TC electronic G-Sharp Owner's Manual

G-Sharp

DUAL ENGINE GUITAR FX PROCESSOR

UUSSEERR’’SS MMAANNUUAALL

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

1 Read these instructions.
2 Keep these instructions.
3 Heed all warnings.
4 Follow all instructions.
5 Do not use this apparatus near water.
6 Clean only with dry cloth.
7 Do not block any ventilation openings. Install

in accordance with the manufacturer's
instructions.

8 Do not install near any heat sources such as

radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other
apparatus (including amplifiers) that produce
heat.

9 Do not defeat the safety purpose of the

polarized or grounding-type plug. A polarized
plug has two blades with one wider than the
other. A grounding type plug has two blades
and a third grounding prong. The wide blade
or the third prong are provided for your safety.
If the provided plug does not fit into your
outlet, consult an electrician for replacement
of the obsolete outlet.

10 Protect the power cord from being walked on

or pinched particularly at plugs, convenience
receptacles, and the point where they exit
from the apparatus.

11 Only use attachments/accessories specified

by the manufacturer.

12 Use only with the cart, stand, tripod,

bracket, or table specified by the
manufacturer, or sold with the
apparatus. When a cart is used, use
caution when moving the
cart/apparatus combination to avoid

injury from tip-over.

13 Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms

or when unused for long periods of time.

14 Refer all servicing to qualified service

personnel. Servicing is required when the
apparatus has been damaged in any way,
such as power-supply cord or plug is
damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects
have fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus
has been exposed to rain or moisture, does
not operate normally, or has been dropped.

• This equipment should be installed near the
socket outlet and disconnection of the device

should be easily accessible.

• Do not install in a confined space.

• Do not open the unit - risk of electric shock
inside.

Caution:

You are cautioned that any change or
modifications not expressly approved in this
manual could void your authority to operate this
equipment.

Service

• There are no user-serviceable parts inside.

• All service must be performed by qualified
personnel.

Warning!

• To reduce the risk of fire or electrical shock, do
not expose this equipment to dripping or
splashing and ensure that no objects filled with
liquids, such as vases, are placed on the
equipment.

• This apparatus must be earthed.

• Use a three wire grounding type line cord like
the one supplied with the product.

• Be advised that different operating voltages
require the use of different types of line cord
and attachment plugs.

• Check the voltage in your area and use the
correct type. See table below:

Voltage Line plug according to standard

110-125V UL817 and CSA C22.2 no 42.

220-230V CEE 7 page VII, SR section

107-2-D1/IEC 83 page C4.

240V BS 1363 of 1984.

Specification for 13A fused
plugs and switched and
unswitched socket outlets.

The lightning flash with an arrowhead
symbol within an equilateral triangle, is
intended to alert the user to the

presence of uninsulated "dangerous volt­age" within the product's enclosure that may be of
sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of
electric shock to persons.

The exclamation point within an
equilateral triangle is intended to alert
the user to the presence of important

operating and maintenance (servicing)
instructions in the literature accompanying the
product.

a

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

Certificate Of Conformity

TC Electronic A/S, Sindalsvej 34, 8240
Risskov, Denmark, hereby declares on own
responsibility that following products:

G-Sharp

DUAL ENGINE GUITAR FX PROCESSOR

- that is covered by this certificate and
marked with CE-label conforms with
following standards:

EN 60065 Safety requirements for mains
(IEC 60065) operated electronic and

related apparatus for household
and similar general use

EN 55103-1 Product family standard for

audio,video, audio-visual and
entertainment lighting control
apparatus for professional
use. Part 1: Emission.

EN 55103-2 Product family standard for

audio, video, audio-visual and
entertainment lighting control
apparatus for professional
use. Part 2: Immunity.

With reference to regulations in following
directives:
73/23/EEC, 89/336/EEC

Issued in Risskov, May 2006

Mads Peter Lübeck

Chief Executive Officer

EMC / EMI.

