Fishman AURA SPECTRUM DI USER GUIDE

www.fishman.com

USER GUIDE
AURA® SPECTRUM

DI

Welcome

Quick Start

Thank you for making Fishman a part of your acoustic experience. We are

proud to offer you the fi nest acoustic amplifi cation products available;
high-quality professional-grade tools to empower you to sound your very
best. We are confi dent Aura Spectrum DI will both enhance and inspire
your music making.

Power – Install a fresh 9V battery (not included) or connect a Fishman
power adaptor.

Set the controls – Volume at minimum and all other controls as
shown below.

Plug in – Use standard ¼-inch and XLR shielded instrument cables.

Tune up – Step on the tuner footswitch to tune with the output muted.

Set trim – Play hard and adjust the input trim (on the right side) so the
clip/batt LED fl ashes only occasionally.

Select an Image – Raise the volume and audition Images with the
select knob. Move the Image Bank slider to choose the set of Images

that best match the instrument you’re playing. (see pages 6 thru 13)

Blend to taste – Turn left for more pickup and right for more Image.

Kill feedback – If feedback starts, change the position of the phase

switch. For advanced feedback handling, check out the section detailing
the automatic feedback fi lters on page 24.

2 3

What is Aura?

Aura Custom Shop

Aura Acoustic Imaging Technology uses digital algorithms developed in
Fishman’s audio laboratories to restore a studio-miked sound to an
acoustic instrument. To achieve this, we record instruments using world­class microphones and techniques to capture an “Image” of the natural
sound that your acoustic instrument emits when miked in a professional
studio. This Image, when recorded direct or played through an amp,
mixer or PA, blends with your instrument’s pickup to produce an incred­ibly accurate recreation of the original recording.

Aura Acoustic Imaging processors sound best when used with Fishman
undersaddle pickups and magnetic soundhole pickups. When we record
each instrument, we use our Acoustic Matrix undersaddle pickup. So,
when you play through an Aura processor, you’ll get the best results using
our Acoustic Matrix pickup. We do not recommend soundboard-mounted
pickups, bridge-plate pickups, multi-sensor pickups or microphones for
Aura products since they include unnecessary resonances that can inter­fere with the Aura processing.

Choosing an Image

To get the most realistic tone from Aura Acoustic Imaging, you should
always match your Images with the instrument type you’re playing. For
example, choose dreadnought Images when plugging in a dreadnought
body style guitar; choose mandolin Images if you’re playing a mandolin.
Don’t hope to derive a mandolin sound from a dreadnought or try to turn
your orchestra body style guitar into a 12-string. If you are not sure which
body type your guitar falls into, we suggest you audition several Images
from each bank and let your ears decide. See the following pages to help
match your instrument with the best Aura Image.

For the ultimate in Aura Imaging, be sure to check out the Aura Custom
Shop at fi shman.com. For a modest fee, you send us your instrument and
we’ll create a set of Images using our best microphones, custom
recorded for you.

Aura Image Gallery

The Aura Image Gallery software manages a vast library of Images
created from an ever-expanding list of instruments, and provides tools to
search and store sets of Images. Browse the Image Library to fi nd your
instrument, then drag and drop an Image into an Image Set for download
into Aura Spectrum.

Making Connections

Playing live

For the best sound reproduction when performing live, connect your Aura
Spectrum to an acoustic instrument amp, a PA system, a powered moni­tor or other full-range system. The balanced XLR D.I. output eliminates
an outboard D.I. and features an automatic ground lift when you use the
1/4” output, providing a high quality, noise free signal.

Going direct

For direct recording, there is no better solution than using Aura
Spectrum’s balanced XLR D.I. or 1/4” output. In fact, an acoustic track
recorded with just a pickup can be re-recorded using Aura to restore the
miked sound.

4 5

About the Image Banks

Dreadnought

Use this bank of Images with all varieties of the
classic deep-body dreadnought.

