NOTE: To use version 3.40 software, you need to have version 3.40 or higher firmware installed.

• Fixes noise on some units associated with front panel control.
• Provides control of manual or automatic digital clip level (ClipGuard®). Switching to manual fixes some problems associated with digital artifacts after long periods of silence. The default setting is ClipGuard active. When choosing manual clip level control from the front panel the default setting is +19.5 dBV.
• Provides for setting digital clip level when in manual mode (GRQ Remote Control Software only). The range of settings is 12.5 to + 29 dBV.

ClipGuard and Digital Clip Level
You can now choose to manually control the digital clip level of any Graphi-Q that is upgraded to version 3.40 (or higher) firmware and software. This means you can toggle ClipGuard Automatic Clip Level Control to either an ON or OFF condition, a function present in Sabine’s Power-Q and now available in the Graphi-Q. ClipGuard works to maintain unity gain while automatically maximizing the dynamic range of the Graphi-Q.

The purpose for switching to manual control is to allow the user to adjust the digital clip level of the unit to match the gain structure of their particular sound system. This is a very powerful adjustment not found on most digital signal processors. But you must be careful: setting your clip level manually means you must account for high gain inputs that may produce digital clipping! ClipGuard prevents this from happening, so watch your input LEDs on the Graphi-Q carefully when in manual clip level mode. Do not input a signal that produces clipping – adjust the gain structure of your system to prevent that.

Version 3.40 Release Operation – There are two ways to toggle the digital clip level control between manual and ClipGuard. In both cases the settings are saved in the Graphi-Q unit’s NVRAM and remain the same until you change them, even if you turn the unit off and on again.

1. Front Panel Control. The default setting is ClipGuard ON. You can verify this during the power-up sequence. The LED will display the version number, and then show “C ON”, indicating ClipGuard is on.

To toggle the unit to manual clip level control, turn the Graphi-Q off. Then press and hold the LOCK FIXED button and turn the power on. Continue holding the LOCKED FIXED button until the front panel LEDs finish flashing, then release it. The unit will now be in manual clip level control, indicated by “C OFF” in the LED display during the power-up sequence of the unit.

NOTE: When setting clip level control on a GRQ3102, use the B-Channel LOCK FIXED button.

2. GRQ-Remote Software Control. There is a new entry in the Options menu called Clip Level Control. In this window (see Fig. 1) there are buttons to toggle between ClipGuard Automatic (default) or Manual control (see Fig. 2). In addition, you can monitor the clip level as it is being set automatically by the ClipGuard algorithm.

WARNING: Do not change from automatic to manual clip level control during your program because there may be a digital artifact at the moment of clip level change. Check your settings before the show.

When you select Manual Clip Level Control, sliders for making these adjustments appear. Set clip levels for each channel (this applies to single channel Graphi-Qs as well – there are two outputs in GRQ3101 and GRQ3101S units.

The default clip setting in manual mode is +19.5 dBV. In ClipGuard mode, this setting is automatically varied according to the input signal. And ClipGuard prevents digital clipping, so be careful when manually setting the unit to clip levels that may be too low for your system’s gain structure. Conversely, clip levels set too high can raise the noise floor of the unit. Choose a setting that provides just enough headroom without adding noise.