Radial Engineering PZ Pre User's Guide
™
PZ-Pre
Acoustic Instrument Preamp
User Guide
Radial Engineering Ltd.
1588 Kebet Way, Port Coquitlam BC V3C 5M5
Tel: 604-942-1001 Fax: 604-942-1010
email: info@radialeng.com
www.tonebone.com
Radial PZ-Pre
™
Acoustic Instrument Preamp
User Guide
Table of Contents Page
Introduction ...................................................................1
Feature Set ...................................................................2
Input Section ................................................................4
Filter and EQ Section ...................................................6
Output Section ..............................................................8
Instrument Connection .................................................9
Output Connection .......................................................11
Setting Up The PZ-Pre .................................................12
Controlling Feedback ...................................................14
Adding Effects To Your Sound ......................................16
Specications ...............................................................17
Warranty ................................................................Back Cover
Congratulations on your purchase of the Radial PZ-Pre, without
a doubt the most challenging pedal we have ever produced! Why?
Simply put, it is so jammed with features that it took us over two
years to get it right! And with all of these features, we absolutely
recommend that you take a few minutes to read through this
manual to familiarize yourself with all of the PZ-Pre functions
before you get started.
Like all Radial products, the PZ-Pre is built to the very highest
standards with the very best components and provides the type
of durability you would expect for concert stage use. If after reading this manual you have a question, please visit the FAQ in the
PZ-Pre section of our web site. This is where we post the latest
notes. If you have a question that is not covered, please send
your email to info@radialeng.com and we will do our very best
to get back to you promptly.
Now get ready to pluck, pick, bow, twang and strum till dawn!
www.radialeng.com
True to the Music
INTRODUCTION
The Radial PZ-Pre is a very unique pedal. Although the PZ-Pre
is likely to be the best sounding acoustic guitar preamp you have
ever experienced, it is not dedicated to just guitars. We designed
the PZ-Pre from the ground up to work with all types of instruments
including violin, cello, contrabass, mandolin, Dobro, bouzouki, harp,
sitar and banjo! This is because the two inputs have been designed
to accept all types of pickups and the on-board equalizer is both
very powerful and musical. You can even combine the two inputs
should you wish to use two pickups at the same time!
Our quest for exibility did not stop there; we also equipped the
PZ-Pre with four outputs so that it could drive four separate signal
paths at the same time! And each output is managed differently to
address different needs.
The instrument amplier output is designed for the on-stage musician. An electric ddle player may have numerous effects pedals
and an over-driven guitar amp on stage to create various sonic
textures while a bouzouki player may have his vintage Fender®
Twin™. Their is an output for your electronic tuner and the mute
footswitch lets you tune in silent or change instruments.
There are also two built-in Radial direct boxes with balanced XLR
outputs to connect you to the PA or recording system. Output-1 is
a pre-EQ, pre-effects output designed to send a clean signal to the
PA system while output-2 is post-EQ and post effects to feed stage
monitors and in-ear systems with a completely different mix. For
instance, when playing in a typical arena, there is so much echo
that the last thing you would want would be to send a ‘wet instrument’ (sound with lots of echo and reverb) into the PA system. On
the other hand, adding reverb to your in-ear monitor system will
often give you a better sense of space and a more natural feel to
the performance.
The built-in exibility is further expanded with an effects loop,
power booster and probably the best sounding preamp you have
ever encountered for your instrument. Best of all, it is all housed
in a super compact pedal that can t in any gig bag and travel with
you wherever you go.
Radial Engineering Ltd. PZ-Pr e™ User Guide
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FEATURES AND FUNCTIONS - TOP PANEL
True to the Music
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1. INPUT-1: ¼" connection for rst instrument.
2. PZB-1: Recessed switch activates piezo buffer for input-1.
3. TOGGLE: Footswitch selects between input-1 and input-2.
4. BLEND-MIX: Recessed switch selects between toggle mode
and mix/blend mode.
