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Conference napalm::commusic_v1

Title:* * Computer Music, MIDI, and Related Topics * *
Notice:Conference has been write-locked. Use new version.
Moderator:DYPSS1::SCHAFER
Created:Thu Feb 20 1986
Last Modified:Mon Aug 29 1994
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:2852
Total number of notes:33157

2465.0. "Korg KEC-42 EQ / Compander" by GSRC::COOPER (MIDI rack puke) Fri Oct 05 1990 04:11

    I recently acquired (about an hour ago), a KEC-42 EQ/Compander.
    I only paid $45 for the thing and it's in excellent shape.
    
    It appears to have four channels of parametric EQ and two channels
    of compression.  I was in need of a compressor for my basement
    p-studio, so I snarfed it up...  No manual.
    
    Does anyone have, or has anyone heard of this thing ?  did I spend too
    much ?  Is it junk ?
    
    It has strange inputs in the back for each EQ station:
    
         EXT IN 
    Key  Aux  Out
    
    And there is in and out for four different Parametric EQs...
    There is a twin available for this at the same price.
    
    Can someone help me ?  What did I buy ?
    ;)
    jc
    
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2465.1I *can* read... ;)GSRC::COOPERMIDI rack pukeFri Oct 05 1990 04:122
    Obviosly, I don't have a manula for this thing...
    
2465.2Yeah, A Good DealAQUA::ROSTShe moves me, manFri Oct 05 1990 12:5021
    
    OK, what you have is a stereo parametric EQ/compressor.  You can use it
    as two two band EQs, or four single band EQs.  When used as four,
    only two get use of the compressor.
    
    A little bit of patching and experimenting should make it obvious how
    to patch the EQs into singles from pairs. The "key" input allows you do
    what is known as "ducking", that is, the compressor will react to some
    external signal...like a radio station application, where the music
    level goes down when the DJ starts talking.  
    
    The "companding" means it will also do dynamic range *expansion* which
    is a cool effect although not overly useful for many things.   
    
    Was $45 a used price?  They're no longer made, but the cheapest I've
    seen one go for new in a store was about $150.  Maybe not the greatest
    compressor or EQ, but for the amount of function you can get from it,
    at $45 it's a steal.
    
    							Brian
    
2465.3GSRC::COOPERMIDI rack pukeFri Oct 05 1990 16:0612
    Great !  I like to hear that Brian.  ;)
    
    I hope to use in with my four track for some home
    recording projects.  I think I'll hook it up to my guitar
    also to see what I can do with it there.
    
    The dude at the store I bought it from called this morning and
    said they found the manual for it, so that'll help too.
    
    Anyone out there have one of these beasties ?
    
    jc
2465.4Compand?VOLKS::RYENRick Ryen 240-6501 AET1-1/A6Fri Oct 19 1990 08:2522
RE .0
	$45 for a 4 channel parametric EQ doesn't sound too bad to me.
	I believe that the Alesis micro series are about double that, 
	only have two channels and no compression. 

but... what really caught my interest here was the use of the word COMPAND! 

I have been waiting for quite some time to catch somebody using that word.
Why, so I can ask what it means.

My MC300 sequencer has a compand editing function, and I have
been trying to figure out what it's purpose is. It doesn't seem to do any
thing useful. 

I thought that maybe if I understoiod what 'compand' meant, that maybe
I'd be able to find some use for that editing function.

Anybody wanna take a stab at a definition (explaination)?
(sorry to take this off track)

Rick

2465.5Velocity ScalingWEFXEM::COTELight, sweet, crude...Fri Oct 19 1990 09:4711
    Compand is a contraction for "Compress/Expand".
    
    My guess, as it applies to the MC-300, is it's an operation that 
    re-scales velocity data. Compression would move all values closer to
    a common point, while expansion would increase the difference.
    
    The MC-500 has this feature, allowing you to not only select the
    amount of "compansion", but also the point the values are referenced
    to.
    
    Edd
2465.6More on CompandingAQUA::ROSTShe moves me, manFri Oct 19 1990 11:4210
    Re: .4, .5
    
    A very common "compander" is the Dolby NR in tape decks.  On recording
    high frequencies are compressed, on playback exapnded.  The expansion
    causes the tape his (which wasn't compressed) to be lowered in level,
    thus the noise is reduced.
    
    
    							Brian
    
2465.7Put me in compand, sirVOLKS::RYENRick Ryen 240-6501 AET1-1/A6Fri Oct 19 1990 15:545
 Okay - compress/expand. Now it starts to make sense.
I'll have to re-visit that MC300 function, and see I can make
use of it, given my new insite.

Thanks