Image # Top Wood Back and Sides Microphone Type

1 Spruce Rosewood DPA® 4011

2 Spruce Mahogany Soundelux® E47

3 Spruce Rosewood Soundelux® E47

4 Spruce Rosewood Neumann® KM84

5 Spruce Rosewood Schoeps® CMC64

6 Spruce Rosewood Schoeps® CMC64

7 Spruce Rosewood Shure® KSM141

8 Spruce Rosewood Neumann® M147

9 Spruce Rosewood Neumann® M147

10 Spruce Rosewood Schoeps® CMC64

11 Spruce Mahogany AKG® C414

12 Spruce Rosewood Neumann® U87

13 Spruce Rosewood Neumann® U87

14 Composite Composite DPA® 4011

15 Spruce Rosewood Neumann® M147

16 Spruce Mahogany Shure® SM57

Jumbo

Use these Images with large, deep-body instruments
with slim waists and wide lower bouts
(usually over 16”).

Image # Top Wood Back and Sides Microphone Type

1 Cedar Rosewood Shure® SM57

2 Spruce Maple AKG® C414

3 Spruce Maple DPA® 4011

4 Spruce Maple Schoeps® CMC64

5 Spruce Maple Schoeps® CMC64

6 Spruce Rosewood DPA® 4011

7 Spruce Rosewood Neumann® U87

8 Spruce Rosewood Shure® SM57

9 Cedar Rosewood DPA® 4011

10 Spruce Maple Soundelux® E47

11 Spruce Rosewood Neumann® U87

12 Spruce Rosewood Neumann® KM84

13 Spruce Maple Shure® SM57

14 Cedar Rosewood Neumann® U87

15 Spruce Maple Neumann® U87

16 Spruce Koa Schoeps® CMC64

Fishman Transducers, Inc. is not affi liated with any of the forementioned companies or their respective trademarks,

registered trademarks, product models or copyrights.

6 7

Fishman Transducers, Inc. is not affi liated with any of the forementioned companies or their respective trademarks,

registered trademarks, product models or copyrights.

About the Image Banks (continued)

Concert

Use the Concert Images with small-body, short-scale
instruments with thin waists, like 0, 00 and L-00
styles; typically fi nger-picking guitars as well as
parlor and travel instruments.

Image # Top Wood Back and Sides Microphone Type

1 Spruce Rosewood Schoeps® CMC64

2 Spruce Rosewood Schoeps

3 Spruce Maple Neumann

4 Spruce Rosewood Shure® SM57

5 Mahogany Mahogany DPA® 4011

6 Spruce Rosewood Neumann® M147

7 Spruce Koa Neumann® U87

8 Spruce Rosewood DPA® 4011

9 Mahogany Mahogany Neumann® M147

10 Mahogany Mahogany Soundelux® E47

11 Mahogany Mahogany DPA® 4011

12 Spruce Maple Schoeps® CMC64

13 Spruce Rosewood Neumann® M147

14 Spruce Rosewood Neumann® M147

15 Spruce Rosewood Schoeps® CMC64

16 Spruce Koa Schoeps® CMC64

®

CMC64

®

M147

Orchestra

For guitars larger than concert but smaller than
dreadnought, the Orchestra Images work well with
OM & 000 styles as well as auditorium and other
narrow-waist mid-size, medium-depth
instruments.

Image # Top Wood Back and Sides Microphone Type

1 Spruce Rosewood Soundelux® E47

2 Spruce Rosewood Neumann® M147

3 Spruce Mahogany Schoeps® CMC64

4 Spruce Mahogany Neumann® M147

5 Spruce Mahogany Soundelux® E47

6 Spruce Rosewood Neumann® KM84

7 Spruce Mahogany Soundelux® E47

8 Spruce Rosewood Soundelux® E47

9 Spruce Mahogany DPA® 4011

10 Spruce Rosewood Soundelux® E47

11 Spruce Rosewood Shure® Beta 58A

12 Spruce Rosewood Schoeps® CMC64

13 Spruce Mahogany Neumann® M147

14 Spruce Rosewood Neumann® KM84

15 Spruce Rosewood Schoeps® CMC64

16 Spruce Rosewood Schoeps® CMC64

®

Fishman Transducers, Inc. is not affi liated with any of the forementioned companies or their respective trademarks,

registered trademarks, product models or copyrights.

8 9

Fishman Transducers, Inc. is not affi liated with any of the forementioned companies or their respective trademarks,

registered trademarks, product models or copyrights.