Peterson Sonuus Wahoo User Manual

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Owner’s Manual

Analogue Dual-Filter/Wah

Stomp Box for Guitar and Bass

Version 1.00

Owner’s Manual

Safety — read this first!

Important safety information. Read the following information carefully and keep all instructions for future reference.

!!!!

Do not open any p art of th e Wah oo case other than the battery compartment. There are no user-

serviceable parts in the Wahoo .

!!!!

Do not expose the Wa hoo to rain, liquids or moisture of any kind. If this occurs, disconnect the

Wahoo from your computer, power supply, and from your musical instrument and remove any

batteries then allow the unit to dry out completely before using it again. If any liquid has entered the unit, it may need to be serviced by a sonuus engineer or authorised repair centre.

!!!!

When the Wahoo has been stored in a cold environment ( environment ( such cases the Wah oo s hould be al lowed to warm u p to room temp erat ure befo re use to ens ure a ny such condensation has evaporated.

!!!!

Avoid getting anything, damage to the Wahoo footpedal sensor.

!!!!

Only use the correct type of power supply (see “Powering the Wa ho o” on page 8). The Waho o must never be connected directly to mains electricity.

e.g.,

a warm room), condensation can form on the outside and inside of the Wa ho o. In

e.g.,

an instrument cable, trapped under the footpedal—this will cause

e.g.,

a car) then exposed to a warmer

!!!!

Do not drop the Wahoo or expose it to excessive shock or vibration. This may cause damage to the electronics inside the unit.

!!!!

Do not put excessive weight onto the footpedal of the Wahoo . It is designed to be foot-operated, but not to bear excessive loads. Do not allow your foot to press on the control panel area because this may damage it. The Wa ho o has protection bars to prevent your feet from accidentally pressing this area but this cannot provide complete protection—you must still take reasonable care when using the product.

Wah oo

Owner’s Manual

Quick start

This manual is a comprehensive guide to the Wa ho o. To start using it as quickly as possible, follow this short guide. Please refer to the rest of the manual for detailed operating instructions.

cccc

Connect your guitar/bass to the IN jack of the Wah oo .

dddd

Connect your amplifier to the

eeee

Set the

LOCK

switch to the locked position (this lets you select presets without worrying about

editing them by mistake).

ffff

Connect a suitable power supply: 9VDC,

gggg

Select the first factory preset by pressing the TTTT button until F00 is shown on the numeric display.

hhhh

Tap the footswitch to enable the effect. The footswitch

iiii

Rock the footpedal back and forward while you are playing to obtain the classic Wah effect. In the “toe-down” position high frequencies will be enhanced. In the “heel-down” position, low frequencies will be enhanced and high-frequencies will be muffled.

Next, start exploring other presets using the SSSS and TTTT buttons. There are 100 factory presets labelled as F00–F99, then 100 user presets labelled P00–P99. If you press and hold SSSS or TTTT you can increment or decrement in steps of 10 so you can quickly select the preset you want.

To get started, we suggest you select from the following:

Preset (guitar) Description Preset (bass) Description

F00 Classic wah pedal F03 Classic bass wah pedal

F10 Voc al wah pedal F34 Funky bass envelope

F20 Touch wah (not pedal) F81 Bubbly envelope

F42

F50

F61

Phasor-like dual-filter (Pedal controls tempo)

Stepped (Pedal controls tempo)

LFO

beat, with saw-up

(Pedal controls tempo)

OUT

jack of the Wa hoo.

LFO

, arpeggiator-like

USB

or batteries (see “Powering the Wah oo ” on page 8).

LED

will light up.

Voc al dua l-filter (Pedal controls tempo)

Stepped

LFO

(Pedal controls tempo)

LFO

beat, with funk

(Pedal controls tempo)

LFO

F40

F53

F63

LFO

(low-pass)

Wah oo

Owner’s Manual

Welcome

Thank you for purchasing a sonuus Waho o. Like all sonuus products, the Wah oo is the culmination of ground-breaking innovation and considerable technical expertise. We are delighted that you have chosen to purchase a s onuus Wahoo and we anticipate that it will greatly enhance your music making. This manual is a comprehensive guide to the Wa ho o but if you have any questions, we offer attentive customer support via our on-line user forum:

www.sonuus.com/forum

The Waho o is a dual analogue filter stomp box. It is packed with innovations from the sonuus Research Team.

Analogue signal path with digital control

The Wah oo’s fully analogue signal path is based on vintage synthesizer filters, and gives the warm organic tone that is possible with only analogue electronics. We have combined the analogue signal path with digital control for precision and configurability.

Dual analogue filter design

The Waho o has two analogue filters, each of which can be configured as low-pass or band-pass and can operate independently in wah pedal, output can be configured to give evolving textures and tonal depths that cannot be achieved with a single filter.

Ground-breaking pitch-tracking effects

The Wa hoo uses sonuus’ proven, and highly acclaimed, pitch-tracking technology to create unique pitch-bend and pitch-tracking effects—effects that have never been available before.

LFO

, envelope and pitch-tracking modes. The dual filter

Unique patent-pending pedal sensor

Most wah pedals operate using a potentiometer (a pot) which wears out quickly resulting in the effect becoming scratchy. These also have mechanical couplings which limit fine control and let dirt inside the unit, so compromising reliability.

Some other wah pedals use optical methods which are susceptible to dirt and interference from stage lighting, and these also have mechanical couplings.

For the Wah oo , we designed a brand new type of position sensor that allows super-fine precision control with no mechanical couplings. As a result, the pedal control on the Waho o won’t get scratchy and will never wear out!

For guitar and bass

The Wa ho o is designed from the ground up to be perfect for guitar and bass. We know that many musicians play both instruments and don’t want to compromise when an effect is designed for the

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Owner’s Manual

higher or lower frequencies of these instrument: the range of the Waho o parameters can perfectly match guitar and bass, and you can save and switch between instrument-specific set-ups.

Of course, the Wah oo can also be used on other instruments such as keyboards. You don’t need to restrict your creativity to guitar and bass!

Transparent-true-bypass

True-bypass means that the effect is completely switched out of your signal chain when bypassed to preserve the integrity of your guitar/bass signal. This is typically done by mechanical switches but these cause clicks or pops when switching.

