Electro-Harmonix Attack Decay Users Manual

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ATTACK DECAY

WARNING: Your Attack Decay comes equipped with an Electro-Harmonix 9.6DC-200BI

power supply. The Attack Decay requires 140mA at 9VDC with a center negative plug.
Use of the wrong adapter or a plug with the wrong polarity may damage your Attack
Decay and void the warranty. Do not exceed 10.5VDC on the power plug. Power supplies
rated for less than 140mA will cause the Attack Decay to act unreliably.

Tape Reverse Simulator

The original Electro-Harmonix Attack Decay is a hard-to-find gem among
legendary guitar pedals. Originally called a Tape Reverse Simulator, it is known for
producing volume and reverse swells, backward tape sounds, artificially short
staccato notes and bowed instrument effects.

The new Electro-Harmonix Attack Decay reinterprets the vintage unit by keeping
the basic functionality but adding more modern features such as Poly mode and
presets. It can produce a single volume envelope like the original, or with Poly
engaged, put each note you play through separate volume envelopes. The built­in Harmonix fuzz is now a fully controllable distortion with gain, tone and volume
controls. The effects loop allows the musician or sound designer to place the
volume envelope onto whatever signal is present at the Return jack. An
Expression/CV/Clock input and three user presets give the user total control over
their Attack Decay.

- FEATURES -

 Volume envelope swells and quick stabs with adjustable Attack and Decay

times: 4ms to 8s.

 Mono mode: a single volume envelope for the full signal present at the INPUT

or RETURN jacks, the envelope resets when you pluck a new note.

 Poly mode: gives each note you play its own envelope, as seen on the EHX

HOG2.

 Built-in, fully adjustable, Harmonix fuzz enhances the volume envelope effect

and produces bowed instrument sounds.

 Built-in effects loop allows for your own pedals to be inserted before the

volume envelopes.

 Expression pedal or CV control over every knob on the Attack Decay.
 Continuous Envelopes turns Attack Decay into a retriggable Tremolo.
 Save and recall up to three presets.
 High quality analog buffered bypass.
 Comes supplied with EHX 96DC-200 power supply.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Notes and Specifications 3

Quick Start Guide 3

Controls and LEDs 5

Connections 8

Mono and Poly Modes 9

Expression Pedal Use and Setup 10

Preset Setup and Use 11

Using the Send and Return FX Loop 13

Restoring Factory Settings 14

Secondary Modes and Options 15

Attack Decay Tips & Tricks 20

Secondary Mode Reference Table 22

Warranty Information and Compliance 24

Attack Decay Manual Version 1.2

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NOTES AND SPECIFICATIONS

 Audio input impedance at INPUT jack: 1M
 Audio output impedance at OUTPUT jack: 500
 Audio output impedance at SEND jack: 500
 Audio input impedance of the RETURN jack: 2M
 Current draw: 140mA
 Maximum input signal level: +4.0dBu
 Maximum gain: approximately +13dB

QUICK START GUIDE

PLUGGING IN THE ATTACK DECAY

1. Connect the supplied EHX9.6DC AC Adapter into the 9V jack at the

top of the Attack Decay. Plug the AC Adapter into an AC outlet.

2. Connect your guitar or other instrument into the INPUT jack using a

standard 1/4” instrument cable. Connect the OUTPUT jack to your
amp with another standard 1/4” instrument cable.

CREATING A VOLUME SWELL EFFECT

1. Ensure none of the PRESET or POLY buttons at the top left of the

Attack Decay are lit. If any button is lit, press it once to turn it off.

2. Ensure that H LED, located above the left footswitch, is turned off.

This turns on and off the Attack Decay’s internal fuzz. If the H LED is
lit, press the left footswitch once to turn it off.

3. Turn the BLEND knob to maximum. This ensures that only the volume

envelope effect is heard and no dry signal is mixed-in.

4. Set the DECAY knob to maximum. Set ATTACK to about 10 o’clock.

5. Start with the VOL knob at 50%. Adjust after playing if needed.

6. Start with the SENS knob set to 50%. Turn up SENS if the envelope

does not trigger with each note; lower SENS if it triggers too often.

7. Now engage POLY mode by pressing the POLY button. You might need

to turn up the ATTACK knob as well.

USING THE HARMONIX FUZZ EFFECT

1. Follow the instructions above to get the desired envelope effect.

2. Deactivate POLY mode if POLY is currently lit.

3. Set the H.VOL knob to 9 o’clock as this fuzz can get loud!

4. Press and release the left footswitch to activate the Harmonix effect.

5. Adjust the sound of the Harmonix fuzz with the three small knobs in

the upper right corner. The HARMONIX knob sets gain/saturation,
TONE adjusts brightness, and H.VOL is the fuzz’s volume control.

