Installation manual

Engineering - 27
Setting Levels
Setting the input levels involves synchronization of the VU meters at the source, (usually the production
console or the audition bus of the Air console), with the SMARTCASTER input. To set the input gain,
use complex audio modulation such as music, speech, or a spot, and set the gain so that the meters on the
board read correctly. Next, engage all of the buttons of the front of the dBX units. Go into the Record
Screen of the SMARTCASTER. After setting up a sample test spot to Record, (refer to the Operations
section of the manual for information on Recording), adjust the DIGITAL INPUT LEVEL to about
halfway. Now adjust the REC pots on dBX #1 to the desired level. Do not let the word “OVERLOAD”
appear very often on the SMARTCASTER Record Screen. Any audio recorded while this word appears is
distorted.
To set the output gain, open the channel on the console that carries the audio from the SMARTCASTER
to a normal operating position for the board. Next, start playing back a properly recorded spot in the
SMARTCASTER. (Note: In SMARTCASTERS using Simultaneous Playback and Record, a spot should
be played in live assist to adjust the output gain for the air channel, and a spot should be auditioned in the
Record Screen to adjust the output gain for the SMARTCASTER’s audition channel.) Adjust the trim
pots for the desired playback level.
If wiring a Sat-Pac unit that uses the external AudioPort, there is not any level information on the Screen.
Setting levels with the Sat-Pac can best be done by recording an input signal at high level, and auditioning
it. If the audio is distorted, lower the input signal via the trim pots on the dBX, and try again until the
audio is not distorted.
NOTE: Please make sure that all of the blue buttons on the dBX are engaged. If the buttons are not
engaged, all dBX processing functions are bypassed - resulting in a loss of companding capabilities
and proper impedance matching.
NOTE: In most cases, the audio recorded on the SMARTCASTER at the factory was done without a
dBX. As a result, any of this audio sounds muddy when played back through a dBX.