Mesa/Boogie Express series, Owner'S Manual, Page: 11 / 38

PAGE 7
FrONT PANeL: C
ONTrOLS
& F
eATureS
(Continued)
MASTER:
This control is the master feed from the end of the pre-amp to the driver stage and the Effects Loop. As you can see each
Channel is fitted with its own
MASTER control, enabling both channels relative volumes to be matched regardless of their extremely
different sound styles and gain signatures. The MASTER control makes possible a wide range of sounds through its ability to use very
low Gain sounds at high volumes and conversely, high Gain sounds at low volumes and everywhere between.
Again, we suggest using the
MASTER control in its
sensible ranges (9:00 - 2:00). Here, the channels will be easier
to match with each other and the Effects Loop will see more reasonable signal levels.
NOTE: Because the MASTER control creates the send to the Effects Loop, extreme settings will cause a large
signal to be sent to the Loop for that Channel. Not only may this cause possible overloading of the processors Input
stage, but will make balancing both channel’s Effect Send level difficult.
CH 1 / FTSW / CH 2:
This 3 position mini toggle allows manual selection the Channels when the Footswitch is not con-
nected. When the switch is in the CH. 1 (switch up) position Channel 1 will be activated and the green LED will be illuminated. The
center position labeled FTSW activates the footswitch. The lower position, CH. 2 (switch down) activates Channel 2 and the red
LED will come on.
NOTE:
When the Channel Select switch is in the FTSW (center) position and the Footswitch is not connected,
the default setting is Channel 1 active.
NOTE: The indicator LED above the CHANNEL button on the Footswitch is a dual-color type that tracks the
colors on the Front Panel Channel LED indicators. It will appear green in Channel 1 and change to red when
Channel 2 is activated.
Now let’s move to the individual controls and go over how they interact to achieve the sound you’re looking for.
CONTOUR:
These two sets of 3 position mini toggles and rotary controls make up the amazing Channel specific, auto-assign-
able/footswitchable CONTOUR feature. This circuit puts all the power of our popular graphic EQ into one simple to dial control that
allows you to blend in the amount of EQ you wish to mix with your dry signal. The preset curve is based on the
classic “V” setting that 90 percent of all MESA graphic aficionados use, which scoops the mids while boosting the
low and high frequencies, to create a sound that is absolutely huge.
The mini toggles operate much the same as the Channel Select switch; ON (switch up) activates the CONTOUR
feature, OFF (switch center) defeats the CONTOUR and FTSW (switch down) allows you to trigger the CON-
TOUR from the Footswitch.
NOTE: The LED above the CONTOUR button on the Footswitch is a dual-color type that tracks the color of the Channel’s CON-
TOUR LED’s when the Channel button on the Footswitch is used to switch between the Channels. Channel 1 activates a green
CONTOUR
LED while Channel 2’s
CONTOUR
is indicated by the red side of the LED.
The mid-dip of the
CONTOUR, while it enhances clean and bluesy sounds very nicely in the lower (7:30 – 11:30) range of the
control, is especially effective in creating menacing high gain sounds in both Channels 1 and 2. Here, the CONTOUR can be ap-
plied more liberally without the risk of sounding too edgy (due to inherent tube compression) and some truly outrageous sounds
start to appear in both CRUNCH and BURN at around noon (12:00). As you pass 3:00 and the
CONTOUR is increased toward
INPUT
GAIN TREBLE MID BASS REVERB MASTER CONTOUR
POWER
ON
ON
STANDBY
CLEAN
ON
CRUNCH
FT SW
5 WATT
CLASS A
CH 1
BLUES
ON
CH 2
FT
SW
BURN
FT SW
O
F
F
O
F
F
INPUT
GAIN TREBLE MID BASS REVERB MASTER CONTOUR
POWER
ON
ON
STANDBY
CLEAN
ON
CRUNCH
FT SW
5 WATT
CLASS A
CH 1
BLUES
ON
CH 2
FT
SW
BURN
FT SW
O
F
F
O
F
F
INPUT
GAIN TREBLE MID BASS REVERB MASTER CONTOUR
POWER
ON
ON
STANDBY
CLEAN
ON
CRUNCH
FT SW
5 WATT
CLASS A
CH 1
BLUES
ON
CH 2
FT
SW
BURN
FT SW
O
F
F
O
F
F