For the Wah oo, we designed a silent-switching true-bypass circuit so you get the benefits of truebypass without the associated switching noise. What’s more: if the power to the Wah oo is interrupted, the unit will automatically switch back to the bypassed state so you don’t lose your instrument’s signal.

Stage-ready

The Wah oo is designed to be ideal for gigging on stage:

• Heavy-duty cast aluminium case that will stand up to years of heavy use.

• The pedal won’t decide to get scratchy just before a crucial gig!

• Variety of power sources: any polarity 9V for maximum convenience,

batteries.

• Foot-operated preset selection.

LOCK

•

switch to prevent accidental changes to settings or presets.

Presets

The Wah oo comes ready-to-play with 100 factory presets which include traditional wah effects, touch-wah, bass envelope filters, auto-wah, bubbly funk, vocal sounds and extreme synth-like special effects. Without making any adjustments, the Wah oo is ready to play, straight out of the box.

The 100 factory presets is just the starting place! By tweaking these presets you can explore different sounds and create your own effects— there are 100 user presets where you can store your own set-ups.

USB

and high-capacity AA

www.sonuus.com

We recommend that you visit our web site and register your new Waho o. This is required for direct warranty support. Once you have registered, you have access to firmware updates and you can opt to receive updates and news from sonuus:

To get assistance or to share your experiences with other Wa ho o users, register on our user forum:

www.sonuus.com/forum

Wah oo

Owner’s Manual

Using the Wah oo

In the rest of this manual, we cover everything you need to know about the Wahoo from how to connect it to your rig, to how to power it and how to delve in and create your own presets.

Consult the photo of the Wah oo shown below to familiarise yourself with the controls and displays.

save/cancel button

numeric display

up/down buttons

level knob

filter select button

filter knob

mode knob

footswitch

LED

If you move or press a knob or touch the mode and enter Preset Edit mode. (Now the SSSSTTTTbuttons won’t let you select presets.)

The button named save has dual functionality. When held for 2 s, it acts as a cancel button. This lets you undo any preset editing you have done and takes you back into Preset Select mode.

Cancel an edit / selecting preset mode

Cancel an edit / selecting preset modeCancel an edit / selecting preset mode

FILTER

button, the Wah oo will leave Preset Select

footpedal

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Owner’s Manual

Connecting the Wahoo

The simplest way of connecting the Wa hoo is between your guitar and amp: connect the output of your guitar to the input ( input.

When using other effects in your signal chain, there is no right or wrong effect order—experiment to see what you can do, and be creative.

Typically, time-based effects such as reverb and delay are placed after the Wahoo so that these effects are applied to the Wa hoo’s sound.

When using distortion, the effect of connecting this before or after the Wa ho o are very different. When distortion is used after the Wahoo, the effect can be quite subtle, and any noise from the Wahoo can be enhanced (particularly with high-gain distortion effects). When distortion is placed before the Wa ho o, the Wa ho o is able to shape the harmonically-rich signal from the distortion to get more sonic variation. This also has the advantage of not boosting any noise produced by the Wahoo.

You can also connect the Wa hoo to the effects loop of your amp: connect the output of your guitar to the input of your amp, then connect the “send” of your amp to the Wahoo Wahoo back to the “return” of your amp. Depending on your amp this can give rise to excessive noise if the signal level in the effects loop is too small. If you try this, it is best to set the effects loop level to +4dBu if you have that option.

Wah oo

) of the Wah oo . Connect the output (

OUT

) of the Waho o to your amp’s

, and the

OUT

of the

Owner’s Manual

Powering the Wah oo

The Wahoo can be powered by batteries, by a 9V DC power supply (neither of these is supplied), or

USB

. Select one of the following:

• insert 4 AA batteries (alkaline can be used, but we recommend rechargeable NiMH batteries)

into the battery compartment in the base of the Wahoo. WARNING: observe correct polarity!

• plug the output of a 9V

The 9V

power supply that you use should be capable of providing 500mA and have a 2·1mm centre pin connector. Note that the Waho o has been designed so that either polarity (tip-positive or tip-negative) can be used.

USB

•plug a

cable connected to your computer or a on the back of the Wah oo . If a can provide enough current to the Wahoo.

Note that there is no problem if you connect all three power sources at once. The

USB

priority, then

, then the batteries. This ensures your batteries are not drained when they are not

needed and allows you to connect via

power supply into the port labelled DC on the back of the Wahoo.

USB

hub is used, it may need to be a powered hub to ensure it

USB

without using

power supply into the port labelled

supply takes

USB

power when a DC supply is present.

USB

Top Tip: If you are using the Wah oo on stage, use a DC power supply and batteries. That

way, if the batteries and you will, in effect, have an un-interruptible power supply.

The Wa ho o is switched on when you connect is switched on when an instrument cable is connected to

cable from

when the Wa ho o is not being used.

power supply is pulled out for any reason, the Wah oo will switch to

USB

or DC. When running from batteries, the Wah oo

. To prolong battery life, disconnect the

Enabling and bypassing the Wahoo

The main footswitch

When this output (

LED

OUT

). This connection is known as a true-bypass connection because in this state none of the Wahoo electronics are connected to the signal which keeps your original guitar/bass signal as pure as possible.

When this

LED

(filtered) signal.

The effect is enabled and disabled by briefly pressing the footswitch. Alternatively, when the footpedal is moved to the toe-down position, the effect will automatically enable. This emulates the behaviour of a classic Wah pedal which has a footswitch placed under the footpedal. Note that this feature can be turned off using the custom settings (page 27).

LED

shows the status of the Wahoo effect.

is off, the effect is completely bypassed and the input (IN) is directly connected to the

is on, the signal is passed through the Wa ho o and the output (

OUT

) is the effected

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Owner’s Manual

Note that if this page 11).

Off: On: Flash:

LED

is flashing, it means the Wah oo is in foot-operated preset selection mode (see

Footswitch LED

Footswitch LEDFootswitch LED

Effect is completely bypassed (the Wah oo has no effect on your sound).

Effect is active and the Wah oo will affect your sound.

Foot-operated preset selection mode is active. The bypassed/enabled state of the Wa hoo does not change in this mode but remains in whichever state it was in before this mode was activated.

Selecting a factory preset

There are 100 factory presets in the Wah oo . They configure the Wa ho o into a variety of set-ups, from traditional wah to sonuus’ unique pitch tracking filter effects. A summary of factory presets is at the back of this manual (page 31).

