Radial Engineering PZ Deluxe User's Guide

®

™

Acoustic / Piezo Preamp

True to the Music

®

User Guide

®

www.radialeng.com

Radial Engineering Ltd.
1588 Kebet Way, Port Coquitlam
British Columbia, Canada, V3C 5M5
tel: [phone] • fax: [phone]
email: [e-mail]

True to the Music

www.radialeng.com

®

PZ-Deluxe

™

Acoustic / Piezo Preamp

Table of Contents Page

Overview.......................................................................................................................1

Feature set ...................................................................................................................2

Making connections ......................................................................................................4

Getting started setting up the PZ-Deluxe .....................................................................5

Adding a stage amp......................................................................................................6

Adding effect pedals .....................................................................................................7

Block diagram ...............................................................................................................8

Specifi cations ...............................................................................................................9

Radial Limited Warranty ................................................................................Back Cover

Congratulations and thank you for purchasing the PZ-Deluxe. It is without question one
of the fi nest sounding acoustic instrument preamps ever made. And with the convenience of
being in a pedal format, you can easily use it live or in the studio and get great results!

But as with any good product, getting to know it is essential. And the best way to do this is to
read this short manual. You will fi nd that like most Radial products, the PZ-Deluxe is straight
forward and easy to use but as you delve in deeper, you will notice some little extras that may
not be immediately visible. So take the time to give this a read... it will save you time later. If
by chance you do not fi nd everything you need, please visit the FAQ on the PZ-Deluxe web
pages. This is where we post questions from people like you and helpful updates. Then, if
you do not get the answers you need, feel free to send us an email at [e-mail]
and we will do our very best to get back to you within short order.

Now get ready to enjoy one of the best sounding acoustic preamps ever made!

True to the Music

OVERVIEW

The Radial PZ-Deluxe is an instrument Preamp. It has been optimized to deliver the pure
sound of your instrument no matter what kind of pickup you have. And just like a high quality
mic preamplifi er, it is designed to do so without introducing noise or artefact.

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¼” INSTRUMENT

INPUT

¼” TUNER

OUTPUT

SWITCHABLE

PZB

HIGH IMPEDANCE

PIEZO BUFFER

LOW-CUT

FILTER

SEMI-

PARAMETERIC

EQ

BOOST

FOOTSWITCH

AND BOOST

LEVEL CONTROL

¼” HIGH

IMPEDANCE

OUTPUT

XLR LOW
IMPEDANCE
DIRECT BOX

OUTPUT

Following the block diagram, you can see how the signal fl ows from the input all the way to
the outputs. The signal enters the PZ-Deluxe using a standard ¼” instrument input connec­tor. A special PZB circuit may be switched in that is designed specifi cally for piezo electric
transducers. When engaged, this recessed switch increases the input sensitivity and subse­quent gain and elevates the impedance to 10 meg-ohms. This helps warm up the tone of a
piezo and smooths out the peaks that are often problematic. When using the PZ-Deluxe with
a magnetic pickup or an acoustic instrument with a built-in battery powered preamp (active)
the PZB is generally not used.

The signal then goes to the EQ section where it can be tailored to suit. This 3-band semi­parametric EQ is equipped with separate bass, mid and high frequency controls. These are
very powerful - so use sparingly for best results. The mid is also equipped with a variable
frequency control. This enables you to fi nd an offending frequency and dial it out. This is par-
ticularly effective at reducing feedback when playing on loud stages. There is also a 3-position
low-cut switch that is very helpful at eliminating resonance, another major cause of feedback.

The PZ-Deluxe is equipped with several outputs: the on-stage guitar amp out lets you set up
your own personal monitoring system on stage; the tuner out is used for quiet on-stage tuning;
and an XLR balanced direct box out is used to feed the instrument signal to the PA system.

TUNER

Radial Engineering Ltd.

15VDC ·

LOW-Z DI OUT

+

400mA

LOW

LIFT

TUNER

LOW-Z DI OUT

OUTPUT

MUTE

Typical Setup

1

®®

PZB

FREQ

HIGH

MID

LEVEL

LO-CUT180º180º

FILTERAMP

BOOST

INPUT

BOOST

PA SYSTEMSTAGE AMP

PZ-Deluxe™

®

FEATURE SET

1 2 43

11

True to the Music

5

6

10

9

7

8

1. POWER SUPPLY: Connection for the included 15V (400mA) external power supply.

2. DI OUT: Built-in Radial direct box sends balanced mic-level output to the PA system.
This allows long runs without adding noise.

3. THREE BAND EQ: Semi-parametric equalizer with separate high and low shelving with
a variable mid-frequency for optimal tone shaping.

4. LEVEL: Fully adjustable control sets the PZ-Deluxe overall volume level for both the ¼”
OUTPUT and the LOW-Z DI OUT.

5. PZB: Extra gain stage adds more drive and elevates the input impedance to optimize
the PZ-Deluxe for use with piezo transducers.

6. BOOST ADJUST : Recessed ‘set & forget’ control adjusts the level of signal boost when
the BOOST footswitch is depressed for soloing.

7. INPUT: ¼” instrument input is set to normal for active and magnetic pickups or
optimized for piezo pickups by depressing the recessed the PZB switch.

8. BOOST: Footswitch lets you increase the level for solos. Fully variable ‘set & forget’
gain adjustment on side panel (item number 6).

Radial Engineering Ltd.

2

PZ-Deluxe™