BLACK BEAUTY – REAR PANEL FEATURES
BALANCED (XLR) OUTPUT
The Balanced XLR out is a true electronically balanced output, suitable for studio and “front-of-house” (live) mixing consoles. The level present at this output can be adjusted by using the XLR Pad control (see the “XLR Pad Control” section below for more details). The signal appearing at the Balanced Output is governed by the setting of the three-position XLR Mode switch located directly below it (Line/Direct/Direct + Sub).
In the DIRECT position, the Balanced Output signal comes from directly after the first stage of the specially- selected 12AX7 preamp tube, giving you the sound of your instrument and some added warmth. In other words, it becomes an active TUBE direct box. In this position, no front panel controls are functional and the SubWave™ is not present.
In the LINE position, all front panel controls—including the Aural Enhancer, SubWave™, and EQ controls—are functional except the Master control, and the signal is essentially the same as that heard through your speaker system. If you are using an external effects device in the effects loop, that signal will also be present when in the LINE position (dictated by the setting of the Effects Blend control on your Black Beauty). When in this position, the output level will be affected by the Gain control on the front panel as well as the XLR Pad control. It’s worth noting that changing the level of the Gain control will affect the signal present at your speakers, the Effects Send jack, and the Balanced Output, while the XLR Pad control affects the level present at the Balanced Output only. For this reason, it’s usually better to set your Gain control in accordance with the directions in the “Gain Control” previously listed in the “Front Panel Features” section of this manual, and to use the XLR Pad control to set the level specifically for the Balanced Output.
The third position for this switch is the DIRECT + SUB position. In this position, the signal present at the Balanced Output jack is the same as when in the DIRECT position, with one important exception: the SubWave™ is present. What’s the benefit of this setting?
We’ve found that most people who use effects pedals prefer to use them in front of the amplifier. In other words, they run their bass into the effect pedal’s input, then from the effect pedal’s output into the front of their amplifier. In live applications where sound reinforcement is required, often times the front-of-house engineer will take a direct signal from the bass itself (via either a direct box, or the Balanced Output of your amp set to the DIRECT position) and use that signal as the main bass sound to the house P.A. This way, if the bassist sets the amplifier’s EQ controls in a way to his liking, but in a manner not conducive to a good bass sound for the house P.A., the front-of-house mixing engineer still has a nice, flat bass signal to work with, and then he can EQ the bass sound for what’s best in the room. And, more relevantly, he would still get the sound of any effects pedal that was placed in front of the amplifier.
The DIRECT + SUB position provides this exact function for the Balanced Output. It always contains the sound of your bass signal just after the first tube stage, and will also contain the SubWave™ effect when engaged without also sending EQ settings that may not be right for the house P.A. (or a studio mixing console). You can always include all of your EQ settings (plus the SubWave) at the Balanced Output by setting the three- position switch to the LINE position. But thanks to the DIRECT + SUB position of this switch, it’s not a necessity that you do so just because you want the SubWave™ present at the Balanced Output.
NOTE: You can still use the SubWave™ Level control to set the amount of sub-octave effect present at the Balanced Output when in the DIRECT + SUB mode; however, it will also affect the level present at the speaker outputs as well. Also, though the Gain control will not affect the level of the “clean” bass signal present at the Balanced Output when in DIRECT + SUB mode, it WILL affect the level of sub-octave present. This is normal, and occurs because the SubWave™ circuit is located after the first stage of the preamp tube and is blended back into the signal specifically for this special mode of the three-position switch. We recommend that you set the Gain and SubWave™ Level controls in accordance with previously mentioned instructions, and the gain structure should fall into place fairly automatically.
Wiring for the XLR jack at the Balanced Output is as follows: Pin 1 = ground, Pin 2 = + (plus), Pin 3 = – (minus) (American Standard)
NOTE: Turn off transients appear at the Balanced Output when the amplifier is shut down. We recommend that equipment being used in conjunction with the Balanced Output be turned down, off, or disconnected BEFORE the Black Beauty is turned off.
