Tc electronic C300 User Manual

C300

DUAL STEREO GATE & COMPRESSOR

UUSSEERR’’SS MMAANNUUAALL

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

1 Read these instructions.
2 Keep these instructions.
3 Heed all warnings.
4 Follow all instructions.
5 Do not use this apparatus near water.
6 Clean only with dry cloth.
7 Do not block any ventilation openings. Install

in accordance with the manufacturer's
instructions.

8 Do not install near any heat sources such as

radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other
apparatus (including amplifiers) that produce
heat.

9 Do not defeat the safety purpose of the

polarized or grounding-type plug. A polarized
plug has two blades with one wider than the
other. A grounding type plug has two blades
and a third grounding prong. The wide blade
or the third prong are provided for your safety.
If the provided plug does not fit into your
outlet, consult an electrician for replacement
of the obsolete outlet.

10 Protect the power cord from being walked on

or pinched particularly at plugs, convenience
receptacles, and the point where they exit
from the apparatus.

11 Only use attachments/accessories specified

by the manufacturer.

12 Use only with the cart, stand, tripod,

bracket, or table specified by the
manufacturer, or sold with the
apparatus. When a cart is used, use
caution when moving the
cart/apparatus combination to avoid

injury from tip-over.

13 Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms

or when unused for long periods of time.

14 Refer all servicing to qualified service

personnel. Servicing is required when the
apparatus has been damaged in any way,
such as power-supply cord or plug is
damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects
have fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus
has been exposed to rain or moisture, does
not operate normally, or has been dropped.

• This equipment should be installed near the
socket outlet and disconnection of the device

should be easily accessible.

• Do not install in a confined space.

• Do not open the unit - risk of electric shock
inside.

Caution:

You are cautioned that any change or
modifications not expressly approved in this
manual could void your authority to operate this
equipment.

Service

• There are no user-serviceable parts inside.

• All service must be performed by qualified
personnel.

Warning!

• To reduce the risk of fire or electrical shock, do
not expose this equipment to dripping or
splashing and ensure that no objects filled with
liquids, such as vases, are placed on the
equipment.

• This apparatus must be earthed.

• Use a three wire grounding type line cord like
the one supplied with the product.

• Be advised that different operating voltages
require the use of different types of line cord
and attachment plugs.

• Check the voltage in your area and use the
correct type. See table below:

Voltage Line plug according to standard

110-125V UL817 and CSA C22.2 no 42.

220-230V CEE 7 page VII, SR section

107-2-D1/IEC 83 page C4.

240V BS 1363 of 1984.

Specification for 13A fused
plugs and switched and
unswitched socket outlets.

The lightning flash with an arrowhead
symbol within an equilateral triangle is
intended to alert the user to the

presence of uninsulated "dangerous volt­age" within the product's enclosure that may be of
sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of
electric shock to persons.

The exclamation point within an
equilateral triangle is intended to alert
the user to the presence of important

operating and maintenance (servicing)
instructions in the literature accompanying the
product.

a

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

Certificate Of Conformity

TC Electronic A/S, Sindalsvej 34, 8240
Risskov, Denmark, hereby declares on own
responsibility that following products:

C300

DUAL STEREO GATE & COMPRESSOR

- that is covered by this certificate and
marked with CE-label conforms with
following standards:

EN 60065 Safety requirements for mains
(IEC 60065) operated electronic and

related apparatus for household
and similar general use

EN 55103-1 Product family standard for

audio,video, audio-visual and
entertainment lighting control
apparatus for professional
use. Part 1: Emission.

EN 55103-2 Product family standard for

audio, video, audio-visual and
entertainment lighting control
apparatus for professional
use. Part 2: Immunity.

With reference to regulations in following
directives:
73/23/EEC, 89/336/EEC

Issued in Risskov, April 2006

Mads Peter Lübeck

Chief Executive Officer

EMC / EMI.

This equipment has been tested and found to
comply with the limits for a Class B Digital
device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC rules.
These limits are designed to provide
reasonable protection against harmful
interference in residential installations. This
equipment generates, uses and can radiate
radio frequency energy and, if not installed and
used in accordance with the instructions, may
cause harmful interference to radio
communications. However, there is no
guarantee that interference will not occur in a
particular installation. If this equipment does
cause harmful interference to radio or television
reception, which can be determined by turning
the equipment off and on. The user is
encouraged to try to correct the interference by
one or more of the following measures:

• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

• Increase the separation between the
equipment and receiver.

• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a
circuit different from that to which the
receiver is connected.

• Consult the dealer or an experienced
radio/TV technician for help.

