Electro-Harmonix SYNTH9 Users Manual

WARNING: Your SYNTH9 comes equipped with an Electro-Harmonix 9.6DC-200BI power

supply (same as used by Boss® & Ibanez®: 9.6 Volts DC 200mA). The SYNTH9 requires
100mA at 9VDC with a center negative plug. Using the wrong adapter or a plug with the
wrong polarity may damage your SYNTH9 and void the warranty.

SYNTH9

Synthesizer Machine

Congratulations on purchasing the Electro-Harmonix SYNTH9 Synthesizer
Machine. The SYNTH9 does for analog synthesizers what the B9 did for organs
and the KEY9 did for electric pianos: now anyone with an electric guitar can play
analog synth emulations of classic Moog®, Oberheim® and ARP® synthesizers,
amongst others, without the need for extra devices such as cumbersome 13-pin
MIDI pickups!

GETTING STARTED

Connect the supplied power adapter to the 9V power jack. Plug your instrument
into the INPUT jack. Connect your amp to the SYNTH OUTPUT jack. Set the DRY
knob to minimum (fully counterclockwise) and set the other top row knobs to 12
o’clock. Select a preset (“OBX” is a good starting point) and step on the
footswitch to turn on the LED. Play your instrument and adjust controls to your
liking. For further inspiration check out the SYNTH9’s SUGGESTED FACTORY
SETTINGS insert. Make copies of the included SYNTH9 USER SETTINGS page to
keep track of your favorite sounds and settings.

CONTROLS AND I/O JACKS

DRY VOL KNOB

The DRY VOL knob controls the volume of the untreated instrument signal
present at the SYNTH OUTPUT jack.

SYNTH VOL KNOB

For all presets except MINI MOOD, the SYNTH VOL knob controls the overall
volume of the selected preset at the SYNTH OUTPUT jack. In MINI MOOD,
SYNTH VOL controls the volume of the non-portamento synthesizer; CTRL 1
controls the volume of the portamento synthesizer.

CTRL 1 & CTRL 2 KNOBS
See the preset descriptions on the following pages for details.

PRESET KNOB

Turn the white numbered knob to select a preset sound.

INPUT JACK

Plug your instrument or the output of another effects pedal into this ¼” jack.

See Tips 1 & 2 on the following page for more on connecting your SYNTH9.

DRY OUTPUT JACK

The DRY OUTPUT jack outputs the signal present at the INPUT jack through a
buffer circuit. In either EFFECT or BYPASS mode, the dry signal is always present
at the DRY OUTPUT jack.

SYNTH OUTPUT JACK

The SYNTH OUTPUT jack outputs the mix set by the DRY and SYNTH volume
controls. In BYPASS mode, SYNTH OUTPUT outputs the buffered bypass signal.

BYPASS FOOTSWITCH

Press the BYPASS footswitch to toggle the SYNTH OUTPUT jack between
buffered BYPASS and EFFECT mode. The status LED lights when you are in
EFFECT mode.

PRESET DESCRIPTIONS

1. OBX – An emulation of the meaty sounding Oberheim

tone control. Use CTRL 2 to select between 4 octaves.

2. PROFIT V – The Sequential Circuits

Prophet-5 provides inspiration for our
versatile PROFIT V preset. CTRL 1 adjusts the sweep time of a downward
filter envelope. CTRL 2 selects between 8 intervals of either octaves or 5ths.

3. VIBE SYNTH – A polyphonic synthesizer with decaying harmonic content

and vibrato. CTRL 1 sets the power and sweep range of harmonics. CTRL 2
adjusts both vibrato rate and depth simultaneously. As you turn CTRL 2
clockwise the vibrato rate and amount increases.

4. MINI MOOD – A big sounding Moog

®

inspired synthesizer that blends a
portamento synth with a non-portamento synth. (Portamento is when notes
glide from one to another.) Turn the SYNTH VOL knob to set the volume of
the non-portamento synthesizer. Use CTRL 1 to adjust the output volume of
the portamento notes. CTRL 2 sets portamento time. This preset works best
when you play monophonically, one note at a time, where every note is
picked.

To play faster licks, try turning down CTRL 1.

5. EHX MINI – An emulation of the classic Electro-Harmonix Mini Synth. CTRL

1 sets filter envelope sweep time and direction. When CTRL 1 is set to a
point within its counter-clockwise range, it sets the attack time for the filter
sweep; when set clockwise beyond “noon” it controls the decay time of the
filter sweep. CTRL 2 selects between 4 octaves.

®

OB-X. CTRL 1 is a