dbx Pro PX manual

User Manual Powered Speaker Optimizer Featur i n g Powered Speakers P X ®[...]

W ARNING FOR YOUR PROTECTION PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING: KEEP THESE INSTRUCTIONS HEED ALL WARNINGS FOLLOW ALL INSTRUCTIONS THE APPARA TUS SHALL NOT BE EXPOSED TO DRIPPING OR SPLASHING LIQUID AND NO OBJECT FILLED WITH LIQUID, SUCH AS VASES, SHALL BE PLACED ON THE APPARA TUS CLEAN ONL Y WITH A DRY CLOTH. DO NOT BLOCK ANY OF THE VENTILA TION OPENINGS. [...]

DECLARA TION OF CONFORMITY Manufacturer’ s Name: dbx Professional Products Manufacturer’ s Address: 8760 S. Sandy Parkway Sandy , Utah 84070, USA declares that the product: Product name: DriveRack PX Note: Product name may be suffixed by the EU. Product option: None conforms to the following Product Specifications: Safety: IEC 60065 (7th ed. 20[...]

Section 1- Introduction ......................... 1 0.1 Definin g the DriveRa ck PX ..... ....... ... 1 0.2 Servi ce Conta ct Info .. ...... ...... ...... ... 2 0.3 W arr an ty ....... ...... ...... ...... ...... ....... . 3 Section 2- Getting Star ted ..................... 4 2.1 Rear P ane l Connec tio ns ........ ...... .... 4 2.2 Fron t P an el [...]

Section 1- Introduction The dbx DriveRack® PX P owered Speaker Optimizer has everything you need to get the most out of your stereo powered speaker system. It even includ es stereo or mono subwoofer support. With the includ ed dbx M2 measur emen t mic , Auto-EQ corrects for audible defi cien cies in the room environm ent. Our patented Advan ced Fe[...]

0.2 Service Contact Info If you requir e technical support, contact dbx Customer Service . Be prepar ed to accurately describe the problem. Know the serial number of your unit - this is printed on a sticker attached to the bottom panel. If you have not alread y taken the time to fill out your warranty registr ation card and send it in, please do so[...]

0.3 W arranty This warran ty is valid only for the original purchaser and only in the United States. 1. The warranty registr ation card that accompanies this produ ct must be mailed within 30 days after purchase date to validate this warranty . Proof-o f-purchase is consid ered to be the burd en of the consumer . 2. dbx warran ts this prod uct, whe[...]

2.1 Rear Panel Connections GND SUB OUTPUTS Manufactured under the following U.S. Patents: 3,789,143; 4,182,993; 6,195,029; 7,203,324. PX R UL 60065 IEC 60065 120V - 60Hz I E C Power Cord Recept acle The DriveRack® PX comes with a power supply that will accept voltages rangin g from 100V- 120V at frequen cies from 50Hz-60Hz. An IEC cord is inclu de[...]

Data Wheel The Data wheel of the DriveRack® PX is used to scroll through the preset men u, load presets, select param eters and edit parameter values. LC D Display The backlit LCD display of the DriveRack® PX provi des the user with all of the vital processin g inform ation of the DriveRack® PX includin g: sign al routing, effect block editing a[...]

2.3 Quick Start For those of you that wish to jump right in, the followin g informati on has been provid ed to act as a quick start guide for optimizing performan ce of the DriveRack® PX. Signal Path Block Diagram The following diagr am shows the logical and intuitive sign al path of the input, signal processin g modules , and output of the DriveR[...]

Once all of the connection s have been mad e and the unit is powered up, you can navigate through the entire signal path of the DriveRack PX from the front panel of the unit. The display provi des you with a clear and concise overview of each aspect of the signal path from the input to the output section. SETUP AFS RECALL SUBHARMONIC COMP/LIMITER U[...]

