Vermona Retroverb Lancet User Manual

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Introduction

Today's digital e!ects and plug-ins can create almost perfect room simula­tions. However, when it comes to characteristic and charismatic reverb,
analogue e!ect-processors are yet to beat. The reverberating sound of a
spring is so lively and unique that its sound is almost impossible to recreate
in the digital domain. In addition to this, Retroverb Lancet is not just a
spring reverberation system – it is an analogue multi-e!ects-processor. It
o!ers overdrive, filtering, VCA, envelope and LFO to manipulate the spring
sound and create di!erent sounds like Auto-Wah, Tremolo, Distortion,
Delay, Gater and of course Reverb. It is far from perfection but sonically
unmatched.

Enjoy your Retroverb Lancet!

The VERMONA team

Important Safety Information

1. Read these instructions.

2. Keep these instructions. Alway include these instructions when passing
the product on to third parties.

3. Heed all warnings.

4. Follow all instructions.

5. Do not use this apparatus near water.

6. Only clean the product when it is not connected to the mains power
supply. Clean only with a 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 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

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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, when the apparatus has been exposed
to rain or moisture, does not operate normally, or has been dropped.

15. To completely disconnect this apparatus from the AC mains,
disconnect the power supply cord plug from the AC receptacle.

16. WARNING: To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock, do not expose
this apparatus to rain or moisture.

17. 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.

18. The mains plug of the power supply cord shall remain readily accessi­ble.

Installation

• Ensure that the room in which you use this product is wired in accordance

with the local electrical code and checked by a qualified inspector.

• Only use this product indoors.

• Do not install the product in hot, humid, or excessively dusty locations, in

direct sunlight or in locations where it is exposed to externally generated
vibrations.

• Do not place burning objects (e.g. candles) on top of or near the product.

• If condensation has formed on the product, e.g. because it was moved

from a cold environment to a warm one, allow the product to acclimatize
to room temperature before using it.

• Do not overload wall outlets and extension cables as this may result in

fire and electric shock.

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Table of Contents

1 Introduction 2..........................................................................................

2 Important Safety Information 2.................................................................

3 Table of Contents 4..................................................................................

4 Getting Started 5......................................................................................

4.1. Connections and Powering 5................................................................

5 Components and Controls 6.....................................................................

5.1. Input Section (IN) 6...............................................................................

5.2. Output Section (OUT) 7........................................................................

5.3. The Spring Reverb 9.............................................................................

5.4. Filter (VCF) 11......................................................................................

5.5. Amplifier (VCA) 15...............................................................................

5.6. Modulation 16......................................................................................

5.6.1. Modulation Generator (LFO) 16..........................................................

5.6.2. Envelope Generator (EG) 17...............................................................

5.6.3. Envelope Follower (EF) 18..................................................................

5.6.4. Pedal/CV-Input 18............................................................................

5.7. Further Control Elements 19.................................................................

5.8. Connectors 20......................................................................................

6 Technical Data 21....................................................................................

7 Declaration of Conformity 23...................................................................

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Getting Started

To ensure top quality we carefully checked Retroverb Lancet before packag­ing. Nevertheless, the unit could have been damaged during transportation.
Therefore, we ask you to take a serious look at the unit when unpacking it.
Do not hesitate to contact us, should there be anything unusual on Retro­verb Lancet itself or its packaging.

You should find the following items in the box:

• 1 Retroverb Lancet unit

• 1 AC adapter (12V / at least 830mA)

• this manual

Connections and Powering

If you came here without any problems, you can finally start up your Retro­verb Lancet:

1. Connect the provided power supply unit to the 12VAC jack on Retro­verb Lancet

ATTENTION Only use the included power supply! You may already

own a suitable-looking power supply that o!ers the
same connector. However, Retroverb Lancet requires

an AC adapter, not DC! Using an unsuitable power

supply may cause damage to the unit.

2. Connect the INPUT jack of Retroverb Lancet to an appropriate audio
source such as a drum-computer, a groove-box, a synthesizer, a gui­tar or CD-player.

3. Connect the OUTPUT jack of Retroverb Lancet to an appropriate audio
input of a mixing console, an audio-interface or an amplifier.

4. Start Retroverb Lancet by switching on OVERKILL on the unit’s rear.
The corresponding green LED will be lit.

5. Congratulations, Retroverb Lancet has been started.

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Components and Controls

Retroverb Lancet is an analogue e!ects processor. Beside its main sound
shaping element - the spring reverb - it o!ers powerful functions such as
multimode-filtering, overdrive, VCA, LFO and an envelope generator. This
section will take a closer look to the di!erent sections of Retroverb Lancet
and their correspondent control elements.

Input Section (IN)

This section controls the input sensitivity and a possible analogue overdrive
of the circuit. The amount of possible distortion in Retroverb Lancet ranges
from light saturation to hefty distortion.

The available control elements are:

Picture 1: Input Section

GAIN

Use this control to set the input sensitivity. A corresponding LED will
indicate overloads. Set the control in a way that the LED only lights up
during signal peaks. Retroverb Lancet has a large GAIN range that allows
line- as well as instrument-level-signals to be connected and ade­quately preamplified. Do not worry if the clip-LED already lights up in
the gain control's first half when using line-level-signals. Using higher
GAIN settings will allow you to distort the input, which will result in a
noticeable increase of volume.

Retroverb Lancet's input was designed to handle high-impedance sig­nals of instrument pickups, too. There is no need to use a DI-box here.
Instead, you may connect your guitar, bass or clavinet directly.

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ATTENTION Using too little preamplification will decrease the signal

to noise ratio. In addition, trigger sensitivity (see "Enve­lope Generator (EG)", page 17) as well as the envelope­follower directly depend on the input level setting. Che­cking for best possible levels is essential for best
results from your Retroverb Lancet.

DRIVE

This control adjusts the amount of distortion applied to the input signal.
Note that DRIVE will take e!ect on the processed as well as on the dry
signal. With MIX turned fully counterclockwise, the signal can still be
distorted if needed. The distortion can be disabled by switching BYPASS
on. In contrary to distortion achieved with the GAIN control, DRIVE will
not significantly raise the level when increasing the amount of drive.

Output Section (OUT)

The output section o!ers the following control elements:

Picture 2: Output Section

MIX

This control adjusts the ratio between direct and processed signal. MIX
changes its function depending on the selected routing of the spring
within the signal chain (see "The Spring Reverb", page 9).

With SPRING set to OFF or PRE, MIX blends between the input section
including overdrive (left) and the signal processed with reverb, filter and
VCA (right).

With SPRING switched to POST, MIX blends between the reverberated
signal (left) and the signal processed by filter and VCA (right).

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