P38EX lowering sound level

[xabbu]

Hi there everybody,

I just got my p38ex two weeks ago and have been investigating that box since then.
While playing around I did notice some strange behaviour:
– When the mix knob is turned into 100% compression and the compressor is inactive via the switch with the blue LED
levels on incoming sound will be lowered by almost 5-6 dBFS (measured at the AD converter).
Basically the compressor circuit is bypassed but still it seems the ciruciut alters the overall level of the sound.
– Turning the wet knob to 0% (only dry) accurately gives back the sounds level as it is being fed into the box.
– There is no difference between having the compressor switched off and having threshold at 0. (Which I tried just to be sure its not the compressor circuit that lowers the signal level).

So all this is quite weird behaviour, as I was suspecting the box not to touch the sound at all when I bypass the compressor, set stereo width to 100% (middle setting), output gain to 0, input gain to 6.

Any help or advisory is appreciated,

cheers,

Ingo

[Ted Fletcher]

Hi Ingo, thanks for your question…. The ‘odd behaviour’ that you notice is not so odd… All the circuitry is active, so when you are in 100% compression, with the compressor off, there is gain (or loss) in the circuit. I adjust these compressors so that they should be easy to use in a real situation; feel free to turn the output gain up to introduce some gain into the path. That output gain setting can be moved a little either way to achieve the ‘unity gain’ that you want.
But more important….. how does it sound??

[Author]

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