Stiward Thære SæSteward of the Seas

November 2026 · production setup

Shipped configuration: JP1 = A, JP2 = B. The compressor sidechain is feed-forward from Audio_In; the PEAK pad stays unbridged. The gate is keyed from the Wall of Ice output through main-board TO_COMP (J23) into compressor J10.

The gate key is pre-distortion and post-Wall-of-Ice, with about 50–60 dB of dynamic range in the supplied bench results. It follows the input rather than the already clipped waveform.

1. What the board does

The Steward follows Aurora Curtain. Its SSI2162 VCA compressor evens the level of the sound after distortion, and its gate quiets the gaps between phrases. Thirteen internal trimmers hold the preset; the panel Comp switch engages the dynamics section.

Shipped configuration: JP1 = A, JP2 = B. The compressor sidechain is feed-forward from Audio_In; the PEAK pad stays unbridged. The gate is keyed from the Wall of Ice output through main-board TO_COMP (J23) into compressor J10.

The gate key is pre-distortion and post-Wall-of-Ice, with about 50–60 dB of dynamic range in the supplied bench results. It follows the input rather than the already clipped waveform.

The detector starts compressing at about 0.4 V peak at TP1. Below that threshold there is no compression; above it, gain reduction grows at about 15 dB per volt until the knee clamp limits it to about 21 dB. Knee1 is inert at polish settings.

Read the chart data

TP1 peak (V)	Reduction (dB)
0	0
0.4	0
0.8	6
1.2	12
1.6	18
1.8	21
2.5	21

2. Directions and production starting points

Resistances are measured from pin 3 to the wiper unless noted. Release trimmers FST_REL1 and SLW_REL1 are measured from pin 1 to the wiper. Use the resistance values below rather than converting older percentage presets.

3. The map and the starting point

The component-side map locates the trimmers, jumpers, test points and connectors. It is the earlier board illustration; the November production table above supplies the current settings.

4. The controls, one by one

Compressor sensitivity, depth and blend

ERR1 sets sidechain sensitivity over the working 12–20 kΩ range with R31 = 2.2 kΩ. C_LVL1 reaches maximum depth fully counterclockwise. Leave Knee1 at minimum for the polish starting point: it is inert at those settings. BLEND1 turns clockwise toward wet; start at 65–75 % wet to retain some uncompressed attack.

Attack and release

Start FST_ATT1 at 8 kΩ, SLW_ATT1 at 40 kΩ, FST_REL1 at 70 kΩ and SLW_REL1 at 60 kΩ. Measure both release trimmers from pin 1 to the wiper. The fast and slow detector paths share the work of catching attacks and riding the phrase.

Output level

Out_LVL1 unity is about 23 % travel, or 4.6 kΩ. The older 35 % setting adds about +3.6 dB of make-up. Set it with 1.5 V peak input and Dist at maximum so SigOut stays at or below 13 V.

Gate thresholds and timing

The gate closes in two stages: detector hold, about 0.3 s with R39 = 100 kΩ, followed by the curved G_SLOW_REL1 ramp. The trimmer sets the ramp, not the whole release time. Clockwise makes that ramp longer; fully counterclockwise gives instant closure after the detector hold.

With RV_THR1 above its hysteresis band, the floor comparator gives a fully closed plateau at TP2 around +3.7 V, about 85 dB of attenuation. Below the band the gate only partially closes, with TP2 around +1.4 V. Keep RV_THR1 below G_LVL1 and above the bottom 2 kΩ dead band.

Gate opening is immediate with C56 = 220 nF; the previous approximately 0.3 s fade-in is removed.

5. Setting it up, in order

1. Disconnect power before opening or changing jumpers. Set JP1 = A and JP2 = B, with PEAK unbridged and the clean key connected through J23 → J10.
2. Set the resistance-based starting points in the table. Begin with ERR1 at 12–15 kΩ, C_LVL1 at maximum fully CCW, Knee1 minimum and BLEND1 at 65–75 % wet.
3. Set ERR1 by ear with the intended source. Check TP1 against the approximately 0.4 V peak detector threshold and listen to accents and quiet notes.
4. Check the gate with sustained notes and pauses. Start G_LVL1 at 30 kΩ, RV_THR1 at 15 kΩ and G_SLOW_REL1 at 15–20 kΩ; keep the floor below the working threshold.
5. Set Out_LVL1 with 1.5 V peak at the input and Dist at maximum, keeping SigOut at or below 13 V. Its unity reference is about 23 % travel, or 4.6 kΩ; match bypass and engaged levels for the intended preset.

6. Production polish preset

The production starting preset is ERR1 12–15 kΩ, C_LVL1 maximum fully CCW, Knee1 minimum and BLEND1 65–75 % wet. Use the timing and gate values in §2, then set ERR1 by ear and Out_LVL1 against the output limit.

The earlier percentage-based feedback presets are superseded for this feed-forward production setup.

7. The two solder jumpers

Shipped configuration: JP1 = A, JP2 = B. The compressor sidechain is feed-forward from Audio_In; the PEAK pad stays unbridged. The gate is keyed from the Wall of Ice output through main-board TO_COMP (J23) into compressor J10.

The gate key is pre-distortion and post-Wall-of-Ice, with about 50–60 dB of dynamic range in the supplied bench results. It follows the input rather than the already clipped waveform.

Confirm jumper isolation with power disconnected. Do not bridge all three pads: selecting another position requires opening the previous connection first. The production setup uses A for the compressor and B for the gate; the gate needs the J23 → J10 key connection.

8. If something's wrong

9. November production component values

10. Reference

All compressor-board coupling corners are below 2 Hz after the R33 change. The C2 / R33 input corner is about 0.71 Hz, with approximately −0.11 dB input pad loss.

Technical design and detector curve · Player’s guide · Production drive reference

Earlier source documents

The unchanged Rev 2 Word references below contain older component values and feedback presets. The November production settings on this page take precedence.

• Steward of the Seas user’s guide · Rev 2Word document · 0.5 MB · 25 October 2026
• Steward of the Seas technical design guide · Rev 2Word document · 4.2 MB · 25 October 2026
• Drive of Malice technical reference · Rev CWord document · 1.1 MB · 25 October 2026