For the customers in Canada:

This Class B digital apparatus complies with
Canadian ICES-003.
Cet appareil numérique de la classe B est
conforme à la norme NMB-003 du Canada.

b

3

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

Important safety instructions . . . . . . . .a

Certificate of Conformity . . . . . . . . . . . .b

Table of contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Front Panel overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Rear Panel connections . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Signal Flow diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Typical setups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Cables - (important) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

BASIC OPERATION

Preset applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

C300 Processing

Compression basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Comp/Limiter mode - C300 . . . . . . . .17

Gate Expander mode - C300 . . . . . . .18

New Style Compression - C300 . . . . .19

APPENDIX

Software update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Technical specifications . . . . . . . . . . .21

TC Electronic, Sindalsvej 34, DK-8240 Risskov – [e-mail] Rev 1 – SW – V 1.01English Version

Prod. No: E60506011

QUICK START - IF YOU JUST CAN’T WAIT

If you are familiar with compressors,
limiters, gates and de-essing techniques
this quick guide is probably all the
information you will need to operate the
C300. For more information, please refer to
other sections of this manual.

• Unpack the C300 and check for possible

damages that could have been caused by
transport.

• Read the safety instructions.

• Take a few minutes to register online via:

www.tcelectronic.com or send in the
registration card. Customers registered online
will be notified directly via E-Mail about
relevant news

The C300 is a compressor/de-esser

-

gate/exp

ander with two independent channels
that can be routed either in serial (stereo) or
dual mono mode.

Routings

The C300 has two routing options. Dual Mono
or Stereo/Serial. The Routing mode is set on
the C300 front panel on the far left.

Dual mono

- where C300 is split and operates as two 100%
separate mono engines. A typical application for
this mode is using the two engines as insert
effects on two different channels.

Stereo/Serial Mode

- utilizing both effect engines in serial. Engine
1 is feeding Engine 2. This is the mode to
choose if you wish to process a signal with both

MONO OR STEREO

OUT 2

OUT 1

IN 1

IN 2

dual mono mode

engine 1

engine 2

processing engines. Note that this routing
works for both a stereo setup but also a single
mono setup. Typically you would use one
engine as a gate/expander and the other as de­esser or compressor/limiter. But note that any
combination of effects is possible as the
engines operate independently.

• Make all appropriate connections. You may
refer to the examples on pages 10-12.

• Decide application and set Routing
accordingly.

• Set MIX to 100% for normal compression.
Any setting between 0 and 100% utilizes the
C300 “new compression style”, based on
parallel compression. Read the section “New
Style Compression”

• Select desired processing type on the two
Engines.

• Start playing.

• Feed the C300 channels with an appropriate
level. The yellow -3 LED should only be lit at
peaks. The level is set on the sending device.

• Set MIX depending on your intentions and
selected effect.

• Now tweak the THRESHOLD, MAKE-UP
GAIN and RATIO controls for the two
engines until you have the intended result.

For any questions left unanswered by this
manual feel free to visit our online support
center; TC Support Interactive, which can be
accessed via: www.tcelectronic.com

Latest manual revision can always be
downloaded from www.tcelectronic.com
Manual revision number is found in the bottom
of page 3.

4

stereo|serial mode

IN 1(L)

IN 2(R)

engine 1 engine 2

stereo stereo

5

INTRODUCTION

Comp/Limiter - mode

• Female Vocal

• Male Vocal

• Vocal Choir

• Speech

• Bass Guitar

• Electric Guitar

• Acoustic Guitar

• Horns/Instr.

• Piano Keyboards

• Percussive

• Toms

• Bass Drum

• Snare Drum

• De-Ess 2

• De-Ess 1

• Composite

Gate/Expander mode

• Female Vocal

• Male Vocal

• Vocal Choir

• Speech

• Bass Guitar

• Electric Guitar

• Acoustic Guitar

• Horns

• Piano Keyboards

• Percussive

• Toms

• Bass Drum

• Snare Drum

• Hum

• Hiss

• Composite

Congratulations on the purchase of your C300 Dual Stereo Gate/Compressor by TC Electronic

C300 is an easy to use dual engine dynamics processor that gives you superior compression/
limiting and gate/expansion feasibilities. It features flexible control of the signal path, 16
gate/expander and 16 compressor/limiter audio-optimized presets with intelligent TC multi-band and
full-band dynamics technology, innovative new style compression, state-of-the-art TC quality, and an
extremely intuitive and straightforward user interface that gives you access to complex and
comprehensive dynamic processing with just a few buttons and simple operations.
C300’s key application is as insert effects on mono or stereo channels.

The C300 gives you highly advanced TC algorithms that will process your sound with extreme
precision, ultimate audio quality and outstanding performance. State-of-the-art audio converters
excellent quality on your analog signal into, and back from the digital domain.
The entire music and audio business has celebrated and awarded TC Electronic for its outstanding
products. TC will for many people be synonym with superior and excellent quality and we are
confident that C300 will not disappoint you in any way.