The Waho o has two modes: Preset Select mode and Preset Edit mode. By default, it is in Preset Select mode and the display alternates between the 3-character preset name and the preset number: either F00–F99 for factory presets 0 to 99 or P00–P99 for user presets 0 to 99.

If the display does not periodically show F/P00– 99, then to enter preset mode do the following.

Enter Preset Select mode

Enter Preset Select modeEnter Preset Select mode

If the display is not showing a factory or user preset (F00– F99 or P00 –P99), the Wa hoo is in Preset Edit mode: exit this mode by pressing and holding the save button for 2s.

LOCK

Alternatively, slide the Select mode when locked).

switch to the locked position (the Wah oo is always in Preset

Once the Wa ho o is in Preset Select mode, select a preset using the SSSSTTTT buttons. A single press on either button will increment/decrement the preset number by one. If you press and hold either button, the preset number will increment/decrement in tens.

Top Tip: Envelope effects have been designed for an instrument with a standard output

Wah oo

level. If your instrument has an unusually high or low output the presets may not sound correct— either too responsive or not responsive enough. Use the custom SEn parameter to adjust the sensitivity of your Wah oo (see page 27).

Owner’s Manual

Yo ur Wah oo is now ready to play. Select different presets and experiment with the wide variety of sounds that are possible.

For pedal effects (F00–F19), as you play move the footpedal in time to the music to create the wah sound. For envelope (touch) effects (F20–F39) the wah effect is controlled by how hard to play. For

LFO

(auto) effects (F40–F59) the filters will move on their own, but the footpedal can be used to control their tempo between preset limits. See “Factory presets” on page 31 for a summary of the factory presets.

While you are playing, you may accidentally bump a switch or button which will take you into Preset Edit mode. To prevent this, and stay in Preset Select mode, you can slide the locked position. Alternatively, just re-enter Preset Select mode as described above.

LOCK

switch

LOCK

switch to the

On the back panel of the Wah oo there is a slide switch labelled locked position, the Wahoo is in Preset Select mode and none of the parameters can be edited or saved: the only thing that you can do is change between presets. If you try to make a change when locked, LoC is shown briefly on the numeric display.

LOCK

mode is ideal for gigging, when you want to switch from one preset to another but be sure that you won’t accidentally make changes to your set-up. When the position, you can tweak the Wa ho o settings and save new presets.

LOCK

. When this switch is in the

LOCK

switch is in the unlocked

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Owner’s Manual

Foot-operated preset selection

Preset selection using the SSSSTTTT buttons and the save button was described in “Selecting a factory preset” on page 9. There is an alternative method of preset selection using the footswitch and the footpedal. This has been specially designed to make it easy to change presets when you are gigging. Using this method, you don’t have to bend down and select presets using your hands.

Preset selection using the footswitch and footpedal

Preset selection using the footswitch and footpedalPreset selection using the footswitch and footpedal

Enter preset mode by pressing and holding the footswitch until the footswitch The time you have to hold for has a default value of 2s, however this is a custom parameter that you can change (see “Custom settings” on page 27).

To increase the preset number, put the footpedal in toe down position (the SSSS button flashes to show that the preset number will increase) then tap (press and release) the footswitch the desired number of times until you reach the preset number you want. To decrease the preset number, move the footpedal to heel down position (the TTTT button now flashes) then tap the footswitch until you reach the preset you want.

When you have reached the preset number you want, you can play and even change presets while playing. However, while in preset select mode you can’t enable or bypass the effect: to do this you have to exit preset mode by pressing and holding the footswitch until the footswitch time to enter it.

Note 1: In foot-operated preset selection mode, you can only step through the presets one at a time (not in tens as you can if you use the SSSS TTTTand save buttons). We therefore recommend that for a gig, you make sure that you save the presets you want to use close in number to one another.

Note 2: In foot-operated preset selection mode, you can still use the SSSS TTTT buttons as normal to select presets, and to increment/decrement in 10s if required.

LED

stops flashing. The hold time to exit preset mode is the same as the hold

LED

flashes.

LED

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Owner’s Manual

Creating your own presets

You can create and store up to 100 user presets on the Wah oo . The steps for creating a preset are straight-forward.

Creating and saving a user preset

Creating and saving a user presetCreating and saving a user preset

Ensure that the user), adjust the Wahoo musical effect. These settings are discussed in detail later.

Save the preset. Press the save button. Use the SSSSTTTT buttons to select a user preset number (P00–P99) where you would like to store your preset. The name of the existing preset (if any) flashes alternately with the preset number to help you select either an unused preset or a preset to overwrite. Press the save button again when you have selected your preset number. You can now edit the three-character preset name. Using any one of the three knobs ( press a knob to advance to the next of the three characters in the preset name. Finally, press the save button to write your preset to the chosen location.

The save button flashes while this save process is in progress. To abandon the save at any time, and revert to Preset Select mode, press and hold the save button for 2 seconds.

When you press the Wah oo will enter Preset Edit mode. The flashing displayed on the numeric display. Pressing a knob will let you select another parameter to be edited. For example, successive presses on the drive, filt mix 1/2, dry/wet and output.

Change the value of a parameter by turning the knob next the that parameter’s you have the value that you want for that parameter, select another parameter to edit. When you have completed your editing, you can save your setup as described previously.

Some parameters have sub-parameters. For these, the SSSSTTTT buttons will also flash. Cycle round the sub-parameters using the SSSSTTTT buttons. The name of the sub-parameters is shown on the display to make it clear what is being selected for editing. Turn the knob to change the value of the sub-parameter that is being edited.

All of the filter parameters and the mode parameters can be set independently for each of the two filters. Select which filter to edit by using the and filter 2. The filter whose settings are being altered is indicated by the illuminated filter

LED

(1 or 2).

LOCK

switch is in the unlocked position. Starting from any preset (factory or

settings using the

LEVEL, FILTER

Selecting and changing parameters

Selecting and changing parametersSelecting and changing parameters

FILTER

button, or press or move a knob (

LEVEL, FILTER

MODE

) turn the knob to cycle through A-Z, 0-9 and

and

MODE

knobs to get the desired

LED

LEVEL

FILTER

LEVEL, FILTER

shows which parameter is being

knob will cycle between editing

button to switch between filter 1

MODE

LED

), the

. When

Wah oo

Owner’s Manual

Adjusting

LEVEL

The level parameters apply to the input and output of the Wa ho o rather than to the individual filters.

