Tech 21 Bass Fly Rig v2 Owner`s Manual

POWER REQUIREMENTS

Utilizes included 9V DC, 100-240V universal auto-switching power
supply, 200mA, center negative.

NOTE: See page 7 for instructions how to change the prong
assembly.

Tech 21 Model #DC9.

For replacements, contact your local dealer/distributor, or Tech 21.
Also operable with previous Tech 21 power supply Model #DC4.
Maximum power consumption: approx 100mA.

ARNINGS:

W

* Attempting to repair unit is not recommended and may void warranty.
* Missing or altered serial numbers automatically void warranty. For

your own protection: be sure serial number labels on the unit’s back
plate and exterior box are intact, and return your warranty
registration card or register online.

Note: 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 a residential installation. 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.

WARRANTY:

ONE YEAR LIMITED. PROOF OF PURCHASE REQUIRED.

Manufacturer warrants unit to be free from defects in materials and
workmanship for one (1) year from date of purchase to the original
purchaser and is not transferable. This warranty does not include dam­age resulting from accident, misuse, abuse, alteration, or incorrect cur­rent or voltage. If unit becomes defective within warranty period, Tech
21 will repair or replace it free of charge. After expiration, Tech 21 will
repair defective unit for a fee.

REPAIRS:

ALL REPAIRS for residents of U.S. and Canada: Call Tech 21 for
Return Authorization Number. Manufacturer will not accept

packages without prior authorization, pre-paid freight (UPS preferred)
and proper insurance.

FOR PERSONAL ASSISTANCE & SERVICE:

Contact Tech 21 weekdays 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, EST: 973-777-6996.

Hand-built in the U.S.A. using high-quality components
sourced domestically and around the globe.

T: 973-777-6996 • F: 973 -777-9899
E: [e-mail] • www.tech21nyc.com
©2021 Tech 21 USA, Inc.

BASS FLY RIG v2 OWNER’S MANUAL

TECH 21, THE COMPANY

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Tech 21 was formed by a guitarist possessing the unusual combination
of a trained ear and electronics expertise. In 1989, B. Andrew Barta
made his unique invention commercially available to players and studios
around the world. His highly-acclaimed SansAmp™ pioneered Tube
Amplifier Emulation in professional applications for recording direct
and performing live, and created an entirely new category of signal pro­cessing. There have since been many entries into this niche, yet SansAmp
continues to maintain its reputation as the industry standard.

Each Tech 21 product is thoughtfully and respectfully designed by B.
Andrew Barta himself with the player in mind. Our goal is to provide
you with flexible, versatile tools to cultivate, control, refine and redefine
your own individual sound. Tech 21 takes great pride in delivering con­sistent quality sound, studio to studio, club to club, arena to arena.

PRODUCT OVERVIEW

The original Fly Rig was introduced in 2014. It was a true game-changer
for players in all categories, from touring pros to bedroom hobbyists,
and later expanded into a series, including signature versions. Each Tech
21 Fly Rig is much more than a pedalboard. In a single pedal. And no
board. Less than 13” long and weighing just over 20 oz., each sleek, com­pact unit embodies an entire rig. At the heart, is the all-analog SansAmp,
which makes it possible to go direct to a PA or mixer. For effects, you
have the essentials and the ability to add some fun stuff, too. What you
don’t have are crackling patch cables, dying batteries or ground loops. No
stinkin’ van, heavy flight cases, cable spaghetti, and no dead weight.

With a Tech 21 Fly Rig, you can relax. For fly gigs across the globe, jam­ming at the local hang, and last minute sessions, you’ll be the first one
ready to go. You can stop stressing over what to pack and agonizing over
what to leave behind. You can stop dreading cheesy backline loaners and
overheating at the mere thought of your touring rig going down. Just
pop your Fly Rig into your guitar case or backpack and head for the
door. (Be sure to wipe that smile off your face when the rest of the band
shows up sweating and out of breath.)

