Interstellar
Overdrive
Preamp
OWNER’S MANUAL
SWR • CORONA, CA • USA
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
CAUTION: TO REDUCE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE THE COVER OR BACK. NO USER-SER- VICEABLE PARTS INSIDE. PLEASE REFER TO A QUALIFIED SERVICE TECHNICIAN.
A.Read Instructions: All safety and operation instructions should be read before the product is operated.
B.Retain Instructions: The safety and operating instructions should be retained for future reference.
C.Heed Warnings: All of the warnings on this product and in the operating instructions should be adhered to.
D.Follow Instructions: All operating and use instructions should be followed.
E.Cleaning: Unplug this product from the wall outlet before cleaning. Do not use liquid cleaners or aerosol cleaners. Use a slightly damp cloth for cleaning.
F.Water and Moisture: Do not use this product near water; for example, near a swimming pool, wet basement, and the like.
G.Accessories: Do not place this product on an unstable cart, stand, tripod, bracket or table. The product may fall, causing serious injury to a child or adult, and serious damage to the product.
H.Ventilation: Slots and openings in the unit are provided for ventilation and to ensure reliable operation of the product, to protect it from overheating, thus these openings must not be blocked or covered. This product should not be placed in a built-in installation such as a bookcase or rack unless proper ventilation is provided or the manufacturer's instructions have been adhered to.
I.Grounding: This product is equipped with a three-wire grounding-type plug, a plug having a third (grounding) pin. This plug will only fit into a grounding-type power outlet. This is a safety feature. If you are unable to insert the plug into the outlet, contact your electrician to replace your obsolete outlet. Do not defeat the safety purpose of the grounding-type plug.
J.Power Cord Protection: Power supply cords should be routed so that they are not likely to be walked on or pinched by items placed upon them, paying particular attention to cords at plugs and the point where they exit the product.
K.Lightning: For added protection of this product during a lightning storm or when it is left unattended and unused for long periods of time, unplug it from the wall outlet. This will prevent damage to the product due to lightning and power-line surges.
L.Overloading: Do not overload wall outlets or extension cords as this can result in a risk of fire or electric shock.
M.Object and Liquid Entry: Never push objects of any kind into this product through the openings as they may touch dangerous voltage points or short out parts that could result in a fire or electric shock. Never spill liquid of any kind on the product.
N.Servicing: Do not attempt to service this product yourself as opening or removing covers may expose you to dangerous voltage or other hazards. Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel.
O.Damage Requiring Service: Unplug this product from the wall outlet and refer servicing to qualified service personnel under the following conditions:
1)When the power supply cord has been damaged
2)If liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the product
3)If the product has been exposed to rain, water, or other conductive liquids
4)If the product does not operate normally by following the operating instructions
5)If the product has been dropped or damaged in any way
6)When the product exhibits a distinct change in performance.
P.Replacement Parts: When replacement parts are required, be sure the service technician has used replacement parts specified by the manufacturer or have the same characteristics as the original part. Unauthorized substitutions may result in fire, electric shock, or other hazards.
Q.Safety Check: Upon completion of any service or repairs to this product, ask the service technician to perform safety checks to determine that the product is in proper operating condition.
R.Heat: The product should be situated away from heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves or other products that produce heat.
2 • INTERSTELLAR OVERDRIVE PREAMP
DESCRIPTION
At last - a bass distortion unit that faithfully reproduces low end. Also capable of thick, clean tube sounds. May be used as a practice amp, preamp or effects unit. The preamp of choice for rock bass legend John Paul Jones.
FRONT PANEL FEATURES
Dual independent input jacks compatible for both active and passive instruments
All tube preamp gain stages
Aural Enhancer control
Active bass, midrange and treble controls
Drive function with external drive pedal ability
Blend control for mixing clean and overdriven signals
Effects loop
Tuner send
Rack mountable
Rack Handles
Phase Switch
Standby Switch
On/Off Switch
REAR PANEL FEATURES
Balanced XLR record out with ground lift, pad and mute function
Unbalanced line out (pre master)
Balanced direct XLR out with pad
Speaker jack (4 watts)
Tuner send
INTERNAL FEATURES
(1)12AX7 Preamp Tube
(2)EL84
DIMENSIONS
1.75" H x 19"W x 8.75" D (one rack space)
WEIGHT
10 lbs
ACCESSORIES
Interstellar Overdrive Volume Pedal
Specifically designed for use with the Interstellar Overdrive, this external volume pedal can be used to control the amount of drive present in the signal path. Great for hands-free switching between clean and dirty tones.
