Electro Harmonix Super Pulsar User manual

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WARNING: Your SUPER PULSAR comes equipped with an Electro-Harmonix 9.6DC­200 power supply (same as used by Boss® & Ibanez®: 9.6 Volts DC 200mA). The
SUPER PULSAR requires 165mA at 9VDC with a center negative plug and does not
accept batteries. Using the wrong adapter may damage your unit and void the
warranty. Please do not exceed 10VDC on the power plug.

SUPER PULSAR

Stereo Tap Tremolo/Panner

Congratulations on your purchase of the Electro-Harmonix SUPER
PULSAR, one of the most advanced Tremolo/Panner effects ever put into
a guitar pedal. Super Pulsar pairs a high end, low noise, stereo, analog
signal path with full digital control bringing out the best of both worlds.
Super Pulsar boasts so many features we thought it best to list them:

Special Features of SUPER PULSAR:

 Stereo or Mono input and output for any combination of stereo/mono tremolo or

panning

 Fully analog signal path with up to 12dB Volume Boost
 Four adjustable modulation waveforms: Sine, Triangle, Pulse and Rhythm
 Sine continuously varies from narrow positive peak to standard sine to wide

positive peak

 Triangle continuously varies from ramp up to symmetrical triangle to ramp down
 Pulse continuously varies its ON time from 4% to 100% of modulation rate
 9 Rhythm patterns available, up to 16 steps each, all user programmable
 Phase control continuously varies the right channel’s phase of modulation in

relation to the left from 0° to 360°

 Wave Invert button quickly inverts modulation waveform
 Output Volume knob allows for adjustable output effect volume
 Wide modulation rate control: from 16 seconds to 230Hz
 Tap Footswitch allows you to set modulation rate or Rhythm tempo with 2 or

more taps of your foot

 Tap Divide function divides down your tap tempo for faster modulation from the

same tap tempo; divides are dotted eighth note, quarter note triplet, eighth
note, eighth note triplet, 16th and 32nd notes

 Expression pedal or CV control over Rate, Depth, Shape, Phase or Volume
 External, generic footswitch input for Tap Tempo plus up to 2 other functions on

TAP/CLK IN jack or set it for external clock in

 Save and recall all knobs, settings, rhythms and tap tempo in up to 8 presets
 True Bypass using mechanical relays
 Includes EHX9.6DC power supply

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SUPER PULSAR QUICK START
CONNECTING YOUR SUPER PULSAR
MONO Guitar / Instrument Setup

 Use standard, mono ¼” instrument cables for all Super Pulsar audio

connections.

 Plug your guitar, or the output of the previous effects pedal, into the

MONO / L input jack.

 Connect the MONO / L output on the Super Pulsar into your amplifier or into

the input of another pedal.

MONO Input / STEREO Output Setup

 Start with the MONO Guitar setup above.
 Grab a third instrument cable and plug it into Super Pulsar’s Right output.
 Connect the third cable to a second amplifier or the stereo input of a stereo-

in guitar pedal, such as the EHX Cathedral, or use it to split your signal into
another pedal chain.

STEREO Input / STEREO Output Setup

 Building upon the MONO in/STEREO out setup above, add a fourth

instrument cable and plug it into the Right input on Super Pulsar.

 Plug the fourth cable into a stereo source, such as a keyboard or the output

of a stereo guitar pedal, like the EHX Stereo Electric Mistress.

BASIC TREMOLO SETTINGS
Standard Sine Wave Tremolo:

VOLUME = 1 o’clock RT. PHASE = 0° WAVE =
SHAPE = 12 o’clock DEPTH = 11 o’clock RATE = 11 o’clock
ENV DEPTH = 12 o’clock ENV RATE = 12 o’clock xRATE = DIM

Chopped Tremolo:

VOLUME = 1 o’clock RT. PHASE = 0° WAVE =
SHAPE = 11 o’clock DEPTH = 10 o’clock RATE = 12 o’clock
ENV DEPTH = 12 o’clock ENV RATE = 12 o’clock xRATE = DIM

ENVELOPE CONTROLS – See page 3 for a full explanation on ENV controls.
Rate Slows As Notes Fade:

VOLUME = 1 o’clock RT. PHASE = 0 WAVE =
SHAPE = 12 o’clock DEPTH = 11 o’clock RATE = 9 o’clock
ENV DEPTH = 12 o’clock ENV RATE = 3 o’clock

PRESET MODE – See page 13 for a full explanation on Presets.
Entering Preset Mode/Loading Factory Presets:

 Press and hold the MODE footswitch.
 After 2 seconds, all the LEDs in the waveform display light up.
 Release the MODE footswitch, you are now in Preset mode.
 Press and release the MODE footswitch to load and advance the presets.