Enjoy

TC Electronic

Program Types

6

FRONT PANEL OVERVIEW

ROUTING MODE switch

Selects between the following routing modes:

Dual Mono routing mode

The two engines operate 100% individually and
can be perceived as two separate mono units.

Stereo/Serial routing mode

This mode can be used for several different
application setups:

Serial mono:
By using only the Left input/Left output, C300
operates as two mono blocks in serial.

Serial S

tereo:
Connecting a stereo signal on Left/Right inputs
the two engines can be used a two stereo
devices in serial.

S

tereo:
Engine 2 is bypassed by setting MIX to
“bypass” (fully counter-clockwise) and Engine 1
is used as a stereo effect. Only one engine is
applied.

The following descriptions of controls are
valid for both Engines 1 and 2.

PRESET selector

Use the PRESET selector to select the desired
source preset for Engine 1.

METERS

I/P

dB:
Input meter showing the signal present on the
input. Analog or digital. Meters indicate dBFS.

Damp meter:
Indicates the attenuation of the signal in dB.

THRESH LED (Threshold LED)

In Compression/Limiter mode:
Indicates if the processed signal is close to
overloading the output section.

In Gate mode:
LED off = signal above threshold
LED on = signal below threshold

OVERLOAD

The OVERLOAD LED can indicate various
types of overload.

LED will be on if:

1. The incoming digital or analog signal is too
hot. Reduce the source signal.

2. Internal overload in the digital domain. This
situation occurs if the applied make up gain
is set too high. This situation should not
occur under normal working conditions.

THRESHOLD

Sets the threshold for the selected preset. The
threshold should be set according to the level
of the processed signal. The lower the
threshold is set, the earlier the processing is
applied.

RATIO

Sets the ratio for the selected engine preset.

MAKEUP / RELEASE

For compression presets this control sets the
make-up gain. The release times are
predefined in the presets.

For Gate/Expander presets this control sets the
release time.

FRONT PANEL

7

MIX / AMOUNT

For compression effects the MIX/AMOUNT
knob controls the mix between the processed
and the direct signal. When set to 0% the
engine is 100% bypassed.

In Gate /Expander mode the knob controls the
amount of damping.

8

REAR PANEL CONNECTIONS

Inputs

Balanced analog inputs on
TRS 1/4 inch jacks.

Outputs

Pseudo balanced analog
outputs on TRS 1/4 inch jacks.

Please read the manual
section on correct cables
to use with C300 on
pages 12-13.

Digital I/O

24 bit digital S/PDIF input and
output on standard RCA
Phono connectors.

C300 automatically detects if a
digital signal is present on the
S/PDIF input. When locked to
a valid digital signal the
DIGITAL IN LED on the front
panel is lit.

If C300 cannot lock to the
digital input the analog inputs
are used.

MIDI In - MIDI Out

MIDI in/out for uploading
software.

Power

100-240 VAC switchmode
power supply. The C300
accepts any voltage from 100
to 240 VAC.

Balanced
Jack
Analog
Inputs

MIDI
In/Out

Pseudo
Balanced
Jack
Analog
Outputs

Digital
In/Out

Power Input
100 - 240VAC

SIGNAL FLOW

9

ANALOG

INPUTS

[balanced]

DIGITAL IN

GAIN

MIX

ANALOG

OUTPUTS

[pseudo balanced]

Left

Left

Right

Right

Digital Output

[S/PDIF]

Digital Input

[S/PDIF]

D/A

Input PPM

A/D

AUTO

SENSE

ANALOG/

DIGITAL

AUTO

DETECT

Fullband

Expander/

Limiter

Multiband

Compressor

Fullband

Compressor/

Limiter

10

TYPICAL SETUPS

In this example the C300 is used in Dual
Mono mode as two 100% independent mono
engines on two separate channels. The two
engines have no influence on each other.

The illustration above shows connections in
an analog setup. If digital input is used the
two channels present on S/PDIF is split and
processed exactly as two signals were
connected to the Left inputs on engines 1+2
as illustrated above.

Purpose:

Individual processing on two separate

channels.

• Set routing to “dual mono” mode.

• Insert C300 engine 1 using a Y-split cable (or
other appropriate cable).

• Insert C300 engine 2 using a Y-split cable (or
other appropriate cable).

C300

CH 1 SEND
CH 1 RETURN

piano/keyb piano/keyb

bassdm bassdm

snaredm snaredm

de-ess2 de-ess2

femalevocal femalevocal

tomsdm tomsdm

percussive percussive

de-ess1 de-ess1/hum /hum

/hiss /hiss

composite composite

horns/inst. horns/inst.