5. INPUT-2: ¼" connection for second instrument.
6. LEVEL-1: Gain control for input-1.
7. LEVEL-2: Gain control for input 2.
8. NOTCH: Used to sweep the frequency of the notch lter.
9. HIGH: High frequency shelving EQ, boosts or cuts treble.
10. MID: Amplitude control for semi-parametric mid EQ.
11. FREQ: Frequency control for semi-parametric mid EQ.
12. LOW: Low frequency shelving EQ, boosts or cuts bass.
13. BOOST: Variable level control for the power booster.
14. MUTE: Footswitch mutes all outputs except tuner out.
15. LOOP ON: Forces the effects loop to remain on.
16. OUTPUT: ¼” out for instrument amplier.
17. PHASE: Inverts the signal polarity at the ¼" instrument output.
18. FOOTSWITCH ASSIGN: Sets function of boost footswitch
between power boost, effects loop or both.
19. BOOST: Footswitch activates power booster and/or effects
loop depending on setting of footswitch assign switch.
20. NOTCH Q: Sets the depth of the notch lter. Select between
normal, deep and bypass.
21. LO-CUT: High-pass lter removes low frequencies to eliminate
resonant feedback. Select between bypass and two low-cut settings.
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PZ-Pr e™ User Guide
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FEATURES AND FUNCTIONS - REAR PANEL
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22. PZB-2: Recessed switch activates piezo buffer for input-2.
23. LOOP SEND & RETURN: The built-in effects loop uses ¼”
jacks to connect effect pedals.
24. PRE-EQ: balanced XLR direct box out captures the dry signal
before the lter, EQ, effects loop and boost sections. Outputs
an un-processed signal for the house PA or recording console.
25. LIFT: recessed ground lift switch disconnects pin-1 on both
XLR outputs to reduce hum and buzz caused by ground loops.
26. 180°: recessed switch reverses the polarity at the post-EQ
XLR output.
27. POST-EQ: balanced XLR direct box output sends a wet signal
for the monitor system so the player can control their on-stage
tone with the PZ-Pre.
28. TUNER: buffered ¼” output to feed an electronic tuner.
29. 15VDC-400mA: power supply connection 15 volts DC, center
pin positive.
Radial Engineering Ltd. PZ-Pr e™ User Guide
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True to the Music
INPUT SECTION
Input-1 and 2
The PZ-Pre features two ¼” inputs located on the right side panel.
The exible dual input design lets a player connect and switch
between instruments simply by stomping on the TOGGLE footswitch.
Most performers, whether they play acoustic guitar or mandolin, tend
to have two instruments on stage. The second instrument is often
for backup should a string break; in some cases, it may be tuned
differently, or it may even be a completely different instrument! The
PZ-Pre is equipped to be a control center for two instruments.
Input-1
Input-2
Level-1
Level-2
Toggle
Footswitch
Tuner
Out
Mute
LEVEL-1 and 2
Both inputs are equipped with LEVEL
controls that let you adjust the volume
of each instrument. These controls
are used to compensate for the
differences in output level some
pickups produce. Once adjusted,
you can seamlessly switch between
instruments.
PZB-1 and 2 Piezo Pickup Buffers
Each PZ-Pre input features a special piezoelectric pickup (piezo)
buffer called the PZB that can be switched into the signal path
when needed. The PZB allows a passive piezo pickup to be
connected directly to the PZ-Pre without the use of a separate
preamp. The PZB increases the gain while elevating the input
impedance to 10meg Ohms. This ensures that the piezo pickup
'sees' the optimum input impedance for signal transfer which will
result in better tone. To
activate the PZB, use
a small screwdriver to
push in the recessed
switch. There is a
separate PZB switch
for each input channel.
Radial Engineering Ltd.
Input-1 PZB 1 Blend-
Mix
PZ-Pr e™ User Guide
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Input-2
PZB 2
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