DIRECTIONS
To set up the MXR M-120 Auto Q, plug your instrument into the Input jack
and your amplifier into the Output jack. Be sure the
Footswitch
is in the Off
position (red LED off), or Bypass mode. Set all knobs except Blend to their
straight up, or 12 o’clock positions, and set the
Blend Knob
all the way off
(counterclockwise). Set the
Band Switch
to the Mid setting. Then turn the
effect on with the
Footswitch
(red LED on). Play some notes while switch-
ing the effect on and off, adjusting the
Volume Knob
until the volume is
approximately equal in both modes. This is a good starting point for volume;
though you may want to readjust volume after making other settings.
Toggle the
Band Switch
between the Lo, Mid and Hi settings to select
the frequency range favored by the effect. Then adjust the
Range Knob
to
select the frequency floor, or how low the effect should go. Play both single
notes and chords to hear how your sound is affected.
The
“Q” Knob
adjusts the intensity of the wah effect by adjusting the
peak of the wah filter. The higher and narrower the peak goes (“Q” knob
clockwise), the more intense the wah effect sounds. The
Volume Knob
is
interactive with other controls, so that you may want to readjust it after
each new tone setting. The only other knob that impacts the wah effect is
Decay
; when the
Blend Knob
is all the way off (counterclockwise), the
Decay Knob
controls only the dropoff of the wah effect.
The final two knobs,
Rate
and
Blend
, control the “variable shimmer”
effect that is unique to the Auto Q. Turn the
Blend Knob
up to introduce the
shimmer effect and control which effect is more dominant, the auto wah
(counterclockwise) or shimmer (clockwise). Straight up mixes both effects
equally. Adjust the
Rate Knob
for the desired speed of the shimmer effect.
When the shimmer effect is blended in, the
Decay Knob
controls not
only the dropoff of the wah, but also the transition from wah to shimmer.
You can start a note with wah, and end it with a shimmering flourish for
sounds you can’t get anywhere else!