Tech 21 Boost D.L.A. d Owner's Manual

POWER REQUIREMENTS

* Utilizes standard 9V alkaline battery (not included). NOTE: Input jack activates battery.To conserve

energy, unplug when not in use. Power Consumption:approx. 50mA,for battery life of approximately
10 hours.

* USE DC POWER SUPPLY ONLY! Failure to do so may damage the unit and void warranty.

DC Power Supply Specifications:

-9V DC regulated or unregulated, 100mA minimum;

-2.1mm female plug, center negative (-).

Optional factory power supply is available: Tech 21 Model #DC2.

WARNINGS:

* 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.

ONE YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY.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.

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 from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, EST.

MADE IN THE U.S.A.

T: 973-777-6996 • F: 973-777-9899
E: [e-mail] • www.tech21nyc.com
©2009 Tech 21 USA, Inc.

Owner’s Manual

TECH 21, THE COMPANY

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 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.

With a full line of SansAmp models,Tech 21 also offers effect pedals and MIDI products, as
well as “traditional” style amplifiers for guitar and bass. Each 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 Boost D.L.A.is an analog delay emulator pedal that uniquely incorporates a clean boost
function for up to 9dB of additional volume.With boost and delay in a single pedal, your solos
will jump out with greater dimension.The Boost D.L.A. offers an abundance of easy-to-use,
intuitive controls in an incredibly compact pedal --

and it’s battery operable.

This pedal is designed with user-tweakable, “lo-fi” analog technology.By manipulating the
controls, you can infuse degrees of warmth and life characteristic of vintage delays.The cir­cuitry intentionally injects the inherent imperfections of vintage delays, which is what makes
them so seductive and nostalgic.

Features include a dedicated footswitch for Tap Tempo to avoid confusion during your per­formance.A single,

continuously-variable Time control provides a full sweep of delay, up to
1000 milliseconds. Flutter introduces modulation which adds a slight shimmering/chorus-like
effect of a vintage tape echo.The Mix, Feedback,Tone and Level controls are 100% analog
for warm, organic sounds.The Boost D.L.A. enables you to explore and custom tailor such
delay styles as digital, vintage tape and bucket brigade.

As with each Tech 21 product, the controls are designed to give you the flexibility to obtain
your desired sound. It is our hope that the Boost D.L.A.will be a useful tool for stimulating
your creativity and, ultimately, providing the inspiration to play your best.

THE INS AND OUTS

1/4” INPUT: 1megOhm high impedance input, same as traditional tube amps.Also switches

battery power on/off.To avoid battery drain, unplug when unit is not in use.

1/4” OUTPUT: 1kOhm low impedance output drives long cables without loss of signal

integrity,even in bypass.

SIGNAL LEVEL TO INPUT/CONNECTIONS

The Boost D.L.A.is designed to accommodate instrument level signals to the Input,such as
the output of a guitar, the output of distortion pedals, etc. For normal operation, signal level
to

Input should be close to that of a standard electric guitar (approx -10dBm / 250mV).

NOTE:Some amplifier effects loops are line level, which will cause the Boost D.L.A. to dis­tort. It will also compress the signal and reduce the output.The same may hold true for
mixing boards.Therefore, you may need to obtain a level matching transformer.

Be aware that line level signals will not damage the Boost D.L.A., however the resulting
sound may not be particularly desirable.

GUIDE TO CONTROLS

TIME

Controls the amount of delay.This single, continuously-variable control provides a smooth,
full sweep, ranging from 30 milliseconds up to 1,000 milliseconds.At 12 o’clock,Time is
approximately 300 milliseconds.You can easily dial in the exact amount of delay desired with
one turn of the knob.Turning the Time control while playing will transpose the pitch of your
guitar note, just like a vintage analog delay.

TAP TEMPO

Dedicated footswitch makes it simple to just tap in the delay tempo you want during your
performance.Tap Tempo will override the Time setting (and conversely,turning the Time
knob will override the Tap Tempo).The Tap Tempo works in Bypass so you can set it ahead
of time.

A special feature of the Tech 21 Tap Tempo is that it will not change the pitch of your guitar
tone when you change the pace from faster to slower or slower to faster.This provides a
seamless transition for on-the-fly adjustments if your drummer drifts.

TRIPLETS

Works in conjunction with Tap Tempo.The up position (off) = 1/4-note mode where the
repeats match the tempo you tap. Engaged,it shifts the timing so the repeats play back in
triplets.

TONE

100% analog shelving filter of 6dB per octave.Affects the tone of the delayed signal.At max (5
o’clock), it has no effect.As you decrease the setting, it will reduce the high-end to round off
the signal and add warmth. So that, like an analog echo, each successive repeat will be darker.
Tone Tips: To slightly warm up the sound, experiment between 1-3 o’clock.To radically dark­en the tone, experiment between 12-7 o’clock.With the D.L.A. in front of a distorted or
slightly distorted amp, set the Tone control to make the repeats darker than the straight signal,
between 11-1 o’clock.This will keep the straight and delayed signal from “fighting” with each
other.

FEEDBACK

100% analog circuit. Feeds back the delayed signal to the input of the pedal to generate the
number of repeats.At minimum (7 o’clock), you will hear one repeat.As you increase the set­ting, the repeats will follow accordingly until they are almost infinite.At max, it will self-oscillate.
Feedback Tip: With the Boost D.L.A.in front of an amp, the amp will compress the signal
and make the low level repeats louder.Therefore, you will most likely need to have the setting
lower than you would when running through an effects loop. For instance, you may find a
Feedback setting at 10-11 o’clock through an effects loop will yield 3-4 repeats.However,
through the front of an amp,you may find a setting of 4 o’clock will yield the equivalent.