CREATING YOUR OWN RHYTHM PATTERNS – See page 14.

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KNOBS, BUTTONS, LEDs

xRATE MODE

FREQUENCY RANGE

xRATE LED

SLOW

16 Seconds – 0.28s (3.5Hz)

OFF

MEDIUM (Factory Default)

0.5 Hz (2 Seconds) – 28 Hz

DIM

FAST (Great for Ring Mod)

4 Hz – 230 Hz

BRIGHT

RATE Knob – Adjusts the speed of the tremolo or pan effect. As RATE is turned
clockwise, the modulation rate increases. The RATE knob has 3 distinct ranges of
speed to choose from, please see the following xRATE button description for
more on the RATE knob’s range.

xRATE Button and LED – This pushbutton cycles through 3 range choices for
the RATE knob, one LED indicates the current selection: Slow: xRATE LED off,
Medium: xRATE LED dimly lit, Fast: xRATE LED brightly lit. The following table
details the RATE knob’s frequency range for each mode:

DEPTH Knob – Adjusts the amount of effect. As you turn DEPTH clockwise the
tremolo or panning effect becomes more pronounced. When you turn DEPTH
down completely, to the minimum position, no effect is produced; in this setting
the VOLUME knob could be used to boost the signal, up to 12dB. As you turn
DEPTH up past 50% the overall volume of the effect increases.

ENV CONTROLS – Super Pulsar has an internal envelope follower circuit that
converts the amplitude of the notes and chords you play to a voltage that
sweeps modulation RATE and DEPTH. The envelope is a very dynamic effect.
Since it is a measurement of the volume of your playing, you control the effect
directly with your touch.

There are 2 ENV knobs: ENV RATE and ENV DEPTH. Each ENV knob works in
conjunction with their large knob counter-parts, and in the case of ENV RATE
also sweeps Tap time. Think of the larger knobs’ positions as the start and end

points of the envelope’s sweep. You should find the ENV controls react

differently based on the position of its large knob counter-part.

The center or 12 o’clock position for the two ENV controls is the off position;
there is a center-detent in this position indicating the ENV control is off.

ENV CONTROLS – POSITIVE HALF: As you turn either ENV knob clockwise,
towards the + (plus) symbol from the center-off position, the output of the
envelope follower will add to the current position of the bigger knob, as if you’re
turning the larger knob up every time you play a note. The more positive you
turn the ENV knobs, the further up the envelope sweeps RATE or DEPTH. When
you set an ENV control to its positive half, you will want to turn down the
associated large knob to a position in its lower half.

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ENV CONTROLS – NEGATIVE HALF: As you turn the ENV knob counter­clockwise, towards the – (minus) symbol, from center-off, the envelope follower
output subtracts from the bigger knob’s position, as if you’re turning the larger
knob down each time you play a note. You will want to turn up the larger knob
to a high setting in order to produce a broad envelope sweep.

The ENV controls are very sensitive. Depending on how you play and how hot
your pickups are, your sweet spot might be at only 2 or 3 o’clock, not the
maximum setting.

ENV RATE Knob – Turning the ENV RATE knob clockwise from the center-off
position causes the envelope follower to have a quickening effect on modulation
speed: increasing modulation RATE, or TAP time, whenever you play a note. A
negative setting on the ENV RATE knob (counter-clockwise from 12 o’clock)
causes the envelope follower to slow down the modulation RATE, or TAP time.
Setting ENV RATE to its center detent position, at 12 o’clock, shuts off the
envelope sweep for RATE.