Parameter Sub-parameter Range Description

drive 0–100 Gain of pre-amp feeding the filters.

filt mix 1/2 0–100

dry/wet 0–100

output out 0–100 Signal level at the output jack.

thr 0–200

Proportion of filter 1 and filter 2 that form output signal 0 gives 100% filter 1; 100 gives 100% filter 2.

Proportion of original instrument signal that is mixed into the output of the Wahoo .

Threshold: noise gate threshold. 0 means the noise gate is inactive, increasing the value increases the signal level at which the noise gate becomes active.

The Wah oo signal chain is shown below.

filter 1

filt mix 1/2

thr

gate

drive

G.At

filter 2

dry/wet mix

OUT

out

LEVEL

drive.

The Wa hoo uses warm-sounding analogue filters. As the signal feeding the filters is increased, the filter sound begins to distort and add pleasing harmonics to the signal. Turn the drive down for the cleanest sound, but if the drive is too low the signal will become noisy. Turn the drive up for lower noise, and warmer sounds: but if it is turned up too high the sound will become fuzzy, which can itself be a desirable effect.

LEVEL

filt mix 1/2.

This controls the filter mixer: the proportion of filter 1 and filter 2 that form the output of the Wah oo . 0 gives 100% filter 1, 100 gives 100% filter 2. Note that, to make editing simpler, the active filter will automatically switch to 1 or 2 when 100% of that filter is selected.

LEVEL

dry/wet.

Wahoo. 0 (dry) means that the output of the Waho o is entirely the thru’ signal,

Wah oo

This lets you mix the uneffected instrument’s signal into the effected output of the

i.e.,

the output is

Owner’s Manual

unaffected by the Wa hoo filters. 100 (wet) means only the filtered sound is present in the output. This parameter be used to retain some of the sonic character of the original instrument sound. For example, for bass envelope filtering it is common to retain some dry signal to ensure the initial attack of notes is retained.

LEVEL

output (out).

original sound (when the effect is bypassed) and the effected sound. It is possible to increase the output level to boost the signal beyond the level of the original instrument level which can be useful, for example, to overdrive the input stage of a valve amplifier. Note that at high output settings, the output stage will start to soft-saturate. This lets you achieve louder sounds without worrying about unpleasant clipping, regardless of how hard you play.

LEVEL

output (thr).

a discussion on filters), have an audible output with no input signal. If you want to remove this, you can do so by adjusting the output threshold, thr, sub-parameter until the sound disappears. The threshold sub-parameter acts like a noise gate by moving the filter cutoff frequency to a lower-thanaudible frequency when the input level is below the threshold you set. Because this is not a true noise gate, you may hear a frequency sweep as the frequency moves when the signal level falls to below the threshold you set. Note that gate attack is a global setting (see “Custom settings” on page 27).

Typically you adjust the output level so there is a good balance between the

Some presets, depending on the resonant filter setup (see the next section for

Adjusting

All of the filter parameters apply individually to each of the two filters. You can select the parameter to edit, then switch between filter 1 and filter 2, or you can select a filter and then cycle through all the parameters for that filter, or you can do a combination of these—the order in which you edit is flexible.

Parameter Sub-parameter Range Description

Q-hi 0–100 Q of the filter at freq-hi.

Q-lo 0–100 Q of the filter at freq-lo.

freq-hi 10– 4·00 Cutoff frequency of the filter in Hz (k Hz).

freq-lo 10– 4·00 Cutoff frequency of the filter in Hz (k Hz).

shape Cur

Shp Lo

Lo9–Lo1, Lin, hi1–hi9

bnd

FILTER

Curve: controls how the filter cutoff control is mapped onto the filter’s cutoff frequency.

Filter type: low-pass band-pass

Wah oo

Owner’s Manual

FILTER

freq-hi, freq-lo.

The cutoff can range from 10Hz (which is lower than you can hear) up to 4000Hz. Values above 999Hz are shown in kHz (

It is simple on the Wa hoo to create reverse (inverted) filter sweeps: simply set freq-hi to be smaller than freq-lo.

“hi” and “lo” refer to the modulator position: when the footpedal is in toe-down position (or the envelope follower is at a maximum), the value freq-hi is used, whether this is greater than, or smaller than, freq-lo.

FILTER

shape.

frequencies and to enhance other frequencies. The simplest filter to understand is a low-pass filter. It is named after the part of the frequency spectrum that remains after the filtering has happened. A low-pass filter filters out (removes) high frequencies and allows low frequencies to remain (to pass). The frequency above which the high frequencies are removed is called the cutoff frequency, fc.

The Waho o filters can be configured as low-pass or band-pass filters. A band-pass filter removes frequencies above and below a specified frequency and only allows those frequencies in the specified band to pass. The diagram below shows the frequency response of a low-pass and of a band-pass filter. The centre frequency, rather than the cutoff frequency, is defined for a band-pass filter, both are shown as fc.

A musical sound contains many frequencies. A filter is used to remove some of these

The cutoff frequency of the filter can be set by entering the value in Hz.

i.e.,

2500Hz is shown as “2·50”).

Reverse filter sweeps

Reverse filter sweepsReverse filter sweeps

Signal Level [dB]

-100

Wah oo

-20

-40

-60

-80

low-pass band-pass

Frequency

24dB per octave roll-off

Owner’s Manual

Note that frequencies above the cutoff frequency do not immediately fall to zero. The slope of the curve beyond the cutoff frequency is called the filter roll-off and is a characteristic of the filter. The roll-off is measured in dB per octave and the low-pass filter in the Wa hoo has a roll-off of 24dB per octave. The band-pass filter has a roll-off of 12dB per octave on each side of fc. Note that this means the low-pass filter is more effective at removing frequencies above fc than the band-pass filter.

The shape of the filter around the cutoff frequency is another characteristic of the filter and is represented by the parameter Q (or resonance). A high value of Q is associated with a “peaky” filter which has high gain at the cutoff frequency. At maximum Q the Wa ho o filters will self-oscillate at fc even with no input signal.

Unlike other filter effects, the Wa ho o lets you dynamically change the filter Q as the cutoff frequency changes by using the Q-hi and Q-lo parameters. This gives you enhanced control of the sonic character of the filter and makes it easier to emulate vintage filter effects.

