Operation Manual Thank you for selecting the ZOOM 506 (hereafter simply called the "506"). Please take the time to read this manual carefully so as to get the most out of your 506 and to ensure optimum performance and reliability. Retain this manual for future reference. ZOOM CORPORATION NOAH Bldg., 2-10-2, Miyanishi-cho, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo 183, Japan PHONE: 0423-69-7111 FAX: 0423-69-7115 Printed in Japan 506-5000 1 Major Features · 24 individual built-in effects provide maximum flexibility. Up to 8 effects can be used simultaneously in any combination. · Memory capacity for up to 24 user-programmable patches. · Integrated auto-chromatic bass guitar tuner for simple and precise tuning anywhere. · Optional foot controller FP01 can be used for pedal wah or pedal pitch, and volume control is also possible. · Optional foot switch FS01 can be used for bank switching, resulting in enhanced playability. · Dual power supply principle allows the unit to be powered from an alkaline battery or an AC adapter. · New DSP (digital signal processor) ZFx-2 developed by Zoom produces high-quality effects from an amazingly compact package. 2 Safety Precautions USAGE AND SAFETY PRECAUTIONS In this manual, symbols are used to highlight warnings and cautions for you to read so that accidents can be prevented. The meanings of these symbols are as follows: This symbol indicates explanations about extremely dangerous matters. If users ignore this symbol and handle the device the wrong way, serious injury or death could result. This symbol indicates explanations about dangerous matters. If users ignore this symbol and handle the device the wrong way, bodily injury and damage to the equipment could result. Usage precautions Electrical interference For safety considerations, the 506 has been designed to provide maximum protection against the emission of electromagnetic radiation from inside the device, and from external interference.However, equipment that is very susceptible to interference or that emits powerful electromagnetic waves should not be placed near the 506, as the possibility of interference cannot be ruled out entirely. Whatever the type of digital control device, the 506 included, electromagnetic damage can cause malfunctioning, and can corrupt or destroy data. Since this is an ever-present danger, thorough care should be taken to minimize the risk of damage. Warning Caution Please observe the following safety tips and precautions to ensure hazard-free use of the 506. About power Warning Since power consumption of this unit is fairly high, we recommend the use of an AC adapter whenever possible. When powering the unit from a battery, use only an alkaline type. Cleaning Use a soft, dry cloth to clean the 506. If necessary, slightly moisten the cloth. Do not use abrasive cleanser, wax, or solvents (such as paint thinner or cleaning alcohol), since these may dull the finish or damage the surface. AC adapter operation · Be sure to use only an AC adapter which supplies 9 V DC, 300 mA and is equipped with a "center minus" plug (Zoom AD-0006). The use of an adapter other than the specified type may damage the unit and pose a safety hazard. · Connect the AC adapter only to an AC outlet that supplies the rated voltage required by the adapter. · When disconnecting the AC adapter from the AC outlet, always grasp the adapter itself and do not pull at the cable. · If the unit is not to be used for a long time, disconnect the AC adapter from the outlet. Connecting cables and input and output jacks You should always turn off the power to the 506 and all other equipment before connecting or disconnecting any cables. Also make sure to disconnect all cables and the AC adapter before moving the 506. Battery operation · Use only a 9 V (alkaline) battery (6LR61). · The 506 cannot be used for recharging. Pay close attention to the labelling of the battery to make sure you choose the correct type. · If the 506 is not to be used for an extended period of time, remove the battery from the unit. · If battery leakage has occurred, wipe the battery compartment and the battery terminals carefully to remove all remnants of battery fluid. · While using the unit, the battery compartment cover should be closed. Environment Caution · · · · Avoid using your 506 in environments where it will be exposed to: Extreme temperature High humidity or moisture Excessive dust or sand Excessive vibration or shock Handling Caution · The 506 is a precision instrument. Except for the foot switches, do not push other parts with your feet or subject them to strong force. · Take care that no foreign objects (coins or pins etc.) or liquids can enter the unit. · Be sure to turn the power to all equipment off before making connections. · Before moving the unit, turn the power off, and disconnect all cables and the AC adapter. Alterations Caution Never open the case of the 506 or attempt to modify the product in any way since this can result in damage to the unit. 7 Selecting Patches Bank switching Banks A, b, C, d, E, F are available PATCH DOWN PATCH UP BANK F PATCH 1 PATCH 2 PATCH 3 PATCH 4 Patch switching 24 patches are available BANK E PATCH 1 PATCH 2 The 24 patches can be selected easily by pressing the patch pedals. The right patch pedal switches to the next patch and the left patch pedal switches to the previous patch. In the initial condition, the 506 is set up so that the patch pedals select patches continuously, but you can also set up the unit so that patches are switched only within a certain bank [see the section "Patch Switching (Application: Bank Hold")]. Bank switching is performed with the VALUE + / - keys. If for example the currently selected patch is patch 2 of bank A, and you want to switch to patch 3 of bank C, you would need to press the UP pedal nine times. Instead, you can press the VALUE + key twice and then the UP pedal once. If the optional FS01 is connected to the CONTROL IN jack on the rear panel, the foot switch can be used as a bank UP pedal. This allows full foot control, which is highly convenient during a performance. PATCH 3 PATCH 4 BANK UP BANK d PATCH 1 PATCH 2 PATCH 3 PATCH 4 BANK C PATCH 1 PATCH 2 PATCH 3 PATCH 4 BANK DOWN BANK b PATCH 1 PATCH 2 PATCH 3 PATCH 4 BANK A PATCH 1 PATCH 2 PATCH 3 PATCH 4 Bank/patch switching when Bank Hold is off 8 Using the Bypass (Mute)/Tuner Mode In the Bypass mode, the effects of the 506 are temporarily turned off, so that the original sound of the instrument only is heard. In this mode, the auto-chromatic tuning function is also active. It is also possible to activate muting, to prevent the tuning sound from being sent to the output. Calibration Select reference pitch for auto-chromatic bass guitar tuner (calibration) * Reference pitch (A) can be adjusted in the range from 435 to 445 Hz. This is shown as "35" to "45" on the display. The normal setting is 440 Hz (40). Bypass (Mute)/Tuner mode ON Press both pedals together Pressing both patch pedals simultaneously turns the Bypass (Mute)/Tuner mode on. To turn the mode off, simply press one of the two patch pedals. Bypass and mute condition Pressing both patch pedals simultaneously activates the Bypass or Mute mode. · For bypass mode: Press and immediately release the patch pedals. Currently selected patch is indicated Press Release immediately Tuner mode · For mute mode: Press patch pedals for at least 1 second. Currently selected patch is indicated Press for 1 s or more Release Mute mode To cancel the bypass or mute condition, simply press one of the patch pedals. The unit then reverts to the previously selected patch. Tuning function When the 506 is in the Bypass or Mute mode, the tuning function is activated automatically. Pick an open string to be tuned. The closest note is shown on the display. Input signal standby condition ?w ? #w ?w ? #w Do = C Do# = C# Regular tuning ? ? ? 2nd string w w #w Regular tuning Mi = E Fa = F Fa# = F# 4th string ? ? #w So# = G# w #w ? 