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USING CONTINUOUS ENVELOPES (TREMOLO)

1. Ensure the POLY button is off.

2. Set the ATTACK and DECAY knobs to 9 o’clock.

3. Set SENS to 50% or where you normally like to set it.

4. Press on the BYPASS footswitch and hold it down.

5. Now press on the HARMONIX footswitch and release it. You don’t need

to hold HARMONIX.

6. Release BYPASS.

7. Play some notes, you should hear the Attack envelope restart

automatically once the Decay envelope finishes its run.

8. Continuous Envelope can also be enabled for POLY mode. Repeat the

same procedure but change Step 1 so that the POLY button is lit.

CREATING A CUSTOM EXPRESSION SWEEP

1. In this example we will create a custom expression sweep for the

DECAY knob. You can follow the same procedure to make an
expression sweep for any of the knobs.

2. Make sure a compatible expression pedal is connected to the EXP jack.

3. Press and hold BYPASS then press and release the PRESET 1 button.

4. Both the PRESET 1 LED and Status LED, near BYPASS, will blink at a

steady pace.

5. Turn the DECAY knob to its 50% setting. This will be assigned to the

expression’s heel position.

6. Press and release the PRESET 1 button. Both LEDs will blink faster.

7. Turn the DECAY knob to its minimum setting. This will be assigned to

the expression’s toe position.

8. Press and release the PRESET 1 button. Both LEDs will blink even

faster for one second and then stop blinking.

9. Play some licks and rock the expression pedal. The decay time should

get shorter as the pedal is moved from heel to toe.

10. Try this same procedure with other knobs or multiple knobs at once.

SAVING A PRESET

1. Create a setting on the Attack Decay that you really like.

2. Choose one of the preset slots to save the setting. For our purposes

let’s choose PRESET 2.

3. Press and hold the PRESET 2 button. After one second all the Preset

buttons blink. After two seconds they cease blinking.

4. Release the PRESET 2 button after LEDs stop blinking.

5. The preset is saved.

6. To recall a preset, press and release the corresponding Preset button.

The button will light solid indicating that a preset is loaded.

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CONTROLS AND LEDS

- CONTROL KNOBS AND BUTTONS -

1. VOL Knob – Sets the master output level of the Attack Decay.

2. BLEND Knob – Normally BLEND is a master wet/dry mix between the

dry signal present at the INPUT jack and all of the effects produced by the
Attack Decay. The output of BLEND is sent directly to the VOL knob. As
BLEND is turned clockwise, the effect volume increases while the dry
volume decreases.

 Optionally, BLEND can adjust the mix between dry and Harmonix

signals before they enter the volume envelopes, replicating the
Harmonics knob from the vintage Attack Decay. This allows for a mix
of the clean and fuzz instrument tones to be manipulated by the volume
envelopes. As BLEND is turned clockwise the fuzz volume increases
while the clean volume decreases. See page 15 for details on adjusting
Harmonix Blend.

 The BLEND knob has a third option that mixes the signal at the RETURN

jack with the output of the volume envelopes. To do this, Return Blend
mode must be activated and a plug must be inserted into the RETURN
jack. See page 16 for details on adjusting Return Blend.

3. ATTACK Knob – Sets the swell or fade-in speed of the volume
envelopes. As you turn the knob clockwise, attack time increases. Turn

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the ATTACK knob to minimum to disable the attack portion of the
envelope. The attack time range is 4 ms to 8 seconds in mono mode.

4. DECAY Knob – Sets the staccato or fade-out speed of the volume
envelopes. As you turn DECAY clockwise the decay time increases. Turn
the DECAY knob to maximum to disable the decay portion of the envelope.
The decay time range is 4 ms to 8 seconds in mono mode.

5. POLY Button – Press and release to toggle between mono and poly
modes. When the POLY button is lit, poly mode is engaged.

6. SENS Mini Knob

MONO (POLY OFF): While using the Attack Decay with POLY off, the SENS
knob sets the threshold at which a new pluck is detected at the INPUT
jack thus triggering the start or restart of the volume envelope.

 As SENS is turned clockwise, the more easily your playing will trigger

an envelope reset.

 Each time the volume envelope is triggered, the attack portion of the

envelope runs first and then is immediately followed by the decay
portion of the envelope.

POLY ON: When POLY is enabled the SENS knob has a similar function as
in Mono mode but over a limited range.

 The higher SENS is turned, the more easily a new note will trigger the

Attack portion of a note’s volume envelope.

