Electro-Harmonix 2880 Instruction Manual
User Reference Manual
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
PRECAUTIONS FOR SAFE USE 2
A LITTLE HISTORY AND INTRODUCTION 3
QUICK START GUIDE 4
THE RECORD TRANSPORT 7
TRACKS, TRACK SELECTION AND TRANSPORT 9
ANALOG CONTROL AND I/O 11
DIGITAL I/O AND POWER 12
MEMORY CARD AND USB 12
IN-DEPTH LOOK AT RECORDING TRACKS 14
IN-DEPTH LOOK AT OVERDUBBING TRACKS 17
IN-DEPTH LOOK AT MIXDOWN 19
MIDI AND MIDI SYNC 21
USER NOTES & TIPS 22
SIGNAL PA
TH DIAGRAM 27
Copyright
2005 Electro-Harmonix. All rights reserved. 2880 and
Electro-Harmonix and logo are trademarks of New
Sensor/Electro Harmonix. Product and company names
used within the manual are trademarks of their
respective companies.
2880 Manual Version 1.1
Precautions For Safe Use
lease read the manual carefully, as it was written to help you understand the capabilities and system requirements
P
of your new instrument. Carefully review the safety precautions as they not only ensure long and trouble-free life of
your 2880, but also ensure your own long and trouble-free life. Instead of neatly tossing it to the side once it comes
out of the box, keep your manual in a convenient place for quick reference.
The following instructions, on this page, are WARNINGS that must be followed:
1. Fluids and moisture:
moisture. This is an instrument, do not place drinks or fluids on top of it.
2. Placement and ventilation: The 2880 is a tabletop or floor instrument and thus may be placed on the stage or
tabletop setup. Placement must be balanced and even, while still leaving an unobstructed space for proper ventilation.
Proper ventilation ensures long life and far less stress on the instrument. Again, keep all fluids away from the storage
location. All bracket mountings must be able to bear the weight of the 2880 as its minimum rating.
3. Cleaning: Extreme care must be taken when cleaning the exterior. The exterior may be wiped down with a damp
sponge and an extremely mild detergent. Damp means slightly moist and not wet or saturated. Keep away from
ALL critical components as if you were dusting priceless china. UNPLUG THE INSTRUMENT before any cleaning.
4. Heat: The unit should be situated away from heat sources, or other equipment that produces significant heat.
5. Power Sources: When the unit will be unused for extended periods, disconnect the AC Adapter power supply
from the outlet. Be careful that the power cord is out of the way and specifically away from traveled areas. When
connecting or disconnecting the cable, grasp the plug firmly and push or pull. Do not pull from the cable. Make
sure that your hands are dry.
WARNING: Use only the 9VDC/500mA AC adapter supplied with the 2880. Do not use any other AC adapters. Using
other AC adapters, even those made by Electro-Harmonix, could cause harm to the unit, the adapter or you. The 2880
does not use batteries.
Do not operate this or any electrical instrument, in an area where it could be exposed to
ervice Situations: Situations that must be immediately addressed if encountered:
S
6.
a. Damage to the AC Adapter or power cord. Immediately shutdown and disconnect the power cable.
b. Water, any fluids or material (any amount) has fallen into the interior of the 2880.
c. Exposure to natural elements such as rain.
d. Sudden impact of the instrument, such as dropping or a hard external impact.
e. Sudden and noticeable differences in performance and consistency.
f. Functional change where a marked difference in operation is noticed.
Note: All electrical failures must be handled by an authorized service technician. Do not attempt user service.
urately and correctly.
A qualified t
or your safety and proper repair, call:
F
Ask to speak with a s
You must call in order to receive service.
echnician will handle it s
vice representative and you will be instructed on how to proceed.
er
wiftly, ac
c
o-Harmonix: 718-937-8300.
Electr
2
2880 Super Multi-Track Looper
A Little History
In 1983, Electro-Harmonix released what would become
a legendary and more importantly, revolutionary, musical
instrument…
the first looper ever invented, it helped change the way music
was created while presenting individual musicians with a way to
manipulate their creations instantly. The concept of looping, as
we know it today, was an entirely new dimension in musical
expression in 1983 and the
instant hit.
In 2004, the music public demanded the 16 Second’s re-release, and it once again became an all-time classic.
