Studio Preamp Owners Manual
Contents
1.2. accentuate the super top or extreme high frequencies adding shimmer and sparkle to the Rhythm mode and a searing quality in Lead The Bright switches are most useful at low settings at high gain settings they are usually unneces sary and may cause excessive noise or feedback To avoid this you should either reduce the Volume and or Lead Drive slightly or turn off the Bright switch when such extreme settings are desired Graphic Equalizer The Studio Preamp is equipped with an onboard graphic EQ that is specifically tailored for guitar The center frequencies of each of it s 5 bands were carefully selected as the ones most useful and effective for the instrument What the graphic allows you to do is drastically re shape the tone structure or frequency response curve of the Preamp The EQ comes after the rotary tone controls and distortion circuitry in the Preamp and is generally used to enhance the basic tone after you ve set the rotaries However it can also be used to p provide a separate set of tone controls for the Lead mode see explanation of EQ AUTO below Although the EQ adds tremendous flexibility to the Preamp it is not necessary for achieving a good tone and can be switched out of the circuit at any time All the tonal R amp D that went into perfecting the Preamp s sound was done with the EQ out The front panel EQ Switch has three positions EQ IN EQ OUT the unlabeled center position and EQ AUTO When the switch
3. it has enough gain to produce anything from a bluesy slightly dirty tone to an insanely overdriven metal sound even at very low volumes Touch sensitive We ve found that the best tones seem to occur with the Lead Drive set in either the 2 3 or the 5 6 regions Treble This control adds highs and bite to your tone It also has the effect of adding gain and sustain to the Lead mode Adjusting this control while switching between Lead and Rhythm modes you ll find a sweet spot probably somewhere between 6 and 8 which gives you the right amount of bite and penetration without sounding harsh Lead Fat Switch This rocker switch re voices the Treble control shifting it s effective range downward to the upper mid range zone Affecting only the Lead mode it adds fatness gain and sustain to the tone Bass This powerful control adds roundness warmth and bottom to the tone Like the Treble control it should be set with both modes in mind high settings which may sound great for rhythm may sound flabby in lead However too little bass may leave you with a flat two dimensional sound Try setting this control between 3 and 5 for starters Middle This control is the least significant and easiest to use of the three tone controls Although it s action may not seem dramatic it adds midrange warmth when used with relatively normal setting of the Treble and Bass controls Rhythm Bright and Lead Bright Switches These switches
4. of the power cords on the units The rule of thumb here is that one and only one unit in a rack should have a connection to the AC power ground all the other units in the rack should have their grounds lifted by using 3 to 2 adapters on their AC plugs 2 Ground loops occurring because of two or more audio cables connecting two components The most common solution is to disconnect the shield from the sleeve connection at one end of some of the inter connecting cables so that only one cable between each device has an intact ground shield Some experimentation is required to find which cable is best for conducting the ground and which cables are best suited to have the special clipped ground We recommend trying the intact ground cables for the signal path which flows say from the Preamp s Effects Send to an effects unit and trying the clipped ground method on the cable which connects the effects output back into the Effect Return on the Preamp 3 Ground loops created by the physical contact between the metal chassis of the components and the steel rack rails It is for this third type of ground loop that the Ground Isolation Switch was pro vided The switch effectively lifts the electronic circuit ground from the metal chassis ground which otherwise must be done manually by disconnecting a wire inside of the Preamp Here again the rule is that one device in your system and usually only one needs its circuit ground connected to its met
5. MESA BOOGIE The Spirit of Art in Technology Studio Preamp Owner s Manual Studio Preamp Owner s Manual Congratulations on your purchase of the MESA Boogie Studio Preamp In this compact rack ready package you ll find all the basic tones that made Boogie famous clean warm smooth rhythm sounds a screaming vicious Lead voice and enough control to produce anything in between The Preamp is simple and straightforward yet sophisticated Like all other Boogies it s based on a no compromise all tube circuit with traditional style tone controls and instant Lead Rhythm footswitching It includes a 5 band graphic EQ for tone customizing a carefully tweaked deep sounding 3 spring reverb a stereo effects loop that can accommodate either low level or line level effects and two pairs of stereo outputs including Recording Outputs with speaker simulator circuitry which will mate perfectly with either a mixing console or the front end input of most guitar amps NOTE If you are using the Studio Preamp in conjunction with a dedicated power amp we strongly recommend the use of a high quality all tube amplifier such as our Stereo Simul Class 295 or the Strategy 400 Only then can you be assured of taking full advantage of the Preamp s sound quality 1 Connecting the Preamp The simplest method for connecting the Preamp is to plug your guitar into the front or rear panel INSTRUMENT INPUT then run shielded cables from MAIN OUTPUTS A a
