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Gain structure thread

DraDra Posts: 3,777
Just saw this on Harmony Central forum.


i have been running sound for local country band for the last 3 years and i have come across a problem that i am clipping my amp ,it is a peavey 2000 older one running in stereo to 2 peavey 115s on the top and 2 peavey 18 subs.

i only run amp at 50% on rear and can only get about half on mains before it goes to full clip




turn the amps up. The knob does not control how much the amp puts out. It controls the input. Did the horns blow because you were running the system into clipping for most of the gig? Or was there another reason for it?


Quote:
Originally Posted by dboomer Just for starters ... you should turn down the power amps by at least 10 dB and then turn up the mixer. You will need to get your gain structure under control ... I'm guessing that it isn't.
Oh no Don... at this point this is the last thing he should do IMO.
This puts the OP closer to overdriving the rest of the signal chain. Assuming there is an unbalanced piece of signal processing (realistic assumption) the maximum drive level available is roughly +18dB, and turning the amp down 10dB from +4dB means that he will need at least +14dB to achieve the limit point of the DDT assuming no eq changes from flat. So by the time he clips his drive electronics, he will be AT MOST 4dB into limit and then a clipped signal is sent onto the speakers at full power... hardly what the designers of amps intended by the inclusion of limiting circuits on their products.



Let me clue you in on an HC thing, dboomer and agedhorse have differing ideas about gain structure between mixer/x-over/amps. I fall in on agedhorse's view of amps run wide open and using gain structure based around that

Can you get to unity on channel inputs with the amps at 100%? I can't.

DRA

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    DennisDennis Posts: 801
    There's more than one way to skin a cat. I always ran my amp gain at 100% with no problems. I am now experimenting with all of the gain structure ideas I hear tossed around here...with no problems.

    Dennis
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    DraDra Posts: 3,777
    Seems like amps full on would give tons of head room on the mixer, but none on the amps (in relation to the mixer). One HAS to know the limits of the system, set the limiters at a much lower (relative) threashhold, or hope no body drops a mic.
    :?

    DRA
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    DraDra Posts: 3,777
    Unity smunity, I mean... does it really matter? Either it loud enough, or it ain't.

    I had (actually still have if someone wants to buy it) an EV mixer that if the masters were push above -0- it had it's own pink noise generator. :lol::lol:

    Meow. Watch them claws.

    DRA
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    GadgetGadget Posts: 4,915
    I guess ... since I have such a Hodge-podge of amps I just use the gain structure method for setup, and I generally fudge the factors on the xover gains to get a head start.. so If I'm top heavy amp wise and the horns are say 10 db more efficient I will dump 10-15 db out of the horn to get my amp somewhere in the unity area for the horn.. that to me is the most critical point.. for there I work backwards...

    I believe that poster is Don Boomer from the PSW ...I think he's right.. the guy's gain structure is a mess, and he is under powered.. he has no idea where he is on anything...I have even seen on some amps that when ANYTHING in the chain clips the amp does as well...
    G
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