BASS FLY RIG v2

The Bass Fly Rig v2 retains the same SansAmp heart and effects. New
features include a choice of SansAmp Character modes, channel
switching and an effect loop to facilitate incorporating outboard effects.

THE INS AND OUTS

1/4” INPUT & IN PAD SWITCH:

4.7megOhm instrument level to deliver the full sound of piezos. For
normal operation, signal level to Input should be close to that of a stan­dard bass guitar (approximately -10dBm / 250mV).
The In Pad switch for active basses pads the input by -10dBm.

!! WARNING !!

DO NOT RUN THE SPEAKER OUTPUT

OF ANY AMP

directly into a Fly Rig/SansAmp input.

Severe damage to the amp and the Fly Rig/SansAmp will result.

1/4” UNIVERSAL OUTPUT: Unbalanced low Z output. Can be
connected to High Z bass amps (or effects) as well as Low Z mixer and
computer inputs. Output level is unity gain when pedal is in bypass mode.
Also drives long cables without loss of signal integrity, even in bypass.

BALANCED XLR OUTPUT & GROUND CONNECT SWITCH:

Balanced low Z output. When the Ground Connect switch is engaged,
the ground connects. Disengaged, the ground of your stage system and
other interconnected gear is lifted (isolated) from the ground of the
mixing console.

NOTE: Both outputs can be used simultaneously. For example, 1/4"
Out to your amp and XLR Out to PA mixer, which is one instance
where the Ground might need to be disengaged.

GOOD TO KNOW BEFORE YOU START

SIGNAL FLOW OF THE BASS FLY RIG

APPLICATIONS

As a PRE-AMP or STOMPBOX with a bass amp.You can
connect the Bass Fly Rig in-line just as you would a standard distortion
pedal. If the pre-amp of your amplifier is imparting too much of its own
character on the pedal, plug into the low level input and set the pre­amp as clean and neutral as possible.

Also, be aware that most tube amps have a tone stack. When every­thing is on max, they tend to cut the mid-range. So don’t be surprised
to find that the flattest sound is achieved with bass and treble at mini­mum, and mid at max. Since most tube amp passive tone stacks work in
a similar fashion, we recommend this as a good starting point and ad­justing to taste.

You can also plug into the effects loop return (if the amp has one). This
will disable the entire pre-amp of the amp for a more true representa­tion of the Bass Fly Rig’s sound.

For DIRECT RECORDING or DIRECT to PA. All of the tone
shaping and cabinet emulation needed is already incorporated into the
SansAmp section of the pedal. The Bass Fly Rig automatically converts
your bass signal to Low Z allowing you to plug into a variety of inputs
that would normally load down your guitar’s signal. It can be plugged
into mixers (live and studio), workstation/recorders, and even directly
into the sound card on a computer.

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SET LEVEL CONTROLS FOR UNITY GAIN

Set the level controls so you have the same volume coming from your
speaker/monitor whether the pedal is active or in bypass. This ensures
the next device in the signal chain won't get slammed by a much hotter
signal than what would normally come from the instrument. Similarly,
you wouldn't want a drop in volume, either which would force the next
device to struggle for enough signal.

CLIP WARNING

The Chorus control in the EFX section has a built-in clip warning. Like
a VU meter, the Chorus control will flash red to warn you if the Bass
Fly Rig is being overloaded.

To check the cause, shut off all the effects. Play your bass. If the clip
warning stays lit, engage the In Pad, as your bass is sending too hot of a
signal. Otherwise, when those sections are engaged, trim the corre­sponding Level control accordingly (Comp, SansAmp).

Bear in mind that occasional blinks (peaks) are okay and can be ex­pected when you dig into your strings, but it should not be continu­ously lit.

2

GUIDE TO FUNCTIONS and CONTROLS

OMP Section

C

Comp utilizes old school, all-analog, FET-based technology from the ‘50s
and ‘60s, which is inherently warmer, more transparent and more musical
than other methods of compression.