2.4 DriveRac k PX W izar d Now that you have made all of your audi o connecti ons and have mad e yourself famili ar with the front-pan el navigati on of the unit, you can easily optimize your system through the use of the DriveRack® PX Wizards . These allow for quick and accurate venue setups. There are three wizards: Setup, EQ, and AFS. Press hol[...]

Rotate the <Data> wheel to select any one of the num erous MAIN speaker option s available . If the speaker being used is not specified in the menu, select CUST OM. (Note that you can scroll by category by pressing the Select knob and placing the arrow ne xt to the category heading above the speaker name . Press the Select knob again to place[...]

P r e s s S e l e c t t o L o a d > N e w P r e s e t L o a d N e w P r e s e t Press the <Data> wheel to load the new preset. The display will look like this: C o n n e c t m i c t o R T A i n p u t . P r e s s R T A i n p u t b u t t o n . A u t o L e v e l The display is prompting you to connect an RT A-specific microph one to the front[...]

A UTO-E Q W IZ A R D Once you have completed the Setup wizard , you can now proceed to EQ your system. The Auto-EQ Wizard automatically adjusts the respon se of the system by prod ucin g pink noise and adjusting the Graphi c EQ until the RT A match es a selected respon se . (The Auto-EQ TM Wizard can be initialized at any time by pressin g and hold[...]

either show the graphi c EQ or the RT A. Rotating the <Data> wheel clockwise and counter clockwise will toggle between the two mod es. Y ou can also select either mod e as the def ault in the Utility menu. Regardless, the display will appear somethin g like this: At this point, the DriveRack® PX will automati cally EQ to compensate for the r[...]

Y ou will now use the <DA T A> wheel to select the number of fixed filters. This will ran ge from values 0-12. The total number of filters will stay at 12, and the number of live filters will be = T otal Num Filters – Num Fixed . Live and Fixed filter types differ in that FIXED mod e filters are automatically assigned to a frequency creatin[...]

F i x e d F i l t e r S e t u p D o n e . I n L I V E m o d e . • T o return to preset mode , simply press the <PRESET> or <NEXT PG> button. For mor e inform ation regar ding feedback elimination, please see the AFS param eters of the Detailed param eters section. DriveRack ® PX Section 2 Getting Started ® 14[...]

The DriveRack® PX has been carefully design ed and engin eered to ensure that all aspects of operati on are intuitive and logical. Simply stated, the DriveRack® PX operatin g system was desi gned with the user’s best interest in mind. 3.1 Basic Navigation Modes Navi gation al aspects of the DriveRack® PX are clear , concise and mor e important[...]

SETUP AFS RECALL SUBHARMONIC COMP/LIMITER UTILITY PRESET NEXT PG STORE EQ WIZARD UTILITY PREV PG WIZARD ST ORE/UTILITY - Press and release to enter the Store menu, which allows the user to store the current state to a user preset. Press and hold to adjust LCD contr ast, Auto-EQ plot selection (RT A or GEQ), and Sales Banner on/off. SETUP AFS RECALL[...]

3.5 Navigating the Comp/ Limiter Section Na vigating the Compressor/Limiter Section The Comp/Limiter button toggles through the Compressor or Limiter modules. COMP Comp On/Off Over Easy Off, 1-10 COMP/LIMITER Threshold -40-20dB Ratio 1:1 to ∞ Inf:1 Gain -20 to 20dB LIMITER Limiter On/Off Over Easy Off, 1-10 Threshold -40-20dB COMPRESSOR/LIMITER F[...]

3.7 Navigating the A F S Section The NEXT and PREV buttons scroll through the pages of selected module. Na vigating the Advanced F eedback Supr ession (AFS) Section AFS On/Off AFS Clear Mode - Fixed/Live T ype- Speech, Low ,Med and High Number of Fixed filters 0-12 Live filter Lift - On/Off Lift After - 0-60 AFS AFS From preset mode, press the AFS [...]