Signal Level [dB]

-10

low-Q

mid -Q high-Q

-20

Frequency

Different effects are achieved using low-pass and band-pass filtering. Low-pass filtering will retain more of the original signal’s low end, whereas band-pass filtering can often introduce more character into the sound.

FILTER

curve.

envelope tracker. Take the example of using the footpedal to control the cutoff frequency of the filter. Normally the filter cutoff, from freq-lo to freq-hi, is mapped linearly to the output via the position of the footpedal. The minimum filter cutoff is usually achieved with the footpedal in heel down position and the maximum with the footpedal in toe down position. The filter cutoff is controlled linearly by the position of the footpedal when the footpedal is between its two extreme positions.

The Wah oo allows you to change this mapping from linear to the curves shown below.

Changing the curve lets you adjust the “feel” of the footpedal, or the response of the

Wah oo

Owner’s Manual

This allows you to have more control and configurability of analogue filters than has ever been possible before. If you select one of the lo curves, the filter cutoff changes more rapidly towards the end of the travel of footpedal towards the toe down position. The hi curves change the filter cutoff more rapidly at the start of the travel of the footpedal from the heel down position.

If this seems a little complicated, the best way of remembering how lo and hi work is that a lo curve spends more time near freq-lo, while a hi curve spends more time near freq-hi. The higher the

i.e.,

number

For simplicity, we started with the example of how the footpedal controls the filter cutoff. However,

LFO

in parameter works—simply adjust Cur to get the sound you want!

Lo9 rather than Lo1, the more pronounced the effect.

, envelope and pitch modes, the same principle holds. Don’t worry too much about how this

Vocal sounds

To get very vocal-sounding filter effects, you must use both Wah oo filters working together ( operating in the same mode so that they track each other). Doing this lets you approximate the pairs of dominant resonances that are present in the vocal tract when forming vowel sounds. See

“Creating vowel sounds” on page 25 for a table of which cutoff frequencies to set to get various

vowel-like sounds from the Wah oo .

Wah oo

i.e.,

Owner’s Manual

Adjusting

The

MODE

described above. Each of the two filters has one mode, selected from pedal,

controls of the Wah oo work slightly differently from the

MODE

LEVEL

and

LFO

, envelope or pitch,

FILTER

controls

and the mode for each filter can be different. Configure each filter separately, switching between them using the

FILTER

button. For each filter, press the

MODE

knob to cycle through the modes, stopping on the operating mode you want for this filter. Use the SSSSTTTT buttons to cycle through the sub-parameters for this mode and turn the

MODE

knob to change the values of the sub-parameters. You do not need to set up values for the sub-parameters of the other modes for this filter—you only set up the single mode that you have selected for this filter.

When both filters are in the same mode they can work together to create thick, vocal tones. When the filters are in different modes you can get new interesting effects.

Note: the custom parameters are covered later in this manual (see “Custom settings” on page 27). They operate separately from the four modes described above.

Pedal mode

If you select pedal mode for a filter, you can select standard wah pedal operation or operation by setting the value of the pedal parameter as described in the following table. For details on

MIDI

operation, refer to

“

MIDI

operation” on page 25.

Pedal parameter value Description

PEd pedal: The Wah oo footpedal controls the filter: standard wah pedal mode.

CtL control:

rEM remote:

not note:

MIDI

expression controller (14-bit) controls the filter.

MIDI

cut-off and resonance controllers (7-bit) control the filter.

MIDI

note controls the filter.

MIDI

-controlled

Wah oo

Owner’s Manual

LFO

mode

LFO

mode, an internal low-frequency-oscillator (

can be controlled precisely and can even be synchronised with a sequencer using

on page 25

). The following sub-parameters configure the

LFO

sub-

parameter

tPo

tyP

bPM 10– 999 Sets

bP.h 10– 999

bP.L 10–999

div

ShP

StE oFF, 1 –16 Step: quantizes the

r.u P 0–100

r.d n 0–100 Ramp down: only available for trapezoid.

PhA 0–63

-F1 tAP PEd Syn

16, 8, 6, 4, 3, 2, 1,

/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/

Sin tri Sqr S.uP S.dn trP rnd

Range Description

LFO

) controls the filter cutoff. The speed of the

LFO

Typ e o f

LFO

tempo in bpm derived from filter 1’s pedal is used to tap a tempo pedal controls max (bP.h) and min (bP.L) bpm sync’d to

bpm high: bpm when footpedal is in toe down position. Only available when tyP is set to PEd. bpm is interpolated between bpm-high and bpm-low depending on the position of the footpedal.

bpm low: bpm when footpedal is in heel down position. Only available when tyP is set to PEd.

Clock multiplier. For example, if the clock is 120bpm and div is set to

Shape of sinusoid triangle square saw up saw down trapezoid random

Ramp up: only available for trapezoid. See below for details on how trapezoids are set up.

Phase: controls the phase of filter 2 relative to filter 1. Only available when tyP is -F1,

clock:

LFO

(only available for filter 2)

MIDI

clock

LFO

tempo in bpm. Only available if tyP is set to tPo.

/2 , the

LFO

clock will run at 60bpm.

LFO

waveform:

LFO

output to this number of steps.

i.e.,

filter 2 is sync’d to filter 1.

MIDI

(

“

MIDI

LFO

operation”

Wah oo

Owner’s Manual

The diagram below shows examples of the different shapes of waveforms, selected using the ShP sub-parameter. The random waveform takes a different random value every cycle (the cycle is defined by the bPM and div sub-parameters).

sinusoid

square saw up

saw down trapezoid

example of random

triangular

The trapezoidal waveform is highly configurable: examples of trapezoidal waveforms are shown below. In the Wah oo, the shape of the trapezoid is controlled by the parameters ramp up and ramp down, referring to the left and right sides of the waveforms shown. One cycle of the trapezoid waveform is represented by 100 time units. The sum of ramp up and ramp down cannot exceed 100. If the sum of ramp up and ramp down is less than 100, the remaining time is split evenly between t and tb shown below.

