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| The C300 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 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 a few buttons and simple operations only. C300 is mainly meant to be used in insert applications. |
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Features
- TC Electronic C300 Features
- Dual engine compressor-limiter gate-expander
- 16 compressor-limiter presets and 16 gate-expander presets optimized for selectable audio sources
- Mix features for new style compression
- Intelligent TC multi-band and full-band technology
- Detail enhancement via new style compression
- Flexible routing gives you all standard combinations of link modes + a stereo serial mode that virtually gives you an extra device
- No nonsense user interface
- Comprehensive metering
- Optimized key filters in gate mode
- High quality knobs
- Optimized Presets
- The C300 gives you source-based presets that are tailor-made for various types of sources. Depending on the preset you select you have access to intelligent TC full-band- or multi-band technology.
- The C300’s multi-band processing is built on a state-of-the-art TC algorithm that bases it’s calculations on the incoming source, and that’s why it’s called source-based. A multi-band compressor, as opposed to a full band compressor, acts differently on different frequency bands. That means that each frequency band actually has its own little compressor working on it, with unique settings like threshold, ratio, attack and release. If you for instance prefer a steep compression on the lower frequencies, a soft compression on the mid frequencies, and a bright and light compression on the higher frequencies, you should use a multi-band compressor.
- The C300 comes with several presets that are fully optimized for this kind of compression and you’ll be surprised to discover just how easy multi-band compression can be.
- New Style Compression – An Innovative Approach to Compression
- Based on thoughts behind parallel compression you get a completely new approach to working with compression. Now you can take a compressed signal and mix it with a dry signal and enhance all details in the music, just by turning the mix knob. What that does to the sound is that instead of pressing down the signal peaks you preserve all the higher dynamics when you play loud, and at the same time you bring out all the details from the lower end of the signal. Try and apply parallel compression on a drum kit. You’ll 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. And the really cool thing about it is that the C300 makes parallel or new style compression the easiest thing in the world – just select the appropriate preset, and you’re up and running!
- Simple, Intuitive and Straightforward
- The entire user interface has been laid out to be simple, intuitive and straightforward. All non-essential knobs and tweaking possibilities have been cut away, and replaced with innovative combinations and expansions of parameter indicators and knobs. For instance, the gate and the compressor are both controlled with the same knob, giving you improved and much faster access to important parameters.
- The Sound of TC
- 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 are built in, ensuring your passage from analog to digital and back, is in the very best quality.
- 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.
- Flexible Control of the Signal Path
- The C300 comes with a flexible routing feature that gives you all combinations of parallel and serial link modes. Stereo serial mode allows you to process a composite full-mix signal on both engines simultaneously, virtually giving you an extra device. With the C300 you can insert a stereo full-mix signal into one engine, e.g. compress it, and then send the stereo signal into the second engine, and e.g. limit it, and then send out a processed full-mix stereo signal. What that gives you is the full use of stereo processing on two serial connected engines, something that’s not normally attainable in this type of dynamics processor.
- In normal dual-mono mode you’ll either use one engine as a compressor and the other as a gate – or both engines as compressors or gates, having two individually processed mono signals coming out from each engine. Or, you’ll link the two engines together, and e.g. use the first engine to compress the signal, and then the second engine as a limiter, sending out a processed mono signal.
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- Presets
- 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.
- 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 multi-band preset.
- 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 or compressor preset, which will bring out the true essence of your vocals.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 to loud or unwillingly distorted. The Electric Guitar preset works wonders as an expander/compressor in true multi-band mode.
- Acoustic guitar
- Acoustic guitars have a subtleness that is delightful to listen to. Yet sometimes subtleness 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Toms
- 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.
- Bass dm
- 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.
- Snare dm
- 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.
- 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 level on the input source, ensuring no noise in quiet pieces of the music. This preset is only featured in the gate/expander mode.
- 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.
- 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 quiet 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.
- 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.
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- TECH TALK
- Processing Modes
- From the front panel you can easily select which mode your engines should be in. It’s simple and to the point; choose between Comp|Lim and Gate|Exp mode. Once you’ve made your choice, the knobs are tuned in to react and apply the corresponding alterations that the mode requires.
- Presets
- The presets are easily accessible from the front panel, and they are all a result of extensive fine-tuning serving a dedicated purpose. Brilliant as these presets are, you have the option to make the presets work in your specific application and tweak them to your taste. Using the knobs on the front panel next to the preset selector will alter the presets. If you’ve selected e.g. the Female Vocal preset, but want the threshold to be different, simply turn the threshold knob until you’ve got the sound you like.
- Routing modes
- Mono mode – set the knob in Dual|Mono mode
- You can use the two engines in the C300 as two separate mono engines. That means that you can use one engine as e.g. a compressor and the other engine as e.g. a gate. This gives you two completely separate end distinct signals on the mixer. Insert a mono signal to the input in one engine and get a processed signal from the output of the same engine, and do the same with another signal via the other engine. This is great if you want to e.g. compress a vocal on one engine and gate a snare drum on the other engine.
