Behringer ACX1000 User Manual
User’s manual
ACX1000
Version 1.3 June 2006
ULTRACOUSTIC
ULTRACOUSTIC ACX1000
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
CAUTION: To reduce the risk of electric shock, do not remove
the top cover (or the rear section). No user
serviceable parts inside; refer servicing to qualified
personnel.
WARNING: To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock, do not
expose this appliance to rain and moisture. The
apparatus shall not be exposed to dripping or
splashing and no objects filled with liquids, such
as vases, shall be placed on the apparatus.
This symbol, wherever it appears, alerts you to the
presence of uninsulated dangerous voltage inside
the enclosure—voltage that may be sufficient to
constitute a risk of shock.
This symbol, wherever it appears, alerts you to
important operating and maintenance instructions
in the accompanying literature. Please read the
manual.
DETAILED SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS:
1) Read these instructions.
2) Keep these instructions.
3) Heed all warnings.
4) Follow all instructions.
5) Do not use this apparatus near water.
6) Clean only with dry cloth.
7) Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in
accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
8) Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators,
heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including
amplifiers) that produce heat.
9) 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.
10) Protect the power cord from being walked on or
pinched particularly at plugs, convenience receptacles,
and the point where they exit from the apparatus.
11) Only use attachments/accessories specified by the
manufacturer.
12) 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.
13) Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or
when unused for long periods of time.
14) 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.
15) CAUTION - These service instructions are for use by
qualified service personnel only. To reduce the risk of
electric shock do not perform any servicing other than
that contained in the operation instructions unless you
are qualified to do so.
2
ULTRACOUSTIC ACX1000
ULTRACOUSTIC
2 x 60-Watt, 2-Channel Stereo Acoustic Instrument
Amplifier with Multi-FX Processor
V Powerful 2 x 60-Watt amplifier specifically designed for acoustic instruments and vocals
V Dedicated tube emulator adds warmth and presence to instruments and vocals
V 2 independent channels with separate volume controls, dedicated EQs and each two feedback filters
V Instrument channel produces warm and transparent sound for pickup-equipped instruments and features
additional Attack and FX Return controls plus 2 tunable notch filters for feedback suppression
V Microphone/Line channel provides microphone inputs with phantom power for both dynamic and condenser
microphones, Enhancer control, FX Return control and 2 tunable notch filters optimized for suppressing
microphone feedback
V Active, ultra-musical 3-band EQ per channel
V 24-bit stereo multi-FX processor with high-resolution 24-bit converters
V 23 algorithms for authentic effects such as Reverb, Delay, Rotary Speaker, Chorus, Flanger, Stereo
Panning, Tremolo and various effects combinations for instrument and microphone/line channels
V 99 programs stored in 4 presets that can be recalled via footswitch
V Parallel Tuner output for tuner connection
ACX1000
V Adjustable stereo Aux input on phone jacks for adding line signals (e.g. CD player, drum computer, etc.),
with Aux level control and Mute switch
V Separate insert option for external effects devices available for both channels as well as master section
V Footswitch FS114 for effects switching included
V MIDI effects selection via program change commands
V Master volume control with switchable Phase correction
V High-quality components and exceptionally rugged construction ensure long life
V Conceived and designed by BEHRINGER Germany
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ULTRACOUSTIC ACX1000
FOREWORD
Dear Customer,
welcome to the team of
BEHRINGER users and
thank you very much for
expressing your confidence in us by purchasing
the ACX1000.
Writing this foreword
for you gives me great
pleasure, because it
represents the culmination of many months
of hard work delivered
by our engineering team
to achieve a very ambitious goal: To present
you with an excellent
2-channel acoustic guitar
amplifier which features
authentic sound quality
and an integrated digital multi-effects device, not to forget the
professional design. The task of designing our new ACX1000
certainly meant a great deal of responsibility which we assumed
by focusing on you, the discerning user and musician. Meeting
your expectations also meant a lot of work and night shifts. But
it was fun, too. Developing a product usually brings a lot of
people together, and what a great feeling it is when all who
participated in such a project can be proud of what they’ve
achieved.
It is our philosophy to share our enjoyment with you, because
you are the most important member of the BEHRINGER team.
With your highly competent suggestions for new products you’ve
made a significant contribution to shaping our company and making
it successful. In return, we guarantee you uncompromising quality
as well as excellent technical and audio properties at an extremely
reasonable price. All of this will enable you to give free rein to
your creativity without being hampered by budget constraints.
We are often asked how we manage to produce such
high-quality devices at such unbelievably low prices. The answer
is quite simple: it’s you, our customers! Many satisfied customers
mean large sales volumes enabling us to get better purchasing
terms for components, etc. Isn’t it only fair to pass this benefit on
to you? Because we know that your success is our success
too!
I would like to thank all of you who have made the
ACX1000 possible. You have all made your own personal
contributions, from the developers to the many other employees
at this company, and to you, the BEHRINGER user.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION .........................................................5
1.1 The design concept ........................................................ 5
1.1.1 Tube emulator ...................................................... 5
1.2 Before you begin ............................................................ 6
1.3 Online registration........................................................... 6
2. CONTROL ELEMENTS ...............................................7
2.1 Front panel ...................................................................... 7
2.2 Rear panel....................................................................... 9
3. EFFECTS T ABLE .......................................................10
3.1 MIDI control.................................................................... 10
4. INST ALLATION......................................................... 11
4.1 Mains connection.......................................................... 11
4.2 Audio connections ........................................................ 11
4.3 MIDI connection ............................................................. 11
4.4 MIDI implementation ....................................................... 12
5. SPECIFICATIONS .....................................................13
6. WARRANTY..............................................................14
FEDERAL COMMUNICA TIONS COMMISSION
COMPLIANCE INFORMA TION .....................................15
My friends, it’s been worth the effort!
