences that may enter the device from the electric network.

We have designed a special filtering stage with high capacity capacitors and special active

filters (based on discrete elements) eliminating noise and ripple. Power of all stages is

symmetrical and every section has its own stabilization, which keeps the voltage range of +/-

0.01V. All the voltage stabilizers are mounted to a common heat sink, which cools them

evenly. Furthermore, the heat sink acts as an additional shield.

Operational voltages:

First gain stage : +/- 20V,

Sidechain: +/- 20V,

Blender: +/- 18V,

Make up gain stage: +/- 28V,

Lights and relays : 12V.

ROTARY AND TOGGLE SWITCHES

Compactor has only rotary and toggle switches installed to achieve the best repeatability of all

settings. Thus you can easily return to your favorite settings. By using 1% low-noise

metalized resistors and gold contact rotary switches, we succeeded to achieve (in the link

mode) the difference between levels and characteristics of two channels in a range of

+/- 0.1 dB.

SIGNAL PATH AND SIDECHAIN SECTION

Compactor has its inputs and outputs electronically balanced . All elements in the signal path

and the sidechain section are built from the high quality components (low-noise transistors,

ultra low-impedance electrolytic capacitors, precision film capacitors, precision silver-mica

capacitors, 1% low noise metalized resistors, etc.)

The gain reduction is made by a discrete VCA based on bipolar transistors and Zener diodes.

There are 16 Zener diodes, of course manually selected and matched.

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THE FRONT PANEL CONTROLS AND THEIR USE

APOWER

Common POWER on/off switch. The amber light and panel meters will glow when the unit

is powered on. Please turn down the volume of your studio monitors before turning on or

turning off the Compactor.

BBYPASS/IN

The bypass is a hard relay bypass. If the unit loses power, it will default to this hard relay

bypass. BYPASS- hard bypass is activated (panel meter is highlighted in orange ). IN- the

signal is going through the unit (panel meter is highlighted in yellow)

CINPUT

11-position gold contact audio taper switch set for -5dB/+10dB of input gain control in

-5,-4,-3,-2,-1,0,+2,+4,+6,+8,+10dB steps. It determines the level of the signal entering the

channel, as well as the threshold.

DOUTPUT

11-position gold contact switch set for +10dB/-10dB of gain control in 2dB steps. Once the

desired amount of limiting or compression is achieved with the use of the INPUT control, the

OUTPUT control can be used to make up any gain lost due to gain reduction.

EHARD/SOFT

This switch allows You to choose between two unique modes. Each of them provides

different combination of threshold and compression knee. SOFT is less pumping mode and it

is useful when a complex material is processed - for example during mastering tasks. HARD

mode allows for more pumping and it is ideal for tracking, when sometimes aggressive

compression is needed. Your mode choice will depend on the processed signal and the aural

effect you want to achieve.

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FLIMIT/COMP

In the COMP position the Compactor operates as a compressor with 2:1 compression ratio. In

the limit mode its behavior can be compared to the famous Fairchild 660 limiter.

G S-CHAIN HPF

With this control (4-position gold contact switch) you can remove low frequency information

in the sidechain circuit from 80Hz, 200Hz, 320Hz. It can be also turned off by setting OFF

position.

HATTACK

The ATTACK control (8-position gold contact switch) determines how fast the compressor

reacts. It can be set for 0,5ms, 1ms, 2ms, 3ms, 5ms, 8ms, 12ms , 30ms.

IRELEASE

The RELEASE control (8-position gold contact switch) determines the time the compressor

needs to get back to the initial value after a level reduction. It can be set for 50ms, 70ms,

100ms, 150ms, 250ms, 500ms, 1sec, 2sec.

JLINK/DUAL MONO

When set to the up (LINK) position, the two channels of the Compactor act as a single stereo

compressor, with equal gain reduction on both sides, even when there is transient activity

only on one channel. You only need to set all the functions on the left and right channel in

the same position. It is not a problem having only rotary and toggle switches installed in the

unit. In the down (DUAL MONO) position, the Compactor operates as two separate

compressors, with the two channels operating completely independently of one another.

It is recommended to use the device in the LINK mode in the case of processing stereo

signals.

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THE REAR PANEL

aVOLTAGE SWITCH

Make sure that the voltage switch setting reflects the correct local power line voltage. For line

voltages from 100V to 120V, set the switch to 115V. The 230V position is good for all line

voltages from 200-240Volts.

bMAINS INPUT / AC FUSES HOLDER

The mains AC connector is a standard IEC-type 3 pin connector with a AC fuses (2 pieces)

holder. The ground of this AC connector is permanently internally connected to the chassis of

the Compactor for safety. It is important to change the fuse before changing the supply

voltage:

500mA (slo-blo; 5x20mm) for 230V~50 Hz

1A (slo-blo; 5x20mm) for 115V~60 Hz.

cINPUT

Balanced input XLR wired according to the AES standard : Pin 1 = shield, Pin 2 = hot (+), Pin

3= cold (-). In order to avoid hum, it is recommended to use the device only in balanced

connections.

dOUTPUT

Balanced output XLR wired according to the AES standard : Pin 1 = shield, Pin 2 = hot (+),

Pin 3= cold (-). In order to avoid hum, it is recommended to use the device only in balanced

connections.

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