-60 -60BYP BYP100 1001:1 1:1.1 .1

.3 .3

1 1

0dB 0dBinf. inf.2 2

-30 -3050 50

75 75

25 25

0 0.5 .5

dB| dB|sec secratio ratiodB dB% %

thresh threshoverload overloaddigitalin

dualmono

power

stereo|serial

-20 -20-40 -40

-50 -50-10 -10

2 2

3 3

5 5

8 8

threshold thresholdratio ratiomakeup| makeup|mix| mix|release releaseamount amount

engine1 engine 2

routing

metering metering

program program

malevocal male vocal

vocalchoir vocal choir

speech speech

bassguitar bass guitar

elec.guitar elec.guitar

acousticguitar acousticguitar

-6 -6-3 -3

-12 -12-6 -6

-18 -18-12 -12

-24 -24-18 -18

-48 -48-24 -24

-3 -3-1 -1

i/pdBfs i/pdBfsdamp. damp.

-5 -5+5 +5

-15 -15
+15 +15

algorithm algorithm

gate|exp gate|expcomp|lim comp|lim

DUAL STEREO GATE | COMPRESSOR

C300

CH 2 SEND
CH 2 RETURN

LEFT IN LEFT OUT RIGHT IN RIGHT OUT

Insert

For each engine:

• Select processing type for engines 1 and 2.

• If you have selected a compression type
preset set the Makeup gain to 12 o’clock
position.

• Set Threshold and Ratio controls.

• Set mix to 100% for conventional full signal
processing or use a lower setting to utilize
the “new style compression”/parallel
compression. (read more on new style
compression later in this manual)

• Now adjust the Makeup gain for level
compensation.

11

TYPICAL SETUPS

C300

piano/keyb piano/keyb

bassdm bassdm

snaredm snaredm

de-ess2 de-ess2

femalevocal femalevocal

tomsdm tomsdm

percussive percussive

de-ess1 de-ess1/hum /hum

/hiss /hiss

composite composite

horns/inst. horns/inst.

-60 -60BYP BYP100 1001:1 1:1.1 .1

.3 .3

1 1

0dB 0dBinf. inf.2 2

-30 -3050 50

75 75

25 25

0 0.5 .5

dB| dB|sec secratio ratiodB dB% %

thresh threshoverload overloaddigitalin

dualmono

power

stereo|serial

-20 -20-40 -40

-50 -50-10 -10

2 2

3 3

5 5

8 8

threshold thresholdratio ratiomakeup| makeup|mix| mix|release releaseamount amount

engine1 engine 2

routing

metering metering

program program

malevocal male vocal

vocalchoir vocalchoir

speech speech

bassguitar bassguitar

elec.guitar elec.guitar

acousticguitar acousticguitar

-6 -6-3 -3

-12 -12-6 -6

-18 -18-12 -12

-24 -24-18 -18

-48 -48-24 -24

-3 -3-1 -1

i/pdBfs i/pdBfsdamp. damp.

-5 -5+5 +5

-15 -15
+15 +15

algorithm algorithm

gate|exp gate|expcomp|lim comp|lim

DUAL STEREO GATE | COMPRESSOR

C300

MASTER OUT/
GROUP OUT

LEFT IN

RIGHT IN

Amp

PROGRAM DISPLAYINPUT METERS

EQ 1

EQ 2

EQ 3

EQ 4

DLY 1

DLY 2

DLY 3

DLY 4

LIM 1

LIM 2

LIM 3

LIM 4

ROUTINGABPARAM EQ

INPUT

X-OVER

1

2

3

4

EQ DELAY LINE LIMITER

PAR EQ

PAR EQ

DIGITAL IN

OUTPUT

A

B

RECALL ENTER

LOCK

STORE

EDIT

SETUP

CLIPCLIP

0

dB

AB

-5

-10

-15

-20

-30

-40

CONTROLSCHEMATIC

XO24

INA

IN B

OUT 1

OUT 2

OUT 3

OUT 4

SPEAKER MANAGEMENT CONTROLLER

Cross over

Stereo / Serial

In the Stereo/Serial mode C300 is ideal for
the following 3 different main applications.

Mono serial processing

Connect a mono signal to the C300 left input
and listen on the C300 right output.

Stereo (single engine processing)

Stereo in / Stereo Out. Bypass engine 2 by
turning the MIX control fully counter-clockwise
to “BYP”.

Stereo Serial (dual engine processing)

Stereo in / Stereo Out. Both engines
processing. This is a typical choice if you want
to combine e.g. a De-ess function with
compression on vocals.

• Set Routing to Stereo / Serial.

• Connect Master Out or Group Out to C300
Left/Right inputs and C300 outputs to
downstream device - e.g. stereo amplifier.

For each engine:

• Select processing type for engines 1 and 2.
Bypass Engine 2 for Stereo single engine
processing.

