Settings for deq2496

[w6xr]

I just put an audio chain on my AM station and am having problems with setting up the Behrenger DEQ 2496.
Does anyone have a place to start with settings?  The SSB settings are OK, but I'm much more interested in using the audio chain to process my AM station.
I'm using a Collins 32V3, a Heil Heritage balanced mic, a ART tube preamp, the Behringer DEQ2496, a Behringer VX2496 and a W2IHY IPlus box. 

If there is a source for this information on the Internet, please share the URL as I've found a lot of information about SSB, but little thats useable on AM.

Thanks,

Natan W6XR
Freeville, NY

[K5UJ]

Natan,

Before I try to help I have to ask some questions.  First I make no guarantee that I'll have the right answers--have to get that out first.  Now, what do you want your 2496 to do for you?  It is like a Swiss Army knife--it has a graphic and parametric eq, noise gate, compressor, dynamic eq, so in order to help I need to know what you are trying to do with it....  also need to know the arrangement of your boxes--I know mic, preamp, but what comes next?  How your gear is ordered from mic to rig matters in how you use ur 2496. 
Let me just say now that one thing none of your stuff can do for you is give you the really tight asymmetric peak limiting that lets you hit 98% negative no matter what.  But the beringer compressor may let you get some gain reduction on positive and negative--I'm just not sure how fast it can really respond with zero delay time.  For that you have to experiment with a scope on ur mod. envelope and a off air monitor and look/listen to what's going on while you mess around with the 2496  but that's part of the fun.  Don't forget that you can chain the Left and Right sides so you can do some sorts of processing on one channel then feed that into the other side to do other things.   

Rob

[w6xr]

Rob,

Thank you so much for responding to my recent post.  Let me try to answer your questions:

I'm looking for a function to shape the frequecy response to mitigate my bass type of voice.  The 2496 should be able to do this simple EQ function.  The boxes are set up with the Heil Heritage mic (it's a balanced output) and the signal goes via an XLR type cable to the pre-amp input.  Another XLR cable carries the signal out of the preamp and then into the input of the 2496 using the "input" port.  After processing by the 2496 the signal leaves the 2496 and via another balanced XLR cable goes to the balanced input of the IPlus box.  The signal leaves the IBox via a cable wired as unbalanced where it is switched to the cable carrying processed signal to my 32V3.  BTW, the chain does well when I select (through the IPlus box) a balanced input to my Orion 2 by Ten Tec.  The reports on SSB are stellar! On AM, the product is undermodulated and has barely acceptable AM characteristics.  I am not getting near 100% positive modulation and the math puts it at 65% modulation with the set up I now am using.


Thanks for the tip about using the other sideband to make another pass through the 2496.

73 and thanks!

Natan W6XR
Freeville, NY

[K5UJ]

Okay Natan,

the Behringer 2496 can certainly attenuate your low frequencies but if ultimately that is all you want to do, you will find yourself using a $300 box for something you could do with a $100 analog graphic equalizer, or something even cheaper purchased used.  Since you have it, you may as well hang on to it for now and experiment referring to the manual that comes with it, and you may find other uses for it.  If not, after a year let's say, I'd consider selling it and getting a plain old graphic eq.   there's some info here to give you some food for getting started fooling around with it: http://www.nu9n.com/deq2496.html   

  For any work with it I'd have a scope on the output of your rig with the rig on a dummy load and a way to listen to your tx audio on an AM receiver. 

Use the graphic eq function and put each frequency flat across at around +10 dB.  Make sure the graphic eq you are using is the one on the side, L or R, you are connected to with your XLR cables.   use the bypass function to put everything else on bypass.  There is another signal path route graphic user interface that allows you to select your input, output, and things like where you want the real-time analyzer (a LCD type spectral audio signal strength in real time display) to be sampling.  Then check the level going to the rig by looking at your modulation level.  Since you were okay before on SSB you're level will now probably be more hot but you can adjust it with one of the pots in your ibox thingy or that new thing Julius sells that you have, the one with the three way switching.   Adjust the level to the 32V3 so the carrier is just about to pinch off while you are modulating it.   If you have an AF sig generator or some other source for an audio sine wave like an oscillator you can feed that into the audio chain and adjust the level to the rig.  Then start rolling off the low frequencies with the graphic eq.  You have to experiment here but you can start by attenuating them at 150 hz with a gradual taper off until you have the frequency channels at -15 or -20 dB at 60 or 80 Hz. 

There's really no quick fix instruction without being there to hear your voice and see exactly what you have set up.  You'll have to spend some time fooling around with it before you get it in a setup to your liking.

GL

Rob