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Sound Devices SL-6 Limters and Wideband


BSDAudio

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Hi Guys,

i am looking at adding an SL-6 to my 688.  I have an SRC-A1, an SRC-B1 and an SRC-941.  I see Sound Devices has updated the 688 firmware to support the SRC-941.  I assume the SL-6 would need to be operated in Wideband mode with no filters on.  Does anyone have experience with running an SL-6 in Wideband mode?  How is the RF performance with all that out of band RF coming in?  I know the latest SRCs have pretty good filtering, but would hate to have performance issues like I have had at times with using Wideband Venues with VRTs on multiple blocks without filters.  

 

On another note, it seems the analog input limiters will be bypassed on inputs 1-6 when using the SL-6.  It is my understanding that the A to D conversion happens in the SL-6 ahead of the 688.  I am not quite sure of the signal path.  Is there any input overload protection when using the SL-6, or for any other digital inputs, for that matter?  My mine product these days is iso tracks.  Any postfader compression/limiting is a luxury for me, but input overload protection is what I need.

 

Excellent RF performance, and clean iso tracks, are what is most important to me.  As cool as the SL-6 appears to be, I can’t compromise on those things any more than I already have by not using a 788 and 411s.  And I don’t want to run the retailer through the return process if my odds of success are low.

 

Any input would be appreciated.

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PSC six pack is a good alternative if you want solid filtering and won't miss the extra features of the SL6...

The new Six Pack allows 470-600 & 940-960 simultaneously.

 

You dont have to worry about input limiters as the SL6 automatically sets your receiver outputs to completely avoid clipping at your recorder input (-6 for Lectro). I believe thats a Superslot function only though.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Can't speak to the wideband filtering, but that's a really good point, I'm interested to hear if anyone else has experience with block 941 too. 

Coming up on 2 years of experience with my 688 + SL-6 combo, and I haven't had any issues with overloading input limiters from SL-6 sources. I typically leave my Lectro SRC + 2x SRB's output level at -6, which, with the SR's built in tone generator on, I line that up to 0 on the input level meters with 1-6 input trims at -12db (9-10 o'clock), about the same for inputs 7-12 hovering between -12/-11 db. This has been the gain staging that works for me, but would totally welcome any other 688 + SL-6 users thoughts on gain staging. It's worth mentioning, of course, that your average input source material levels > transmitter gains will vary from job to job, dramatic dialogue swings scene to scene, but this is my nominal starting point on the receiving end.

Just as reference on overloading inputs, last summer I traded my 688 out for a few months with a friend's 633 to do a run and gun show edu-tainment series, and early on, I got caught a couple times peaking out the inputs 4-6 line level limiters with similar gain staging. I think I bumped the SR out levels down to -10 to adjust for this and that worked better, might have pulled my TX gains down a bit on average, as needed. *edit* 633 user friend recommends SR output levels up at +5, with 633 inputs set to line level.

Edited by lazajamsonic
Poor Memory
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