Transcript
ACOUSTIC AMP Owner‘s Manual
MASTER ACOUSTIC
Congratulation! We would like to thank you for purchasing the Master Acoustic Amplifier. It has been designed and developed for the use with almost any acoustic instrument. Before using your new amplifier, we advise to read the following pages carefully.
Take care about your Master Acoustic Safety Warnings
Daily use
We want you to be aware of certain safety aspects, for reasons of product safety and liability. With all due respect, please read the following before operating your new Fame amplifier • Do not use or store your amplifier in or near moist or wet areas • Make sure that voltage shown on the back of the amplifier is the correct voltage for the location you are using it. The Master Acoustic can never be used at different voltages than shown • Opening the amplifier housing must only be done by authorized personnel. No user serviceable parts inside • The power amp is configured to deliver highest tone at normal volume levels. We causion for your own good not to expose to very high volume levels for long periods of
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Cleaning the Master Acoustic • • • •
time. It can lead to hearing damage
Transporting the Master Acoustic • • •
The Master Acoustic is a solid state instrument amplifier. The built-in circuits are sensitive to hits, especially when hot. To avoid damaging the unit, we recommend using care during setup and tear down the unit Allow the amplifier to adjust the ambient temperature before operating, 10 minutes should be sufficient in all cases. Especially the change between a cold vehicle and, in most cases, warm stages can cause condensing fluid inside the electrical circuit. This can lead to circuit shorts. For continued road use, please protect the amplifier with a professional flight case. Transport onyl in operating position. Do not
transport upside down or on its side.
Never act violent to knobs, connections or other parts of the amplifier Be careful while pulling out cables. Pulling plugs out too fast can cause damages Disconnect all cables before transporting the unit Avoid physical shocks, such as hits or drops You should never put any heavy items on top of the Master Acoustic.
Usually it is sufficient to wipe down the outside of the amplifier with slightly moist cleaning rag Do not use any abrasive cleaning chemicals Sometimes a vacuum cleaner can be used to remove dust and dirt from nooks and crevices Avoid to put any vinyl on the top of the unit. It glues and discolours the surface
Electric enviroment • • •
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This amplifier contains electric circuits, which can cause interferences when operating near Radio or TV units. If you notice any abnormal noise, we recommend to put the amplifier away from such devices Blown fuses can only be replaced with fuses of equal values. The use of incorrect fuses is prohibited and can cause severe injury or damage of the amplifier Use only a grounded power cable in good operation condition
Content Setting up the Master Acoustic....................................................................................... 4
Peripheral Connections................................................................................................... 5
Preamp Section.................................................................................................................. 6 Channels................................................................................................................................. 6 Effects.................................................................................................................................... 6 Notch Feedback Filter.............................................................................................................. 6
Controls & Switches............................................................................................................. 7
Special Gimmicks I............................................................................................................. 8 Special Gimmicks II............................................................................................................ 9
Specifications...................................................................................................................... 10
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Setting up the Master Acoustic WARNING!
To avoid electrical shocks or any other damages, make sure that the Master Acoustic and all other devices are switched off before you start connecting them to the amplifier!
Power Connections/Mains
Main Fuse
Before connecting to a grounded power outlet, make sure the power switches are in the off position (facing down). The Master Acoustic is set up for 230 V of line voltage. Once the amplifier is connected to power, you can get started!
The main fuse ist situated in a little drawer which is part of the power input jack. This sliding fuse holder also hides a spare fuse. For 230 V, the fuse must be a 2A slow blow. It is crucially important to use the specified fuse values only.
Connecting an acoustic instrument
Maintenance ???
The input jack on the left side of the frontpanel receives your acoustic instrument signal by means of a shielded guitar cord with 1/4” mono style plug. Make sure the master volume of the amplifier is set to the lowest position to avoid disturbing noise while connecting.
All checkups and repairs must be undertaken by authorized service personnel. In the right treatment, the electric circuit and the power amp will not need any kind of maintenance at all.
Speaker protection
The Master Acoustic has two built-in 8” Speakers and a 1” HF Horn. These can be damaged be heavy feedbacks of the connected instruments. You should always keep a sufficient distance to the amplifier to avoid such feedbacks. This will extend the life of the speakers and the power amp. Traveling Abroad If traveling to countries outside the EU, then always check their local voltage before operating the Master Acoustic. Mismatched voltages can and most likely will destroy your amplifier. Should you encounter voltages and frequencies other than those indicated, a transformer must be used between the power socket and the Master Acoustic. This transformer must be able to transform the voltage and frequency to one of the indicated settings.
