Pigtronix Rototron User Manual

Rototron

User’s Guide

All contentscAbsara Audio LLC 2014

Contents

Contents 1

1 Welcome 2

2 Anatomy 3

2.1 Footswitches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

2.2 Knobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

2.3 Jacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

3 Getting Started 6

3.1 Basic Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

3.2 Guided Tour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

4 Acknowledgements 8

5 Pigtronix Limited Warranty 9

6 Safety Precautions 10

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1. Welcome

Thank you for entering the realm of Pigtronix.

Your new Rototron is an all-analog rotary speaker simulator effect that
achieves unsurpassed 3D realism in a compact, easy-to-use pedal. The
Pigtronix Rototron effectively recreates the complex acoustic phenomenon
of the legendary dual-rotor 122 and 147 Leslie cabinets as used by Peter
Frampton, Danny Gatton, the Beatles and many others. Independent Slow
and Fast speed controls with adjustable ramp time allow musicians to enjoy
the mesmerizing sound of speeding up and slowing down an actual rotary
cabinet. A remotely switchable Brake function completes the authentic ex­perience, while independent expression pedal jacks for the low and high
rotors enable some entirely new variations on psychedelic bliss—without the
back-breaking hassle.

The Rototron utilizes a Quadrature LFO to drive simultaneous frequency
modulation, phase shifting, tremolo, bucket brigade-based chorusing. These
voices have been meticulously combined using a Linkwitz-Riley crossover
deutsign to generate a three-dimensional acoustic hologram. The analog
circuitry used within the Rototron sounds warmer, fatter and feels far more
realistic than the digital rotary effects currently available from other compa­nies. Line-level headroom and full-stereo i/o complete this utterly hypnotic
rotary simulator from Pigtronix.

In keeping with Pigtronix tradition, the controls on your Rototron have been
tuned to provide the fattest possible tone and the widest range of musical
possibilities. Rototron was born out of a passion for versatile, expressive
musical effects; it is built to last and designed to inspire.

We hope that the Rototron will provide you with years of creative satisfac­tion.

−Pigtronix

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2. Anatomy

2.1 Footswitches

Engage

This footswitch toggles the entire Rototron effect on and off. When
the engage light is turned off, the Rototron is bypassed.

Slow/Fast

This footswitch selects between the slow and fast speeds as set by
their respective knobs.

2.2 Knobs

Slow

This knob controls the rate of rotation in the Slow setting.

Fast

This knob controls the rate of rotation in the Fast setting.

Depth

This knob sets the overall intensity of the rotary speaker effect.

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CHAPTER 2. ANATOMY 4

Ramp

This knob determines the time it takes for the effect to change between
the Slow and Fast speed settings.

The Ramp knob will also control the rate of acceleration and deceler­ation when using the Brake function.

2.3 Jacks

DC Power

We recommend you use the 18-Volt, 300mA, negative-tip power sup­ply that came with your Pigtronix Rototron. Any approved 2.1mm
negative-tip regulated power supply with at least 100mA of current
will work. Using the wrong power supply is likely to result in a dam­aged pedal.

In 1

Instrument Input 1. This is main input to use with a mono source
such as a guitar.If your instrument has stereo outputs, use this jack
as the left channel.

In 2

Use Input 2 for the right channel of a stereo instrument. When the
Rototron is engaged, it processes audio from Input 1 only. When by­passed the true stereo audio from the inputs is passed to both outputs.

CHAPTER 2. ANATOMY 5

Out 1

Effect output. Use a standard (TS) 1/4” instrument cable. Amp,
mixer, or DI goes here.

Out 2

Effect output. Use a standard (TS) 1/4” instrument cable. Amp,
mixer, or DI goes here. When using a mixer, hard pan the outputs left
and right.

Brake

Plug in a momentary or latching remote switch here. Pressing the
switch toggles the brake function on and off. When the Brake is
turned on, the rotation will slow down and eventually stop. When the
brake is turned off, the rotation will speed back up.

Low Rotor Control

Plug in a TRS Low Impedance Expression pedal here. This allows
remote speed control of the low rotor independent of the high rotor.

High Rotor Control

Plug in a TRS Low Impedance Expression pedal here. This allows
remote speed control of the high rotor, independent of the low rotor.

You can use the Pigtronix Dual Expression Pedal to contol both high
and low rotors at the same time. The Polarity reversal function on
the Dual Expression pedal even allows one rotor to speed up while the
other slows down!