ENV RATE’s RANGE: When the RATE knob sets Super Pulsar’s modulation rate,

the limits of the envelope follower are the limits of the RATE knob. The envelope

follower will not cause the tremolo’s rate to exceed the RATE knob’s current

maximum or minimum limits

ENV DEPTH Knob – Turning the ENV DEPTH knob towards its positive direction

(clockwise) from the center-off position will cause the envelope follower output
to increase the DEPTH amount each time you play a note. Turning ENV DEPTH
counter-clockwise from the center position causes the envelope follower to
decrease the amount of DEPTH. Set ENV DEPTH to its center-detent, 12 o’clock
position, to disable envelope sweep for DEPTH.

ENV DEPTH’s RANGE: The limits of the envelope follower are the limits of the
DEPTH knob. The envelope follower cannot sweep Depth amount past the

DEPTH knob’s upper or lower limits. So if you have DEPTH maxed out and you

turn ENV DEPTH up to a positive setting, the envelope follower will not change
the DEPTH amount as you play. Instead, turn the DEPTH knob down to a lower
setting, below 11 o’clock, when you have ENV DEPTH set in its positive half.

WAVE Knob – In the counter-clockwise half of this knob’s rotation it acts like a
switch choosing between the modulation waveforms: Sine, Triangle or Pulse.
When you turn WAVE into the clockwise half of its rotation, from 12 o’clock to
maximum, the modulation waveform switches to RHYTHM while simultaneously
adjusting the pulse length of each beat in the Rhythms: as you turn WAVE
clockwise from 12 o’clock to maximum, the pulse length of each Rhythm beat
increases, from 2% to 100%. The SHAPE knob works in tandem with the WAVE
knob to vary the waveforms’ shape or to choose the current Rhythm pattern.

SHAPE Knob – While the WAVE knob is set to Sine, Triangle or Pulse waves,
the SHAPE knob continuously varies each of these waveforms’ shapes. When

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WAVE is set to RHYTHM, the SHAPE knob acts like a switch as you rotate it:

WAVEFORM

SHAPE CCW

SHAPE Middle

SHAPE CW

SINE

Peak Sine:

Normal Sine:

Flattened Sine:

TRIANGLE

Ramp Up:

Triangle:

Ramp Down:

PULSE

4% PulseWidth:

50% Pulse Width:

100% Pulse Width

RHYTHM

Pattern 1

Pattern 5

Pattern 9

allowing you to choose between 1 of 9 available rhythms. The following table
indicates waveshapes available near the extremes and in the middle of the
SHAPE knob’s rotation. See the TIPS AND TRICKS section on page 14 of this
manual for creating your own Rhythm patterns.

RT. PHASE Knob – RT. PHASE turns the Super Pulsar’s stereo tremolo into a

panning effect. Please note: you will only hear the effects of the RT. PHASE knob
when you have the Stereo Pulsar set up in some sort of stereo configuration
whether it’s mono in/stereo out, stereo in/mono out or stereo in/out. The RT.
PHASE knob is inactive in the mono in/out setup.

MONO IN / STEREO OUT Setup: The RT. PHASE knob adjusts

the phase of the Right channel’s modulation waveform in relation
to the Left channel’s waveform. At 0°, the Right and Left Channel

modulation waveforms are in phase with each other. As you turn
RT. PHASE up from 0° the Right channel will lag behind the Left
channel all the way to 360° (which is really the same as 0°). For
typical sine wave modulation, a RT. PHASE setting of 180° will yield
maximum loudness in the Right channel when the Left channel is at
its quietest.

STEREO IN / MONO OUT or STEREO OUT Setup: The RT.
PHASE knob adjusts the amount of the Right input that is output
from Left output and the amount of Left input that is output from
the Right output. At 0° the Right input comes out the Right output
only and Left input comes out Left output only. Set RT. PHASE to
180° and you will hear an equal mix of Left input at the Right
output and Right input at the Left output. Turning the knob all the
way up to 360° will reverse the input/output channels completely
so that the Right channel is only output from the Left output and
Left channel is only output from the Right output. The modulation
waveforms are normally in phase with each other but if you enable
the WAVE INVERT button, the right channel’s modulation waveform
will be inverted as compared to the left channel. When DEPTH = 0,
turning RT. PHASE, or sweeping with an Exp. Pedal, will allow the
two inputs to cross-fade between the two outputs.