Behringer FBQ2496 Manual - Page 10

10 FEEDBACK DESTROYER PRO FBQ2496 User Manual 5.3 FBQ2496 in studio applications Thanks to the FBQ2496's flexible configuration, it makes perfect sense to use it at the studio or for home recordings. When in Parametric EQ mode, the FEEDBACK DESTROYER PRO puts up to 20 fully parametric equalizers per audio channel at your disposal. Everything is possible: from simple signal processing to total signal manipulation. For example, you can also use the FBQ2496 to remove distortion from your studio monitors, or you may use it to aid the EQ function on your mixing console if it only has semi-parametric EQs. 6. Incoming Signal Level Make sure that the level of the signal being fed into your FBQ2496 is always correctly set! That way, the FBQ2496 will always be able to effectively suppress feedback. To correctly set the signal level, use the LEVEL METER display (1). The upper clip LEDs should ideally never light up. At any rate, aim to avoid the clip LEDs constantly being lit up. If the signal level is too low, the music looses its dynamics, and the result is a weak, hissing sound that does not set itself through. Similarly, you should avoid at all cost signal levels that are too high because they will overdrive the FBQ2496 converters. Digital distortion (unlike its analog counterpart) is extremely unpleasant because such distortion does not occur gradually but extremely abruptly. 7. MIDI control MIDI stands for "Musical Instrument Digital Interface." It is a "language" used to transmit control information between different electronic devices: instruments, PCs, drum computers, effects units, etc. That way, a device's parameters can be automatically modified at a previously determined point in time. To make such communication possible, the following conditions have to be met: • All devices must be correctly connected to one another. • One device, called "master," sends MIDI information via one or several MIDI channels. The device receiving control information, called "slave," has to be set to the correct MIDI channel in order to receive the information. • The control information being sent has to be "understood" by the MIDI devices receiving it. 7.1 MIDI connections The MIDI connectors found on the rear panel are on internationally standardized 5-pin DIN jacks. You need dedicated MIDI cables to connect the FBQ2496 to other MIDI equipment. Normally, complete cables will be purchased for this use. MIDI cables should have a maximum length not exceeding 15 meters. MIDI IN: Receives MIDI control data. The receive channel is determined in the SETUP menu. MIDI THRU: Provides an unchanged copy of the signal received at the MIDI IN, for example, to daisy-chain several FBQ2496. MIDI OUT: Transmits MIDI data to a connected computer or other FBQ2496. Transmitted are program data as well as status information for signal processing. ◊ No loop lines are allowed with MIDI connections, i.e. the master device can send only control information, and the slave device(s) can only receive control information-and not the other way around. Depending on your application, some devices can function both as masters and slaves. 7.2 Activating and deactivating MIDI With some applications, having the option to disable the MIDI function of a device can be useful. This means that the device does not react to the incoming MIDI control data; instead, it merely passes the incoming MIDI signal through. The FBQ2496 gives you the option to decide whether it should react to incoming MIDI control data. ◊ Even when the MIDI function is deactivated on the FBQ2496, the MIDI signal still passes through the unit and can be tapped into at the MIDI THRU connector. 1. Press BANDWIDTH and BYPASS simultaneously. The MIDI menu is activated if the LEDs on both buttons as well as the MIDI LED under the display are blinking. 2. Press the BANDWIDTH button; then use the wheel to activate or deactivate MIDI. MIDI on: on MIDI off: off 3. Press any button to exit this menu. 7.3 Adjusting a MIDI channel Using a MIDI channel, a master can transmit 16 different data segments, each one using its own channel. To make sure a slave only receives the information intended for it, the corresponding MIDI channels have to be assigned to it first. 1. Press BANDWIDTH and BYPASS simultaneously. The MIDI menu is activated if the LEDs on both buttons as well as the MIDI LED under the display are blinking. 2. Press BANDWIDTH again. Now, a MIDI channel can be selected using the wheel. The display shows channel numbers as follows: c 1, ... c14, c15, c16. 3. Press any button to exit this menu. 7.4 MIDI controller Each one of the 16 MIDI channels can transmit a lot of different information- for example, note, keystroke strength and the so-called controllers. A controller is a command (e.g. instrument, volume, balance, footswitch position) that in certain situations has to be defined very specifically. A total of 128 different controllers can be set up. There are several standards (0 = bank select, 7 = main volume) but no fixed norm for the assignment of controllers to specific controller numbers (0 - 127) exists. Different MIDI devices may react differently to the same controller numbers. To effectively control your FBQ2496, it is important to know which controller numbers can influence individual parameters.