Electro-Harmonix is now proud to present the 2880 Super Multi-track Looper. The new definition
in complex expression for performance and the studio. This powerful and interactive instrument follows a traditional
recording layout, so it will feel instantly familiar. However, there are significant differences that go well beyond the
recording world. In fact, at the ver
formance instrument with significant advantages in both live performance and as a personal recording instrument.
y least it is a multitrack recorder. When vie
The 16 Second Delay. Aside from being
16 Second Delay was an
wed as a whole, it is a multifaceted
per-
Introduction
The uniqueness of the 2880 is the abilit
tracks and manipulate them. A special mix do
you to create a spatial stereo pair while freeing up previous
tracks to add more instruments. Very complex interactive tracks
can be completed quickly with the ability to sound unique and
totally original. This is a very spontaneous instrument.
The
Electro-Harmonix 2880 records at the industry
CD standard of 44.
What you record is what you get, without the degradation or
artifacts that compressed audio usually presents.
Building upon the original concept of the
more complex possibilities, the 2880 is mor
creative time as any musician would need, and an ease of use that is instantly familiar.
The
2880 uses world-class audio converters, while offering uniformit
equipment. The storage is on flash cards that range from 128 megabyte to 2 gigabyte. All files may be downloaded
to your computer and retrieved when needed.
1 kHz /
16 bit uncompressed digital audio.
y to layer multiple
wn track allo
16 Second Delay, while taking into consideration the demand for
e of ever
ws
ything.
T
y in syncing and integr
rue world
standard audio fidelit
ation with any user’s current
y, as much
3
Quick Start Guide
How to Record a Multi-Track Loop:
1. Plug your instrument into either the LEFT or RIGHT Inputs and adjust the corresponding Input Knob so
that the Clip LED (Light Emitting Diode) barely lights up on your loudest notes.
2. Connect the LEFT and/or RIGHT Outputs to an amplifier or mixer.
3. Raise the DRY OUT Fader so that you c
4. If you are using Headphones, turn up the HEADPHONE knob.
E LED is off.
Make sure the QUANTI
5.
If you do not want to hear the C
6.
7. Set the TEMPO slider to 50%.
Press the NEW LOOP button to put the 2880 into Record-Ready mode. You should see the RECORD LED
8.
.
apidly
blink r
9. Press the RECORD button to immediately start recording. Play your instrument. The 2880 will record onto
ACK 1.
TR
When you are finished playing, hit either the REC
0.
1
will stop recording and stop the 2880. Hitting PLAY will loop the 2880 back to the beginning, put the 2880
into OVERDUB mode and automatically continue recording onto TRACK 2. To exit OVERDUB mode, press
D button.
ECOR
the R
11. Raise the TRACK 1 Fader to hear the track you just recorded.
12. To record on another track, hit the TRACK SELECT button, you will cycle through the 4 tracks. Whichever
track LED is lit, is the track you will record on.
Z
an hear your instrument.
X metronome, turn the C
LI
ORD or PLAY button to stop recording. Pressing RECORD
X LEVEL knob down to zero.
LI
4
How to Overdub onto a Track:
. You can continuously overdub onto any one of the tracks.
1
2. Record a New Loop onto TRACK 1, as done above in the How to Record a Multi-Track Loop section.
3. Press the TRACK SELECT button until TRACK 1 is lit.
4. Move the TRACK 1 Fader to 100%. When in Overdub mode, the track's volume slider acts like a Feedback
control on a delay pedal. For example, if the TRACK 1 slider is set to 50%, each time the loop cycles, the volume
of the previously recorded audio on TRACK 1 will be halved.
5. Hit the RECORD button, both the RECORD and PLAY LEDs will light up. This means you are in Overdub mode.
Since the TRACK 1 LED is lit, you are overdubbing onto TRACK 1.
How to Record 2 Tracks Simultaneously (aka Stereo):
1. Press the STEREO MODE button. Its LED will light and you will notice that a pair of TRACK LEDS will light, either
1 & 2 or 3 & 4.
2. After inserting your instrument(s) into the LEFT and RIGHT Input jacks, adjust the INPUT Level knobs so that the
CLIP LEDs barely light.
3. Press the NEW LOOP button to put the 2880 into Record Ready mode. The RECORD LED will blink rapidly.
4. Press the RECORD button to begin recording immediately.
5.
To stop recording, hit either the RECORD or PLAY buttons. Hitting RECORD will stop record and playback.
Hitting PLAY will cycle the loop to its beginning and begin Overdubbing onto Tracks 3 & 4 automatically, the
loop continues playing.
How to Record a Quantized Loop:
1. Press the QUANTIZE button to turn on Quantize mode. Its corresponding LED will light up.
2. Turn the CLIX LEVEL knob up so that you will be able to hear the metronome Clix.
3. Press the NEW LOOP Button. The RECORD LED will blink rapidly.
4. At this point you will hear the metronome beating at the tempo set by the TEMPO Slider. You can adjust the
tempo by moving the tempo slider up or down. Up will give you a faster tempo; down will be a slower tempo.
