DigiTech RPM1 User Manual

18-2124-A

Safety Precautions

The symbols shown above are internationally
accepted symbols that warn of potential haz­ards with electrical products. The lightning
flash with arrow point in an equilateral trian­gle means that there are dangerous voltages
present within the unit. The exclamation
point in an equilateral triangle indicates that it
is necessary for users to refer to the owner’s
manual.

These symbols warn that there are no user
serviceable parts inside the unit. Do not open
the unit. Do not attempt to service the unit
yourself. Refer all servicing to qualified per­sonnel. Opening the chassis for any reason
will void the manufacturer’s warranty. Do not
get the unit wet. If liquid is spilled on the
unit, shut it off immediately and take it to a
dealer for service. Disconnect the unit during
lightning storms or wind storms to prevent
damage.

CAUTION

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK

DO NOT OPEN

ATTENTION: RISQUE DU CHOC ELECTRIQUE - NE PAS OUVRIR

RPM-1

Vacuum-Tube Rotary Speaker Emulator

Contents

Power and Grounding 2
Introduction 2
Front Panel 3
Rear Panel 4
Connection Diagrams, Setting Levels 4
Performance Notes 5
Suggested Settings 5
What is a rotary speaker? 6
Specifications, Warranty 7

The information contained in this manual is subject to change at any time without notification.
Some information contained in this manual may also become inaccurate due to undocumented
changes in the product since this version of the manual was completed. This manual supercedes
all previous versions. DigiTech RPM-1 July 26/95
Manual Copyright © 1995 IVLTechnologies Ltd.
Software Copyright © 1985–1995 IVLTechnologies Ltd.
Patents and patent applications:
US Patents 4,688,464, 5,231,671, 5,301,259 and 5,428,708;
Patent applications: International PCT/CA93/00099
Canada: 2,090,948, Japan 1994-502785, Europe: 92914139.8
DigiTech and the DigiTech logo are registered trademarks of DOD Electronics Corporation
RPM-1 and the

ivl

logo are trademarks of IVL Technologies Ltd.

The RPM-1 is equipped with a three-prong,
grounded power cord for your protection. Do
not cut off the ground prong of the plug, and
do not use an adapter or extension cord to plug
the unit into a two prong outlet unless the
adapter or extension cord is properly grounded.

The RPM-1, like any piece of music hardware, is
sensitive to voltage drops, spikes, and surges;
interference such as lightning or power
“brownouts” can permanently damage the cir­cuitry inside the unit. Here are some suggestions
to help protect your RPM-1 from such a fate:

• Turn it off: Make a habit of turning off all of
your gear when it is not in use. If there is
lightning or a severe windstorm, unplug all of
your equipment: A surge from a nearby light­ning strike or downed power line can destroy
electronic equipment even if the switch is off.

Power and Grounding

Information:

• Spike/Surge Protectors: This is an inexpensive
solution to all but the severest of AC line
conditions. Surge protected power strips are
usually slightly more expensive than unpro­tected strips, and higher quality multi-stage
surge suppressors usually start under $50,
making them a worthwhile investment for
protection of all your valuable electronic
equipment.

• AC Line Conditioners: This is the best (but
most expensive) way to protect your musical
equipment from line voltage fluctuations. Line
conditioners constantly monitor the incoming
voltage for excessive peaks and dips and
make adjustments accordingly, delivering
consistent power levels. For expensive studio
equipment, AC line conditioners are highly
recommended.

Introduction:

Thank you for purchasing the DigiTech RPM-1,
a new effect that creates a classic sound.

When electric organs were first sold, their
sound was static and needed some “animation”,
so the rotating speaker cabinet was born. The
rotating speaker sound became synonymous
with blues, jazz and rock & roll, especially
when players discovered that they could drive
the cabinets’ built-in tube amplifiers into distor­tion and get a thick, warm sound as well as the
swirling rotary effect. (See diagram, page 6)

The DigiTech RPM-1 allows you to emulate that
classic rotating speaker sound without having to
deal with the bulky speaker cabinets that were
formerly required.

Based on extensive study of rotating speaker
cabinets, the DigiTech RPM-1 incorporates
speaker emulation circuitry which delivers an
authentic sound by recreating the individual
horn and cabinet resonances of a real rotating
speaker.

There are several features of the DigiTech
RPM–1 that make it unique:

1) Where competing products use solid-state
distortion circuitry to simulate overdriven
sounds, the DigiTech RPM-1 is unique in that it
uses a vacuum tube analog distortion pre-amp.
The 12AX7A pre-amp stage gives you the
authentic, rich, warm overdriven sounds previ­ously attainable only with actual rotating speak­er cabinets.

2) Only the DigiTech RPM-1 gives you the flexi­bility to run mono, stereo, or tri-output mode to
simulate the most effective microphone arrange­ments on stage or in the studio.

3) The DigiTech RPM-1 is a ruggedly built, 1U
full rack-mount unit, with AC power. No exter­nal power supplies or flimsy plastic cases.

4) While other units are based on modified cho­rus or phase-shifting circuits, only the DigiTech
RPM-1 incorporates patented Intelligent Pitch
Shifting technology together with VLSI delay
and volume modulation circuitry for maximum
realism.

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