MI audio Super Crunch Box User Manual

INTRODUCTION

G’Day! Congratulations on purchasing the MI Effects Super

FEATURES

Crunch Box v.1 pedal. This pedal is an extension of one of
our favourite and most popular pedals in the MI family, the
Crunch Box, and is now more flexible to provide every level
of crunch possible!

I have always wanted to fully trick-out a Crunch Box to see
how many mods and features we could fit into its small
enclosure. So one rainy afternoon I did just that, and
decided to give three away for our Facebook and Twitter
followers.

I was pleasantly surprised with how the Crunch Box sound
had evolved with these added features. This, plus the
constant feedback from customers wanting this new Crunch
Box, led us to prototype the Super Crunch Box.

The Crunch Box has been around for quite a few years now,
and has even inspired several clones and knock-offs. So I
threw some ideas around the workshop, and came up with a
design that expands the flexibility of the original, without a
large rise in price.

HEADROOM!!

All previous MI drive pedals could be run up to 24V for more
headroom, giving more clarity and a tighter bottom end. We
know that a lot of our users run our pedals at higher voltage,
but are aware of the troubles of running extra adaptors for
these pedals. So a feature implemented in this redesign

(also found in the Super Blues Pro, new Boost ‘n’ Buff and

Megalith Delta) is the addition of circuitry to double the input
voltage of your 9V adaptor/battery to supply 18V to the
pedal. NOTE: THIS IS A 9V ONLY INPUT!*

This is a great feature that your pedal board will happy with.
The pedal sounds bigger, tighter and more responsive at
18V.

* refer to POWERING THE PEDAL section.

CONTROLS

PRESENCE and TONE – The internal presence control was

implemented to integrate easier with every user’s amp setup.
Some amps are brighter or darker than the ones we use to
test, so by dialling in the PRESENCE control you can shape
your sound through your setup. By placing it as an external
control, you can really pull some great sounds that sit well in
a mix, or to have more control with a range of guitars/amps
you might use. The interaction with the TONE control is
important as dialling in more Presence can cut really well,

but also the lows won’t feel as powerful, so use it with that in

mind. This greatly increases the versatility of the Crunch
Box, but for those who want to rock it old school, just leave
the presence at 50% and proceed as normal!

LO/HI GAIN MODE SWITCH – This switch adds a great
amount of tones that will suit many different playing styles.
In “LO” MODE, the Crunch Box really cleans up well with the
guitar volume knob and has a glassier tone. It still has a lot of
gain (it is a Crunch Box after all!) but there is more string
definition and top end than “HI” MODE. This mode is the
stock Crunch Box amount of gain, so you can still get that
“hot-rod” sound as with previous versions.

COMP – Like the LO/HI GAIN SWITCH, the three-way
COMP switch aims to tap in to the lower end of the gain
spectrum. The switch selects between three different clipping
structures:

1. Stock red LEDs as in the original.

2. Silicon diode pair for lower output, different
harmonic content than the LEDs

0. A softer clip mode, again to provide some flexibility
to the overall distorted signal. The softer clipping
provides more clean signal in the mix and has the
highest output.

VOLUME AND GAIN CONTROL

The GAIN and TRIM controls the amount of gain and
overdrive of the pedal. The sweep and maximum gain is
determined by both the level of COMP and what GAIN
MODE (LO/HI) the Super Crunch Box is set to.

The final output section has been designed to provide you
with maximum output volume. With VOLUME turned all the
way up, the output signal can reach 14Vpp, which can
seriously overdrive a good tube amp. The volume control is a
logarithmic or ‘volume’ taper, which means that when the
control is set to 12 noon, the volume is only 15% of the way
up, so there’s plenty of volume up your sleeve should you
need it.

MI AUDIO PTY. LTD. P.O. Box 6426, North Ryde, NSW 2113 Australia http://www.mieffects.com

SAMPLE SETTINGS

POWERING THE PEDAL

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY!!!

REGISTRATION & WARRANTY

CLASSIC CRUNCH BOX

If you are familiar with the previous Crunch Box versions, this
setting will help you get that classic hot-rod distortion. Place

the PRESENCE at noon (factory standard), COMP at “1”
(LED clippers) and “HI” MODE. The Super Crunch Box will

now pull the same tones as the original using the VOLUME,
GAIN and TONE to taste.

“JOSÉ” MID DRIVE

When the COMP mode is set to “2”, the Super Crunch Box is

at its most compressed. This mode brings forward extra
saturation and harmonics, a lá the José Arredondo Marshall

mods made popular by Van Halen in the 80’s. Cranking the

PRESENCE gives extra aggression and sizzle, and rolling
back on the TONE bumps up the mids for pinch harmonic
heaven!

PLEXI PREAMP CRUNCH

The “LO” MODE and COMP mode “0” drastically drops the
gain of the Super Crunch Box to deliver low- to mid-gain
tones unachievable in the original Crunch Box. This setting
delivers a much faster attack than the JCM 800 and has a

“feel” closer to the Plexi-faced Marshall’s. Watch the

VOLUME control as COMP mode “0” has some serious

output!

THE SUPER CRUNCH BOX PEDAL RUNS OFF 9V
ONLY. REPEAT. ONLY USE A 9V BATTERY OR 9V
DC POWER ADAPTOR.

The Super Crunch Box is designed for 9v, and will not run
better at higher voltages (for technical reasons). In fact you
can cause damage to the circuit if a higher voltage is applied.

The 9 volt DC port (which accepts a standard barrel jack with
a Negative centre pin.) or 9V battery may be used. If using
battery to power the Super Crunch Box, and the pedal
begins to sound different, please monitor the voltage of the
battery with a multimeter and/or replace the battery with a
new one.

If using a battery, the pedal is powered when a plug is
inserted into the input jack. So when not in use, disconnect
the input plug to maximise battery life.

To access the battery, unscrew the 4 screws at the bottom of
the pedal and remove the bottom plate.

To register your pedal, you can email your name, contact
details, purchase date, and retailer details along with the
pedal serial number to: [e-mail]

Alternatively, you can send the above information to the
postal address on the front of this manual. PLEASE
REGISTER YOUR PEDAL. In the long run, it will be difficult
to have your pedal serviced if you need to if the pedal is not
registered.

This pedal carries a 5 year warranty that covers all repairs
due to manufacturer error. It does not cover any damage due
to user mishandling, shipping, acts of God, and abuse. The
owner should contact MI Audio directly for all repairs, and
any work done by anyone other than MI Audio voids the
warranty. All shipping costs are the responsibility of the
owner, and are to be paid in advance of any work performed
on the pedal. The owner may be asked to provide a copy of
the sales receipt for verification.

DISCLAIMER

The owner or user assumes responsibility for death, injury
and/or damages relating to the operation of this device. MI
Audio assumes no responsibility for death, injury or damages
relating from the operation of this device. I am always
thinking of ways to improve things, so all specifications are
subject to change without notice.

MI AUDIO PTY. LTD. P.O. Box 6426, North Ryde, NSW 2113 Australia http://www.mieffects.com