6. ad Bright Bright Fat Studio Preamp Sample Settings Country Clean Rhythm Silky Lead p Bright Bright o0000000Q Volume Master Treble Bass QO Mid Lead Lead Reverb Drive Master OFF Lead Fat Here are some settings optimized for Rhythm or Lead mode Shimmering Rhyth ym J ON OFF Rhythm Lead Bright Bright Blues Lead Volume Master Treble Bass Mid 2 OFF ON Rhythm Lead Bright Bright Crunch Chords Lead Mode 2 a Bright Bright 0000000 Volume Master Treble Bass Volume Master Treble Bass Mid Q Mid Lead Lead Reverb Drive Master OFF Lead Fat OO Lead Lead Reverb Drive Master OFF Lead Fat OO Lead Reverb Lead Drive Master ON Lead Fat Metal Lead Use V Graph EQ JAZZ Rhythm Mode Studio Preamp Sample Settings 00000000 Volume Master Treble Bass Mid Lead Lead Reverb Drive Master OFF ON ON Rhythm Lead Lead Bright Bright Fat 00000000 Volume Master Treble Bass Mid Lead Lead Reverb Drive Master ON OFF OFF Rhythm Lead Lead Bright Bright Fat OO Volume Master Treble Bass Mid Lead Lead Reverb P L e Rhythm Lead Lead Bright Bright Fat Drive Master OO Volume Master Treble Bass Mid Lead Lead Reverb Drive Master Rhythm Lead Lead Bright Bright Fat MESA BOOGIE The Spirit of Art in Technology
7. al chassis ground all others should be lifted in other words disconnected for quietest operation Some effects units provide similar switches some are constructed such that the input ground and the output grounds are permanently separated in other cases the method used to isolate the grounds is unclear Again some experimentation is vital to discovering which combina tion of lifted and grounded works best in your rack and out Ground Isolation Switch makes it much easier NOTE If the Studio Preamp is operated outside of a rack installation the switch should generally be set to the Normal position or else squealing buzzing and oscillation may occur Always check this switch before thinking that something has gone wrong with your Preamp Some dual mode settings Blues Clean Rhythm Sweet Lead Rock Clean Rhythm Rock Lead Metal Chunky Rhythm Searing Lead Fusion Sparkling Rhythm Articulate Lead Studio Preamp Sample Settings 00000000 Volume Master Treble Bass Mid Lead Lead Reverb Drive Master OFF OFF OFF Rhythm Lead Lead Bright Bright Fat 00000000 Volume Master Treble Bass Mid Lead Lead Reverb Drive Master ON ON ON Rhythm Lead Lead Bright Bright Fat OO Volume Master Treble Bass Mid Lead Lead Reverb 2 Drive Master OFF OFF ON Rhythm Lead Lead Bright Bright Fat OO Volume Master Treble Bass Mid Lead Lead Reverb Drive Master OFF OFF ON Rhythm Lead Le
8. ects Loop Level switch should be set according to the type of effects you are using For floor pedals and some inexpensive rack effects select the LOW position When studio quality or lineOlevel effects are in use select the LINE position If your effects device also has a switch of this kind make sure the settings of both switches coincide MAIN OUTPUTS This pair of 1 4 jacks is intended primarily for connecting the Preamp to a power amp Its output level is determined by the OUTPUT LEVEL controls on the front panel If you are using some type of stereo effect in the Preamp s Effects Loop then the Main Outs function as a Stereo pair If you re not using a stereo effect they function simply as two mono outs in other words the content of Main Output A will be the same as the content of Main Output B If you re operating the Preamp in mono and you are feeding into a mono or single power amp input you can use either Output A or Output B it makes no difference RECORDING OUTPUTS This pair of outputs also 1 4 jacks has been specially EQ d and buffered to simulate the sound of a power amp loaded by speakers for use in direct inject record ing situations when the Preamp is plugged directly into a mixing console Like the Main Outs the Recording Outs function as either a stereo pair or as two mono outputs depending on whether you ve got a stereo izing device in the Effects Loop or not at levels determined by the front pa
9. els are attained This sometimes occurs because of slight variances in the resistor values of the potentiome ters If effects are in use in the Effects Loop and the effects send level seems too high or low try adjusting the INPUT LEVEL or HEADROOM control on the effect device first if the level is still not optimum adjust the Preamp s Master and Lead Master controls as needed and then re adjust the OUTPUT LEVEL controls to compensate POWER SWITCH and Pilot Light This is the AC Power On Off switch for the Preamp When its pilot lamp is lit it indicates that AC voltage is being supplied to the Preamp STANDBY SWITCH The Standby Switch shuts off the signal at the effects send stage When the Preamp is in Standby mode any noise produced by devices in the effects loop will be audible but the signal content will not be If this noise is objectionable or undesirable use the Standby switch es on your power amp to must the noise We recommend switching the Preamp into its Standby mode 1 during power up leave in standby for about 30 seconds 2 while patching in instruments and effects 3 during set breaks at gigs or rehearsals and 4 before powering down MODE EQ LED INDICATORS These three red LEDS located under the tone controls indicate whether you are in the Rhythm or Lead mode and whether the EQ is active or not 4 REAR PANEL CONNECTIONS INPUT This 1 4 jack is one of two possible inputs that can be chosen the other in
