Acoustic Imaging Blender Aura™
Acoustic Imaging Blender Aura™ 2
Acoustic Imaging Blender Aura™ Warnings Table of Contents Quick Start CAUTION Risk of electric shock. Do not open. 4 Introduction 5 Product Registration Welcome What Is a Sound Image? Aura Capabilities Aura, the Internet and You No user serviceable parts inside. Refer servicing to qualified personnel. Do not expose to rain or moisture.
Acoustic Imaging Blender Aura™ Quick Start Input Requirements • Acoustic Guitar: Use only an undersaddle pickup or a magnetic soundhole pickup. • Other Instruments: Use only a bridge mounted pickup. • If your pickup system has an onboard microphone, shut it off. • If your pickup system has onboard EQ, set all the controls flat. Get Your Feet Wet TIP: Always start with the Edit/Play switch in the Play position, and 1 Connect the Aura’s ¼” Output or XLR Output to your amplifier or mixer input.
Acoustic Imaging Blender Aura™ Introduction Product Registration Please fill out the Product Registration form online at http://www.fishman.com/register.asp Why register? When you do, we have your information on file should your Aura Acoustic Imaging Blender ever require warranty service. Your registration also keeps you on the cutting edge: we can let you know when updates and upgrades for the Aura become available.
Acoustic Imaging Blender Aura™ Introduction Aura Capabilities What does it do? Size Matters The Aura is the logical extension of Fishman’s Blender There are good reasons why acoustic guitarists gravitate toward technology. With a traditional Blender, we combine the utilitarian one body style or another. Strummers often go for the big, function of a pickup with the unquestionable realism that only a boomy rhythm that only a dreadnought can produce. microphone can add.
Acoustic Imaging Blender Aura™ Introduction Aura, the Internet and You various guitar, microphone and pickup combinations. Of these More Sound Images are at available at www.fishmanaura.com ! sixteen factory-loaded Sound Images, twelve can be replaced Although we include a representative group of instruments with with new Sound Images.
Acoustic Imaging Blender Aura™ Controls & Connections Rear Panel 1 XLR Out Connect this balanced -4dBu level output to the input of your PA system, recording console, or to a microphone input on a portable amplifier. The Sound Image/pickup mix gets routed through this output. 2 Gnd/Lft Move the Gnd/Lft switch to the “Lft” position to eliminate the ground loop hum that can occur when you use the XLR and (1/4”) Outputs together.
Acoustic Imaging Blender Aura™ Controls & Connections - continued Front Panel 7 LED Display 1 Output Level Knob The LED display references the 11 parameters in Edit mode, the 50 program locations in Play mode, and the pitch names and calibration frequencies in the Tuner mode. Sets the overall level at the XLR and ¼” outputs. 2 Phase Switch Use this global phase switch to improve the amplified response at low volumes and to help reduce feedback at high volumes.
Acoustic Imaging Blender Aura™ Chapter 1 10 Control Panel Overview
Acoustic Imaging Blender Aura™ Control Panel Overview The Five Basic Control Groups The Aura control panel can be divided into five functional groups: 1 Input/Output (see page 15) The Input Level control sets the optimum amount of gain for your pickup. The Output Level sets the level going to your amp or mixer.
Acoustic Imaging Blender Aura™ Control Panel Overview - Continued LED Display The LED Display is your guide for navigating through the Play, Edit and Tuner modes. 1 Play mode: The display shows your present program location. 2 Edit mode: Shows the status of a selected parameter. 3 Tuner mode: Displays the note name and calibration frequency of the tuner. In Play mode, the Aura’s LED displays the number of the program you are in.
Acoustic Imaging Blender Aura™ Control Panel Overview - Continued Edit/Play Switch Use this switch to navigate between the 50 program locations in Play and the 11 selectable parameters in Edit. The mixes you create in Edit will automatically be placed in the last selected program location when you move the switch to Play. Move the switch to Play and the numbers in the LED display will refer to the 50 program locations available in the Aura’s memory.
Acoustic Imaging Blender Aura™ Chapter 2 14 Inner Workings
Acoustic Imaging Blender Aura™ Inner Workings Input /Output Input Level and LEDs Use the Input Level control and the multi-colored LEDs to set the gain structure for the Aura. When you plug into the Aura, play your instrument aggressively and adjust the Input Level control so that the green LED (signal present) lights brightly, the yellow LED (optimal level) flickers often and the red LED does not flicker on at all. If the red LED lights up at all, lower the Input Level accordingly.
