Use Gates Sta CV For Metering

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gg85

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 26, 2008
Messages
121
I’ve been trying to redesign the way the metering works in my Drip dual Sta build. I don’t need complete accuracy but I don’t use it past 4-6db compression a lot of the time...only at this level of GR the meter doesn’t move much. I’ve posted a while ago on some ideas to change this, and after spending a lot of time trying different things, I have an idea I wanted to run past some people with more experience.

The curves of the 6386’s are exactly the same but I’ve managed to get them working within .2 to .4 dB of each other but the bias currents are slightly different, which results in slightly different metering. However the CV in the sidechain is the same when I use it in stereo link. I have an adjustable positive reference voltage to the meters to zero them (far right) using a small power supply I built. The Sta CV is a negative voltage that increasing with more compression. So I am thinking, does using that negative CV (with necessary resistors) to meter GR seem like a possibility without affecting the compression?

That way in stereo (linked CV) the meters would be driven by an equal negative voltage and, depending on the resistor value, I would have a smaller/larger range on the meter...which I can then make a custom scale for.

Any thoughts are appreciated!
 
The control voltage is a very high impedance, Megs.

A meter directly connected will just short it out.

Negative DC supply and an op-amp?
 
Thanks PRR, I didn't think about that!

I don't fully understand how to build that up and I don't have a lot of experience working with op-amps, but I'd like to. Is there an op-amp you know of that I could use, and read up on to understand it more?

Thanks!
George
 
After a lot of reading...I think I get it!

I have a -12VDC supply and can use the op-amp as a buffer, and use resistors (or trimmers) to get the voltage within the range that I need. Is this correct? This would also include a resistor before the Vin of the op-amp. I have a few 5534's lying around to experiment with.
 

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