Wah oo

Owner’s Manual

r.u p r.d n

+ r.dn = 100

r.up + 2t

100

Using the trapezoid waveform, you can generate a square wave (ramp up = ramp down = 0), a triangular wave (ramp up = ramp down = 50), a saw-up wave (ramp up = 100, ramp down = 0) and a saw-down wave (ramp up = 0, ramp down = 100) in addition to trapezoidal waveforms.

triangular wave

= 0, r.up = r.dn = 50

r.up + r.dn = 100

r.u p

r.d n

100

saw-up wave

= 0, r.up = 100, r.dn = 0

r.up + r.dn = 100

r.u p

100

The sub-parameter tyP, lets you select the

LFO

clock type. The options for the clock are: it can be set

square wave r.u p = r.dn = 0, ta= 50

2 t

= 100

100

saw-down wave t

= 0, r.up = 0, r.dn = 100

r.up + r.dn = 100

r.d n

100

as a tempo (tPo) using the bPM sub-parameter; for filter 2 it can be sync’d to filter 1’s clock (-F1); tempo can be tapped using the footpedal (tAP); tempo can be controlled by the footpedal position

Wah oo

Owner’s Manual

(PEd), where the extremes of the footpedal position have bpm values bP.h and bP.L; or the clock can

MIDI

be sycn’d (Syn) to external

clock.

The tempo is in beats per minute, bpm. The sub-parameters bPM, bP.h and bP.L have a range between 10 and 999. To achieve slower and faster tempos, the div sub-parameter multiplies the value of the tempo set by the tyP clock source. As an example, if filter 1 tyP is tPo, bPM is 120bpm and div is 2, and filter 2 tyP is -F1 and div is tempo equal to

/2 of 120,

i.e.,

60bpm.

/2, then filter 1 has tempo of 240bpm and filter 2 has

If filter 2 is sync’d to filter 1 (tyP is -F1), then the PhA parameter is used to control the phase offset between the filters. PhA set to 0 means that the filters are in-phase; PhA set to 32 means that the filters are out-of-phase, and settings in-between give degrees of out-of-phaseness. The figure below shows a sinusoid and two examples of different values of the phase offset, PhA.

Fil ter 1, si nusoi d Filt er 2, pha = 16 Filt er 2, pha = 32

Envelope mode

In envelope tracking mode, the following sub-parameters are used:

Envelope

sub-

parameter

SEn 0–999 Sensitivity: how sensitively the filter follows the envelope.

Att 0–200 Attack: how quickly the filter follows an increase in signal.

dEC 0–200 Decay: how quickly the filter follows a decrease in signal.

Range Description

In envelope tracking mode, the filter cutoff control follows the signal level. The cutoff control increases and decreases as the signal becomes louder and quieter. SEn, the sensitivity subparameter, controls how sensitively the filter follows the signal envelope—a high value means that the filter will move easily with gently playing; a low value means that you will have to play hard to get the filter to move much. Att and dEC control how quickly the follower reacts to an increase and decrease in signal loudness, respectively.

Wah oo

Owner’s Manual

Note that the sensitivity can also be used to tweak the envelope tracker for different musical instruments: for example, a high output bass and a low output bass may need different values of sensitivity to get the same feel. However, we recommend that the global SEn parameter in custom (see “Custom settings” on page 27) is used instead to adjust for instrument characteristics so that it is easier to switch between different instruments and to make it easier to exchange presets with other users.

Pitch mode

If a filter is in pitch mode, the following sub-parameters are used:

Pitch subparameter

tyP bEn

Att 0–200 Attack: how fast the filter follows pitch changes.

S.tn 1–36

rEF bot

FrE −99–99

trA

Ctr toP

Range Description

Pitch-bend or pitch-track: bend track

Semitones: maximum pitch bend in semi-tones. (Only available if tyP is bEn.)

Pitch bend reference: defines whether the starting point of a bend is (only available if tyP is bEn): bottom centre top

Frequency: pitch tracking frequency offset (tone). (Only available if tyP is trA)

The pitch mode can be set to either pitch-track or pitch-bend using the tyP sub-parameter. These innovative effects use sonuus’ unique, highly acclaimed, pitch detection and tracking technology.

Top Tip: Pitch tracking is monophonic (it can only track single notes) but you can still

Pitch-track (trA).

play chords in pitch mode: the Waho o will track the dominant note. For best control of the effect in pitch mode, play single notes clearly.

In pitch-track mode, the cutoff frequency of the Waho o filter is set to follow the pitch of the notes that you play. There are three parameters that control how this happens. The pitch tracking can be offset from the pitch of the notes you play by adjusting the FrE frequency subparameter— a positive number can move the filter frequency higher by up to 4 octaves; a negative number can move the filter frequency lower by up to 4 octaves. The other two parameters that control the pitch tracking are freq-hi and freq-lo in the filter set-up. The pitch tracking frequency is limited to always be between freq-hi and freq-lo. You can picture pitch tracking as a filter that moves with the pitch of your notes within frequency limits you define ( just like when a synthesizer’s filter is set to “keytrack” mode). It allows you to create interesting tonal effects, including synth-like sounds,

Wah oo

Owner’s Manual

for example by configuring a low-pass filter to remove the harmonics of your instrument’s signal to leave only the fundamental tone. The tracking will only follow your playing exactly when the curve sub-parameter of the filter ShP parameter is set to linear (Lin). If one of the other setting is selected (Lo9–hi9), you will change the point at which the filter follows your playing. Although this will be less predictable, you can create some nice effects like this.

Pitch-bend (bEn).

moves. You set how much of a bend should map onto the maximum cutoff control—this is set in semitones via the S.tn sub-parameter and can be between 1 and 36 semitones. Obviously, the larger values are not applicable to note-bending with your fingers; they apply to bending using a whammy/ tremolo bar. The extremes of the pitch-bend are then mapped to the values of freq-lo and freq-hi: the limits you have set for the filter cutoff frequency. The reference point of the bend is set by the rEF sub-parameter. The reference point is the filter cutoff frequency before you apply a bend. For example, if the reference is bottom, then the filter cutoff is at freq-lo before you bend. Bending up by S.tn causes the filter cutoff to increase to freq-hi. The effect of different reference points is shown in the diagram below.

cutoff frequency

freq-hi

ref = top

In pitch-bend mode, when you bend a note, the cutoff frequency of the filter

bend down

ref = bottom

freq-lo

ref = centre

-semitones +semitones

Top Tip: Pitch tracking is optimised for different instruments. You can choose the

instrument setting in the custom settings (see “Custom settings” on page 27) to select between guitar, 4-string bass and 5-string bass.

note centre frequency

d u

Wah oo

Owner’s Manual

Creating vowel sounds

To create convincing vowel sounds, you need to use both Waho o filters working together to produce the characteristic frequency components of the desired vowels. The table below shows typical cutoff frequencies that can be set on each filter to obtain each vowel sound. Note that these values are approximate and are a good starting point. From here you can adjust the frequency and Q of each filter and experiment to see what sounds most vowel-like to you. Also try configuring one filter as band-pass and the other filter as low-pass to get variations of the sound.