Acoustic Imaging Blender Aura™ Inner Workings - continued Why a Phase Switch on the Parameter Knob? A Sound Image is created from an actual microphone in front of a guitar. So the distance of the mic from the instrument and the polarity of the mic capsule will contribute to relative phase of the signal. Because the Aura blends a Sound Image signal with a pickup signal there is a 50% chance that the two will clash.
Acoustic Imaging Blender Aura™ Inner Workings - continued You can choose how the Aura changes programs in Play Mode Instant Change Mode (factory default) In the Instant Change Mode the program changes as soon as you hit the up or down footswitch. TO ENABLE: Hold down the right footswitch for over 2 seconds, while plugging in 9V power plug. The prompt 88 will appear in the display.
Acoustic Imaging Blender Aura™ Inner Workings - continued Edit Mode Edit/Play Switch Move this switch to access the 11 selectable parameters in Edit mode. The mixes you create in Edit will automatically be placed in the last selected program location when you move the switch to Play. When you move the switch to Edit, the numbers and letters in the display will refer to the Aura parameters. In Edit, you select a Parameter, then dial it in with the Data knob.
Acoustic Imaging Blender Aura™ Inner Workings - continued Parameter Knob With the Parameter knob, you can access the components used to build Sound Image/pickup mixes. There are two main groups of discrete parameters for the Aura effect and the pickup, plus three other parameters common to both. To make the parameters available, move the switch to Edit, then move the pointer on the Parameter knob to the parameter that you would like to adjust.
Acoustic Imaging Blender Aura™ Inner Workings - continued Aura Equalization The bracketed Bass, Mid and Treble parameters next to the “Aura” designation are for equalizing the Sound Image in the mix. We recommend that you use these controls sparingly, especially when boosting. Most often a very slight cut or boost is all that is needed get a Sound Image dialed in. Set Blend to A when you equalize the Sound Image. Bass Use the Data knob to change the behavior of the Bass control.
Acoustic Imaging Blender Aura™ Inner Workings - continued Mid Use the Data knob to change the behavior of the Mid control. The default Mid setting is flat (read 0 in display). To cut midrange, turn the Data knob left and the display will show a negative number (down to -9) that indicates the amount cut in dB. To boost midrange, turn the Data knob right and the display will show a number (up to 12) that indicates the amount of boost in dB. The Mid control is centered at 1kHz.
Acoustic Imaging Blender Aura™ Inner Workings - continued How to use the Phase switches: 1 Start with the Edit/Play switch in the Play position and select a program. Make note of the number of the program and move the switch to the Edit position. 2 Turn the Parameter knob to Blend and turn the Data knob clockwise until the letter A (Aura effect only, no pickup) appears in the display. 3 Raise the Output Level. 4 Play your instrument and flip the Phase slide switch back and forth.
Acoustic Imaging Blender Aura™ Inner Workings - continued Effect on/off Switch The Effect on/off lets you bypass the blended sound image/pickup mixes in both the Play and Edit modes, so that only the basic pickup signal from your instrument appears at the Aura’s outputs. Use the Effect on/off switch to help set baseline levels for your mixes (see Level above) and to compare your raw pickup sound to the processed sound.
Acoustic Imaging Blender Aura™ Inner Workings - continued Feedback Cancel We’ve made it very easy to eliminate the feedback that typically occurs when you plug in an acoustic instrument. Here are three ways to use the Feedback Cancel filter. Factory Default Feedback Cancel The Feedback Cancel is set up at the factory with a 100 Hz notch filter; the frequency where many acoustic guitars howl. Simply tap the Feedback Cancel footswitch to engage the filter.
Acoustic Imaging Blender Aura™ Chapter 3 25 Setting Up for Performance
Acoustic Imaging Blender Aura™ Setting Up for Performance With 11 adjustable parameters, 12 factory Sound Images (and more to download from the Fishman Aura website), plus 50 program locations to hold your mixes, the Aura gives you an incredible amount of power and flexibility. You have the power to create an almost infinite number of Sound Image/pickup mixes to suit your taste. The 50 program locations in Play mode let you group your mixes into any order you prefer for quick recall during a performance.
