Carvin R600 Series III manual Front Panel Controls, Speaker Connections, Full Range Mode

1. INPUT GROUP

Two 1/4” phone jacks are provided to accommodate both passive and active instruments. The PASSIVE input is to be used with bass guitars with standard high impedance pickups. This high impedance input offers 8db more gain than the ACTIVE input jack. The ACTIVE input is to be used with instruments that contain active electronics. The INPUT GAIN knob is used to set the input level and the BLEND knob controls how much signal is mixed through the “TUBE EMULATOR”. The red CLIP LED indicates when the input is close to clipping. To avoid clip- ping, reduce the bass level, GAIN knob or use the ACTIVE input jack.

2. PRE-SHAPE EQ

The PRE-SHAPE EQ is useful for dialing in your tone quickly. The LOW BOOST switch pro- vides a 8dB boost at just under 80Hz. This is useful for adding some depth to the bottom- end without bringing up the lower midrange. The MID SHIFT switch offers two different scooped mid selections. In the IN position, the amp has a 10dB cut at 250Hz. Depressing this button raises the cut frequency to 500Hz. The HI BOOST switch offers a 6dB boost at 3kHz. This can provide good high frequency compensation when using 15” or 18” speakers with no tweeters.

3. MAIN EQ TONE CONTROLS

The main EQ tone controls consists of a low shelving control, a sweep midrange control and a high shelving control. The LOW EQ control provides the overall shaping of the low frequen- cies. The action of this control has been carefully matched to the response of the bass guitar. The MID SWEEP controls perform as a semiparametric EQ over the mid frequency range. The MID GAIN knob provides a boosting or cutting action at a relatively narrow band of frequen- cies. When the EQ GAIN knob of the MID SWEEP controls is set to “0”, the mid sweep will have no effect. To boost or cut a specific frequency, rotate the MID GAIN knob clockwise (right) or counter clockwise (left) respectively. The FREQ control knob is used to select the center frequency where the boosting or cutting will occur. The best way to become familiar with the MID SWEEP control is to set the MID GAIN knob at either full cut or full boost and rotate the FREQ knob over its range of frequencies. Listen to the results and experiment with different levels. The MID SWEEP EQ is a powerful sound shaping tool which usually requires some prac- tice to get the best results. The HIGH EQ control knob is designed to cut or boost the high fre- quencies of the bass guitar. Boosting with this control is useful for bringing up the very highest harmonics of the bass, which is especially useful when slapping or popping. Note: boosting the high frequencies can result in increased hiss, especially when using tweeters. This is normal.

4. COMPRESSOR

The COMPRESSOR of the RedLine Series amps is designed to limit the peaks so the volume level is more constant. This allows greater average power to your speakers without the power amps clipping (distorting). The R600/R1000 two knob compressor with THRESHOLD and RATIO controls is more flexible and precise than a single control unit. The user can dial up the exact amount of compression desired and at what level they want the compression to begin. The THRESHOLD control knob sets the point where the compressor kicks in. In the OFF position, the compressor has no effect on the sound. Rotating this control in the clockwise direction lowers the level where the compressor turns on. The compressor indicator LED shows when this threshold is obtained, thus showing when the compressor is on. The RATIO knob is used to set the amount of compression once the threshold has been reached. When this knob is swept all the way counter clockwise (left) the unit is set for a mild compression. As the knob is rotated clockwise (right) the compression ratio increases. The range of available compres- sion ratios is 1.3 to 1 in the full counter clockwise position and 5 to 1 in the full clockwise posi-

tion. The compressor is interactive with the input gain knob and the volume knobs on the bass guitar itself. Lowering the volume feeding the compressor will reduce the amount of com- pression and raising it will result in more compression. To get a tight limiting sound which is often nice for slap style playing, set the RATIO control to the full clockwise position and bring up the THRESHOLD knob until the desired reduction is realized.

5. NOISE GATE

The noise GATE reduces the noise caused by the pickups. To use the GATE, mute the strings with your hand and raise the THRESHOLD control knob until the amp’s noise is turned off and the green LED turns off. The GATE will turn the amp on as the bass is played. The INPUT GAIN will affect the gate setting.