How to use: to go from “ee” to “ah”, set freq-lo to the “ee” values, and freq-hi to the “ah” values.

Vow el

Frequency [Hz]

Vowel

Frequency [Hz]

Filter 1 Filter 2 Filter 1 Filter 2

ee 300 2700 i 400 2500

ah 800 1200 e 600 2300

aw 600 800 u 500 1100

oo 350 800 uh 750 1400

ae 800 2000 er 500 1600

MIDI

operation

It is possible to control the Wah oo with example, the footpedal always sends 14-bit expression controller messages on can use the Wahoo to control synthesizers.

MIDI

input or to use the Wa ho o as a

MIDI

can also be used to synchronise

MIDI

controller. For

MIDI

channel 0 so you

LFO

s to your

sequencer to ensure their tempo matches that of your song, or to automate preset selection.

Connect the Wah oo to a

USB

to the

port of the Wa ho o. The necessary drivers are part of the operating system so your

port of y our c omputer (

OSX

, Windows, Linux) via a

USB

cable connected

USB

computer will automatically configure itself to work with the Waho o. Once this is done, new and

MIDI

-out ports will appear, named “Wahoo”. To send

MIDI

software to the “Wahoo” software to the “Wahoo”

The following standard

MIDI

message Chan Description

Controllers

Expression #11 #43 0 Always sent whenever the footpedal is moved.

-out port. To receive

MIDI

-in port.

MIDI

messages are supported.

MSB LSB

MIDI

messages to the Wah oo , connect your

MIDI

messages from the Wah oo, connect your

MIDI

output (from Wahoo to computer)

MIDI

-in

Wah oo

Owner’s Manual

MIDI

input (from computer to Wahoo)

MIDI

message

MIDI

sync

MIDI

clock

Song position

Chan

N/A Used when

LFO

is in

MIDI

Description

sync (Syn) mode.

Program Change

Selects the preset to be used. Operates on the currently

Program Change omni

Controllers

Bank Select #0 #32 omni

Expression #11 #43 F(0,1)

Cutoff #74 — F(0,1) Controls filter in pedal (rEM) mode.

Resonance #71 — F(0,1)

MSB LSB

selected bank (factory or user). Use Bank Select controller message to switch between factory and user banks.

Selects factory (0) or user (1) preset bank. (Factory: #0=0, #32=0. User: #0=0, #32=1.)

Controls filter in pedal (CtL) mode. The controller works just like a remote footpedal.

Cutoff moves filter between freq-lo and freq-hi Resonance sets the Q from 0 to 100. (Q-lo and Q-hi are not used in this mode.)

Note messages

Controls filter in pedal (not) mode.

Note-on F(0,1)

a. Chan nel F(0,1): Channel 0 = Filter1, Chan nel 1 = Filter2.

The filter cutoff is set to the frequency of the note within the limits set by freq-lo and freq-hi.

Battery monitoring

When the battery level is getting low, bAt will periodically appear on the display to warn you.

To see the estimated percentage of battery life remaining, simultaneously press and hold the

FILTER

button and the SSSS button. When using batteries, it is a good idea to check the remaining battery capacity before a performance so that you can replace/recharge the batteries if required.

USB

Note that when

power are available, the displayed battery level will not show the correct value, but will instead show a value related to the available supply voltage. This is because when an alternative power supply is available, the batteries are disconnected to prolong their life.

Wah oo

Owner’s Manual

Custom settings

Further configurability of the Wa hoo is possible through custom. This lets you change the setup of the Wahoo to suit your own instruments or personal preferences. For example, you can adjust the display

LED

studio.

The custom settings are different from all of the other parameters: they affect the Waho o’s set -up, not the set-up of the current preset in a preset, they are stored in the Wah oo itself. They take effect from when they are changed. They are not changed by switching from one preset to another.

To make changes to the custom sub-parameters, enter custom mode by pressing and holding the

MODE

parameter

LEd 40 1–100

int gtr

SEn 0 −60– 60

P. E n on oFF, on

g.At 0 0–200

FS.t 4 (2s) oFF, 1 –8

brightness to a very low level to prolong battery life or to suit working in a darkened

i.e.,

they are global settings. The custom settings are not stored

knob for 2s.

Custom

sub-

Default Range Description

LED

brightness: 1 is minimum, 100 maximum. Reducing the

brightness is useful for dark environments and for battery saving.

Instrument (used for pitch-tracking and envelope-tracking)

gtr

bA4

bA5

guitar (perfect for guitar, but also good for 4-string bass. Use this unless you need optimal pitch-tracking of the lowest notes.)

4-string bass (best to track the lowest notes of 4-string bass, but also works well with 5-string bass)

5-string bass (best to track the lowest notes of 5-string bass)

Applies a global adjustment for envelope mode sensitivity (SEn) to compensate for instruments with different output levels. Gives a range of ±24dB.

Pedal enable. Allows you to enable the effect by moving the footpedal to the “toe-down” position rather than having to first press the footswitch.

Noise gate attack—how quickly the noise gate moves the filter cutoff frequency when the output falls to below the threshold set.

Footswitch time. Time in 500 ms steps that footswitch is held to enter and exit foot-operated preset selection mode.

LED

Wah oo

Owner’s Manual

User modifications of the Wahoo

For the avoidance of doubt, opening any part of the Wah oo other than the battery compartment will always cause your warranty to be invalid.

However, we realise that musicians sometimes make the minor modification of reducing the footpedal travel by sticking a piece of rubber under the front (heel position) of the footpedal. If you do this, you will need to follow the pedal calibration procedure below (page 29). Any damage caused to the Wah oo deemed by sonuus to be caused directly or indirectly by this (or any other) modification will not be covered by the warranty.

The rubber stop at the back of the footpedal (under the toe position) should never be modified to avoid damage to the pedal sensor.

