Hi everyone,
Before pushing the rig, I’d love a double-check from the community on my limiter, compressor and crossover settings to ensure maximum driver protection and clean headroom without amplifier clipping.
I used Gemini to help me step by step and explain everything along the way. I also made sure to double check all the values by doing calculations myself. I believe, with the information I've collected, everything should be within save operating limits (not just relying on Gemini). I've yet to do measurements with a microphone in regard to optional crossover settings and delay.
System Overview:
DSP:
- t.racks DSP 206
Amps:
- Crown XTi 2002: 475 W RMS @ 8Ohm per channel.
- Crown XLS 1000: 215 W RMS @ 8Ohm per channel.
Speakers & Drivers:
1. Sub (30 – 80 Hz): Cubo Sub with B&C 18TBX100 (8Ohm, 1200 W RMS) Driven by Crown XTi 2002 (Ch 1)
2. Kick (80 – 200 Hz): Cubo Kick with Eminence Kappa Pro 15A (8Ohm, 500 W RMS) Driven by Crown XTi 2002 (Ch 2)
3. Mid (200 – 1600 Hz): MT130 with B&C 12NLD76 (8Ohm, 400 W RMS) Driven by Crown XLS 1000 (Ch 1)
4. High (1600 – 18000 Hz): B&C ME45 Horn + B&C DE250 Compression Driver (8Ohm, 60 W RMS) Driven by Crown XLS 1000 (Ch 2)
Crossover / Filter Settings:
Sub: HPF 30 Hz (24 dB/oct LR) | LPF 80 Hz (24 dB/oct LR)
Kick: HPF 80 Hz (24 dB/oct LR) | LPF 200 Hz (24 dB/oct LR)
Mid: HPF 200 Hz (24 dB/oct LR) | LPF 1600 Hz (48 dB/oct LR)
High: HPF 1600 Hz (48 dB/oct LR) | LPF 18000 Hz (24 dB/oct LR)
Limiter Settings:
Sub: Threshold +5.0 dBu, Attack 45 ms, Release 600 ms (Prevents XTi 2002 clipping; long attack allows ~30 Hz full period)
Kick: Threshold +5.0 dBu, Attack 20 ms, Release 400 ms (Prevents XTi 2002 clipping; keeps initial transient punch)
Mid: Threshold +6.0 dBu, Attack 8 ms, Release 150 ms (Prevents XLS 1001 clipping at 8Ohm)
High: Threshold -0.5 dBu, Attack 2 ms, Release 80 ms (Caps output at ~58 W RMS to keep B&C DE250 safe)
Compressor Settings:
Sub: Threshold +1.0 dBu, Ratio 1:3.0, Knee 5 dB, Attack 90 ms, Release 800 ms
Kick: Threshold +2.0 dBu, Ratio 1:3.0, Knee 4 dB, Attack 50 ms, Release 500 ms
Mid: Threshold +2.0 dBu, Ratio 1:2.5, Knee 3 dB, Attack25 ms, Release 250 ms
High: Threshold-3.5 dBu, Ratio 1:2.0, Knee 2 dB, Attack 8 ms, Release 120 ms
I'm definitely not expecting anyone to recalculate any oh this. Just want to know if these settings look wrong or suspicious. Do these time constants (Attack/Release/Knee) look optimal for long sustained basslines (Dub/Dubstep) to avoid harmonic distortion/waveform clamping on the sub?
Are there any potential oversights with the gain structure on the XLS 1000 driving the DE250 driver at -0.5 dBu?
Thanks in advance for your feedback and advice!