5. Hit the RECORD button. The 2880 will not immediately begin recording but instead will give you a 4-Beat countin. On the 5th beat, after the count-in, the 2880 will begin recording. This is beat 1 of the loop. Upon hitting the
RECORD button, the Clix metronome will reset to beat 1.
6. For a Mono recording, TRACK 1 LED will blink rapidly during the 4-Beat count-in. When making a Stereo
recording, both the TRACK 1 and 2 LEDs will blink rapidly during the 4-Beat counting.
7. Once the TRACK 1 LED goes solid, the 2880 is recording.
8. To stop recording, hit either the RECORD or PLAY buttons. Press RECORD or PLAY within the first 2 beats of the
current bar and the 2880 will truncate the loop length to the end of the previous bar. Press RECORD or PLAY
during the 3rd or 4th beats of the current bar and the 2880 will finish recording the current bar then stop
recording. For example if you want to record a 2 bar loop, you can press the PLAY button during the 3rd and
4th beat of the second bar or within the first 2 beats of the third bar. The QUANTIZE LED will blink rapidly until
it finishes recording the loop.
How to Mixdown Your Tracks:
1. At anytime, you can mix your 4-Tracks down to one stereo Mixdown track. For now let's start with the 2880 in
Y button to stop it.
Idle (stopped) mode. If the 2
5
880 is Playing or Overdubbing a loop, hit the PL
A
2. Hit the Mixdown button once and its LED will light solid. You are now in Mixdown mode.
3. Assuming the Mixdown Track has not been previously recorded, move its volume slider to its top position.
You can continually Overdub any of the 4 tracks onto the Mixdown track; the Mixdown Fader acts like a
Feedback control.
4. Hit the PLAY button. Your loop will play back. Move the Volume and Pan controls of the 4 tracks to your
preferred settings. You can adjust the Volume and Pan controls as much as you like when recording the
Mixdown track.
5. When you are ready to record the Mixdown track, hit the RECORD button. You will immediately begin recording
your mix onto the Mixdown track.
6. To stop recording the Mixdown track, hit either the PLAY or RECORD buttons.
7. The Dry Input signal will not be recorded to the Mixdown track, only audio that was previously recorded on the
4 tracks.
How to Backup your Audio Files to a Computer:
1. Make sure both your computer and the 2880 are powered up.
2. Connect the 2880 to your computer with a standard USB cable.
3. As long as your computer is running Windows XP, ME, MAC OS X or 9.2, the computer will automatically
recognize the Compact Flash card inside the 2880 and treat it like a Removable Disk.
4. Open up the Compact Flash card's window, you will see 6 files: TEMPO.TXT, TRACK1.WAV,
TRACK2.WAV…TRACKM.WAV. You can copy any or all of these files to your hard drive. It is recommended that
you copy all 6 files and store them together in a folder on your hard drive.
5. To disconnect the 2880 from the computer, follow the proper ejection procedure for the computer you are using:
a. For Windows, go to the “Safely Remove Hardware” icon down in the lower right corner of the screen.
Select the USB Mass Storage Device and hit the STOP button. Alternatively in XP, setup the 2880’s CF Card
for “Optimize For Quick Removal.”
b. For MAC OS, go to the Finder, drag the Compact Flash Card icon to the Trash.
How to Restore your Audio Files from a Computer:
1. Make sure both your computer and the 2880 are powered up.
Connect the 2880 to your computer with a standard USB cable.
2.
s long as your computer is running Windo
A
3.
recognize the Compact Flash card inside the 2880 and treat it like a Removable Disk.
ocate the 6 files you want to restore to the 2880 on your hard drive.
L
4.
5. Copy the files to the 2880’s Compact Flash card, directly to its root folder (meaning do not place the files into a
folder on the Compact Flash card if you want the 2880 to play them).
6. Play the 2880, the audio files should be restored.
o disconnect the 2
T
.
7
a. For Windows, go to the “Safely Remove Hardware” icon down in the lower right corner of the screen.
Select the US
or MAC OS, go to the Finder, dr
F
b.
880 from the computer, follo
B Mass Storage Device and hit the STOP button.
ws XP, ME, Mac OS X or 9.2, the computer will automatically
w the proper ejection procedure for the computer you are using:
ag the Compact Flash Card icon to the Trash.