- Serial mode – set the knob in Stereo|Serial mode
- If you need to work in serial mode then you can e.g. feed a signal to the left-1 input and get the processed signal from the left-1 output. That means that you can take advantage of both engines and e.g. first apply compression and then apply gate on your signal. Of course we’ve made it so you can decide exactly what combination of processing you prefer:
- COMPRESSOR – COMPRESSOR
- COMPRESSOR – GATE
- GATE – COMPRESSOR
- GATE – GATE
- Stereo mode – set the knob in Stereo|Serial mode
- This mode gives you the option to process a complete stereo signal through both engines. Feed a stereo signal into the left-1 and right-2 inputs and take the processed signal from the left-1 and right-2 outputs. As with the serial mode we’ve given you all the choices of what kind of processing you can use on the stereo signal:
- COMPRESSOR – COMPRESSOR
- COMPRESSOR – GATE
- GATE – COMPRESSOR
- GATE – GATE
- Stereo + Serial mode – set the knob in Stereo|Serial mode
- What really makes the C300 stand out from the rest is the Stereo Mode routing feature – it virtually gives you an extra device. Now you can master and limit your stereo full-mix with only one device! Run the signal in stereo through engine 1 and make your e.g. master compression. Then you route your signal through engine 2 which you can then use as an e.g. limiter. This used to be a complex operation, taking 4 devices and quite some work. The C300 makes it simple, fast and easy to compress and limit a stereo full-mix, and the really cool thing is that it can be done on one device only. But off course you can choose any combination of processing you want:
- COMPRESSOR – COMPRESSOR
- COMPRESSOR – GATE
- GATE – COMPRESSOR
- GATE – GATE
- Digital Audio Detection
- The C300 has an auto detection digital input feature. If you feed a signal to the digital input on the rear panel, the auto detection automatically kicks in, and you’ll see the digital light indicator on the front panel light up. For optimal performance and ease of use, we’ve parallelized the analog outputs with the digital outputs. What that means is that if you plug into the digital inputs, you have an output on both the digital and the analog outputs.
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- 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
- 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.
- TIP
- 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.
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- Item Specifications and Additional Product Information
- TC Electronic Specifications
- Digital Input and Output
- Connector: RCA Phono (S/PDIF)
- Formats: S/PDIF (24 bit), EIAJ CP-340, IEC 958
- Sample Rates: 48 kHz. (44.1 kHz only @ Digital Input)
- Processing Delay: 0.08 ms @ 48 kHz
- Frequency Response DIO: DC to 23.9 kHz ± 0.01 dB @ 48 kHz
- Analog Inputs
- Connectors: Quarter-inch phone jack balanced-unbalanced.
- Impedance, Balanced-Unbalanced: 20 kOhm - 11 kOhm
- Maximum Input Level @ 0 dBFS: +21 dBu
- A to D Conversion: 24 bit, 128 x oversampling bitstream
- A to D Delay: 0.9 ms @ 48 kHz
- Dynamic Range: Typ < -110 dB, 22 Hz to 22 kHz
- THD: Typ < -102 dB (0.0008 %) @ 1 kHz, -1 dBFS
- Frequency Response: +0/-0.1 dB, 20 Hz to 20 kHz
- Crosstalk: Typ < -115 dB, 20 Hz to 20 kHz
- Analog Outputs
- Connectors: Quarter-inch phone jack unbalanced. Ground sensing design.
- Impedance : 35 Ohms
- Maximum Output Level: +21 dBu
- D to A Conversion: 24 bit, 128 x oversampling bitstream
- D to A Delay: 0.58 ms @ 48 kHz
- Dynamic Range: Typ < -110 dB typ, 22 Hz to 22 kHz
- THD: typ < -94 dB (0.002 %) @ 1 kHz, +21 dBu
- Frequency Response: +0/-0.1 dB, 20 Hz to 20 kHz
- Crosstalk: Typ < -100 dB, 20 Hz to 20 kHz
- EMC
- Complies with: EN 55103-1 and EN 55103-2 FCC part 15, Class B, CISPR 22, Class B
- Safety
- Certified to: IEC 65, EN 60065, UL6500 and CSA E60065
- Environment
- Operating Temperature: 32° F to 122° F (0° C to 50° C)
- Storage Temperature: -22° F to 167° F (-30° C to 70° C)
- Humidity: Max. 90 % non-condensing
- Control Interface
- MIDI: In/Out: 5 Pin DIN
- General
- Finish: Anodized aluminum front. Plated and coated steel chassis
- Meter: 2 x 6 LED's in each channel
- Dimensions: 19 x 1.75 x 4.2 inches (483 x 44 x 105.6 mm)
- Weight: 3.3 lbs. (1.5 kg)
- Mains Voltage: 100 to 240 VAC, 50 to 60 Hz (auto-select)
- Power Consumption: <15 W
- Warranty Parts and labor: 1 year
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