3.1 0 Navigating the Recall Section PRESET Na vigating the Preset/Recall Section All presets RECALL From preset mode, press and hold the RECALL button. T urn the Data wheel to select a preset; press the Data wheel to load the preset. T urn the Data wheel to select a preset. Press the Data wheel to load the preset. RECALL Currently loaded preset 3.1[...]

Section 4 - Operating Functions The Operation section of the DriveRack® PX will be your key to successful navi gation of the operati on of the DriveRack® PX. The following informati on provi des descripti ons about preset functi ons and operating function s of the DriveRack® PX. 4.1 Pr eset Definition The first step in understan ding the capabi[...]

<PREV PG> - Moves to the previ ous page in the curren tly selected men u. <NEXT PG> - Moves to the ne xt page in the curren tly selected men u. <SETUP> - Press and release to enter the high-pass and bandpass filter editor . Press and hold to enter the first page of the Power ed Speaker Setup Wizard. <SUBHARMONIC> - Press to [...]

Rotating the <DA T A> wheel will chang e the characters on the currently selected position. Pressin g the <DA T A> wheel will toggle between upper and lowercase letters, numbers or symbols. Use the <PREV PG> and <NEXT PG> button to move character positions . Once the desired title has been written, press the <STORE> bu[...]

Section 5 - Detailed Parameters The DriveRack® PX offers complete editing flexibility , by offerin g in-depth control over every param eter within each sign al processing module . The followin g section will provid e you with descripti ons and explanati ons of all parameters within the DriveRack® PX. 5.1 Ster eo Input Gr aphic E Q E Q On/ Off T u[...]

A FS On/ Off T urns the AFS module on and off. If AFS is Off, the filters are bypassed, and the algorithm is halted (the filters are not updated). If AFS is On, the filters are active, and the they are updated accordin g to the curren t selected mod e (Fixed or Live). Clear Live/All This param eter clears the filters. If Clear Live is selected, the[...]

the number of Fixed filters goes down, then the last fixed filter set will be reset. Likewise , if the number of Fixed filters goes up (and thus the number of live filters g oes down), then the last live filter set will be reset. The Fixed/Live filter usage will be indicated at the bottom of each page of the feedback eliminati on effect. ‘F’ in[...]

enhanced bottom end with these systems may not be possible and may result in over- stressin g or even dam aging your speakers . It is gener ally not a good id ea to use this feature without a subwoofer . In any case , please refer to your power ed main s and powered subwoofer speakers’ frequen cy respon se specificati ons , and avoid forcin g the[...]

Ratio (R) 1 .0 to Inf:1 Ratio is the amoun t the unit redu ces the sign al level of the sound that is above the thresh old. A 2:1 rati o mean s that if the incoming signal is 2dB over the thresh old the unit will compress the sign al, and outputs a signal that only goes 1dB over the thresh old. For ligh t compressi on choose a lower ratio, while a [...]

5.5 Filter (S E TU P) The Filters are used to divid e the input signal into two frequen cy bands . This allows the user to drive the speaker in its optimum frequen cy ran ge and send each output separately for more effici ent use of amplifier power . Appendix A.5 illustrates each of the available Filters. The sign al present at the Main (OUT) outpu[...]

Section 6 - Application Guide This Applicati on guid e section is provid ed to offer suggested installation application s of the DriveRack® PX that will allow you to optimize peak perform ance of the units. Note that the 25 includ ed applicati on presets repr esent the flexibility of the DriveRack® PX. These applicati ons can be used verbatim, or[...]

6.2 T wo Mains/ One Subwoofer Setup Hardwar e Mak e sure that the mixer and powered speakers are turned off prior to powering up the DriveRack® PX. Connect the outputs from the mixer to the inputs of the DriveRack® PX. Connect the main outputs of the DriveRack® PX to the main powered speakers . Connect the Left/Mono sub output of the DriveRack®[...]

