Torpedo Reload Guitar Connectivity... Perfected! User’s Manual V 1.
Torpedo Reload User’s Manual Manual Version V 1.03- 06/03/2014. The complete electronic version of this manual, as well as the Two Notes Audio Engineering software and hardware products, are subject to updates. You can download the most recent versions of the products on the following website: http://www.two-notes.com. This manual describes the Torpedo Reload and provides instructions for its operation. It is highly recommended that you read this document before using the product.
Contents 1 Foreword 1 7 Safety instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 1.1 Risk of electric shock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 1.2 Reader warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 1.3 Mains power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 1.4 Ground connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5 4.1 RE-ACT™, how does it work? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 4.2 Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 4.3 Contour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Re-amplification using REPLAY™ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 5.1 Silent REPLAY™ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Foreword Part 1 Foreword 1 Safety instructions Before using the product, it is necessary to carefully read and to bear in mind the following information. Keep this document in a safe place as it is important for the protection of both user and product. Should you suspect any malfunction of the device, always seek the assistance of a qualified technician. 1.1 Risk of electric shock The warning panel located at the back CAUTION of the unit lists all the messages related to your safety.
Foreword to the machine and injuries to the user. This product should not be used during thunderstorms. In cases of severe weather with risks of lightning, unplug the mains power supply to reduce the risk of electric shock and fire. The mains power cable provided with the machine complies with the standards of the country where you purchased the product. If replacement is needed, please use a standard compliant cable. 1.
Foreword • IEC : 2008 - CISPR 22 class B. 3 Contents of the package The shipped package contains: 1. One Torpedo Reload unit in a protecting sleeve, 2. One mains power cable, 3. One owner’s manual. The complete electronic version of this manual as well as the Torpedo Remote and BlendIR software programs are subject to updates. You can download the most recent versions of those products on the following website: http://www.two-notes.com.
Foreword 5 Warranty OROSYS SARL warrants that this TWO NOTES AUDIO ENGINEERING product shall be free of defects in parts and workmanship when used under normal operating conditions for a period of two (2) years from the date of purchase. This warranty shall apply to the original purchaser when purchased from an Authorized TWO NOTES AUDIO ENGINEERING dealer. IMPORTANT: PLEASE RETAIN YOUR SALES RECEIPT, AS IT IS YOUR PROOF OF PURCHASE COVERING YOUR LIMITED WARRANTY.
Part 2 Recommendation on the proper use of a loadbox with a tube amplifier 1 What is a loadbox? In the normal use of a tube amplifier, it is highly recommended that you always connect its power output to a speaker cabinet prior to powering it up. The speaker cabinet (4, 8 or 16 Ohms) must always be connected to the corresponding speaker output of your amplifier. Not doing so can lead to partial or complete destruction of the output stage of the tube amplifier.
Recommendation on the proper use of a loadbox with a tube amplifier 2 Which output volume for my amplifier? The correct use of your amplifier with a loadbox requires some precautions. Because of the silence while playing, it is much easier to accidentally run your amplifier beyond the reasonable limits set by the manufacturer than when using a real speaker cabinet with it. This can lead to faster tube wear and, in some cases, to more serious inconveniences.
Part 3 About the Torpedo Reload 1 Introducing the Torpedo Reload Two Notes Audio Engineering is proud to introduce the Torpedo Reload, the all-in-one analog interface for recording guitars and basses in the studio. This product has been developed through years of technical research, with great attention paid to the needs of guitarists, bassists and sound technicians who are confronted with the challenges posed by miking amplified instruments, whether on stage or in the studio.
About the Torpedo Reload 2 Front panel Figure 3.1: Front panel of the Torpedo Reload 3 1 ON/OFF switch 4 Loadbox output level 7 Air vent 10 MATCH™ indicators 2 Hi-Z Instrument input 5 Speaker attenuator volume 8 Signal indicators 11 Heat warning 3 REPLAY™ level 6 Contour 9 Load impedance indicators Rear panel Figure 3.