This equipment has been tested and found to
comply with the limits for a Class B Digital
device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC rules.
These limits are designed to provide
reasonable protection against harmful
interference in residential installations. This
equipment generates, uses and can radiate
radio frequency energy and, if not installed and
used in accordance with the instructions, may
cause harmful interference to radio
communications. However, there is no
guarantee that interference will not occur in a
particular installation. If this equipment does
cause harmful interference to radio or television
reception, which can be determined by turning
the equipment off and on. The user is
encouraged to try to correct the interference by
one or more of the following measures:

• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

• Increase the separation between the
equipment and receiver.

• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a
circuit different from that to which the
receiver is connected.

• Consult the dealer or an experienced
radio/TV technician for help.

For the customers in Canada:

This Class B digital apparatus complies with
Canadian ICES-003.
Cet appareil numérique de la classe B est
conforme à la norme NMB-003 du Canada.

b

3

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

Table of Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Front Panel Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Rear Panel Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Signal Flow Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

OPERATION

Basics

Connecting and setting up G-Sharp . .10

Controlling G-Sharp . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Routings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

General Advice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Typical Setups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Operating G-Sharp

Input/Output Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

The Effects engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

The Reverb engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Recall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

The Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Miscellaneous

Factory Presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

MIDI channel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Sysex ID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

G-Sharp software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Effects

Delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Soft Delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Tape Delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Lo-Fi Delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Dynamic Delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

PingPong Delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

SlapBack Delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Delay Spill-over feature . . . . . . . . . . .22

Vintage Phaser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Smooth Phaser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Swell Tremolo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Hard Tremolo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Vibrato . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Flange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Lush Chorus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Soft Chorus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

TC Electronic, Sindalsvej 34, DK-8240 Risskov – [e-mail] Rev 1.4 – SW – V 1.00English Version

Prod. No: E60505514

Reverbs

TC Classic Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Pro Studio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Classic Spring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Vintage Spring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Plain Spring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Gold Plate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Silver Plate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Tin Plate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Ambience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Stomp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Soft Room . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Tiled Room . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Concert Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

APPENDIX

MIDI Implementation Chart . . . . . . . .26

MIDI Continuous Controllers . . . . . . .27

MIDI Bulk Dump . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Reset Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

Technical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . .29

QUICK START - IF YOU JUST CAN’T WAIT

If you just can’t wait to hear the great
effects waiting for you in your new G-Sharp
Guitar Effects processor just follow the few
steps in this quick setup guide:

• Unpack the G-Sharp and check for possible

damages that could have been caused by
transport.

• Read the safety instructions.

• Take a few minutes to register online via:

www.tcelectronic.com or send in the
registration card. Customers registered online
will be notified directly via e-mail about news
regarding TC Electronic guitar products.

G-Sharp is a dedicated guitar effects processor
able to combine various modulation and delay
effects with high quality reverbs that are
especially fine-tuned for guitar applications.

Routings

G-Sharp has two routing options. Serial and
Parallel. The Routing mode is set on the G­Sharp front panel.

• When the PARALLEL mode LED is lit

- parallel mode is selected.

• When the PARALLEL mode LED is “off”

- serial mode is selected.

Serial Mode (LED is off)

- utilizing both effect engines in serial where

reverb is added to the selected effects.

Parallel mode (LED is lit)

- where the inputs are fed to both the Effects

and the Reverb engine at the same time
thereby letting the two effect blocks run in
parallel.

For detailed explanations on Routings and
connections please read page 10-11.

• Make all audio connections, - then connect
power. See the manual section “Typical
Setups” if necessary.

• Killdry on or off? - If the G-Sharp is
connected in a parallel loop on a guitar
amplifier you should activate the Killdry mode
via the switch on the rear panel.

• Set the G-Sharp in Preset Off mode using
the PRESET ON/OFF key:

The G-Sharp is in Preset Off mode when the
display reads as illustrated above.

• Set all controls in 12 o’clock position to
hear factory settings.

• Select an effect from the Effects engine.

• Select a reverb type from the Reverb engine.

• Start playing.

• Adjust input level to a level where the INPUT
PPMs only occasionally turn red. When
setting the input level we recommend using
sound with high dynamic content such as a
clean sound.

• Set the EFFECTS mix and REVERB MIX to
“normal”

• Now tweak the controls for the two engines
until you have the effects intended.

For any questions left unanswered by this
manual feel free to visit our online support
center; TC Support Interactive, which can be
accessed via: www.tcelectronic.com

Latest manual revision can always be
downloaded from www.tcelectronic.com
Manual revision number is found in the bottom
of page 3.

4

Bypass

Left In

Effects Reverb

Bypass

Bypass

Stereo Out

Bypass

Effects

Reverb

Bypass

Bypass

L

L

Left Out

R

R

ParallelStereo

L

L

Right Out

R

R

Left In

Right In

REVERBI/O EFFECTS

Hold PRESET to set MIDI Channel

5

INTRODUCTION

Congratulations on the purchase of your TC Electronic G-Sharp guitar effects processor.

G-Sharp is a Dedicated Dual Engine Guitar effects unit offering a combination of the best from TC’s
pristine modulation, delay and reverb libraries, based on ultimate effects algorithms. All effects have
been carefully voiced specifically for guitar applications.

We have packed the G-Sharp with “TC goodies” and you’ll find high density 24-bit processing and
AD/DA converters that fully live up to the TC reputation of high quality effects with no loss of your
beloved tone.

With G-Sharp you get full and direct access to a selection of legacy TC reverbs and effects and
their key parameters. Ideal settings are easily obtained from the front panel giving you a maximum
of flexibility – at home, when rehearsing or when playing live.

Though easy operation with only few essential controls is a key feature, G-Sharp will integrate
perfectly in all levels of setups. Use a G-Switch, a TC G-Minor or a conventional MIDI pedal for
preset recall, tap tempo and bypass functions and you are in full control.

The adaptive built in power supply, secures seamless operation at any mains voltage (100-240VAC).

Be Sharp with G-Sharp!

Engine 1

• Delay

• Soft Delay

• Tape Delay

• Lo-Fi Delay

• Dynamic Delay

• PingPong Delay

• SlapBack Delay

• Vintage Phaser

• Smooth Phaser

• Swell Tremolo

• Hard Tremolo

• Vibrato

• Flange

• Lush Chorus

• Soft Chorus

• Off

Engine 2

• TC Classic Hall

• Pro Studio

• Classic Spring

• Vintage Spring

• Plain Spring

• Gold Plate

• Silver Plate

• Tin Plate

• Ambience

• Stomp

• Club

• Soft Room

• Tiled Room

• Church

• Concert Hall

• Off

6

FRONT PANEL OVERVIEW

INPUT GAIN

Adjusts the Input gain.

1/L and 2/R LEDS

3 color LEDs indicating Input
level on Left and Right Inputs.
Green: -40dB
Yellow: -6dB
Red: -1dB

EFFECTS MIX

Adjusts the mix between the
wet and the dry signal for the
Effects engine.

REVERB MIX

Adjusts the mix between the
wet and the dry signal for the
Reverb engine.

Serial mode/Parallel mode

In Serial mode the signal
passes the Effects engine
before the Reverb engine. In
Parallel mode the signal is
processed by both engines in
parallel. - Which routing to use
is a matter of taste and
application. Read more about
routings on pages 10-11.

BYPASS button and LED

Bypass function varies
depending on the selected
Killdry mode.

Killdry “on”:
The BYPASS key operates as
a mute function.

Killdry “of

f”:
The bypass function simply
passes the source signal
unprocessed to output.

EFFECTS selector

Selects between the 15 effects
& Off in the Effects engine.

DELAY/TIMING

Tap the global tempo using the
TAP key by tapping quarter
notes. Now use the timing
knob to multiply the tapped
tempo.
The Timing range can be set
from 0.5 to 2.

Example:

• Tap quarter notes at Tempo
120 BPM. This equals 500
milliseconds.

• The range of the TIMING
knob is 0.5 to 2 giving you a
Delay time varying from:
250ms to 1000ms.
Note that the Slapback
Delay type has a shorter
range, as this Delay type by
nature is a short Delay.

FEEDBACK/DEPTH

Controls the Feedback or
Depth parameter depending of
the selected effect.
Delay : Feedback
Phaser : Depth
Tremolo : Depth
Flange : Depth
Chorus : Depth

GAIN REDUCTION

-3, -6, -12 LEDs

These LEDs indicate the
applied gain-reduction on the
delay repeats when Dynamic
Delay type is selected.

FRONT PANEL OVERVIEW

7

REVERB selector

Selects between 15 different
Reverb types or sets the
Reverb engine to “Off”.

The range of the pre delay and
decay time varies depending
on the selected reverb type.

PRE DELAY

Controls the pre delay time of
the selected reverb.

DECAY TIME

Controls the decay time of the
selected reverb.

COLOR FILTER

Controls the color amount of
the selected reverb.

LOAD/HOLD TO STORE key

This key has two functions.

• Press once to load the
preset selected via the
CURSOR UP/DOWN keys.

• Press and hold to store the
current preset.

PRESET ON/OFF key

The G-Sharp has two preset
modes.

Preset “Of

f” mode:
The display reads “- -”.
In this mode the G-Sharp will
play effects according to the
front panel controls.
When switching from Preset
“On” to Preset “Off” mode the
effects will always be updated
according to the positions of
the front controls.

Preset “On” mode:
The display reads a specific
preset number.
In this mode you can recall
presets by using the UP/DOWN
arrows followed by LOAD.
(Note that G-Sharp holds no
stored factory presets apart
from the default settings in the
various effect combinations).

Toggling between the Preset
On/Preset Off modes
generates two situations:

From “On” to “Of

f”:
Preset is updated according to
the positions of the front
controls.

From “Of

f” to “On”:
The display starts to flash the
previously recalled preset
number while still processing
according to the front controls.
To actually load the preset
press LOAD.

Set MIDI channel

Press and hold the PRESET
ON/OFF key for approx. 2.5
sec.
Now set the desired MIDI
channel using the ARROW
UP/DOWN keys. Options are:

- Channel 1 to 16

- “o” for OMNI (receives on all

channels)

- “OF” for Off.
Via this menu a Bulk Dump on
MIDI out for preset backups on
a standard MIDI sequencer
can also be performed.

Press PRESET ON/OFF key
once to exit the MIDI channels
set mode.

“KNOB POSITIONS VALID”
LEDs

The LEDs are relevant in
Preset “On” mode only. When
lit they indicate when the front
panel controls match the
settings in the actually recalled
preset.

ARROW UP/DOWN keys

Scroll between presets when
in Preset “On” mode.

8

REAR PANEL

Balanced
Jack
Analog
Inputs

Pedal
Input

MIDI
In/Out

KILLDRY switch

Balanced
Jack
Analog
Outputs

Digital
S/PDIF
Input/
Output

Power Input

100 - 240VAC

KILLDRY switch

With the switch in “in” position, no clean signal
passes through the G-Sharp. This is the setting
to use if you connect G-Sharp in a parallel loop
or e.g. in an aux send/return on a mixer.

Analog Input

Analog Input on 1/4 inch connectors.
Use Left Input only to connect a mono signal.

Analog Output

Analog output is a stereo output on two 1/4”
jack connectors.

Power In

G-Sharp has a switchmode power-supply that
accepts from 100 to 240VAC.

Pedal Input - for TC G-Switch

Two different modes can be set for the pedal
Input: With the TC Electronic G-Switch pedal
you are able to:

In mode

A:
Switch 1 - Preset up
Switch 2 - Preset down
Switch 3 - G-Sharp bypass

In mode B:
Switch 1 - Bypass Effects Engine
Switch 2 - Bypass Reverb Engine
Switch 3 - Tap tempo

Selecting Modes

Press LOAD and PRESET ON/OFF at the
same time. Then use the ARROWS to select
between A and B.

TC G-Switch