• If you have selected a compression type
preset set the Makeup gain to 12 o’clock
position.

• Set Threshold and Ratio controls.

• Set mix to 100% for conventional full signal
processing or use a lower setting to utilize
the parallel compression. (read more on
parallel compression later in this manual)

• Now adjust the Makeup gain for level
compensation.

12

CABLES

Type 1

Type 2

Type 1 and Type 2 cables are used when

C300 is used as channel insert effects with
mixing consoles that has unbalanced insert
points on 1/4” stereo jacks.

T

ype 1
The Standard split cable or “insert-cable” is the
commonly used cable with products like C300.
This type of cable will work perfectly well with
most setups.

T

ype 2
Many mixing desks do not feature balanced
insert points and thereby downgrade these
signals compared to the balanced main inputs.
The result is potentially hum and noise induced
in the insert cables.

The C300 has special designed ground sensing
inputs and outputs, which are "enabled" by
using the ground-sensing split cable.

The use of this cable makes the C300 collect
and deliver an optimal signal "to the door step"
of the mixing desk and thereby raise the
performance of these connections

The ground-sensing feature on the C300 is
invoked by using the ground-sensing split
cable.

C300 can be connected with standard insert cables but in some situations a better signal to
noise ratio level can be obtained using slightly unconventional cable types.

13

CABLES

Type 3

Connecting to balanced equipment.

When connecting to C300 outputs to downstream devices with balanced inputs you MUST use
mono/unbalanced plugs in the C300 outputs.

Warning!

Do NOT use balanced cables from the C300
outputs. This may introduce unwanted hum or
noise.

It is a common problem that you will
loose 6dB of signal when connecting
unbalanced equipment to balanced.
This is not the case with the C300 if
you use the cables as described in this
section.

14

PRESET APPLICATIONS

This chapter describes the C300 programs
and their suggested applications. You are of
course encouraged to experiment and twist
controls to reach an optimal result for your
specific application.

Composite

Use the composite preset when you have a
complex or many faceted signal like a full-mix
signal. You can use it in compressor mode or in
expander mode and it delivers true multi-band
processing. That means that the C300 does the
work for you – what was previously a complex
operation has now become a simple operation
thanks to the optimized composite preset.

Applied algorithm in Comp/Lim mode:
Multi-band Compression + Peak Limiter

Applied algorithm in Exp/Gate mode:
Wideband Expansion

Female vocal

The female vocal preset is tailor made for high
pitched vocals. Use it as a compressor or
expander to bring out the sonic qualities of your
taste. You’ll immediately be amazed about the
audible perfection you can attain with this multi­band preset.

Applied algorithm in Comp/Lim mode:
Multi-band Compression + Peak Limiter

Applied algorithm in Exp/Gate mode:
Wideband Expansion

Male vocal

Male vocals can become a bit muddy due to
their lower pitch. For optimal clarity and
performance, you should apply this multi-band
expander/compressor preset, which brings out
the true essence of your vocals.

Applied algorithm in Comp/Lim mode:
Multi-band Compression + Peak Limiter

Applied algorithm in Exp/Gate mode:
Wideband Expansion

Voc. Choir

If you want your backing vocals to stand out,
while preserving the group like character that a
band of singers have, the Voc. Choir preset will
do the job. Use the compressor to control the

gain of your source or use the expander to
lower the noise floor.

Applied algorithm in Comp/Lim mode:
Multi-band Compression + Peak Limiter

Applied algorithm in Exp/Gate mode:
Wideband Expansion

Speech

For pure speech and oratory signals, you
should use the Speech preset. It is optimized
for signals with a lesser dynamic fluctuation
than what you’ll find in e.g. vocals. The preset
is a true multi-band preset in both compressor
and expander mode.

Applied algorithm in Comp/Lim mode:
Multi-band Compression + Peak Limiter

Applied algorithm in Exp/Gate mode:
Wideband Expansion

Bass guitar

One thing that all bass players hate, is
unintentional muddy-ness to their sound. The
bass guitar preset will make sure that your bass
is smack in the face. Apply this multi-band
compressor or expander for great results on
your bass sound. Now you can avoid the low
frequencies triggering your compressor and
retain the sonic qualities of your entire signal.

Applied algorithm in Comp/Lim mode:
Multi-band Compression + Peak Limiter

Applied algorithm in Exp/Gate mode:
Wideband Expansion

Electric guitar

Most often electric guitars have no problem
getting through in the mix. But sometimes the
sonic quality could be better, as the signal
easily gets too loud or unwillingly distorted. The
Electric Guitar preset works wonders as an
expander/compressor in true multi-band mode.