3. Getting Started

3.1 Basic Setup

1. Unpack your Rototron and place it on a flat, stable surface.

2. Make sure you have the 18-Volt DC (negative center) power
supply that came with your Pigtronix Rototron.

3. Plug the power cord into the DC Power jack on the back of
the Rototron and then plug the power adaptor into an electrical
socket. The Rototron is now powered up. To turn the device off,
unplug it from the wall or turn off the power going to the 18VDC
supply. We recommend that you do not leave your Rototron
powered up for long periods of time when it is not in use.

4. If your instrument has only one output plug it into the In 1 jack.
Otherwise, plug the left output into In 1 and the right output
into In 2.

5. Plug your Amplifier into the Out 1 jack. If you have a second
amp, plug it into the Out 2 jack.

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CHAPTER 3. GETTING STARTED 7

3.2 Guided Tour

The following steps guide you through the sonic palette of the Rototron
and show you how to get at the full range of tones it has to offer.

1. Set all of the knobs at 12 o’clock.

2. Press the Slow/Fast (left) footswitch so that the LED under the
knob labeled Slow is lit-up.

3. Press the right footswitch so that the engage LED is off. The
Rototron is in bypass mode.

4. Be sure to turn the volume knob on your guitar all the way up.
Play your instrument and make sure a clean sound is passing
through.

5. Push the right footswitch to turn on the effect. Explore the
range of the Depth knob.

6. Press the left footswitch to transition to the Fast setting.

7. Set the Fast knob to 3 o’clock and the Slow knob to 9 o’clock.
Press the left footswitch again to transition back to the slow
setting.

8. Turn the Ramp knob fully counter-clockwise, then hit the left
footswitch. Notice the near instantaneous change from slow to
fast.

9. Turn the Ramp knob fully clockwise, then hit the left footswitch.
Notice the long steady change from fast to slow. As you can
hear, the lower and upper rotors slow down and speed up at
different rates.

10. Enjoy your Rototron!

4. Acknowledgements

Years of work have gone into making the Rototron Pedal possible. We
would like to thank the following people for their help along the way:

Howard Davis, Lisa Rickmers, the Bethke and Koltai families, Thomas
Elliot, Kevin Griffin, Aaron Reed, Dan Pavone, Ben Artes, Steve
Turnidge, Brett Perdie, Sean Fitzsimons and B-Dawg.

Howard “Mick” Davis, David Koltai, Thomas Elliot and Kevin Griffin
designed the Pigtronix Rototron during 2012-2013 in Brooklyn and
Port Jefferson, NY.

We hope you enjoy your new Rototron pedal! Please check our web­site, www.pigtronix.com for the latest information on new Pigtronix
gear or contact us at (631) 331-PIGS (7447) or email [e-mail].

Dave Koltai & Brian Bethke

Pigtronix

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5. Pigtronix Limited Warranty

Your Pigtronix effect pedal comes with a 1-year limited warranty on
parts and workmanship. During the warranty period we will repair
or replace, at our option, defective parts or pedals free of charge,
and return them to the owner. Warranty service does not include
damaged, modified, or misused pedals and such pedals will be subject
to a standard repair charge.

What you must do: First, contact us directly via email and describe
the problem to us. If the problem cannot be resolved we will have you
send the pedal directly to us for servicing.

How to contact us for warranty service:

Email: [e-mail]

Phone: 631-331-PIGS (7447)

Warranty Limitations: This warranty does not cover defects resulting
from improper or unreasonable use, accident, unauthorized tampering
or modifications.

To validate your 1-year, limited warranty, please register your Ro­totron, within 30 days of purchase, on the web at:

www.pigtronix.com/warranty

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6. Safety Precautions

Safety Precautions:

The safety precautions listed below are intended to ensure your safety
whenever you use the Rototron.

• Never Open the Case: Never try to separate the two pieces
of the chassis from one another and/or modify the equipment.
Opening this device will effectively void the warranty.

• Stop Use in Case of Problem: Stop using the Rototron if
ever you should notice smoke or a strange odor coming from it.
Contact [e-mail] if you think you need a repair.

• Avoid high temperatures & Heat Build Up: Never cover the
power supply with cloth or other objects. Built-up heat can
cause equipment deformation and start fires. Do not expose the
Rototron to direct sunlight, heating devices, or other extreme
temperatures.

• Use Specified Power Adaptor Only: Be sure to use only the
18-Volt DC 300mA Adapter that came with your Pigtronix Ro­totron.

• Do Not Expose To Water and Other Liquids: To reduce the
risk of fire or electric shock, do not expose your Rototron to rain
or moisture. If water gets inside the unit, turn off the power.

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