CLASSIC DISTORTION USERS GUIDE SA142
WELCOME OVERVIEW Thank you for purchasing the Soundblox Pro Classic Distortion. The Pro Classic Distortion features a collection of classic distortion, fuzz, and overdrive tones in a flexible, easy to use format. It offers a wide variety of boutique quality sounds normally available only in expensive single effect analog pedals. The Pro version offers extended features over the Soundblox Classic Distortion such as 6 user presets selectable via 3 footswitches, a 7-band graphic equalizer, and much more.
QUICK START 3. BRIEF KNOB, FOOTSWITCH, AND BUTTON DESCRIPTIONS See Controls section for more details. 1. POWER To power the unit, connect the included DC adapter power supply to the 9V DC jack (A) on the back panel. Note: Using a different supply could damage the unit and void the warranty. A DRIVE 1: adjusts the pre-drive for the selected effect. B DRIVE 2: adjusts the post-drive for the selected effect.
THEORY OF OPERATION The Classic Pro features distortion effects that are re-creations of popular pedal and amplifier based distortions. We have chosen names for the distortions that will be suggestive of the sounds you will get with all of the controls in the central part of their range. We are not trying to imply exact simulations of the various analog effects.
CONNECTIONS CONTROLS: KNOBS GUITAR IN Connect your guitar or other instrument here using a standard MONO ¼" cable. EFFECT (not labeled) The effect knob selects which distortion type will be used. There are 11 effect positions around the knob as well as a setting for CLEAN BOOST/ EQ. In the CLEAN BOOST/EQ mode, the distortion effect is bypassed but the output, midrange, and equalizer still apply. For information on the individual settings see the Effect Types section.
DRIVE 2 Adjust the amount of distortion after the MIDRANGE control. CONTROLS: EQUALIZER One of the key features of the Classic Pro is the 7-band graphic equalizer. The Equalizer is post distortion. Each band can be adjusted up or down in 1 dB steps from -12 dB to +12 dB and the setting is indicated by the display. The display shows 1 dB steps by lighting adjacent LEDs with varying brightness.
CONTROLS: OTHER BUTTONS CONTROLS: FOOTSWITCHES PRESET BANK There are six available user presets that are in two banks. The bank can be switched by pressing the PRESET BANK button. When preset bank A is selected, pressing the corresponding footswitches will select presets 1, 2, or 3. When preset bank B is selected, the footswitches select presets 4, 5, and 6. The indicator lights (LEDs) above each footswitch will be green for bank A and red for bank B. There are three footswitches on the Classic Pro.
EFFECT TYPES TUBE DRIVE An overdriven tube amp effect similar to a Marshall® sound. Try scaling back the drive knob for a nice mild overdrive. Here are some brief descriptions of the effects included in the Classic Pro. Most of the effects are based on, but not exact copies of, a variety of popular analog distortion pedals. Don’t expect the sounds to be exactly like the corresponding analog effects. We tried to capture the spirit of each sound rather than trying to copy the exact nuts and bolts.
PRESET SAVING MORPHING An edited preset can be saved by pressing and holding a footswitch as described in the Controls: Footswitches section. An edited preset can be saved to any one of the 6 preset locations. For example if preset 1 has been selected and edited, it can be saved to preset location 3 by pressing and holding the 3/6 footswitch. Once the preset has been saved to that location, the new location will be the selected preset.The unedited preset will still be at location 1.
MIDI CONTROL USE WITH HOT HAND The Classic Pro can optionally be controlled by an external MIDI controller such as the Hot Hand MIDI-Exp controller through the MIDI input. All of the knob parameters as well as morphing can be controlled via MIDI Continuous Controller messages. Individual presets can be selected by MIDI Program Change messages. The Classic Pro can also be put into bypass in this way. The following table describes the use of the MIDI input.
HH Enable The HH ENABLE button will allow Hot Hand® control for an individual preset so it can be used on one preset and not on another. Calibration The Classic Pro has a calibration feature which is only used in Hot Hand mode. However, calibration is not required before use. The calibration feature allows you to set the MAXIMUM point of the DRIVE sweep for any position of your hand. Depending on your playing style, you may find it useful to try some different calibration positions.
Here is the list of parameters that can be edited in Backpage mode: SPECIFICATIONS Noise Gate (NG) This sets the threshold of the noise gate. Lower values lower the threshold, and result in less gating action. The default value is set to what seems appropriate to the noise level in our box, which is rather low. You might want to raise the threshold to deal with other noise in your system. If you just don’t like gates, lower the threshold all the way to the bottom. Dimensions • L: 7 inches (18.
LIMITED WARRANTY Source Audio, LLC (hereinafter “Source Audio”) warrants that your new Source Audio Soundblox Effects Pedal, when purchased at an authorized Source Audio dealer in the United States of America (“USA”), shall be free from defects in materials and workmanship under normal use for a period of one (1) year from the date of purchase by the original purchaser. This Limited Warranty does not extend to the batteries which are purchased as is.