USER'S MANUAL G-Force GUITAR EFFECTS PROCESSOR IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS The lightning flash with an arrowhead symbol within an equilateral triangle, is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated "dangerous voltage" within the product's enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Read these instructions. Keep these instructions. Heed all warnings. Follow all instructions. Do not use this apparatus near water. Clean only with dry cloth. Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including amplifiers) that produce heat. Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or grounding-type plug. A polarized plug has two blades with one wider than the other. A grounding type plug has two blades and a third grounding prong. The wide blade or the third prong are provided for your safety. If the provided plug does not fit into your outlet, consult an electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet. Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched particularly at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point where they exit from the apparatus. Only use attachments/accessories specified by the manufacturer. Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time. Use only with the cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or table specified by the manufacturer, or sold with the apparatus. When a cart is used, use caution when moving the cart/apparatus combination to avoid injury from tip-over. Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel. Servicing is required when the apparatus has been damaged in any way, such as power-supply cord or plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate normally, or has been dropped. The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of important operating and maintenance (servicing) instructions in the literature accompanying the product. Warning! · To reduce the risk of fire or electrical shock, do not expose this equipment to dripping or splashing and ensure that no objects filled with liquids, such as vases, are placed on the equipment. · This apparatus must be earthed. · Use a three wire grounding type line cord like the one supplied with the product. · Be advised that different operating voltages require the use of different types of line cord and attachment plugs. · Check the voltage in your area and use the correct type. See table below: Voltage 110-125V Line plug according to standard UL817 and CSA C22.2 no 42. 220-230V CEE 7 page VII, SR section 107-2-D1/IEC 83 page C4. 240V BS 1363 of 1984. Specification for 13A fused plugs and switched and unswitched socket outlets. 10 · · · · · 11 12 This equipment should be installed near the socket outlet and disconnection of the device should be easily accessible. To completely disconnect from AC mains, disconnect the power supply cord from the AC receptable. The mains plug of the power supply shall remain readily operable. Do not install in a confined space. Do not open the unit - risk of electric shock inside. 13 Caution: You are cautioned that any change or modifications not expressly approved in this manual could void your authority to operate this equipment. Service · There are no user-serviceable parts inside. · All service must be performed by qualified personnel. a IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS EMC / EMI. This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B Digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in residential installations. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on. The user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures: · · · · Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna. Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver. Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected. Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help. Certificate Of Conformity TC Electronic A/S, Sindalsvej 34, 8240 Risskov, Denmark, hereby declares on own responsibility that following product: G-Force - Guitar Effects Processor That is covered by this certificate and marked with CE-label conforms with following standards: EN 60065 (IEC 60065) Safety requirements for mains operated electronic and related apparatus for household and similar general use Product family standard for audio, video, audio-visual and entertainment lighting control apparatus for professional use. Part 1: Emission. Product family standard for audio, video, audio-visual and entertainment lighting control apparatus for professional use. Part 2: Immunity. EN 55103-1 EN 55103-2 For the customers in Canada: This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003. Cet appareil numérique de la classe B est conforme à la norme NMB-003 du Canada. With reference to regulations in following directives: 73/23/EEC, 89/336/EEC Issued in Risskov, May 1997 Anders Fauerskov Managing Director b TABLE OF CONTENTS WELCOME FROM THE USERS POINT OF VIEW QUICK REFERENCE THE FRONT PANEL THE REAR PANEL THE SIGNAL FLOW HOW TO... SETUPS RECALL STORE EFFECTS I/O MENU MODIFIERS UTILITY TEMPO TUNER THE BLOCKS THE RESET PAGE TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS TROUBLE SHOOTING MIDI IMPLEMENTATION CHART SELF TEST PRESET LIST System parameters, Billboard settings I/O, Input selector, Sample Rate, Mix, MIDI setup Recalling a Preset, Factory/User presets, Memory card Store a new preset, The Letterbox build a User Preset, connect the Modifiers, setup an Expression Pedal etc. Inputs, Outputs About this Manual Foreword by Palle Schultz Buttons, Knobs, Controllers and other functions 5 6 7 8 10 11 12 16 17 18 29 21 25 29 31 32 33 48 49 50 51 52 54 TC Electronic, Sindalsvej 34, DK-8240 Risskov - tcdk@tcelectronic.com Rev 1.01 - SW - V 2.04 Prod No: 606055012 3 WELCOME Congratulations Congratulations on the purchase of your new G-Force. We hope that you have as much pleasure using it as we had making it. The G-Force is carefully designed to produce the ultimate guitar effects. To achieve this, we supplied you with