Owners Manual

METERING
The SLAM! has some very comprehensive metering. If you skip
this section, you’ll be back here with the yellow highlighter pen,
once you start really using the box.
There are both LED bar graphs and standard VU meters, and
each can show a variety of information. Before proceeding
further, we should mention that any peak meters and VU meters
should look different with music and that they are intended for
different purposes. VU meters are deliberately slower, and are
mostly intended to represent apparent loudness much like the
way our ears work. LED peak meters are most often chosen when
very fast peak reading signals need to be represented. For
“standard” VU meters there is a long list of specs and
qualifications, from needle size, color and ballistics to meter size,
color and scaling. Most importantly, VUs have been around a
long time and most engineers find them easiest to interpret and
most valid for analog tape. Because peak meters are fast
compared to VUs, transients like drums will look louder than on
VUs, and this is a good thing if we are concerned with clipping
or digital recording.
The LED bar graphs are multi-color (8), multi-mode (4), and
multi-purpose. The meter is controlled by a 3 position toggle
switch labeled LED, with MODE & RESET (down), PEAK
(middle) and GR (up). During normal operation, the switch will
be in the center or up position and will control the display on the
meters based on the currently selected mode. The momentary
down (spring) position has different functions depending on the
current operating mode and how long the switch is held down.
Holding the switch down for more than .5 seconds suspends
normal operation and enters the Mode Menu, indicated by a
colorful pulsing on the top 2 segments of the right meter. While
in this menu, one of 4 Modes described below can be selected.
The selected mode is shown by a lit segment surrounded by two
others near the bottom of the right meter. You can scroll through
the 4 modes by pushing the switch down again quickly (before it
returns to ‘normal’). Once the desired mode is lit, you ‘confirm’
the choice by either waiting 2.5 seconds or once again pushing
down the switch but longer than .5 seconds. Modes 1 and 2 are
the normal display modes and normal operation resumes. Modes
3 and 4 are used to select options.
Modes
MODE 1) DUAL DISPLAY: (shows two things at once)
Peak Position (center): Displays audio as a green and amber bar
from the bottom up. FET Gain reduction is simultaneously
displayed as a red dot from the top down.
GR Position (up): Displays FET Gain Reduction as a Red bar
from the top down and OPTO Gain reduction as an Orange dot
from the top down.
The Peak Hold dot and the third bar color are not available in this
‘dual display’ mode
In each mode ADC clipping is also displayed. In Mode 1 PEAK
the Green segments turn Red. In Mode 1 GR, the Red FET bar
turns Green. In Mode 2 you can have the Green turn Red or the
top 2 segments turn bright Red depending on where the LED
TRIM is set.
MODE 2) SINGLE DISPLAY:
PEAK Position (center): This is a typical peak meter with a peak
hold dot. The bar is divided into 3 colors, Green, Amber & Red.
GR Position (up): Displays the sum of FET and OPTO Gain
Reduction (or the total limiting) from the top down. Both the
limiters are added together which may look a lot more drastic
than it sounds and some interpretation is required. It is most
useful when minimal limiting is the goal.
MODE 3) COLOR CHANGE POINTS:
You can change where the audio peak meters change color from
green to amber and from amber to red. This is an unusual feature
of this meter and lets you 'match' the SLAM!'s peak meter to the
meters on your digital recorder or work-station. The SLAM!
meters are analog and your other meters are very likely pure
digital so exact segment for segment matching is unlikely. This
just gives you a way to set color change points.
Select Mode 3 with the momentary toggle and the display will
change so that the left meter is totally lit and the right meter is
still in audio peak mode (for reference). Below the POWER
button is a small hole and a trim pot lives behind it. A small
screwdriver or tweaker is needed to adjust it. If the Mode Switch
is in the center position, then you can adjust the point where
green changes to amber. If the Mode switch is in the GR or up
position, you can change the amber to red point.
If you run out of range on the trim, exit Mode 3, tweak the trim
to approximately center, then go back to Mode 3 and set the color
change point where you want.
If you tweak the orange-red color change point to "over the top
of the display" (max), then the ADC clip indication for Mode 2
changes. Instead of the top 2 segments turning bright Red, all the
Green segments turn Red when the ADC clips at digital Full
Scale.
MODE 4) PEAK HOLD MENU
This is just for the peak hold dots in Mode 2. The selection is
displayed on the left LEDs.
a) No peaks held (no dot) (indicated by the lower of the 3 left
segments)
b) Peaks held for 1 second (typical generic peak meter)
(indicated by the middle of the 3 left segments)
c) 'Infinite' Hold, stores the peak until you manually reset by a
quick push down and release of the momentary toggle. This
mode is handy when the SLAM! is behind you and you need to
know after the fact, the loudest transient that went through.
Unfortunately, it won't hold a ADC clip indication.
RESET
Each time a mode is changed, all settings are saved to non-
volatile memory. If you find that you have 'out moded' yourself,
or that the meter is looking goofy, the factory default settings
can be restored as follows. With power off, press and hold the
LED Meter switch down, and turn the power on. The left meter
will light 2 segments red, the right green, release the switch.
Sometimes the Opto will cause a stuck segment because the opto
GR is not slowed down (shared from the VU meter GR mode).
Just change to Peak and back will clear the segments, or wait
until a the next hot peak clears it for you.
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