About the Torpedo Reload 4 The Torpedo Reload’s advanced functions 4.1 RE-ACT™ Attenuators are usually known for the negative impact they have on your tone in cases of heavy attenuation, which is mainly due to the fact that the load presented to the amplifier will vary depending on the attenuation level.
About the Torpedo Reload The REPLAY™ output follows a low-impedance unbalanced design to ensure the best conditions when sending the signal to the amplifier. The ground lifts will allow you to solve any grounding issues that may come up when you are setting up the kind of complex wiring you can use with the Torpedo Reload.
About the Torpedo Reload Torpedo Wall of Sound comes with a library of 24 cabinets and 8 microphones among the most commonly used models in the world. You will achieve perfect virtual miking by choosing one cabinet and one microphone, and fine-tuning the position of the microphone in front of the cabinet. 6 Torpedo Wall of Sound, only a speaker simulation? The Torpedo Wall of Sound is a software plug-in you can embed in your recording program.
About the Torpedo Reload 6.2 Post FX section During a guitar/bass sound miking session, it is a common practice to apply some essential processes on the signal before sending it to the recorder or the front mixing console.
Part 4 Connecting the Torpedo Reload 1 Overview The Torpedo Reload offers a solution for silent and quality sound pick-up in many situations. The following illustrations show the most common situations the Torpedo Reload has been created for. 1 2 Guitar/bass Torpedo Reload Front 3 4 Torpedo Reload Rear Speaker cabinets 5 6 Guitar/bass amp Audio interface 7 PC/MAC with Torpedo Wall of Sound All functions work at the same time, but we will first show a variety of the more simple setups.
Connecting the Torpedo Reload 2 LED indicators You will find different LED indicators on the Torpedo Reload front panel: • SIGNAL / CLIP: indicates the presence of a signal in either the DI, REPLAY™ or SPEAKER input (green color). The LED lights up red whenever that signal is too strong — if so, you need to lower the volume at the corresponding input. • MATCH™: Increase the REPLAY™ potentiometer value if the up arrow lights up, and lower the value if the down arrow lights up.
Connecting the Torpedo Reload In any setup that involves a microphone preamplifier, it is important to set the correct gain on the preamplifier so the level of the recorded track is high enough. It is commonly recommended to set the gain on the preamplifier so the instrument’s signal will hit -16dB FS to -18dB FS (i.e., dB Full Scale, the value indicated on your sound card and sequencer input meter). 4 Power attenuator and load box 4.
Connecting the Torpedo Reload • as the impedance does not change with the attenuation, the tone of your amp stays the same; • the volume you hear in the room can be set continuously, you get REAL master-volume control (SPEAKER parameter), after your amplifier’s master volume; • the speaker-output impedance of your amplifier is independent from the speaker impedance of the actual speaker cabinet you plug on the Torpedo Reload. This opens up a great many fun possibilities of cabinet mixing. 4.
Connecting the Torpedo Reload When you play your amplifier loud, you may hear some noise coming out of the Torpedo Reload. This is perfectly normal and there is no reason to worry. The sound is produced when power goes through the coil of the reactive load embedded in the Torpedo Reload. The vibration is related to what power comes out of the amplifier connected to the Torpedo Reload and to the signal’s frequency content (i.e., notes played are heard).
Connecting the Torpedo Reload 5.1 Silent REPLAY™ We shall assume here that the DI setup presented above ("3 Di recording") is already operational. On track 1 of your sequencer you have recorded the sound sample of a dry guitar signal. 1. Route Track 1 so its output is sent to your audio interface’s output 3, if 1 & 2 are used as Master output. It is important you use a different output from the Master one.
Connecting the Torpedo Reload 2. Plug a microphone to your third preamplifier (channel 3 on the mixer, etc.), place the microphone in front of the cabinet. 3. Connect the preamplifier to the Line channel input 3 on your audio interface. 4. Activate Track 3 for recording and eventually live monitoring to hear the result in the Master, select channel 3 as an input. 5.
