5
quality 16 gauge or larger unshielded
speaker cables. We recommend 10 or 12
gauge cables. The use of shielded line or
instrument cables for speaker connections
can damage your amplifier. The speaker
cable should be as short as possible.
TURN ON
– We recommend turning your
system on with the master volume control
set to its minimum position. This will prevent
any unexpected signal from being sent to
your speakers.
SETTING YOUR LEVEL
– Effective use
of the gain control will ensure the best
signal-to-noise ratio. The Set Level,
Compressor, and EQ Clip indicators are all
provided to assist you in setting your level
correctly. You should begin the process
with your master control set to a low, or off
position, and your tone controls set flat.
While playing your instrument normally,
bring the gain control up until the set level
light or the compressor light winks on the
peaks that result from your strongest normal
attack. This will generally show up most on
your lower strings. You will use the
compressor light if the compressor is
engaged (enhance knob pushed in) and the
Set Level light if the compressor is disabled
(enhance knob pulled out). If more
compression is desired, increase the gain
control so the compressor light comes on
more readily. Having set your initial level,
you are now ready to proceed with setting
up your tone controls. Since tone
adjustments have an impact on the overall
preamp gain level, you may well need to
return to the gain control and repeat this
process once you have completed your EQ
adjustments.
SETTING UP YOUR EQ
Begin with all tone controls set flat and with
the Enhance Control set to its minimum
position. After setting your Gain level, bring
the Master control up to a moderate level.
Slowly bring the Enhance control up, playing
as you make each adjustment. Many
players find that there is a small amount of
boost on the Enhance control that will get
them very close to the sound they are after.
If it doesn’t, return it to its minimum or 0
position.
Overall bass and treble adjustments can be
made with the Bass and Treble controls.
These controls cover a fairly broad range of
the frequency spectrum. Many players use
these controls to compensate for acoustic
situations, relying on the Enhance and
Parametric controls to achieve their basic
sound.
Effective use of the quasi-parametric section
can help you boost and/or cut more narrow
sections. In each band, you will need to
“find” the frequency you wish to boost or cut.
The fastest way to do this is to boost the
Level control of one section significantly,
then rotate the Frequency control above it.
If you hear more of a frequency than you
like, leave the Frequency control at that spot
and reset the level to the desired amount of
boost. Conversely, if you hear a frequency
which is undesirable, leave the Frequency
control at that spot and reduce the Level
control to the desired amount of cut.
The frequencies that you will need to boost
or cut are dependent upon your instrument,
playing style, speaker cabinets, and venue.
Extreme settings of boost or cut are unlikely
to be necessary or helpful.
We are frequently asked to provide
suggested settings for various styles of play.
We have discovered though, that most of
our endorsers tend to set their EQ generally
flat, using varying amounts of the Enhance
Control. We encourage you to experiment
with different settings to obtain the sound
you desire. We have included some EQ
panel diagrams at the back of this manual to
help you record your settings.
EQ Clip Light
– This indicator will flash if
clipping occurs in the EQ section of the
preamp. This can be remedied by
decreasing the amount of boost in the EQ
section or by decreasing the Gain control.
This light should never be on while playing.
Other EQ Considerations
– If you find
yourself running out of amplifier headroom,
cut a little in the lower frequencies, which
require the most power from your amp.
Two areas are a frequent source of
frustration for bassists trying to achieve their
sound: frequency masking and frequency