Acoustic Imaging Blender Aura™ Setting Up A Mix Here is a general step by step method for putting together a mix. This is a serial procedure in which each step leads to and affects the one that follows. For the most reliable results, try to consistently follow the order below whenever you set up your mixes. If you need more detail than is covered here, refer to the comprehensive descriptions in the Aura Inner Workings Chapter of this manual.
Acoustic Imaging Blender Aura™ Adjust the EQ Move the Parameter knob to Bass, Mid or Treble for either the Aura or Pickup and adjust to taste with the Data knob. For best results, apply EQ to the “Aura” side (Sound Image) sparingly. You can apply EQ more liberally for the pickup side. Typically you boost Bass and Treble a bit and cut Mid for the pickup. After you apply EQ, go back to Blend and double-check the balance between the pickup and the Aura (Sound Image).
Acoustic Imaging Blender Aura™ Build Your Own Programs for Performance We give you 50 program locations to store your mixes. Here are some suggestions for setting up sequences of programs for performance. Remember to document your mixes and their program locations on the blank Programs page in the back of this manual. Assigning Sound Images to program locations (Play mode) You can use the program spaces presently occupied by the Factory preset mixes in slots 01 to 16 to place your own mixes.
Acoustic Imaging Blender Aura™ Appendix A Specifications Specifications Power: Power Connection: 150 mA @ 9Vdc Center pin negative 2.1mm dia., 5.5mm outer dia. Anti-Feedback Filter: Cut: Bandwidth: Default Frequency: Input Impedance: Output Impedance: 5 Meg 1k Nominal Operating Level: Unbalanced Output Level: Balanced Output Level: -17dBu -10dBu +/- 2dB (-10dBu, 1kHz input) -4dBu +/- 2dB (-10dBu, 1kHz input) Distortion: Less than 0.
Acoustic Imaging Blender Aura™ Appendix B Glossary AST Technology An acronym for Acoustic Spectrum Transform, the trademark for Akai Professional’s digital technology that makes digital Sound Imaging possible. Aura A digital Sound Image added to a pickup signal. Data Knob Turn this knob to modify the Data currently shown in the LED display. Edit Mode The state in which the Aura’s eleven Parameters are accessible for building sound image/pickup mixes.
Acoustic Imaging Blender Aura™ Appendix C Troubleshooting Problem Possible Cause Solution Power does not turn on Do you have the correct AC adapter? Use only Fishman 910R or Roland PSA adapters No sound or not loud enough Have the connections to other devices been made correctly? Check your connections Are the Input and Output levels too low? Raise Input and/or Output levels Is the tuner engaged? Disengage the tuner or step on the Down footswitch to un-mute the tuner Are the pickup and Sound
Acoustic Imaging Blender Aura™ Appendix D Factory Default Settings All programs and parameters can be returned to factory default settings (except user-imported Sound Images). To reset: Hold down both UP and Feedback Cancel switches for over 2 seconds while plugging in 9V power. A prompt will appear in the LED Display when the Aura has reset.
Acoustic Imaging Blender Aura™ Factory Sound Image/Pickup Mixes* Play Mode Pgrm # Instrument Edit Mode Wood Pickup Reference Microphone Sound Image # (Select parameter) Web Name 01 Dreadnought 1 rosewood undersaddle dynamic P1 MHD28SM58NTI 02 Dreadnought 2 rosewood cutaway undersaddle large diaphragm condenser P2 MD16U47PP 03 Grand Concert 1 mahogany undersaddle small diaphragm condenser P3 M00184011NTI 04 Classical 1 rosewood undersaddle large diaphragm condenser P4 R2CW
Acoustic Imaging Blender Aura™ Programs 01 26 02 27 03 28 04 29 05 30 06 31 07 32 08 33 09 34 10 35 11 36 12 37 13 38 14 39 15 40 16 41 17 42 18 43 19 44 20 45 21 46 22 47 23 48 24 49 25 50 35
Acoustic Imaging Blender Aura™ Limited Warranty Save your original sales receipt. It is your proof of purchase if you require warranty service. The Fishman Aura Acoustic Imaging Blender (“Product”) is warranted to the original consumer purchaser to be free of defects in materials and workmanship under normal use and service for a period of one (1) year from the date of purchase.
