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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:

• 

Your TC ELECTRONIC effect pedal

• 

1 USB cable (Type A to Mini-B)

• 

1 TC ELECTRONIC sticker

• 

2 rubber feet

• 

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.

• 

Plug the power supply into a power outlet.

• 

Connect your instrument to the In jack on the front side of the pedal using a 

1/4" jack cable.

• 

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
• 

Launch the TonePrint app on your smartphone.

• 

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.

• 

Plug your guitar or bass into your TonePrint pedal.

• 

Turn your TonePrint pedal on.

• 

Turn up the volume on your instrument and set the pickup selector to 

one pickup.

• 

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. 

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