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Periphal Connections !!! Your guitar cord is an important part of our signal chain and it‘s quality and construction type clearly affect the overall tone of your rig. Try and buy the best quality cord you can ot want to afford!
Signal In Jacks
Footswitch
The Master Acoustic features several types of input jacks. In Channel 1 you will find a mono style 1/4” jack for connecting acoustic instruments (i.e. an acoustic guitar). The second channel offers different connection types. The XLR jack can be used for vocal microphones, so you can sing while playing your instrument. With the two RCA jacks it is possible to connect external audio devices, such as CD/MP3players, for the usage of playbacks or to jam with your favourite music tracks. Please note that you can only use one of the possibilities described above. The simultaneous use can overload the preamp which can injury the unit.
With an optional footswitch it is possible to control the Master Acoustic‘s Chorus and Reverb functions. To use this option, you just need to connect the footswitch with the “Foot” jack on the back of the amplifier. We recommend our heavy-rugged Fame FS-201 model for best performance.
CONNECTIONS ON THE BACKSIDE
Mains
FX-Loop This jack is used to connect the Master Acoustic to a grounded power outlet. On the back of your amplifier you will find both a send and a return jack. These will be useful if you want to loop external effect units between preamp and power amp of the Master Acoustic. The built-in fx-loop is serial type. This means that the signal path of the Master Acoustic is interrupted, the signal is sent to the effect unit, gets more or less processed and then sent back to the return of the power amp. XLR-Direct Out/Line Out
Your Master Acoustic needs to be connected to a PA-System? You would like to record the sound directly to your recording desk or audio interface? The XLR-Direct Out will realize it. All you need is a standard 3-pin XLR cable to connect the Master Acoustic with a channel strip of a mixing desk. Please note that the volume set on the amplifier will be the level that’s running into the channel strip of your mixing desk. You should set the volume to the lowest level possible and increase it step-wise.
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Preamp Section of the Master Acoustic Channel 1 The first channel of the Master Acoustic is exclusively used for acoustic instruments, i.e. acoustic guitars. You will find a level adjustment as well as an equalizer. We built in a mono type 6,35 mm jack for the connection of your acoustic instrument.
Channel 2 The second channel offers several connection types. It is possible to either connect a second instrument, a vocal microphone or an external audio device. You will find the appropriate input jacks left beside the equalizer.
Reverb The Master Acoustic comes with a high quality effects processor, which contains Chorus and Reverb. The Chorus adds a delayed signal to the original signal with a constant delay. The delay is very short in order not to be perceived as echo. It is also slightly pitched, so it creates a multiple voiced sound that reminds a little bit of a 12string guitar. The Reverb simulates the time and frequency of a real room. Shortly after the direct sound, the reverberant sound arrives. This can enhance the sound of acoustic instruments and voices.
Notch Feedback Filter A “Notch Feedback Filter” is a band-stop filter with a narrow stopband. This feature reduces feedback, while having a noticable effect on the rest of the frequency spectrum. It will be explained later in this documentation.
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Controls and Switches !!!
We suggest you start exploring the channels with all controls set to 12:00 o‘clock and the master volume slightly cracked open.
CHANNEL 1
REVERB
Volume This knob controls the volume of Channel 1. The chosen setting takes effect on the amplifiers overall sound
Balance This continuous control how much reverb is arranged to every channel of the Master Acoustic. Reverb Controls the percentage of the effect inside the overall signal.
Bass & Treble These controls are responsible for the overall sound of Channel 1. Bass adjusts the lower frequencies while Treble will decrease or increase the level of high frequencies.
NOTCH FEEDBACK FILTER Frequence This knob controls the frequency that needs to be reduced inside the overall signal. The bandwidth ranges from 60Hz up to 1 kHz.
CHANNEL 2 Volume This knob controls the volume of Channel 2. The chosen setting takes effect on the amplifiers overall sound.
Phase This feature allows you to turn the phase of the signal about 180 degrees. By activating this option, all frequencies that cancel each other will be turned around to fit inside the whole frequency spectrum.
Bass & Treble These controls are responsible for overall sound of Channel 2. Bass adjusts the lower frequencies while Treble will decrease or increase the level of high frequencies.