6. ELECTRONIC X-OVER (BI-AMPING)

The electronic X-OVERis used to set the amp for a bi-amped configuration. When the BI-AMP

/FULL RANGE selector switch is in the “OUT” position, the amp is in the bi-amp mode. To select the crossover frequency, rotate the FREQ control knob until the desired frequency is obtained. Try 800Hz. A bi-amped system allows the user greater control over the tone of their bass rig. This allows speakers designed for specific frequencies to be utilized to their fullest potential. NOTE: BI-AMPING DOES NOT NECESSARILY DELIVER THE MOST VOLUME FROM YOUR SYSTEM.

7. GRAPHIC EQ/EFFECTS LOOP

The nine band graphic EQ has been designed with the center frequencies most requested by professional bass players. This EQ can be used to fine tune the tonal content of the amps output. Since the graphic EQ is controllable with either the optional FS22 footswitch or the EQ switch on the front panel, it can be used to develop a second sound from the amp. Musicians that play more than one bass on stage will find this useful to get the sounds they desire out of each instrument. The footswitch selectable graphic EQ can also be useful during passages of a song when the bass needs to punch through the mix. A GREEN LED indicator located along the side of the EQ signifies when the graphic EQ is working. The YELLOW effect loop LED labeled EFF LOOP indicates when the effects loop is turned on. Note: the EQ switch on the front panel overrides the the footswitch. So when the graphic EQ is off, it cannot be turned on with the footswitch.

8. OUTPUT CONTROL GROUP

The output group determines how the RedLine amplifiers interfaces with other gear and speak- ers. The POWER AMP CONTROL 1 & 2 controls the volume to the individual amps. These are used to balance the low and high cabinets when in full range or bi-amping modes (stereo). To set the balance, bring up the AMP 1 (LOW FREQ) knob until the desired volume level is reached. Now bring up the AMP 2 (HIGH FREQ) knob until the desired balance has been achieved. The master VOLUME control sets the overall volume.

9. POWER / PROTECT (RESET)

Push the upper portion of the POWER SWITCH to turn the amplifier on. If the power indica- tor LED is on but no sound is coming out of the speakers, the amp may have gone into one of its protection modes. To reset the amp, turn the power off for one minute and then turn the amp back on. If the problem persists, check for; a) The speaker impedance is too low for the bridge output (4 ohm min.) or normal outputs (2 ohms min. per amp) b) bad speaker cable, c) damaged speaker or, d) blocked rear fan intake.

HELPFUL HINTS

1)POOR BIAMP SOUND: The speaker cables from AMP 1 (woofers) and AMP 2 (tweet- ers) have been reversed, AMP 1 and 2 level controls are not balanced or the X-OVER has been set at an incorrect frequency. (start at 800 Hz).

2)NO SOUND FROM AMPS 1 & 2: The rear BRIDGE switch has been inadvertently pushed in or speakers plugged into wrong jacks.

3)NO HIGH FREQUENCIES: Tweeters or midrange drivers have been damaged from to much power.

4)WEAK BASS: The speaker systems are wired out of phase to each other. To correct, reverse the wires on one speaker connectors.

5)DIR XLR HUM: Try switching the rear GND LIFT switch IN or OUT. If the hum is not elim- inated, use a 600Ω line input transformer cutting the input ground on the connectors (Pin 3).

SPEAKER CONNECTIONS

Twist-Lok cables are recommended for your bass rig because of their high cur- rent capacity. While the standard 16 GA 1/4” cables will work OK with your system, the CARVIN 12 GA Twist-Lok cables will allow you to gain as much as 20% more power at high power levels extracting every watt from your RedLine bass amp. The very short 1/4” cables will work for the RC210 and RL6815 combo amps.

FULL RANGE MODE:

The FULL RANGE mode of your RedLine bass amp works well with separate bass and full-range speaker systems. Instead of using the Bi-Amp mode, you can simply run AMP 1 into your bass speakers and AMP 2 into your full-range speakers using the natural crossover frequencies of each speaker system. If you need deeper bass or more highs, just turn up amp 1 or amp 2 for a balance sound. The front panel X-OVERswitch must be pushed “IN” for the FULL-RANGE MODE.