Thank you very much,
Uli Behringer
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WARNING!
It should be pointed out, that extreme output
volumes may damage your ears and/or your
headphones. Turn down all LEVEL controls before
you switch on the unit. Always pay attention to an
appropriate volume.
ULTRACOUSTIC ACX1000
1. INTRODUCTION
Thank you very much for expressing your confidence in
BEHRINGER products by purchasing the ULTRACOUSTIC
ACX1000. With the ULTRACOUSTIC, you have acquired a stateof-the-art 2-channel amplifier that can be operated easily and
quickly, and enables you to create out-of-the-ordinary sounds
for a variety of applications.
When developing the ACX1000, our top objective was to
reproduce the pure and detail-rich sound of acoustic instruments
and to help you work out the characteristic properties of your
instrument. For this reason the instrument channel includes a
number of controls tailored specifically to meet the requirements
of acoustic instruments. What’s more, your ULTRACOUSTIC has
a second microphone/instrument channel with about the same
control elements plus an enhancer circuit that gives, for example,
vocals increased presence and liveliness. A very special feature
is the ULTRACOUSTIC’s digital multi-effects processor with its
wealth of studio-compatible effects. The tube emulator gives
audio signals in both channels unmistakable tube quality and
adds that much sought-after effect of warmth and transparency.
When working in the studio or on stage, you will find the numerous
connection options on your ACX1000 very helpful. And despite
its extremely flexible design, your ULTRACOUSTIC can be
operated easily and intuitively.
BEHRINGER is an audio engineering company that has been
successfully developing products for studio and live applications
for many years now. Our range of products includes
microphones and a variety of 19" devices (compressors,
enhancers, gates, tube processors, headphone amps, digital
effects devices, DI boxes etc.) as well as various monitoring
and P.A. speakers plus professional live and recording consoles.
The name of BEHRINGER stands for no-compromise quality, fullyfeatured products and exemplary service—even years after
purchase—as well as sensationally low prices, which allow
any ambitious music lover to make their musical dreams come
true.
We also set great store by flexibility, which has become a
particularly important factor in the music business over the past
few years. Modern guitarists and musicians need to offer a
broad range of sounds, but should still be able to play in different
kinds of applications at short notice: home recording, studio, live
concerts. For this reason, it has always been our prime concern
to give you a maximum of functions that can still be operated
intuitively and quickly—no matter what kind of style you play.
As technology advances, you’ve got to keep track of latest
technological breakthroughs to avoid falling by the wayside. We
too have continuously improved the ULTRACOUSTIC and included
many of your valuable suggestions. We have spared neither
expense nor effort to test different types of circuitry and
speakers until the results have given us complete satisfaction.
After all, we really want to give you fully designed and developed
products that meet your expectations in every respect. The
ULTRACOUSTIC shall be a useful tool for years to come, which
is why we’ve equipped the effects modules of our entire guitar
amplifier series with EPROMS that can be updated. In this way,
we can keep working on new algorithms and considering your
ideas and suggestions. The resulting software updates will be
made available for free on the Internet, so as to ensure that your
amp will never be outdated.
We’ve packed our entire experience into this latest-generation
acoustic guitar amp. Many people contributed to this project of
intense development: studio musicians, collectors of vintage
guitar amps, music and guitar lovers alike. All of them helped us
develop an amplifier that gives you the best of all worlds:
V Sophisticated analog technology with a “feel factor” only
analog technology can provide.
V Latest DSP technology to give you a broad range of modern
studio-compatible effect sounds.
V Rugged and solid construction which even withstands the
roughest handling.
V Intuitive operation, so that you can focus your mind on
what is most important to you: your music!
This manual first describes the terminology used,
so that you can fully understand the ULTRACOUSTIC
and its functions. Please read the manual carefully
and keep it for future reference.
1.1 The design concept
The philosophy behind BEHRINGER products guarantees a
no-compromise circuit design and employs the best choice of
components. The operational amplifiers used in the
ULTRACOUSTIC are exceptional: they boast extreme linearity
and very low distortion characteristics. To complement this
design, the choice of components include low-tolerance resistors
and capacitors, high-quality potentiometers and several other
stringently selected elements.
The ULTRACOUSTIC uses SMD technology (Surface Mounted
Device). These subminiature components adapted from
aerospace technology allow for an extreme packing density to
further improve the overall reliability.
The super-robust steel enclosure of your ULTRACOUSTIC,
with its generously proportioned high-capacity power supply
and temperature-controlled active fan, makes sure that your
ACX1000 keeps on working even when the going gets tough.
The cabinet is made of high-grade, non-polluting E1-MDF boards,
which are grooved, multi-glued and free of formaldehyde.
1.1.1 Tube emulator
A special FET circuit in your ULTRACOUSTIC emulates the
positive characteristics of a tube exciter, producing additional
harmonics and a subtle compression effect which gives your
guitar sounds the power to make themselves heard and adds
sustain and definition. Acoustic guitars, in particular, with their
wide dynamic range, need to produce a homogeneous sound
image in all registers. The FET circuit makes sure that even the
high registers have sufficient sustain and won’t get drowned.
While the WARMTH control allows you to add the tube sound
effect as desired.
By using solid-state components we succeeded in eliminating
tube-specific interference noise to a great extent; the actual
tube effect is thus achieved without additional noise or hum.
1. INTRODUCTION
5
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