Radial Engineering STAGEDIRECT User Manual

True to the Music

www.radialeng.com

True to the Music

®

®

User Guide

STAGEDIRECT

Active Direct Box with Mute

™

Radial Engineering Ltd.
1588 Kebet Way, Port Coquitlam BC V3C 5M5
tel: [phone] • fax: [phone]
[e-mail] • www.radialeng.com

Radial StageDirect

Active Direct Box with Mute

™

®

Table of Contents Page

What is a direct box anyway ............................................1

Features ...........................................................................2

Getting started with power and connections ....................3

Using the PAD and tuner output ......................................4

Using the mute footswitch ................................................5

Using the remote mute ....................................................5

Various remote footswitch setups ....................................6

Remote control with the Radial SW2 footswitch ..............7

Using the high-pass fi lter .................................................8

Using the polarity and phase reverse ..............................9

Eliminating hum and buzz ..............................................10

Specifi cations .................................................................1 1

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

INTRODUCTION

Congratulations on your purchase of the Radial StageDirect! The
StageDirect combines a high quality Radial active direct box with a guitar­style mute footswitch and separate tuner out that lets you mute the signal
with a single foot stomp. This enables you to switch instruments or tune
up without disrupting the audience or introducing the popping noise that
typically occurs while ‘hot-swapping’ your cable from one instrument to
the next.

Designed to be super easy to use, the StageDirect will get you up and
running in no time. That said, as with any new product that you get your
hands (or feet) on, we recommend that you take a little time to read
through the manual in order to familiarize yourself with the StageDirect
so you can get the most out of it.

If you have any questions that are not covered in this manual, please
consult the FAQ section on the web site as this is where we post the latest
updates and questions from other users. If you still can’t fi nd what you are
looking for, feel free to send us a note at [e-mail] and we will
do our very best to reply in short order.

Now let’s make some foot-stomping music!

Radial Engineering Ltd.

StageDirect™ Active Direct Box

True to the Music

®

1

WHAT IS A DIRECT BOX ANYWAY?

A direct box (aka a DI box) is a device that lets you interface hi-impedance
instruments (hi-Z) like electric guitar, bass or keyboard with professional
low impedance (low-Z) PA and recording systems. Direct boxes, like the
StageDirect, fi rst split the unbalanced hi-Z signal in order to output it to
your amp and tuner, then converts it to a low-Z balanced output that can
connect to a professional audio system. Direct boxes like the StageDirect
ensure the signal is delivered to the PA as faithfully as possible.

The hi-Z instrument cables you use to connect your instrument, amp and
tuner employ unbalanced ¼” connectors at both ends and are particularly
sensitive to noise caused by magnetic fi elds and tone-killing capacitance
when extended beyond 6 meters (20’). To keep these instrument cables
as short as possible, the StageDirect is usually placed at your feet or
near your amp and the lo-Z balanced XLR output is used to extend your
instrument signal to the PA system to 100 meters or more (300’) by
lowering the impedance and balancing the signal.

YOUR INSTRUMENT

PA SYSTEMYOUR AMP & TUNER

HI-IMPEDANCE

OUTPUT

HI-IMPEDANCE

OUTPUT

LO-IMPEDANCE

OUTPUT

HI-IMPEDANCE

INPUT

The instrument input, tuner output and amp output are designed for hi-impedance
¼” guitar cables with a max length of 6 meters. The low-impedance output to the PA
uses a balanced XLR cable with a max length of 100 meters (300’).

Radial Engineering Ltd.

StageDirect™ Active Direct Box

True to the Music

®

FEATURE SET

1. POWER SUPPLY (15VDC-400mA): Use to connect the included power
adapter.

2. LIFT: Disconnects pin-1 on the XLR output to help eliminate hum and
buzz caused by ground loops.

3. BAL OUT: Lo-Z balanced output used to feed the PA system. Follows
standard AES format with pin-1 ground, pin-2 hot (+) and pin-3 cold (-).

4. 180°: Reverses the electrical polarity at the XLR output to help eliminate
acoustic hot-spots on stage that can cause feedback.

5. REMOTE: Connection for a momentary (non-latching) footswitch that
enables remote control of the mute function.

6. TUNER: Hi-Z ¼” output allows you to connect an electronic tuner. It is
always active and can be used for silent tuning with the mute footswitch.

7. INPUT: Hi-Z ¼” input used to connect your instrument.

8. FOOTSWITCH: Mutes the stage amp output and the balanced XLR
output, leaving the tuner output active for silent adjustments on stage.
The LED’s toggle from green (on) or red (mute).

9. AMP: Hi-Z ¼” output is used to feed the on-stage guitar or bass amplifi er
and is transformer isolated to eliminate noise caused by ground loops.

10. PHASE: Reverses the electrical polarity 180° at the ¼” AMP output to help
eliminate acoustic hot-spots on stage that can cause feedback.

1 1. PAD: Reduces the input sensitivity by -10dB to prevent overload from high

output devices like keyboards and active pickups.

12. FILTER: 3 position high-pass fi lter used to eliminate excessive bass to
help reduce feedback and low frequency resonance.

2

1 2 3 4 65

10 1211

79

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Radial Engineering Ltd.

StageDirect™ Active Direct Box

True to the Music

®

3

GETTING STARTED

Before making any connections, always ensure your audio system
is either turned down or turned off in order to protect more sensitive
components from damage due to turn-on or plug-in transients.

PHANTOM OR AC ADAPTER

The Radial StageDirect is unique in that it may be powered using either
48V phantom from the P A system or by using the included 15VDC power
supply. Most musicians will likely use phantom power as it is convenient.
The 15VDC power supply gives you the option should phantom power
not be available. A cable clamp is provided to lock down the power
cable. Use a screw driver to loosen and loop the cable through before re­tightening the clamp. There
is no power switch on the
StageDirect. As soon as you
plug in the power supply or
turn on phantom power, it
will come to life. One of the
top panel LED indicators will
illuminate to let you know
power is being received.

MAKING CONNECTIONS

Plug the hi-impedance ¼” instrument cable from your guitar or bass into
the StageDirect INPUT. Connect a standard low-impedance XLR cable
from the BALANCED OUT jack on the StageDirect to the PA system.
If you are using a stage amp, connect a second hi-impedance ¼”
instrument cable from the AMP output jack to your amplifi er. The AMP
output is transformer isolated to help eliminate noise caused by ground
loops. For best results keep hi-Z instrument cable under 6 meters(20’).

Connections for instrument, stage amp and PA system.

Power

Adapter

48V
Phantom