Iron Ether Xerograph
user’s manual
2-pole 4-pole
Resonance
Frequency
Xerograph
lowpass filter
Out
In
IE
2-pole 4-pole
Resonance
Frequency
Volume
Xerograph
lowpass filter
Out
In
IE
Front view of the Xerograph
in standard configuration
The Xerograph is a foot-sweepable, resonant
lowpass filter. It can be used for a variety of
sounds, from resonant synth sweeps, to fast funk
sounds, to deep reggae/dub tones.
-2-pole/4-pole switch:
-2-pole mode is a brighter, more
subtle filter with a wide
resonance peak.
-4-pole mode offers a fat, deep, and
synthy filter with a sharp resonance
peak.
-Frequency knob:
When using the filter without an expression pedal, this control sets the cutoff frequency
of the filter, allowing you to dial in deep, dubby
bass sounds. When using an expression pedal
with the Xerograph, the Frequency knob sets the
low extent of the filter sweep.
Resonance knob:
Boosts frequencies around the cutoff
frequency, which intensifies the effect of the
filter. Set the resonance low for more subtle
tone-shaping, or turn it up to around 3-o’clock
for wet synth sound. Turning it to maximum
sends the filter into self-oscillation.
Volume knob:
Frequency expression jack:
Connecting a passive expression
pedal to the expression jack allows you to
control the frequency of the filter with your
feet, allowing for slow, resonant sweeps, or
fast, funky squelches.
Recommended expression pedals:
Moog EP-2
Iron Ether modded EBJR volume pedal
Note: standard Xerographs DO NOT accept
control voltages (CV) into the expression
jack. Contact us if you require voltage
control. Never plug a control voltage into the
Xerograph’s expression jack. At best, it won’t
work. At worst, it will kill your Xerograph.
Power jack:
Runs on industry-standard 9 volt DC center
negative power supply. Does not accept
batteries.
9v DC Expression
The Volume knob allows for the effect volume to
be either louder or quieter than the bypassed
signal, and to correct for volume loss that may
happen as a result of heavy filtering.
Rear view of the Xerograph
Q. How do I get a synthy sound?
A. First, you’ll need to feed the
Xerograph a signal with plenty of
harmonics to carve out. Guitars
and basses are lacking in the rich
harmonics of sawtooth or square
wave sounds common in subtractive synthesis sounds. A fuzz pedal
is a popular choice to generate
these harmonics.
Second, crank up the Resonance
knob, to about 2 o’clock. Set the
expression pedal to the heel
position, and use the Frequency
knob to select the lowest
frequency of the sweep. Next, set
the expression pedal to the toe
down position, and use the knob
built into the expression pedal to
set the highest frequency of the
sweep. Set the pole switch to the
4-pole position.
Q. How about a dub sound?
A. Set the pole switch to 4-pole, then
turn the Frequency knob down while
playing the lowest note on your instrument. Stop when all the harmonics of
your instrument have been filtered out,
and you’re left with only the fundamentals. Turn the resonance up a bit. Caution is needed here, because the Xerograph is capable of putting out ridiculous
amounts of very low frequencies.
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