Applied algorithm in Comp/Lim mode:
Multi-band Compression + Peak Limiter

Applied algorithm in Exp/Gate mode:
Wideband Expansion

Acoustic guitar

Acoustic guitars have a subtleness that is
delightful to listen to. Yet sometimes subtleness

15

PRESET APPLICATION

is interchangeable with a lesser presence in the
mix. The multi-band Acoustic Guitar preset
gives you a compressor that will preserve the
original subtleness and evenness of your
instruments tone, and an expander that will
lower the noise floor.

Applied algorithm in Comp/Lim mode:
Multi-band Compression + Peak Limiter

Applied algorithm in Exp/Gate mode:
Wideband Expansion

Horns/instrument

A horn section or for that matter a solo sax, can
be quite a hassle to get just right in the mix.
Apply the Horns/instrument preset and take
advantage of a true multi-band
expander/compressor. Use the compressor to
align the difference in volume that you will find
in e.g. a fast riff as compared to sustained
tones.

Applied algorithm in Comp/Lim mode:
Multi-band Compression + Peak Limiter

Applied algorithm in Exp/Gate mode:
Wideband Expansion

Piano/keyb

Synthesizers, stage-pianos and acoustic pianos
have a huge pitch and dynamic range. That
makes it genuinely hard to find just the right
level for such instruments in the mix. For
exceptional control and equality you should
apply the Piano/keyb preset.

Applied algorithm in Comp/Lim mode:
Multi-band Compression + Peak Limiter

Applied algorithm in Exp/Gate mode:
Wideband Expansion

Percussive

A full set of percussion instruments has a huge
dynamic range that is very difficult to control.
With the Percussive preset you can avoid any
surprises that powerful and darker percussive
instruments might dish out, giving you total
control of the dynamic range.

Applied algorithm in Comp/Lim mode:
Wideband Compression

Applied algorithm in Exp/Gate mode:
Wideband Expansion

Toms dm - Toms “drum”

Tom toms span from small and higher pitched
sounds to large and lower pitched sounds.
Their relatively high attack and short decay
times requires advanced mixing techniques.
With the Toms preset you have a specially
designed full-band expander/gate and
compressor that will do the job.

Applied algorithm in Comp/Lim mode:
Multi-band Compression

Applied algorithm in Exp/Gate mode:
Wideband Gate/Expansion

Bass dm - Bass drum

The bass drum plays many different roles.
Depending on the style of music, you want it to
be hard and powerful, full and punchy, or fast
and furious. The Bass dm preset is a full-band
expander/gate and compressor, which will
make it easy to fit your bass drum to your
favorite style and control it in the mix.

Applied algorithm in Comp/Lim mode:
Multi-band Compression

Applied algorithm in Exp/Gate mode:
Wideband Gate/Expansion

Snare dm - Snare drum

You’ve probably already experimented with the
sound of the snare drum, in the quest for that
signature sound that some of the world’s great
drummers are known for. With the Snare dm
preset you’re on the fast track to making your
snare drum sound exceptional. The preset can
be used as either a full-band expander/gate or
a full-band compressor/limiter.

Applied algorithm in Comp/Lim mode:
Multi-band Compression

Applied algorithm in Exp/Gate mode:
Wideband Gate/Expansion

Hiss-Cut

Sometimes you might get a bit of hiss from an
incoming source, especially when external
devices are linked into a larger setup or if
different electronic formats or ground policies
are connected like consumer standards
connected to professional equipment. To
counter that you should use the Hiss-Cut
preset. It kicks in when there’s no or next to no

16

PRESET APPLICATION

level on the input source, ensuring no noise in
quiet pieces of the music. This preset is only
featured in the gate/expander mode.

Applied algorithm:
Multi-band Expansion

Hum-Cut

As explained in the Hiss-cut preset description
you can occasionally experience problems with
hum in an incoming signal when you connect
different types of devices. In quite moments
when the hum becomes a problem the hum can
in a smooth and easy way be eliminated by
using the hum-cut preset simply by adjusting
the parameters. The preset can only be used in
gate/expander mode.

Applied algorithm:
Multi-band Expansion

De-ess1

The De-ess1 preset removes all unwanted s’s
that some microphones or singers have so
much trouble with. You can use the De-ess1
preset in compressor/limiter mode only. It aims
at a certain frequency range and it perfectly
counterparts the De-ess2 preset.

Applied algorithm:
Multi-band Compression

De-ess2

The De-ess2 preset removes all unwanted s’s
that some microphones or singers have so
much trouble with. You can use the De-ess2
preset in compressor/limiter mode only. It aims
at a certain frequency range and it perfectly
counterparts the De-ess1 preset.

Applied algorithm:
Multi-band Compression

17

C300 PROCESSING

Compression

The very basis of compression can be reduced
to “controlling the dynamic content” of a audio
signal. This basically means turning down the
loudest parts of the source material and raising
the volume of the parts with low level content.
But how this is done and how this is applied in
audio production is slightly more elaborate.