Notch This switch activates the Notch Feedback Filter. If you notice a frequence that is out of phase, we recommend the following procedure: Activate the “Notch” switch. Turn the “Frequence” knob clockwise until the phased-out frequence is erased.
CHORUS SECTION Speed Controls the rate that the chorus modulates. Turn this knob clockwise to increase the rate, and counterclockwise to decrease the rate.
Master This knob controls the overall volume of the Master Acoustic.
Depth Controls the depth of the chorus effect. Turn this knob clockwise to increase the depth for a thick chorus sound, and counter-clockwise to decrease the depth for a shallow, light chorus sound. CH1 & CH2 These buttons activates the chorus effect for every channel of the Master Acoustic. If you wish to use the chorus for Channel, just push “CH1”.
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Special Gimmicks I We made up the following advices and “wisdoms“ according to our personal experiences. This will help you to improve the performance of your Master Acoustic.
Connected Instruments
External Effects
Various acoustic guitars feature a built-in pickup system as well as high-quality preamps. In most cases, they also contain a control panel on the side with the option to change several settings (i.e. volume or overall sound). This can cause problems sometimes, if you want to synchronize the settings between your guitar and the amplifier. For this case we recommend the following procedure:
The acoustic guitar is the most natural and original form of a guitar in general. Most guitar players try to keep the sound of an acoustic instrument as natural as possible, even when it’s amplified. Although, the usage of additional effect devices can improve a wide range of interesting sounds. These are divided into level-based, volume-related, filtering-related and time-based.
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Set all controls of the Master Acoustic to 12:00 o’clock Start adjusting the settings on the panel of your acoustic guitar until you find your favorite sound, but make sure that the volume is set to a lower level
If this procedure did not deliver the desired effect, it is recommended to work the opposite way. All controls of the guitar’s side panel must be set to a neutral position before you start adjusting the controls of the Master Acoustic.
While the last three effect groups can be inserted in the fx loop of the Master Acoustic, level-related units must always be connected between instrument and amplifier. Due to the fact that the Master Acoustic features a notch filter, there is no need to use an external noise gate or stop-band filter. A lot of our customers gave us a positive feedback to the usage of a compressor in front of the Master Acoustic.
If you would like to additionally enhance the sound of your amplifier, it can be useful to insert an external equalizer. These units are able to control almost every frequency inside the whole spectrum seperated from each other. For using the second channel with another instrument, a vocal microphone or an external audio device, the next points could be very helpful: • • • •
Level-related effects are: Compresser, Limiter or Noise Gate Time-based effects are: Delay/Echo, Chorus or Flanger Volume-based effects are: Tremolo, Auto-Volume or Pan Filtering-related effects are: Equalizer, Phaser, Rotary or Vibe
You should approach carefully to the final loudness of every channel Try to place the connected instruments clearly inside the frequency spectrum by using the equalizer in both channels When using the built-in effects, we recommend to approach carefully to the desired value. The reverb should be sensible divided to avoid feedback and keep the signal clear and transparent. The rate of external effect devices should also be well adjusted
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Special Gimmicks II
How to choose the right device
High-quality effects like a vibrato or time-based units like delays can round up the sound, when placed in the fx loop of the amplifier. But the final sound is depending on the choice of the specific unit. A multieffects processor i.e. digitalizes the incoming signal by using an AD-converter and inverts it after adding several effects. In addiction to the used model, the sound can be influenced in a negative way. Expensive units contain very capable converters, which keep the signal in it’s original value and even improve the sound quality. Analogue units will not harm the signal’s quality, but they are also limited and normally produce only one overall sound.
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Specifications Power Output:
60 Watts
Speakers:
2 x 8“, HF-Horn 1“
Switches:
Chorus CH1 & CH2, Feedback Phase & Notch, Mains
Equalization:
Bass, Treble (Channel 1); Bass, Treble (Channel 2)
Effects:
Reverb, Chorus
Connection Jacks:
Input (Channel 1) AUX (Channel 2) Microphone (Channel 2) Input (Channel 2) FX Send & Return XLR Direct Out Line Out Footswitch
Dimensions:
41 x 55 x 26,5 cm
Weight:
15 kg
Accessories:
Owner‘s Manual, Power Cable
Optional:
Footswitch Fame FS-201
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