COMP: A single, continuously variable control to dial in just the right
amount of compression you need. A little goes a long way, from soft
and barely noticeable to super squashy, infinite sustain.

LEVEL: Adjusts the output level of the Comp section.

(in order of signal flow)

CHANNEL with Character Switch

Channel switches between each set of Drive and Level controls:

Drive 1 and Level 1 / Drive 2 and Level 2

Character Switch gives you a choice of sonic modes:

IN position = SansAmp Bass Driver DI

Offers a variety of classic bass tube amp tones (including Bassman-

style, SVT-style, etc.).

OUT position = VT Bass DI

Offers a more specific focus on Ampeg-style tones and is more

mid-range rich.

SANSAMP Section

The all-analog SansAmp technology enables the Bass Fly Rig to run di­rectly into mixers of recording desks and PA systems, as well as augment
your existing amplifier set-up. It can also be used to enhance previously
recorded tracks. The SansAmp section focuses on clean tones within the
tube amplifier sound spectrum. To dirty things up, you have the flexibility
of using the Drive controls, the Character switch, or you can add distor­tion with the Fuzz in the EFX section. Or all three! Each method achieves
different tones.

3

DRIVE 1 and DRIVE 2: When the SansAmp section is engaged,
adjusts the overall amount of gain and overdrive, similar to when the
output section of a tube amp is being pushed. Activated by the Chan­nel footswitch, you can set one clean and one dirty, or one dirty and
one dirtier. The first half of the rotation will increase the volume as
well as the overdrive.
NOTE: When the SansAmp section is off, the corresponding Drive and
Level knobs (1 or 2) will remain lit, but the controls will be inactive. This
lets you know which Channel was previously on.

LOW, MID, HIGH: On-board post-EQ section gives you full con­trol, like having a studio mixing board at your fingertips. Unlike passive
tone controls that only cut, these active controls cut and boost. At 12
o’clock, they are flat.
LOW is tuned to ±12dB @ 80 Hz
MID is tuned to -12dB @ 1 kHz / +12dB @ 2 kHz
HIGH is tuned to ±12dB @ 3.3 kHz

LEVEL 1 and LEVEL 2: Adjusts the output level of the unit when
the SansAmp section is engaged. Activated by the Channel footswitch,
you can set one soft and one loud, or one loud and one louder. This
control has an exceptionally wide range for maximum compatibility
with a variety of equipment. Level Tip: When running the Bass Fly
Rig Output directly to the PA, set the SansAmp Levels fairly high to
achieve the best signal-to-noise ratio.
NOTE: When the SansAmp section is off, the corresponding Drive and
Level knobs (1 or 2) will remain lit, but the controls will be inactive. This
lets you know which Channel was previously on.

BITE Switch: Engaged (in position), Bite activates a presence boost
to the SansAmp tube amplifier emulation circuitry to provide extra
clarity to the top end. It enhances your attack in distorted settings and
adds definition to your notes when playing in clean settings.

SPEAKER SIMULATION

Speaker simulation is an integral part of the SansAmp circuitry. It is de­signed for a smooth, even response as would be achieved by a multiply­miked cabinet, without the peaks, valleys, and notches associated with
single miking. The shape of the speaker curve will not adversely effect
or interfere with the frequency response of your own cabinet. The
speaker simulation works in tandem with the EQ controls to custom
tailor the overall sound.

The built-in speaker simulation can also be used independently from
the SansAmp section. This enables you to run the Comp section, or an
external pedal (OD, fuzz, distortion, etc.), through the speaker simula­tion. This is useful for running into a full range speaker system or
recording interface.

If desired, you can defeat the speaker simulation by disengaging
the speaker switch (up position).

NOTE: The speaker simulation defeat function will only affect
the 1/4” output. It will not defeat the signal going through the
XLR Output.

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