eight un-compromised, simultaneous effects. This means that the G-Force has the power to run all eight effects without losing sound quality. You can route the effect blocks in any combination you like, and the 24 bit resolution converters make it possible to run your guitar straight through without a line-mixer, while preserving your original guitar tone. Check out the Modifier Matrix and discover a powerful tool for real-time external and internal control of the many parameters of the G-Force. About this Manual Many people in the music business (and elsewhere) have an aversion to reading manuals. We understand that. So if you feel like starting without reading the whole manual, simply get going. You can always use the manual for checking out areas that you have questions about, or if you want to dig deeper into the unit. Refer to the Table of Contents for further information. On the other hand, you might want to know a little more about the G-Force before you start pressing keys. The manual will take you step by step through all of the GForce functions. If you want to read about a specific function, please refer to the Table of Contents. 5 FROM A USERS POINT OF VIEW Foreword by Palle Schultz, a guitar player with 10 years experience. From a users point of view If you ditch your beloved stomp boxes and invest your money in a multi- effects unit, you'll most likely lose the simplicity and flexibility of your pedal arrangement. You'll often have to deal with phone book sized manuals and interfaces made by and for computer experts. These circumstances often drive creative people and musicians away from such space-age machinery. I've owned several different effect units, that each had their own version of a hostile user interface so I've been waiting a long time for someone to develop a multi-effect that doesn't clash with ones creative state of mind. The fact that those "someone" are the people of TC Electronic guaranties the quality of the entire product. The G-FORCE is a very flexible machine which is very easy to approach. You have the choice of simply using it as a linear chain of effects or you can go beyond the use of any known multi-effect unit, and explore the countless combinations and control possibilities within the G-FORCE. After a short while of using the G-Force, I changed my whole approach towards the creation of effects for my guitar. From simple use of standard effects like delay, chorus and reverb connected in a straight line, I now find myself thinking up a non-existing effect like say; a tremolo that only kicks in when you play on the high notes, while the level of a phased distorted dark delay is controlled by your old volume pedal that you calibrated for use with your G-FORCE. If you are totally new to digital machinery like the G-FORCE, and are a hard-core knob turner but get frustrated dealing with scroll bars, LCDdisplays and strange technical terms, then you have ended up buying the right product. The TC Electronic G-FORCE is so easy to use that it's a bit ridiculous that this manual even exists. When you cruise around the G-FORCE, and want a certain thing to happen and have a feeling that this particular parameter is the right one to adjust, then you're most probably right. The way you learn this machine is by using it, don't be afraid of tweaking anything to its maximum, the edges are the learning spot and from there you either take a fall or a step back. The cool thing about the G-FORCE is that you won't hurt yourself, if you go over the edge, but you might end up with the strangest or coolest new effect you ever heard. One very pleasing side effect of owning a G-FORCE is the dramatically lighter rack you'll end up with. Mine certainly slimmed down to a tiny Formula One sized powerhouse. Palle Schultz 6 QUICK REFERENCE General Control General control of the G-Force is accomplished by dialing the Parameter wheel to change parameters, and the Value wheel to change values. In many of the displays you can select different menus by pressing the < > Arrow keys e.g., in the Effects display you can select between Mix, Edit, Routing and Layout. Press Enter to carry out an action (for example, when recalling a preset). Recall Press Recall (if you are not already there). Be sure that the cursor is placed on "Preset", and dial the Value wheel to scroll through the presets. Press Enter to load the new preset. Quick Store If you want to store a preset with the same name, press Store to access the Store menu, and press Enter to confirm. The G-Force will now automatically store your preset in the first free User space, using the current name. When you try to restore an existing User preset, the G-Force will default to the same User preset number. Editing Press Effects and select the Edit display using the < > Arrow keys. Double click the bypass key of the block you want to edit. Setting up your MIDI board Press I/O Setup and select MIDI using the < > Arrow keys. Adjust the MIDI basic channel so it matches the one of your foot controller. Be sure that Program Change is enabled. Your foot controller should now be able to change presets on the G-Force. If you want to recall User presets via MIDI, scroll down to Mapping Mode and select "into User bank" by turning the Value wheel. Setting up an Expression Pedal Connect your pedal with a mono guitar cable to the External Control In. Press I/O Setup and select Control using the < > Arrow keys. In this list there are a number of things that can be controlled by an Expression pedal. Let's set up control of the Main volume. Place the cursor on "Main Vol" - Press Enter (for Learning) and move your pedal. The G-Force will now automatically detect your pedal. The functions of Ext. 1-8 are set up in the Modifiers Matrix. Input/Output Use the Input/Output knobs in the upper left corner of the front panel to adjust the levels of the G-Force. If you are using the G-Force in a mono setup, you should select L-only in the I/O setup, Audio menu. This menu will also provide I/O gain information. The Killdry func ...