Keep an eye on the illustration below and let us
look at the basic compression parameters:

The Threshold parameter - sets the limit
where the compressor kicks in/releases it’s grip
of the signal. As soon as the level is above the
set threshold the compressor is active. When
below - it is not.

The Ratio - sets the amount of gain reduction
applied when the signal exceeds the threshold.
In the illustration below the Ratio is the
steepness of the curve after the compressor
threshold.

The Attack time - is the time it takes for the
compressor to reach the compression amount
specified by the set ratio.

The Release time - is the time it takes for the
compressor to release the signal after the input
signal is below the threshold point again.

How each of these parameters are set is very
important and only the correct combination
gives the desired result.
The C300 programs assist you greatly in that
respect as each program has preprogrammed
attack and release times.

Makeup gain - is a common control on
compressors. As reducing/controlling the
loudest parts of the signal attenuates the signal
it is most often necessary to increase the
overall output volume. Thereby the elements
with lowest dynamic content are enhanced.

The Limiter - the Limiter is actually yet another
compressor. It uses a very fast attack time and
has a ratio of 1; infinity. But why is the Limiter
necessary?

C300 PROCESSING

Comp/Lim mode - C300

Wideband Compressor

The wideband/fullband compressor type is
applied in the drum programs. The
compression is trigged by the entire signal.

Multiband Compressor

Where the wideband compressor excels in
limited frequency areas the multi-band
compression excels on more complex program
material with a wider frequency range. This
being both composite material but also sources
such as vocals, horns and guitar that despite
their immediate simple structure can suffer from
the “breathing syndrome” where the
compression of the lower frequency bands
ends up controlling the upper frequencies also.

The multi-band compression style splits the
signal in three frequency areas and
compresses these bands individually. Attack
and Release settings are prepared and tuned
on the C300 programs giving you excellent
starting points. Threshold and Ratio are set on
the front.

De-Ess

The De-Ess programs also utilize the multi­band compression type and is fine-tuned to
reduces sibilance from “s” sounds that can be
far too dominant.

18

For the compressor to be used as a musical
tool the set attack times are relatively long.
(from 10 to 200ms) This gives the disadvantage
that certain peaks can pass. Therefore a limiter
with an attack time of as little as 0.1ms and a
ratio of 1:infinity prevents close to all
overshoots.

For different purposes there are different Limiter
types. The C300 limiter is a peak type limiter
and it is automatically active on all program
types using the multi-band compression style.
(see pages 14-15).

Though a peak limiter is applied on all
multiband compression programs it is

worth noticing that C300 holds an
exceptional tolerant headroom structure. In
combination with the Peak Limiter that ensures
that occasional peaks are tamed you can
actually operate very close to max without any
risks of overshoots.

Gate/Expander mode - C300

Set the mode selector to “GATE/EXP”
position.

Noise, whether it is hiss, hum or just
background noise is always a parameter to
evaluate and deal with. Initially noise must of
course be reduced to a minimum from the
source, but with a Gate/expander it is also
possible to reduce the noise on channels when
no significant signal is present.

Basics

A Gate - or downward expander, - is used to
attenuate the signal when the signal is below a
certain threshold. When talking about attack
and release times in reference to a noise gate:

- the att

ack time is the time is takes to for the
gate to “open” when the signal rises above the
threshold and...

- the release time

is the time it takes for the

gate to reach the specified attenuation.

C300 Gate programs

All programs except for Hiss/Hum trigger
dedicated Gate/Expander settings tuned to the
various program materials.

Hiss & Hum programs

Dedicated programs for hiss and hum
elimination.

19

C300 PROCESSING

C300 - New style compression

- an innovative approach to compression

Do you recognize the situation where you read
about a technology, maybe even in details, and
feel that you really understand the concept?
Then, once you are in a stressed environment
and try to apply you new found wisdom you
loose the overview and though it looked really
good on paper you now don’t seem to pull its
full potential.
Parallel compression could actually be one
those “understandable when read” technologies
that you tend to mess up in a real life situation.

With the C300 New Style Compression NSC™
you can avoid this unsatisfactory situation.
C300 gives you a totally new approach and
some stunning results based on the thoughts
behind parallel compression in a one touch
operation with no unintended side effects.
Furthermore you don’t have to deal with
complex untweakable relations between time
constants, gain structures and ratio settings.
The optimized presets do the job for you. Just
add music, tweak a few parameters and you
are flying.

Parallel Compression

As described earlier, compression is a matter of
controlling the peaks in the signal in a way that
doesn’t decrease the quality of the incoming
audio signal. An example could be if you
experience peaks in the vocal or the instrument
signal that changes the feeling of the incoming
source’s position in the final mix, or if the
program materials you are working with are
way too different in volume. A good example
would be a snare drum drum with various
outputs from beat to beat.