6.3 T wo Mains/T wo Subwoofers Setup Hardwar e Mak e sure that the mixer and powered speakers are turned off prior to powering up the DriveRack® PX. Connect the outputs from the mixer to the inputs of the DriveRack® PX. Connect the main outputs of the DriveRack® PX to the main powered speakers . Connect the sub outputs of the DriveRack® PX to t[...]

6.4 Sub with Satellites Setup Hardwar e Mak e sure that the mixer and powered speakers are turned off prior to powering up the DriveRack® PX. Connect the outputs from the mixer to the inputs of the DriveRack® PX. Connect the main outputs of the DriveRack® PX to the sub powered speaker . Connect the outputs of the sub speaker to the satellite spe[...]

Section A - Appendix A.1 Factory Reset In the event that a reset is required , the DriveRack® PX offers you the option of performin g a “Soft” or “Hard” reset. The Soft Reset resets all operatin g param eters ex cept user presets . The Hard Reset Proced ure will reset all preset informati on back to the factory def aults. All Power -Up Fun[...]

• T urning the <Data> wheel will select the preset you wish to load at initial reset. • Press the <PRESET> button again when the selection is complete. Normal resetting will contin ue . S ystem Lock Out • Press and hold <AFS> at power-up until one of the following messag es appears (depen ding on the current state of system [...]

A.3 Specifications ANALOG INPUT S: Number of Inputs: 2 (Stereo) Line inputs 1 RT A Mic input Connectors: 2 Female XLR line inputs 1 XLR RT A Mic input T ype: Electroni cally balanced, RF filtered Impedan ce: >40k Ω Max Input Line level: +20dBu Input CMRR: >45dB RT A Mic Phantom Voltag e: +15VDC RT A Mic EIN: <-110dBu, 22Hz-22kHz, 150 Ω [...]

A.4 Auto-E Q Optimization Tips By using the setup wizard , output gains and output limiter settings are set to match your system. The Auto-EQ can be used to adjust your system to compensate for room effects, and to adjust the response of the entir e system to your liking. After allowing Auto-EQ to “pink the room,” your system will sound tigh te[...]

A.6 Block Diagr am GEQ Meters Left (Mono) Input Right Input Left Right Left (Mono) Right Mic Input Outputs Stereo Compressor AFS Notch Filters SubHarmonic Synth 3-Band PEQ 2-Band PEQ PeakPlus Limiter PeakPlus Limiter High-Pass and Band-Pass Filter Section Stereo/Mono Pink Noise Micr Pre amp RT A Meters Sub Outputs DriveRack ® PX Section A Appendix[...]

P R E S E T L I ST St ereoMains St ereo powered full-range speakers. StMainsMSub St ereo powered full-range speakers with a mono power ed subwoofer . StMainsSSub St ereo powered full-range speakers with stereo powered subwoofers. Sub wSats Sub with Satellite System PRX5 1 5 2 JBL PRX5 15 full-range speakers PRX5 1 5M5 18 2 JBL PRX5 15 power ed full[...]

A.8 S ystem Setup and Gain Structure The DriveRack PX offers a wide ran ge of tools for sound system desi gn and setup. These tools can mak e your system mor e effici ent and better soundin g, but to get the best possible sound it is important to use these tools properly . In the DriveRack PX we have includ ed a Wizard setup tool to help in system [...]

of that output (refer to section 5.5 -- Also note that if you turn the outputs down on the DriveRack PX, you should turn up the level on the powered speaker until the clip LED ligh ts again). Y ou have just maximized the gain through your system. These setting should give you maxim um gain without clipping, anoth er way of say this is that when the[...]

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8760 South San d y P arkway • San d y , Utah 84070 Ph on e: (801) 568-7660 • Fax (801) 568-7662 In t’l Fax: (801) 568-7583 E-m ail us at: custom er@dbxpro.com or visit us on th e web at: www .dbxpro.com ® A Harman International Company A Harman International Company 18-1023-A[...]