 While POLY is enabled, the SENS knob is only in play when both the

ATTACK and the DECAY knobs are not set to their off positions.

 When SENS is set to maximum—while in POLY mode—it is normal for

bubbling noises to be produced by the volume envelopes.

7. HARMONIX Mini Knob – Adjusts the gain and saturation amount of
the Attack Decay’s internal distortion section. The H LED must be lit for

the HARMONIX knob to be active.

8. TONE Mini Knob – Sets the tone of the Harmonix section. As the
TONE knob is turned clockwise, the distortion’s tone gets brighter. The H

LED must be lit for the TONE knob to be active.

9. H.VOL Mini Knob – Sets the output volume of the Harmonix section.
The H LED must be lit for the H.VOL knob to be active.

10. PRESET Buttons 1, 2, & 3 – Press and release to load and unload
the first, second, or third preset. Press and hold for two seconds to save
the sound you currently hear to a preset.

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- FOOTSWITCHES AND LEDS -

1. BYPASS Footswitch and Status LED – Press and release the

BYPASS footswitch to toggle between effect and buffered bypass. When
the Status LED is lit, the Attack Decay effect is engaged. You may also use
the BYPASS footswitch to manually trigger volume envelopes when the
unit is in Manual Envelope Trigger mode. See page 17 for details.

When Return Bypass is enabled, while in Bypass, the RETURN jack is
connected to the OUTPUT jack. See page 13 and 16 for details.

2. HARMONIX/PRESET Footswitch – By default, a press and release
on this footswitch will engage and disengage the Attack Decay’s Harmonix
fuzz. Alternately, this footswitch can be used to cycle through the three
presets and What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get (WYSIWYG), live mode. To
enable preset cycle, press and hold the HARMONIX/ PRESET footswitch
for 2 seconds. When the P LED lights up, release the footswitch (see page
12 for more details on how to control presets with this footswitch).

3. H LED – This LED lights when Harmonix fuzz is engaged. This LED will
be off when the fuzz is not engaged.

4. P LED – In Mono mode, the P LED flashes briefly to indicate the input
signal has exceeded its threshold and triggered the volume envelope or
lights solid to indicate that the HARMONIX/PRESET footswitch will cycle
through the presets. The P LED flash—indicating a new pluck has been
detected—helps when adjusting the SENS knob. Please note: the P LED
does not flash to indicate pluck detects while POLY mode is enabled.

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CONNECTIONS

INPUT Jack – This 1/4" phone jack is the main audio input on the Attack
Decay. Input impedance = 1M.

OUTPUT Jack – This 1/4" phone jack is the main audio output of the
Attack Decay. The volume envelope, and other effects, emanate from this
jack. Output impedance = 500.

SEND Jack – This 1/4" phone jack reproduces the input signal and by
default, the Harmonix fuzz when enabled. Use this jack as the signal
source for the Attack Decay’s external FX loop. Impedance = 500.

RETURN Jack – This 1/4" phone jack receives the output from an
external effects loop or another instrument. The signal present at this jack
is routed through the Attack Decay’s internal volume envelopes. If no
connection is made to this jack then the signal at the INPUT jack (or the
output of the Harmonix section if activated) is routed through the volume
envelopes. The input impedance is 2M.

See page 13 for details and tips on using the SEND and RETURN jacks.

EXP Jack – Connect an expression pedal or control voltage (CV) to allow
for external control over every knob on the Attack Decay. See page 10 for
a description on how to set up and control the Attack Decay with an
external expression pedal. Connect a clock pulse to EXP to trigger the
volume envelopes from an external source, see page 17 for details.

The polarity of the expression pedal’s plug must have the Sleeve

connected to the heel position (usually GND), Ring connected to the toe
position and the Tip connected to the wiper. The nominal expression pedal
impedance is 10kΩ though most other values will work fine. Please do not
go below 6kΩ on your expression pedal’s potentiometer impedance. Some
suggested Expression Pedals: EHX Expression Pedal, Moog® EP-3,
Roland® EV-5 or Boss® FV-500L. Additionally, the EXP IN jack can be
connected to a CV source using a TS plug; the acceptable control voltage
range is 0V to 5V. The acceptable trigger clock pulse amplitude range is

1.5Vpp to 15Vpp.

9V Power Jack – Plug the output of the Attack Decay’s supplied
EHX9.6DC/200mA AC adapter to the 9V power jack located at the top of
the pedal. The Attack Decay requires 140mA at 9VDC with a center­negative plug. Do not exceed 10.5VDC on the power jack.

unreliable behavior if the power supply rating is less than 140mA.

Note: Expect