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What Dsp's Are You Putting On The Main Outs And Channels?


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I Know this is more of a basic sound engineering question then anything, but I am just wondering how many people are using a compressor or a limiter etc on the main outs during a live show. I’ve done some goggling but can’t find any solid answers particularly on dynamic dsps. if anyone could share what they are applying to the main outs and channel strips for dynamics that would be super beneficial!

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I end up never using them....

 

My sound checks are short and we focus to much on getting good tone from every instrument.

Then we play a piece all together and adjust relative volumes.

It sounds good right away and it's usually time for diner. So I always forget about outputs processing...   :rolleyes:  

 

Am I missing a lot? 

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Using a limiter on outputs is always a good idea.  If you connect via L6 link then all the settings will be set automatically.  If you use the analog outputs the limiter's value will only be realized if you calibrate your external system to the mixer (same as with anything other than M20d/L6).

 

I find single band compressors generally not a good idea on outputs as they affect the sound quality too much for my tastes.

 

The presets that incorporate multi-band compression are great to use if you need more output level than the system is normally capable of.  It doesn't affect the overall quality of the sound but can dramatically raise the "average" level.

 

And of course increasing average level could cause feedback issues depending on everything else.

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Yes, I find the limiter absolutely necessary to save audience and speakers in case of distortion. But I find great the compressor too because it make the overall live sound more similar to a processed music of a cd, with a little less dynamic but more suitable for ears.

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Yes, I find the limiter absolutely necessary to save audience and speakers in case of distortion.

 

Just to be technically correct ... "distortion" does not damage speakers, power levels do.  That's why I pointed out that limiters are only effective in speaker protection IF they are calibrated to the speaker's power handling capabiilities and the amplifier's drive levels.  So if speaker protection is your goal you must complete the calibration (which happens automatically using L6 link)

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What I said is tech correct. I mean distortion when the clipping sound go to the speaker at high level. In this case clipped sound can be dramatic for speakers. It's obvious that we are talking about very high power levels, and that limiters must be calibrated.

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