Radial Engineering TankDriver User's Guide

®

TankDriver

500 Series Module

True to the Music

™

500

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

Radial® TankDriver™ 500 User Guide

Table of Contents ......................................................Page

Feature Set .................................................................... 1

Overview ........................................................................ 2

Getting Started ............................................................... 2

Connecting A Reverb Tank ............................................. 3

Specifi cations ................................................................. 4

Block Diagram ................................................................ 5

Warranty ........................................................... Back cover

Congratulations and thank you for investing in what will possibly be one of the most fun
products you have ever owned! No, not because of what it does on its own, but what you
could potentially do as you experiment with the effects you will create trying various reverb
tanks that may be hidden in your closet! There is no telling what weird or exciting effects you
will create.

As with most Radial Products, the TankDriver is designed to be ‘plug-and-play’ easy to use
and as always - if you take a few moments to read the manual you will surely get more out of
the unit than by guessing your way through. If you fi nd something is missing, we recommend
you visit the TankDriver web page FAQ section. This is where we post questions from users,
offer tips and make suggestions. If you do not fi nd what you need, feel free to send email to
[e-mail] and we will do our very best to reply in short order.

Now get ready to spring forward like never before!

Boing... Boing... Boing...

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WARNING NOTICE TO USER!

Although preventative safety measures have been designed into Radial 500 series
products we strictly advise against hot-swapping modules or plugging and
unplugging them when the Workhorse or other 500 series rack is powered on. Hot
swapping can cause connection sparks at the card-edge connector that could send
damaging transients to other equipment. This also greatly reduces the life span of the
contacts. Damage due to hot swapping is not covered under warranty. There are no
user serviceable parts inside.

True to the Music

FEATURE SET

1. BLEND CONTROL: Lets you
adjust the wet-dry mix between
the original unprocessed signal
and the reverb tank loop.

2. DRIVE SWITCH: Introduces a
signal boost at the SEND jack for
tanks that need a little more drive
to produce a good signal.

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1

2

3. OMNI INSERT: Turns on the
Workhorse TRS Omniport insert
jack. This is wired in series with
the front-panel SEND and RECV
jacks and allows the tank to be
connected on the rear panel.
Available when installed in a
Radial Workhorse.

4. SHIMMER: Boosts or cuts the
high frequency response of the
wet return signal.

5. BOOM: Boosts or cuts the low
frequency response of the wet
return signal.

6. SEND & RECV ¼” jacks:
Separate send and receive ¼”
jacks are used to connect to and
from a spring reverb tank.

7. OMNIPORT: Alternate send and
receive ¼” TRS insert connection
for a reverb tank. Available when
installed in a Radial Workhorse.

Rear Panel

3

4

5

6

7

Radial Engineering Ltd.

1

TankDriver™ 500 Module

®

True to the Music

OVERVIEW

The Radial TankDriver is a unique 500 series module that allows you to convert a balanced
line-level signal from a preamp, recorder or mixing console and drive it through a guitar amp’s
spring reverb tank. You could, for instance blend spring reverb with vocals while recording
or try it with drums tracks to create unique sonic signatures during mix-down. Since you
probably have more than one guitar amp in your studio you can try different reverbs tanks
on different tracks.

The design begins with a low noise output circuit with normal and high-gain settings for new
and vintage spring reverbs. Separate Shimmer and Boom EQ controls allow you to adjust the
treble and bass response of the reverb. Studio quality buffers produce reverb with less noise
and wider bandwidth. A Blend knob gives you full control over the wet/dry mix.

GETTING STARTED

Before making any connections, start by turning off your audio system and turning all
volume levels down. This helps protect equipment from turn-on transients that could damage
loudspeakers and other sensitive equipment. We recommend using a power bar with an
on/off switch as this makes it easy to turn on and off the 500 series rack, monitors etc. using
a single switch. Carefully plug the TankDriver into your 500 series rack making sure to avoid
excessive stress on the card edge connector. Screw the module in to ensure it does not
accidentally get dislodged.

When you plug the TankDriver into your 500 series rack it will automatically route the input
and output to the module. When used with the Radial Workhorse™, this is augmented with
¼” TRS connectors, DSubs and a signal to feed the Workhorse mixer. Using the TankDriver
with the Workhorse also activates the Omniport. In this instance the Omniport turns into an
alternate send and receive I/O that allows the reverb tank to be connected at the rear panel
or through a studio patchbay.

Start by setting up the TankDriver panel controls as follows:

1. Set the BLEND control to the 12 o’clock position.

2. Set the DRIVE switch to normal (switch out).

3. Turn off the Omniport insert (switch out).

4. Set the Shimmer and Boom controls to the 12 o’clock position.

Plugging In The Module

Connect the balanced line output from an instrument preamp, mic preamp or recording
system to the TankDriver’s input. The TankDriver will produce a balanced line output that can
be connected to additional modules for further processing before connecting to the recording
system.

Playback TankDriver RecorderTankDriver RecorderPreampMic/Inst.

Radial Engineering Ltd.

2

TankDriver™ 500 Module

True to the Music

®

Filling The Tank

Guitar amps usually have their reverb tank mounted in the bottom of the cabinet and
sometimes in a padded vinyl bag. Most reverb tanks use RCA type cables to connect to
jacks on the amp chassis.

Some amps have jacks on the chassis to
disconnect the reverb tank RCA cables.