1st string Regular tuning Regular tuning La = A La# = A# Si = B 3rd string Re = D Re# = D# ? w w So = G ? When the tuning function is active, the parameter cursor LEDs serve as tuning meter, designed to enhance tuning precision when making fine adjustments. Pitch is too high Correctly tuned Pitch is too low 3 What Are Banks and Patches? · PATCH A combination of several effects, each with individual parameter settings is called a "patch". The 506 comes with 24 preset patches which can be changed (edited) by the user. 4 PATCH LIST The 506 has memory capacity for 24 patches. At the factory, these are programmed with recommended settings. The user can freely change the contents of any patch, and it is also possible to restore the factory settings. BANK PATCH 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 PATCH NAME SLAP SOLO BIG FUZZ TAURUS OCTAVE CHORUS VINTAGE MILLER'S SLAP LOVERS' FUNK CHORD CHORUS BILLY DRIVE UNITE CRAZY PHASE BASS SYNTH FAT SLAP WILD THICK JET ON SO FAT NATURAL CLEAN TONE ATTRACTIVE SYNTH U. K. ROCK T.M. SLAP GETTIN' SOLIST MULTI SYNTH COMMENT Orthodox slap sound with flanger flavoring Fuzz tone with straight distortion Fat synthesizer bass sound Chorus tone with octave effect Vintage seventies UK hard rock sound Fashionable, danceable slap sound Gritty bass for P-funk bass solos Ideal sound for six-string bass upper-range chord play Great for super-fast right hand play Wah & octave funk bass sound Percussive slap creates a dazzling effect Synthesizer bass mixed with direct sound Straight, fat sound Combination of resonant wah with drive sound + pedal pitch Characteristic disco bass sound For eighth note play with jet sound Lower-octave addition creates full-bodied sound Practical, basic bass sound Distortion + synthesizer sound for on-stage playing Chorus + pedal sound ideal for picking Energetic slap sound Picking nuance changes the distortion intensity Ideal for ballad solos and backing Synthesizer bass for any kind of playing style · BANK The 506 calls up patches in sets of four, called a "bank". A BANK F BANK E BANK d BANK C BANK b BANK A PATCH 1 PATCH 2 PATCH 3 PATCH 4 PATCH 1 PATCH 2 PATCH 3 PATCH 4 PATCH 1 PATCH 2 PATCH 3 PATCH 4 PATCH 1 PATCH 2 PATCH 3 PATCH 4 PATCH 1 PATCH 2 PATCH 3 PATCH 4 PATCH 1 PATCH 2 PATCH 3 PATCH 4 b C d E F (LINE OUTPUT SETTING) 5 INPUT Effect Connections As shown in the illustration below, the 506 can be thought to contain seven "effect modules" which are internally connected. In most effect modules, only one effect may be active at any given time, but the MOD module can use two effects simultaneously. Therefore the 506 can act like a total of eight single effect devices. COMP Compressor Compressor: Keeps the input within a given level range. DIST Distortion Clean1: Clean sound with flat response. ZNR ZOOM Noise Reduction AMP Amp Simulator AMP: Makes the output sound as if coming from a bass guitar amplifier. EQ Equalizer 4band EQ: Allows boost and cut in four ranges: presence, high, midrange, and low. MOD Modulation Chorus1: Simple chorus with clean sound. DLY/REV Delay/Reverb Delay: OUTPUT ZNR: Noise reduction with natural sounding cutoff. Clean2: Clean sound with lean midrange. Chorus2 (Crystal Chorus): Distinct ensemble chorus with depth and ambience. Conventional digital delay with a delay time of up to 370ms. Limiter: Restricts the input level. Hall Reverb: Simulates the acoustics of a hall. Fat: Fat sound with prominent midrange. Phase Shift: Fat Wah: Wah with wide emphasis frequency range and a solid, fat sound. Can be used as pedal wah or auto wah. ZNR/AMP BLOCK Slap: Clean sound, ideal for slap type playing. Applies a phase-shifted component to the direct sound. The amount of shift varies periodically, resulting in a breathing effect. Flanger: Adds a very short delay to the direct sound and varies the delay time periodically, resulting in a peculiar sound character. Room Reverb: Simulates the acoustics of a room. Resonant Wah: Strongly emphasizes a narrow range while varying the emphasized frequency. Can be used as pedal wah or auto wah. Drive: Drive sound with prominent midrange that maintains a distinct character also in ensemble playing. Synth: Bass synthesizer sound that is controlled by the bass input signal. Octaver: Adds a one-octave lower sound to the direct sound, making the sound more full-bodied. Can also be used as Octave+Chorus+Pedal Pitch Shifter. Vintage: Husky vintage sound. Fuzz: Strongly distorted fuzz sound. Thrash: Thrashing metal type sound. 6 Controls and Functions Top Panel Display OUTPUT INPUT Shows information required to operate the 506. · Play mode: Shows the currently selected bank and patch. · Edit mode: Shows the value of the parameter currently being edited. TUNER indicator In the Bypass (Mute)/Tuner mode, this indicator shows that the tuner is active, and it serves as a gauge for fine tuning your instrume ...