Part 5 Setting up Torpedo Wall of Sound 1 Installation 1.1 On a PC using Windows™ OS or an Apple Mac™ using OSX™ Before installing the Torpedo Wall of Sound software, make sure you have uninstalled any previous version of the software to avoid any possible problems. 1. Download the version of Torpedo Wall of Sound you need from the Two Notes website using the link: http://www.two-notes.com/en/software/torpedo-wall-of-sound-3/#download. 2. Unzip the software if needed. 3. Launch the .
Setting up Torpedo Wall of Sound Please note that some amplifiers or preamplifiers have a "frequency compensated" output. Such output embeds a small circuit to emulate a miked speaker. Please do not use this output, or deactivate the speaker emulation if possible, to get the best of your Torpedo Wall of Sound software.
Setting up Torpedo Wall of Sound 1. If the amplifier emulator embeds separate pre-amplifier and power-amplifier simulations: bypass the speaker simulation AND the power-amplifier section of the amp emulator, and switch the Torpedo Wall of Sound’s power-amp simulation on. 2. If it is not possible to bypass the power-amp simulation on the Amplifier emulator, switch off the power amp on the Torpedo Wall of Sound plug-in.
Part 6 Using Torpedo Wall of Sound 1 Torpedo Wall of Sound interface 1 Presets 5 Miking 9 Compressor 2 Main input gain 6 Low cut 10 Setup parameters 3 Power amp parameters 7 EQ 11 La Boutique (the store) 4 Power amp, speaker and microphone selection 8 Exciter 12 Main output volume Two Notes Audio Engineering Torpedo Reload 13 WoS section 31
Using Torpedo Wall of Sound 2 Routing of Torpedo Wall of Sound: stereo and mono to stereo track Torpedo Wall of Sound is designed to work with stereo / dual mono signals, so you can insert it on a stereo track or a stereo bus. With Torpedo Wall of Sound you can handle as many as 100 different cabinets and microphones simultaneously. The 100 cabinets are displayed on 50 channels. In other words, one channel contains two cabinet-miking configurations.
Using Torpedo Wall of Sound 3 Routing of the Torpedo Wall of Sound: mono track If you insert the plug-in on a mono track (in other words, mono in/mono out), the channels will take the same input and process it in parallel. Nevertheless, as the output is mono, the PAN parameter on every channel is deactivated. Figure 6.3: On a mono track If you have several mono tracks, always think of the possibility of sending them to a stereo bus.
Using Torpedo Wall of Sound 6 Presets • Preset list: Click on the list to select the preset you want to load. • SAVE: Click on the "SAVE" button to save the current preset. • COMPARE: The "COMPARE" button controls an evolved comparison function developed by Two Notes Audio Engineering. Think about it as a temporary set of parameters, re-initialized after each startup of the unit. It can be used to quickly and easily compare two sets of parameters.
Using Torpedo Wall of Sound 7 Power Amp • Power Amp: Activate the power-amplifier simulation by turning this parameter "On". • Master Volume: Set up the output volume of your virtual power amplifier. • Presence: This setting affects the tube-stage frequency. • Depth: This setting affects the tube-stage frequency (bandwidth). • Pentode/Triode switch: Select how the tube is used, either in triode or in pentode mode. Pentode mode has more headroom and volume than triode.
Using Torpedo Wall of Sound 9 Miking In the "MIKING" section, you take the place of the sound engineer looking at his record room through the glass window. By using this section, you will find the "sweet spot", the perfect microphone position for your take. You will also be able to control speaker saturation and balance between simulated and non-simulated sound. The first two parameters determine the microphone’s position.
Using Torpedo Wall of Sound • Overload: A loudspeaker is essentially a system designed to faithfully reproduce the sound transmitted by the amplifier. However, a loudspeaker does have some particular audio properties of its own, including some that depend on the level of power applied. The "Overload" parameter reproduces the natural saturation that occurs when the loudspeaker is driven too hard. At maximum value, you get the sound of a loudspeaker coming close to destruction.