If the tank cables are hard-wired into the chassis
you can expose the tank and connect directly to it.

Once you have a connection point to the tank established, patch the front panel send and
reveive jack to the tank using ¼” to RCA cables. To ensure optimum signal transfer use high
quality cables with good shielding under 20 feet (6m) in length to and from the reverb tank.

Preamp

TankDriver

Tank Input Tank Output

Recorder

OMNIPORT

If you have a Radial Workhorse 500 rack you can use the Omniport to connect the reverb
tank using a ¼” TRS insert cable. This cleans up the front panel and allows permanent
connection to a studio patchbay.

Return - effect output

3

Send - effect input

RCA

RCA

TankDriver™ 500 Module

Tip - Send

1/4" TRS

Ring - Return

Insert Cable: ¼” TRS to RCA

Radial Engineering Ltd.

®

True to the Music

RADIAL TANKDRIVER 500 SPECIFICATIONS

Circuit Type: Class-A, transformer coupled

Current Draw: 60mA, +/-16VDC (maximum draw)

Frequency Response: 20Hz ~ 20KHz +/-1.0dB

Input Impedance: 600 Ohms

Maximum Input: +11dB

Send Gain To Tank: Normal Drive: +10dB @ 4kHz

Output Impedance: 75 Ohms @ 1kHz

Maximum Output: +22dBu

Dynamic Range: 101dB to 115dB - (varies with frequency)

Noise: -90dB below 0dBu

Total Harmonic Distortion (THD+N): < 0.012% @ 1kHz and 600 Ohm Load

XLR Confi guration: Follows AES spec: pin-1 ground, pin-2 (+), pin-3 (-)

Size: Standard 500 Series format

Weight: 1.5 lbs. (0.7 kg)

Compliance (API): Yes

Compliance (Radial WHOS): Yes

Warranty: 3 years, transferable

Boosted Drive: +20dB @ 4kHz

CONNECTOR WIRING

XLR Connector

GROUND

1

COLD (-)

Radial Engineering Ltd.

HOT (+)

2

3

TRS ¼” Phone Connector

COLD (-)

HOT (+)

GROUND

4

TS ¼” Phone Connector

HOT (+)

GROUND

TankDriver™ 500 Module

True to the Music

OUTPUT

REAR XLR

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1

3

2

MIXER BUSS

TO WORKHORSE

LINE

DRIVER

BALANCED

OMNIPORT

BLEND

WET/DRY

BOOM

2-BAND EQ

SHIMMER &

INSERT

1/4” SEND 1/4” RECV

DRIVER

MIX BUSS

OMNIPORT

AMPLIFER

TRS SEND/RECV

REVERB RECEIVE

RADIAL TANKDRIVER BLOCK DIAGRAM

Radial Engineering Ltd.

DRIVE

INPUT

REAR XLR

AMPLIFER

REVERB SEND

AMPLIFIER

DIFFERENTIAL

2

3

1

5

TankDriver™ 500 Module

THREE YEAR TRANSFERABLE LIMITED WARRANTY

RADIAL ENGINEERING LTD. (“Radial”) warrants this product to be free from defects in material and
workmanship and will remedy any such defects free of charge according to the terms of this warranty.
Radial will repair or replace (at its option) any defective component(s) of this product (excluding fi nish
and wear and tear on components under normal use) for a period of three (3) years from the original
date of purchase. In the event that a particular product is no longer available, Radial reserves the
right to replace the product with a similar product of equal or greater value. In the unlikely event that
a defect is uncovered, please call 604-942-1001 or email [e-mail] to obtain an RA
number (Return Authorization number) before the 3 year warranty period expires. The product must be
returned prepaid in the original shipping container (or equivalent) to Radial or to an authorized Radial
repair center and you must assume the risk of loss or damage. A copy of the original invoice showing
date of purchase and the dealer name must accompany any request for work to be performed under
this limited and transferable warranty. This warranty shall not apply if the product has been damaged
due to abuse, misuse, misapplication, accident or as a result of service or modifi cation by any other
than an authorized Radial repair center.

THERE ARE NO EXPRESSED WARRANTIES OTHER THAN THOSE ON THE FACE HEREOF
AND DESCRIBED ABOVE. NO WARRANTIES WHETHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING
BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR
A PARTICULAR PURPOSE SHALL EXTEND BEYOND THE RESPECTIVE WARRANTY PERIOD
DESCRIBED ABOVE OF THREE YEARS. RADIAL SHALL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE
FOR ANY SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR LOSS ARISING FROM
THE USE OF THIS PRODUCT. THIS WARRANTY GIVES YOU SPECIFIC LEGAL RIGHTS, AND
YOU MAY ALSO HAVE OTHER RIGHTS, WHICH MAY VARY DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU LIVE
AND WHERE THE PRODUCT WAS PURCHASED.

This product is intended for professional use only.

The user should be familiar and experienced with

!

the 500 series rack and module format.

®

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

True to the Music

www.radialeng.com

API, Lunchbox, are registered trademarks of their respective owners.
Reamp, Reamper, Reamping and Workhorse are trademarks of Radial Engineering Ltd.
Copyright 2011 Radial Engineering Ltd. All rights reserved.
Specifi cations and appearances subject to change without notice.
Radial® TankDriver™ 500 Module User Guide Rev1.0 June 2011 - Part #: R870 1256 00 Printed in Canada