AUDIO
EXPAND YOUR MIX : USING A SOURCE EXPANDER AN INTERVIEW WITH MIKE BANGS | Jeff Hawley
As long-time readers of this column know , there is quite a storied history behind many of the audio tools we all use today . We ’ ve discussed the lineage of historic compressors , equalizers , reverbs , delays , etc . and their applications in a wide variety of sonic scenarios . But audio engineers aren ’ t the ‘ let ’ s rest on our laurels ’ type of folks — there are still new toys and technical tricks popping up as we all strive to present the best mixes possible . One of the latest audio devices to make the rounds in the live sound world is the source expander . While downward expanders have been around as long as their more common gate and compressor audio brethren , their use in the live sound space is relatively new . Various versions of the basic tool are available in hardware format ( such as the Neve 5045 Primary Source Enhancer ), digital plugin format ( such as the Waves Primary Source Expander / PSE ), and now even ‘ in the box ’ within popular consoles such as Allen & Heath ’ s dLive range .
I spoke with my friend Mike Bangs ( Allen & Heath Live Sound / Touring Manager with 20 + years experience as a monitor engineer and production manager for A-list ( acts including Aerosmith , Eric Clapton , George Strait , Katy Perry , Tom Petty , Kid Rock , and Lynyrd Skynyrd ) about what a source expander is and how it can help your mix .
[ WM ] So what is a source expander ?
[ Mike Bangs ] The easiest way to understand a source expander is to relate it to a gate . It is going to reduce the output of a channel when the incoming signal is below a set threshold . The same basic concept as a gate . But a source expander works much more ‘ musically ’ than a gate . It is a lot more gentle and it is meant to be more transparent . A source expander is