INTERSTELLAR OVERDRIVE PREAMP • 3
GENERAL INFORMATION AND HISTORY
Around the beginning of 1991 SWR started hearing from an increasing number of bassplayers trying to integrate some amount of overdrive into their sound. Simultaneously, we were getting more requests for an all tube bass amplifier. Finally at the January, 1993 NAMM Show in Anaheim, Jack Casady (BASS PLAYER, Sept/Oct '93) and Hutch Hutchinson (BASS PLAYER, Dec '93) cornered us and said it was time to actively start working on a product to address these needs. Since we had become known for designing the cleanest and most hi-fi bass amps possible for the last 9 years, it would certainly be a challenge.
Most of what was available on the market for overdrive was designed for guitar players. Since the frequency response was tailored for guitar and not bass in these units, the low end response, as far as the bass guitar was concerned, was sacrificed. Secondly, the effect was uneven over the range of the neck. Some notes were overdriven hard while others were barely distorted. To solve this problem, at least in the studio, bassplayers were sending a clean signal to one channel while sending the distorted sound to another channel and then mixing them together. This brought back some of the integrity of the instrument but was hard to duplicate "live." After numerous interviews with our advisory staff, which includes players from metal to jazz, we decided to put the two above requests into one unit by miniaturizing a tube preamp/power amp, complete with an output transformer for its saturation qualities, into a single rack space preamplifier/effects system.
Vintage tube amps, known for their overdriven qualities, such as a Versatone, etc., were brought in as a reference point for dirty. We listened to a MacIntosh for warmth and clarity. We tried class A type power amps and push-pull. Push-pull was decided upon as it seemed more musical and even. Our R&D expenses skyrocketed as we went through 8 prototype output transformers. The company that makes our transformers groaned when we told them we needed to fit it in a single rack space.
After the basic clean and overdrive sounds were achieved our advisory board told us they wanted a built-in direct box, tone controls, the ability to adjust drive with a foot pedal, blend the clean and dirty signals together as in the studio, be able to kick in or out the dirty signal with a footswitch and, oh yeah, it had to be really quiet! We said (gulp) no problem.
Now came the hardest part. What do we name it!? Since the features were defined to us by professional musicians, or "communication between the stars", this can loosely be defined as "Interstellar". Thus, the Interstellar Overdrive.
USING THE INTERSTELLAR OVERDRIVE AS AN EFFECTS UNIT
Using the effects loop of your amplifier, run a shielded patch cord from the send or "to effects" jack on the amp to one of the inputs on the Overdrive. Read the owners manual to adjust for volume levels, mixes, etc. The clean signal will always be present at the output of the Overdrive. The Blend control can be used to adjust volume levels if you plan to go from clean to dirty. The overdriven signal can be switched on and off in the mix via the footswitch. The tone section can be disabled by setting the controls to the flat (center click) position OR by taking the signal from the EFFECTS SEND jack. In doing this, you will be using just the tube preamp/power amp section and blend section of the Interstellar Overdrive. The tone section and Master volume will NOT be operable, so you will probably need an effects loop on your amp that has an effects return volume control. On SWR amps, use the Blend control to adjust for volume differences.
USING THE INTERSTELLAR OVERDRIVE AS A PREAMPLIFIER
Plug your instrument into one of the inputs of the I/O and use either the balanced or unbalanced output to send a signal to your power amplifier, just as you would with any other preamplifier.
USING THE INTERSTELLAR OVERDRIVE AS A PRACTICE AMP
Since the Overdrive incorporates an all tube power amp to achieve warmth, clarity and overdrive capabilities, you may plug a speaker in the "speaker" jack for low volume practicing. The power amp will deliver about 5 watts RMS @ 8 ohms. Although a 4 or 8 ohm speaker can be used, an 8 ohm impedance is recommended. The speaker jack is pre tone controls and Master volume. Therefore these controls will not function under these conditions. If so desired, an external unit (that is made to go between your instrument and the input of an amp) that has tone controls, can be used.
4 • INTERSTELLAR OVERDRIVE PREAMP
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