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SPECTRADRIVE User Manual
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SPECTRADRIVE User Manual
1. About this Manual
Thank you for spending your hard-earned money on this TC ELECTRONIC product!
We have done our best to ensure that it will serve you for many years to come,
and we hope that you will enjoy using it.
This manual is available as a PDF download from the TC ELECTRONIC website.
Please read this manual in full, or you may miss important information.
Please do not operate your TC device before you have made all connections
to external equipment as described in the “2.3 Setting Up” section. In the
subsequent sections of the manual, we assume that all connections are made
correctly and that you are familiar with the previous sections.
We reserve the right to change the contents of this manual at any time.
To download the most current version of this manual, view the product warranty,
and access the growing FAQ database for this product, visit the web page
tcelectronic.com/support/
2. Introduction
The SpectraDrive pedal is the ultimate grab-and-go utility for bass players,
providing intelligent EQ, multiple outputs and dual TonePrint capability.
Whether you’re tracking bass in the studio and want to record dry and
effected signals, performing on stage with separate signals sent to FOH
and your amplifier, or practicing with headphones, this pedal has the
necessary connectivity. At the heart of the pedal are the TubeDrive and
SpectraComp TonePrint slots that allow you to beam various overdrive and
compression settings directly from your phone or USB-connected computer,
and adjust the intensity with dedicated knobs. With the SpectraDrive in
your gig bag, you’re well-equipped for any playing situation.
2.1 Unpacking
Your TC ELECTRONIC effect pedal box should contain the following items:
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Your TC ELECTRONIC effect pedal
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1 USB cable (Type A to Mini-B)
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1 TC ELECTRONIC sticker
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2 rubber feet
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9 V power supply
Inspect all items for signs of transit damage. In the unlikely event of
transit damage, inform the carrier and supplier. If damage has occurred,
keep all packaging, as it can be used as evidence of excessive handling force.
2.2 Setting Up
Connect the 9 V power supply with the following symbol to the DC input socket of
your TC ELECTRONIC effect pedal.
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Plug the power supply into a power outlet.
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Connect your instrument to the In jack on the front side of the pedal using a
1/4" jack cable.
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Connect the Out jack on the front side of the pedal to your amplifier using a
1/4" jack cable. See Chapter 5 for alternate connection scenarios.
3. TonePrint
This TC Electronic product supports TonePrints. To learn more about TonePrints,
go to tcelectronic.com/toneprint/
3.1 What are TonePrints?
When you look at your TC Electronic effect pedal, you’ll only see a few knobs.
Actually, for some pedals, it’s just one knob. So – one knob, one function, right?
Actually, there’s a lot more to it than meets the eye.
Star-tweaked signature sounds
When TC Electronic builds an effect pedal, the relationship between its controls
and many parameters “under the hood” are defined by developers, musicians
and product specialists who live and breathe sound. This gives you an excellent
starting point: a great-sounding pedal with well-balanced controls.
But wouldn’t it be cool to have world-famous bass players – guys like Nathan
East, Janek Gwizdala and Ida Nielsen – virtually rewire your compressor pedal,
defining what should happen “behind the scenes”?
This is exactly what TonePrints allow you to do.
TC Electronic is working with top guitar and bass players who explore a
pedal’s hidden tonal potential, redefining the controls and creating their
personal TonePrints. And we are making these custom TonePrints available to
you. Uploading them to your pedal is really easy (see “Transferring TonePrints to
your pedal using the TonePrint app”).
You can change the TonePrints in your pedal as often as you like, and the
best part: It’s totally free.
3.2 Transferring TonePrints to your
pedal using the TonePrint app
Being able to virtually rewire your TC Electronic effect pedal wouldn’t be much
use if you needed a lot of extra equipment to do it. This is why we created the
TonePrint app. The TonePrint app is free software for popular smartphones that
allows you to “beam” new TonePrints right into your effect pedal whenever and
wherever you feel like it.
Obtaining the TonePrint app
If you own an iPhone, you can download the TonePrint app from Apple’s
App Store.
If you own an Android phone, you will find the TonePrint app on Google Play.
