Global Signal Flow and Levels. Eclipse Eclipse V4, CD8051
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Eclipse User Manual
Global Signal Flow and Levels
This section discusses levels and routing of all signals
before
the digital signal processor (DSP) and
after
the DSP, i.e., everything shown on the “Eclipse System Signal Flow” file provided on electronic disk supplied with unit. These adjustments are
global
in that they
do not
change when you load a new program. As such, they are useful for adjusting the levels and signal flow of your Eclipse relative to the rest of your studio or rack. They are
not
that useful for adjusting the nuance of an effect – that is better left to
PARAMETER
area levels and routing.
see page 37
Now we’re going to describe in words the signal flow inside the Eclipse. But they say a picture is worth a thousand words, so it will be helpful if you pluck the “Eclipse System Signal Flow” sheet file provided on electronic disk supplied with unit, and follow along.
The digital input is taken from the XLR, RCA, or optical digital input as determined by
SETUP
DIG-IN (DIG-IN)
. The first thing to realize is that the digital inputs and the analog inputs are summed. Thus, if you run a vocal in through the digital inputs and drum overheads in through the analog inputs, both will be effected. Digital channel 1 is summed with analog channel 1, and digital channel 2 is summed with analog channel 2.
You have the ability to select how these two channels are patched into the two inputs of the DSP, as we’ll discuss shortly. Once inside the DSP, signal flow and levels are controlled in the
PARAMETER
area as described on page 37. The output of the DSP is mixed with the input to the DSP for a “wet/dry mix” and then sent to
every
output with the exception of the ADAT pairs.
Using the Meters
The meters are your window on the signal level at various points throughout the signal path. Press
LEVELS
METER
to adjust the point that they monitor, their decay rate, or their peak hold time.
Your choices for
LEVELS
METER (SOURCE)
are:
Master In
Analog In
FX-A In
The level at the input of the DSP after the digital and analog signals have been combined.
The analog input level
after
both
LEVELS
{IN-GAIN}
and
LEVELS
page 2
{ANLG-IN}
.
Digital In
The digital input level
after
LEVELS page 2
{DIG-IN}
.
The level at the input of effects block A.
FX-A Out
The level at the output of effects block A
after
PARAMETER
page 2
MIXER {FXA MIX}
.
FX-B In
The level at the input of effects block B.
FX-B Out
The level at the output of effects block B
after
PARAMETER
page 2
MIXER {FXB MIX}
.
Master Out
The level at the output of the DSP
after
LEVELS page 2
{MSTR-OUT}
.
You can change the decay time of the meters from
0.1
to
10
seconds at
LEVELS
METER (DECAY)
.
You can also change the hold time for the peak level from
0.1
to
20
seconds at
LEVELS
METER (HOLD)
.
If the signal being monitored hits “digital zero,” the
OVERLOAD
LED will illuminate to inform you that distortion may have occurred. To clear the
OVERLOAD
LED, press
LEVELS
METER <OL CLEAR>
.
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Eclipse User Manual
Input and Output Modes (Global Stereo or Global Mono?)
As mentioned above, you select how the two channels of summed digital and analog input are fed to the input of the DSP. Press
LEVELS
page 2
(I/O
MODE)
to select from three possibilities.
Stereo
Here each input channel is sent to the corresponding input on the DSP. Use this mode when sending stereo signals for processing.
Mono 1
Here only input 1 is sent to both channels of the
DSP. Input 2 is ignored. Use this mode if you have no signal on input 2 (as may be the case with a guitar rig, for example).
Mono 2
Here only input 2 is sent to both channels of the
DSP. Input 1 is ignored. Use this mode if you have no signal on input 1.
Now, hit
(I/O MODE)
again to select the output mode as being mono or stereo. In mono mode, the outputs will be mixed together and sent to output 1 and the dry inputs will be mixed and sent to output 2. Mono mode will mainly be of interest to guitarists,
Global Wet/Dry Mix
You can control the global wet/dry mix at
LEVELS
(WET/DRY)
. While you can adjust the wet/dry ratio of each effects block and save it with a program
(page 39)
, that’s not the same thing as the
global
wet/dry mix that we’re discussing here. The
global
wet/dry mix affects how much of the signal that goes into the DSP (dry) is mixed with the signal that comes out of the DSP (wet). Recall that the DSP contains both effects blocks and the routing between them. The
global
wet/dry mix that we are discussing here does
not
change when you load a new program.