Using Torpedo Wall of Sound 12 Comp Using a compressor will reduce the dynamics of your sound, or control transients, or even to create special effects, such as pumping. The parameters of the TORPEDO compressor are equivalent to a standard studio compressor. • Compressor: Turn the compressor ON or OFF. When ON, you may visualize on the bargraph the level of compression applied to the signal, in dB scale. • Threshold: Control the signal level above which compression occurs.
Using Torpedo Wall of Sound 14 Wall of Sound section In this section you will be able to add the channels you need to achieve the sound you have in mind, using as many cabinets and microphones as you need (up to 100 over 50 channels)). Each channel is a combination of a power amp, a cabinet and a microphone. On every WoS section line, you will find two independent or linked channels that can be panned the way you want. • ON: Switches the designed channel ON or OFF.
Using Torpedo Wall of Sound 15 Want more cabs? • Two Notes cabinets: Torpedo Wall of Sound embeds the new Two Notes Boutique. This is an online store that gives you access to all of the Two Notes virtual cabinets, captured with a set of 8 microphones. Make sure you have a working Internet connection and click on La Boutique: On the bottom left you find all of the cabinet collections, which are simple filters: selecting a collection lets you see only the cabinets you may have an interest in.
Using Torpedo Wall of Sound you are able to use the TORPEDO technology to capture the sound signature of your own cabinet and microphone in the deepest details. To add a .tur file to your list, simply move the file to the root of the default Impulses directory, or select another folder (see part 6.13) that will be saved with the current session of your plug-in host. Please note that the files must reside at the root of that folder, without any subfolders.
Part 7 Specifications 1 1.1 1.
Specifications 1.
Specifications 2 Torpedo Reload specifications 2.1 Internal circuit diagram 2.2 Audio connections You can connect the balanced outputs to a device embedding unbalanced I/Os. In that case, you should use either mono plugs or stereo ones by bridging the Ring and Sleeve. For example, if you wish to use an XLR-to-JACK cable on the Loadbox output, make sure that pin 1 and 3 of your XLR connector are bridged.
Specifications 2.3 2.4 Possible post-attenuation speaker combinations Cabinet 1 impedance (Ohms) Cabinet 2 impedance (Ohms) Total impedance (Ohms) Speaker output 1 Speaker output 2 (must be > 4 Ohms) 16 No cabinet 16 16 16 8 16 8 5,3 8 No cabinet 8 8 8 4 4 No cabinet 4 Minimal attenuation, maximal output power Because of its electrical design, the Torpedo Reload applies a minimal attenuation to the incoming power signal.
Specifications 2.5 Technical data Designation Characteristics Speaker Input Jack 6.35mm (1/4") unbalanced (TS, Tip/Sleeve) Maximum input voltage: 140 Volts AC (45 dBu) Security load: 220 Ohms / 10 Watts Loadbox Reactive load, nominal impedance: 4 or 8 or 16 Ohms switchable Maximum continuous admissible power: 150 W (assuming proper ventilation) Maximum temporary admissible power : 200 W (assuming proper ventilation) Speaker Output 2 X Jack 6.
Specifications Designation Characteristics REPLAY™ Input Jack 6.35mm (1/4") balanced (TRS, Tip/Ring/Sleeve) Maximum input level: 36 dBu Input impedance: 20 KOhms Ground/Lift switch REPLAY™ Output Jack 6.35 mm (1/4") unbalanced (TS) Impedance: 300 Ohms Gain (In to Out): 0 to -inf dB, adjustable by potentiometer Maximum output level: 19 dBu Noise: under -98 dBu from 20 Hz to 20 KHz Frequency response @ -1dB: 0 Hz to 18 kHz DI Input Jack 6.
Part 8 Technical support Should you encounter a problem with your Torpedo Reload or need help regarding any technical aspects, please note that Two Notes Audio Engineering has developed on-line services to provide you with fast and efficient technical support, the Two Notes Help Desk which you will find at this address: http://support.two-notes.com/ Two Notes Website On the http://www.two-notes.
http://www.two-notes.