Once you have the app, no additional downloads or in-app purchases
are required. You can access all available TonePrints from within the app, and all
TonePrints are free.
Transferring TonePrints to your pedal – step by step
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Launch the TonePrint app on your smartphone.
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Find the TonePrint you want to use. You can browse TonePrints by Artist
or Product (i.e., pedal type). You will also find Featured TonePrints.
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Plug your guitar or bass into your TonePrint pedal.
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Turn your TonePrint pedal on.
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Turn up the volume on your instrument and set the pickup selector to
one pickup.
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Hold the speaker of your smartphone next to the chosen pickup and touch
“Beam to pedal”.
The pedal’s LEDs will blink to acknowledge that the TonePrint has been
successfully loaded. TubeDrive TonePrints are signaled on the left LED,
and SpectraComp TonePrints on the right.
Note that this pedal does not support custom TonePrint creation via the
editor software. However, we have provided plenty of meticulously-crafted
TonePrints for both TubeDrive and SpectraComp to ensure that you’ll be able to
get the sound you’re looking for.
4. Inputs, Output and Controls
4.1 Power, audio and computer connection
(1)
POWER input
- To power up your pedal, connect a power supply to its
power input socket. The power input socket of your TC ELECTRONIC effect
pedal is a standard 5.5/2.1 mm DC plug (centre = negative).
Your TC ELECTRONIC effect pedal requires a 9 V power supply providing
250 mA or more (included).
(2)
USB port
- Use the standard Mini-B USB port on your TC ELECTRONIC
effect pedal to connect your pedal to a computer. If there should be
firmware updates for this pedal, they can be installed using the USB port –
see “6.1 Updating the firmware”.
(3)
IN jack
– Connect a standard 1/4" TS cable from your bass to the IN jack.
(4)
THRU jack
– This output sends the unaffected input signal directly
out again. This is useful for connecting to a tuner pedal or for sending the
“dry” signal to an amp or mixer.
(5)
OUT jack
– Connect a standard 1/4" TS cable from the pedal to your amplifier.
This signal will carry the affected signal whenever the pedal is not bypassed.
(6)
Mini switches
– These 3 switches only affect the Line-Driver output.
The first switch engages the ground lift. The Pre/Post switch determines
whether the Line-Driver output carries the affected signal (post), or always
carries the bypassed signal (pre). Use the 3rd switch to select between
instrument-level output (-15 dB) or line-level output.
(7)
LINE-DRIVER OUT
– Connect an XLR cable from this output to a
mixing console.
(8)
PHONES output
– Connect a pair of stereo headphones with a
1/8" (3.5 mm)TRS plug. Adjust the output with the Level knob (when the
pedal is active/not bypassed). Connecting headphones does not mute
any of the other outputs.
(9)
AUX IN jack
– Connect a phone, laptop or MP3 player to the pedal with a
1/8" TRS cable. This input does not have a level control, so adjust the output
on your music player to balance the sound. It may be necessary to turn the
Bass knob on the SpectraDrive down in order for the signals to mix correctly.
4.2 Switching
(10)
DRIVE FOOTSWITCH
– This switch controls the on/off state of the TubeDrive
circuit only. The left LED will light when TubeDrive is active, but the overdrive
will only be heard when the pedal is engaged (right LED lit).
(11)
BYPASS FOOTSWITCH
– This footswitch turns the tone stack and
SpectraComp on and off. The pedal is engaged when the right LED is lit.
In bypass mode (right LED off), the dry input signal is passed to the outputs.
The SpectraDrive is equipped with a buffered bypass to ensure a strong,
clear signal even when using longer cable runs.
4.3 Effect controls
(12)
GAIN knob
– This sets the input level as well as the amount of TubeDrive
when Drive is engaged.
(13)
TUBEDRIVE knob
– Adjust the output volume of the TubeDrive circuit in
conjunction with the Gain knob.
(14)
SPECTRACOMP knob
– Adjust the amount of compression from
your TonePrint.
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(1) (2)
(8)
(9)
(7)
(10)
(11)
(13)
(12)
(14)
(15)
(19)
(18)
(16)
(17)
Summary of Contents for SPECTRADRIVE
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