6
The Record Transport
1
8
7
23
465
1. NEW LOOP Button: The NEW LOOP button will put the 2880 into Record-Ready Mode. When you press
the NEW LOOP button, the RECORD LED will blink rapidly, telling you the 2880 is ready to record. Press the
NEW LOOP button again to exit Record-Ready Mode. If you press the NEW LOOP button while recording a New
Loop it will end recording and put the 2880 into Playback mode. Below is a table displaying the results of pressing the NEW LOOP button depending on the current mode of the 2880:
Current Mode New Mode
Idle Record-Ready
Playback
Overdubbing
Record-Ready
Recording New Loop Playback (End recording New Loop)
2. RECORD Button and LED: Depending on the 2880's current mode, the RECORD button serves a few
purposes, all of which cause the 2880 to enter/exit some kind of recording mode. The RECORD LED will light up
time the 2
any
RECORD button depending on the current mode of the 2880:
Current Mode New Mode (RECORD LED State)
Idle (If Loop in Storage) Overdubbing (RECORD LED = ON)
Playback
Overdubbing
Record-Ready Begin Recording New Loop (RECORD LED = ON)
Recording New Loop Idle (RECORD LED = OFF)
880 is Recording or Overdubbing audio. Below is a table displaying the results of pressing the
+ NEW LOOP =
}
+ RECORD =
}
Record-Ready (Continues playing loop in memory)
Overdubbing (NEW LOOP Button is ignored)
Reverts to previous mode before Record-Ready
Overdubbing (RECORD LED = ON)
ORD LED = OFF)
Playback (R
EC
The RECORD LED blinks rapidly when the 2880 is in Record-Ready mode.
7
3. PLAY Button and LED: The PLAY button is used to enter/exit Playback mode depending on the current
mode it is in. The PLAY LED will light anytime the 2880 is Playing or Overdubbing audio. Below is a table
displaying the Record/Playback modes and the resultant mode the 2880 enters after pressing the PLAY button:
Current Mode New Mode (PLAY LED State)
Idle (If Loop in Storage) Playback (PLAY LED = ON)
Playback Idle (PLAY LED = OFF)
Overdubbing Idle (PLAY LED = OFF)
Record-Ready Playback of Loop in Storage (PLAY LED = ON)
Recording New Loop Overdubbing (PLAY LED = ON)
When a loop cycles back to the beginning, the PLAY LED blinks once, signifying the start of the loop.
4. REVERSE Button and LED: Press the REVERSE button and the loop will reverse its Playback/Record
direction. The REVERSE button can be used at all times except when recording a New Loop. The REVERSE LED
will light up when the Reverse function is active.
5. OCTAVE Button and LED: The OCTAVE button will lower the pitch and tempo of the loop by exactly
one octave. The OCTAVE button can be used at all times except when recording a New Loop. The OCTAVE LED
will light up when the Octave function is active.
6. PUNCH IN Button and LED: When the PUNCH IN function is activated, Overdubbing Mode will
change into Punch In Mode. When recording with Punch In active, whatever was previously recorded on the
active track will be erased, no matter where the volume fader is set to for that track. The Punch In function is
useful for fixing bad notes or mistakes. When Punch In is active its LED will light up.
}
+ PLAY =
7. QUANTIZE Button and LED: The QUANTIZE button toggles between Non-Quantize (NQ) and
Quantize modes. When the QUANTIZE LED is lit, the 2880 is in Quantize mode. When you record a New Loop
in Quantize mode, the 2880 will give you a 4 beat count-in and extend the loop length to the nearest full bar;
the loop is quantized to the nearest bar. This means the 2880 will continue recording a New Loop (after
pressing the RECORD or PLAY buttons to end the loop) until it reaches the end of the current bar. All bars are 4
beats long. In Non-Quantize mode, the length of the loop is defined by the time between pressing the RECORD
button (to begin recording) and then the RECORD or PLAY buttons (to end the loop).
8. EXT. CLOCK Button and LED: Pressing the EXT. CLOCK button will enable the 2880 to follow the
ync it receives at its M
DI S
external M
While in Ext. Clock mode, the 2880 will wait for the MIDI Sync signal. If no MIDI Sync is available when you
press the PLAY button, the PLAY and EXT. CLOCK LEDs will blink rapidly telling you there is no sync. You will see
the same blinking if you tr
when recording a New Loop, if you press the RECORD button twice, the 2880 will look to its internal tempo
setting and record the loop, ignoring the fact that there is no MIDI Sync signal.
I
y to Overdub or record a Ne
IDI IN jack. The EXT. CLOCK LED will light up when in Ext. Clock mode.
w Loop with no MIDI Sync present. The one exception is
8
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