Or how about the situation where you have an
extremely dynamic vocal with significant
differences from the highest to the lowest
peaks. At the same time you want to enhance
the singer’s breath and the low-end frequencies
to make it more present and sounding as if the
singer is just a few inches away.

You still want to maintain the signal’s dynamic
range and keep the peaks in the signal to make
it more musical to listen to.
How is this done?

Well the answer is complex parallel
compression. Normally this is setup on the
mixing console.

When setting up a traditional “parallel
compression”, you

- route the direct and uncompressed signal to
a stereo bus (bus A)

- simultaneously you route the signal to a
stereo bus with a stereo compressor
inserted.

- then you route the processed signal to bus A
also.

Seems pretty simple, but there are definitely
downsides to that method. - If you make any
level changes on the compressed or the direct
signal it will affect your stereo mix due to the
lack of level-compensation in the two signals.
Also - you cannot mix digital and analog
devices in the chain unless time-align all
signals correctly. So there are several pitfalls
that invites to mistakes, - especially in stressed
situations.

DON’T WORRY. The C300 New Style
Compression will assist you in setting up
parallel compressions fast and easy. A unique
feature that so far is unseen in a compact unit.

The main object

- is mixing the unprocessed signal with the

compressed signal. Mixing is easily done using
the MIX knob. Setting MIX to 100% lets the
C300 operate as a regular compression.
Setting MIX in any position between bypass
and 100% applies “new style compression”.

Why?

What does it do to the sound? The higher
dynamics are better preserved and at the same
time the details from the lower dynamic parts of
the signal.

Try to apply parallel compression on a
drum kit. You will discover that all the

lower details are smack in the face,
while all the bells and high dynamics of the
snare and cymbals are preserved and
“uncompressed”, so to speak.

APPENDIX

SW Update

Updating the C300 software is easy. Download
the software application from
www.tcelectronic.com.
Connect the computers MIDI out to C300 MIDI
in. C300 is always ready to receive such a
software update.

20

21

APPENDIX - TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Digital Input and Output
Connector:
Formats:
Sample Rates:
Processing Delay:
Frequency Response DIO:

Analog Inputs
Connectors:
Impedance, Bal / Unbal:
Max. Input Level @ 0 dBFS:
A to D Conversion:
A to D Delay:
Dynamic Range:
THD:
Frequency Response:
Crosstalk:

Analog Outputs
Connectors:
Impedance :
Max. Output Level:
D to A Conversion:
D to A Delay:
Dynamic Range:
THD:
Frequency Response:
Crosstalk:

EMC
Complies with:

Safety
Certified to:

Environment
Operating Temperature:
Storage Temperature:
Humidity:

Control Interface
MIDI:

General
Finish:

Meter:
Dimensions:
Weight:

Mains Voltage:
Power Consumption:
Warranty Parts and labor:

RCA Phono (S/PDIF)
S/PDIF (24 bit), EIAJ CP-340, IEC 958
48 kHz. (44.1 kHz only @ Digital Input)

0.08 ms @ 48 kHz
DC to 23.9 kHz ± 0.01 dB @ 48 kHz

1/4" phone jack balanced/unbalanced.
20 kOhm / 11 kOhm
+21 dBu
24 bit, 128 x oversampling bitstream

0.9 ms @ 48 kHz
Typ < -110 dB, 22 Hz to 22 kHz
Typ < -102 dB (0.0008 %) @ 1 kHz, -1 dBFS
+0/-0.1 dB, 20 Hz to 20 kHz
Typ < -115 dB, 20 Hz to 20 kHz

1/4" phone jack unbalanced. Ground sensing design.
35 Ohm
+21 dBu
24 bit, 128 x oversampling bitstream

0.58 ms @ 48 kHz
typ < -110 dB typ, 22 Hz to 22 kHz
typ < -94 dB (0.002 %) @ 1 kHz, +21 dBu
+0/-0.1 dB, 20 Hz to 20 kHz
typ < -100 dB, 20 Hz to 20 kHz

EN 55103-1 and EN 55103-2 FCC part 15, Class B,
CISPR 22, Class B

IEC 65, EN 60065, UL6500 and CSA E60065

32° F to 122° F (0° C to 50° C)

-22° F to 167° F (-30° C to 70° C)
Max. 90 % non-condensing

In/Out: 5 Pin DIN

Anodized aluminum front. Plated and coated steel
chassis

2 x 6 LED's in each channel
19" x 1.75" x 4.2" (483 x 44 x 105.6 mm)

3.3 lb. (1.5 kg)

100 to 240 VAC, 50 to 60 Hz (auto-select)
<15 W
1 year