You will hear no effects with
(WET/DRY)
set to
0%
. You won’t hear the original signal with
(WET/DRY)
set to
100%
. Settings in-between will mix the two.
Why is there a
global
wet/dry along with
PARAMETER
area wet/dry controls? Isn’t this redundant? Well, no. Treat
PARAMETER page 2
LEVELS {FX_ MIX}
as a tool for getting an effect to sound its best, and remember that
this
wet/dry will change when you load a new program. Use the
LEVELS
(WET/DRY)
that we are discussing here to harmonize your Eclipse with the rest of your studio or rack. If you use the Eclipse in an effects loop, you probably want
LEVELS
(WET/DRY)
set to 100%, but if you always run a guitar through it, you may want this parameter set to some lower value.
Global Levels
You have plenty of chances to optimize the signal level at points along the Eclipse’s signal path. Generally, you want to leave anything that counts as an “input” at 0dB and adjust anything that counts as an “output” to maximize signal level without clipping (this includes the output of any device connected to the
Eclipse). Only adjust input levels if their connected outputs cannot adequately optimize the signal level.
Signals that are too low make for low resolution audio. Signals that are too high make for nasty distortion.
We highly, highly, highly recommend that you refer to the “Eclipse
System Signal Flow” sheet (after the Index) to visualize where the fol-
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Eclipse User Manual
lowing adjustments are made. All references to the “meter” can be set at
LEVELS
METER (SOURCE)
.
LEVELS
{IN-GAIN}
This is an analog voltage gain of –30dB to +10dB. It comes
before
the ADC
(analog to digital converter)
and affects signals supplied at the
analog inputs only
! Its effect can be monitored by setting the meter to
Analog In
. It is advisable to leave this at 0dB and to optimize the input level by adjusting the device connected to the analog inputs of the Eclipse. However, definitely use
LEVELS
{IN-GAIN}
should the connected device be constrained in some way.
LEVELS
{OUT GAIN}
This is an analog voltage gain of –30dB to +10dB. It comes
after
the DAC
(digital to analog converter)
and affects the signals being sent out the
analog output only
! Note that setting the meter to
Analog Out
shows the level
before
this control, not after.
LEVELS
page 2
{ANLG LVL}
Ah, we’ve included this
digital
gain of –144.5dB to 0dB simply because we could. It comes
after
the ADC and hence is in the digital domain. It affects only the level of the analog input. But - you probably don’t want to use it! That’s right, leave it at 0dB unless you feel you have a good reason to do otherwise, such as disabling the analog inputs
(use -100dB). To adjust the analog input level, you should instead use the above-mentioned
LEVELS
{IN-GAIN}
.
LEVELS page 2
{DIG LVL}
This is a digital gain of –144.5dB to 0dB. It affects signals supplied at the digital input only, and its effects can be monitored by setting the meter to
Digital In
. It is advisable to leave this set to 0dB and to optimize the input level by adjusting the device connected to the digital input of the
Eclipse. Only use
LEVELS page 2
{DIG-IN}
should that fail you.
LEVELS
page 2
{MSTR OUT}
This is a digital gain of –144.5dB to 0dB. It affects the signal at the output of the DSP, after the Wet/Dry mix and before the DAC, and can be monitored by setting the meter to
DSP-Out
. Adjusting this parameter will affect the signal level at both the digital and analog outputs. If you have digital outputs, use this to optimize the signal being sent out of them.
For the “audio purists”: Assuming that you’re not clipping the DAC
(you’d know you were if you saw the
OVERLOAD
LED light with the meter set to
DSP-Out
)
, use
LEVELS
{OUT GAIN}
if you need to turn the analog output
down
, and use
LEVELS
page 2
{MSTR OUT}
if you need to turn the analog output
up
. Why? You want the highest signal possible going through the DAC for maximum resolution with minimum noise.
see page 8 for more about the Overload LED
Release 4.0.1 Page 23 of 66 Eclipse User Manual

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