Filter calibration

The Waho o uses analogue filters and a pure analogue signal chain. These analogue electronics can be sensitive to temperature changes. To ensure presets continue to sound the same each time you use them, and so you can exchange presets with other Wah oo users and get the same sound, the Wahoo uses temperature-compensated calibration. Calibration has been done in the factory before you receive your Wahoo , but you may want or need to adjust this, for example if you are using the Wahoo in a particularly hot or cold environment.

Calibration has the best results if the Wah oo has been on for at least ten minutes so it can warm up to a stable temperature. If you calibrate the Wah oo in a warm room straight after you have brought it in from a cold car, the calibration may not remain accurate as the Wahoo warms up.

For calibration, the Wah oo outputs a tone by making the filters self-oscillate. To see this tone you need to connect the output of the Wah oo to a tuner that can tune 880 Hz (A5). Enter calibration mode by simultaneously pressing and holding the is displayed. Now adjust the

FILTER

button and do the same for the other filter. To save the calibration and exit calibration mode, press the save button. Alternatively, save and exit calibration mode with another simultaneous press of both the

If you enter calibration mode accidentally and want to exit without saving, press and hold the save button to cancel.

FILTER

button and the

FILTER

knob until the output of the Wah oo is 880 Hz (A5). Press the

FILTER

knob.

FILTER

button and the

FILTER

knob for 4s until CAL

Wah oo

Owner’s Manual

Pedal calibration

Pedal calibration lets you configure the how much of the travel of the footpedal controls the effect. Normally you won’t need to do this but if you make modifications such as limiting the travel of the Wahoo by sticking a rubber stop under the front of the footpedal, then this calibration will be useful.

FILTER

Enter calibration mode by simultaneously pressing and holding the for 4s until CAL is displayed. Rock the footpedal from one extreme to the other a few times. Save this calibration and exit calibration mode by pressing the save button or with another simultaneous press of the

If you enter calibration mode accidentally and want to exit without saving, press and hold the save button to cancel.

FILTER

button and the

MODE

knob.

button and the

MODE

knob

Warranty

The Wa hoo is supported by a limited warranty for a period of one year form the date of purchase. During this period, any faults due to defective materials or workmanship will be rectified (by repair or replacement) free of charge. A unit under warranty may be replaced with a reconditioned unit.

The warranty excludes damage caused by deliberate or accidental misuse or modification. It is the user’s responsibility to ensure fitness for purpose in any particular application. The warranty is limited to the original purchaser, and excludes any consequential damage or loss.

Proof of purchase date is required for any claim under this warranty.

Warranty claims must be made through the retailer from whom the original purchase was made.

Wah oo

Owner’s Manual

Firmware updating

To support new features and to make it future-proof, firmware (internal software) of the Wah oo can be upgraded.

To update the Waho o firmware you will need to download the latest firmware file (.sfu) and Firmware Updater software (which includes an instruction manual). The updater software is available for both account at the following web site:

cccc

dddd

eeee

ffff

Note: if the Wa ho o detects that your firmware is corrupt, it will boot straight into update mode to let you update the firmware.

OSX

and Windows. To access these files, you need to register and create a user

To update firmware on the

To update firmware on the Wa ho o

To update firmware on the To update firmware on the

While powering-on the Wah oo, press and hold:

The numeric display now shows UPd to indicate firmware update mode is active.

Connect the Wah oo to your computer via

Follow the steps in the Firmware Updater manual you have downloaded.

FILTER

+ SSSS.

USB

(if not already done during power-on).

Wah oo

Owner’s Manual

Special key presses

Mode Key Presses

Filter calibration: enter

save and exit cancel and exit

Pedal calibration: enter

save and exit cancel and exit

Battery monitoring Simultaneously press and hold

Firmware update mode: enter

exit

Cancel edit (enter Preset Select mode)

Foot-operated preset mode enter/exit

Display firmware version

Simultaneously press and hold displayed. Press save. Press and hold save to cancel.

Simultaneously press and hold

Restart the Waho o.

Press and hold save for 2s.

Press and hold footswitch until footswitch

Press and hold save on power-on (version number is shown until you release the save button).

FILTER

button +

FILTER

knob for 4 s until CAL is

FILTER

button +

FILTER

+ SSSS to display % battery charge.

FILTER

+ SSSS when powering-on the Waho o.

MODE

knob for 4s until CAL is

LED

starts/stops flashing.

Factory presets

The 100 Waho o factory presets are arranged in 10 groups, summarised in the table below.

Factory Preset Number Description

F00– F09 Pedal mode. Variations of 1 filter, but sometimes 2,

F10– F19 Pedal vowel sounds: some clean, some throaty.

F20– F29 Touch wah/guitar.

F30– F39 Bass envelope.

F40– F49

F50– F59

F60– F69

F70– F79 Pitch-bend and pitch-track.

Wah oo

LFO

(not stepped).

LFO

stepped— more rhythmic.

LFO

beats—one filter providing a beat, the other sometimes in another mode.

e.g.,

octaves.

Owner’s Manual

Factory Preset Number Description

F80– F89 Bubbly. Envelope follower with two filters.

F90– F99 Mix-up. Combinations of different modes. Some exotic and strange.

Specification

Physical & Electrical

Size 171mm × 192mm × 76mm

Power 9V DC (any polarity), 4 × AA batteries, USB (500mA max)

Audio Input 6·35mm (¼") mono jack | 900 kΩ impedance

Audio Output 6·35mm (¼") mono jack | 3 kΩ impedance

Computer Standard Type B USB socket

Effect

Signal switching Transparent-True-Bypass

Presets 100 factory | 100 user

Number of filters 2

Cutoff range 10Hz–4000Hz

Resonance 0 (subtle) – 100 (self-oscillating)

Filter type Band-pass (12dB/octave), low-pass (24 dB/octave)

LFO

types Sine, square, triangle, saw-up, saw-down, trapezoid, random

Filter modes Pedal,

Mixer Filter drive, filter1/2 mix, wet/dry mix, output level

Drivers Class-compliant HID/USB Audio (built into operating system)

Computer (Editor)

Computer (MIDI)

LFO

, envelope, pitch-bend, pitch-track

Computer

Windows XP, Vista, 7 and above Apple OSX 10·5 and above (Intel Mac only)

Windows XP, Vista, 7 and above Apple OSX 10·3·9 and above

Wah oo

Peterson Sonuus Wahoo User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual