TC electronic G-Sharp Owner's Manual

G-Sharp

DUAL ENGINE GUITAR FX PROCESSOR

USER’S MANUAL

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

The lightning flash with an arrowhead symbol within an equilateral triangle, is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated "dangerous volt-

age" 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.

1 Read these instructions.

2 Keep these instructions.

3Heed all warnings.

4Follow all instructions.

5 Do not use this apparatus near water.

6Clean only with dry cloth.

7Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.

8Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including amplifiers) that produce heat.

9Do 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.

10Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched particularly at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point where they exit from the apparatus.

11Only use attachments/accessories specified by the manufacturer.

12Use 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.

13Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time.

14Refer 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.

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.

•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.

a

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

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.

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

b

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

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

TC Electronic, Sindalsvej 34, DK-8240 Risskov – [e-mail]	English Version		Rev 1.4 – SW – V 1.00
	Prod. No: E60505514

QUICK START - IFYOU 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 G- Sharp 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.

Bypass	Bypass
Left In
Effects	Reverb	Stereo Out
Bypass	Bypass

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.

	Bypass
Left In	L
	Effects
	Left Out
	R
	Parallel Stereo
	L
	Right Out
Right In	Reverb
	R
	Bypass

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:

I/O EFFECTS REVERB

Hold PRESET to set MIDI Channel

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

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

Engine 2

•

Delay

•

•

TC Classic Hall

•

Ambience

•

Soft Delay

•

Swell

•

Pro Studio

•

Stomp

•

Tape Delay

•

Hard

•

Classic Spring

•

Club

•

Lo-Fi Delay

•

•

Vintage Spring

•

Soft Room

•

Dynamic Delay

•

•

Plain Spring

•

Tiled Room

•

PingPong Delay

•

Lush

•

Gold Plate

•

Church

•

SlapBack Delay

•

Soft

•

Silver Plate

•

Concert Hall

•

Vintage Phaser

•

Off

•

Tin Plate

•

Off

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 “off”:

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

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 “Off” 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 “Off”:

Preset is updated according to the positions of the front controls.

From “Off” 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.

7

REAR PANEL

KILLDRY switch Balanced

Balanced

Digital

MIDI

Pedal

Power Input

Jack

Jack

S/PDIF

In/Out

Input

100 - 240VAC

Analog

Analog

Input/

Inputs

Outputs

Output

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.

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.

Power In

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

TC G-Switch