10. is set to EQ OUT the EQ is not active but can still be switched in via the optional EQ footswitch When the switch is set to EO IN the EQ is active and cannot be footswitched off In EO AUTO the EO will automatically kick in whenever you are in the Lead mode and will automatically switch off when you are in Rhythm In this way you can create a tone preset for Lead that is entirely different from your Rhythm tone Although there are many useful EQ settings on graph seems to have found its way onto every col iseum stage at one time or another the classic V This setting produces a dramatically fat sound by boosting the extreme lows and highs while cutting back the mids Specifically you move the two outside sliders 80 amp 6600 Hz to a setting just below the highest line Then you position the 2nd and 4th sliders just above the centerline Then take the 750 Hz slider center it at the lower line and fine tune it You ll find this region very responsive to even tiny adjustments it s like a pivot point of the V sound Of course the V is just one of the many possible EQ combinations Like all the other con trols the EQ is there to help you find the tones that sound great to you REVERB The Studio Preamp includes a built in 3 spring reverb unit The reverb circuit has been painstakingly tweaked to eliminate any buzzing boinging or clipping that sometimes occurs with springs When the reverb control is set at zero only
11. mp B into the inputs of your power amp The two output level controls on the Preamp will deter mine the overall level being sent to the power amp If you are feeding into a mono power amp use either one of the Preamp s Main Outputs A or B If you wish to use the Preamp in conjunction with a normal guitar amplifier such as a Fender Marshall etc you can either 1 run a shielded cable from one of the Preamp s rear panel RECORD ING OUTPUTS into the front panel input of the amp or 2 run a cable from one of the MAIN OUT PUTS into the effects return or Power Amp Input jack of your amp assuming your amp has one of these If the Preamp is being used for recording and you wish to connect it directly to a mixing console we recommend using the RECORDING OUTPUT s connected to a line level input on the console Or as an alternative you can use one or both of the Preamp s MAIN OUTPUTS for this purpose The Recording Outs are EQ d differently than the Main Outs so the choice here is mainly a matter of taste 2 Using Stereo Effects The Studio Preamp is capable of stereo operation if used with a stereo effects unit and of course a stereo power amp To do this connect a shielded cable from the Preamp s EFFECTS SEND jack into the input of your effects unit and set the Preamp s EFFECTS LEVEL switch to either LOW for using floor pedals or inexpensive rack effects or LINE for using studio quality effects Then connect the outpu
12. nel OUTPUT LEVEL controls USING THE PREAMP AS AN EFFECT BOX Another excellent use for the Recording Outputs is for connecting the Preamp to the input of a normal guitar amplifier such as a Fender Marshall etc The Preamp then becomes a super effect box adding Tone Gain Footswitching Distortion EQ Reverb and en Effects Loop to the normal capabilities of your amplifier The Recording Outs can be connected straight into the front panel input of the amp there s no need to attempt to bypass the amp s preamp section and should not require any radical alteration of your normal amp settings LINE FUSE A 1 1 4 amp fuse protects The Studio Preamp when operating on 100 120 V AC Should the fuse blow replace it with a Slo Blo fuse of the same amperage LINE CORD This is a standard 3 pin AC line cord A ground lifting 3 to 2 adapter may be found useful in eliminating hum cased by grounds loops when the Preamp is connected to a power amp This problem would not tend to arise when running into a mixing console GROUND ISOLATION SWITCH This mini rocker switch is extremely useful in reducing the hum and buzz caused by ground loops which occur in rack installations Ground loops occur when there is more than one path for grounds between electronic units There are three main type of ground loops each one contributes its own trademark component of buzz or hum The three types of ground loops are 1 Grounds are connected via the ground lugs
13. put location is on the front panel The front panel input and rear panel input are identical in function and the choice is simply one of convenience The input jacks are insulated mono jacks designed to handle one instrument We don t recommend using both of them at once Always use a high quality shielded cable to connect your instrument to the Preamp LEAD RHYTHM FOOTSWITCH This jack will accept either the Lead Rhythm footswitch includ ed with your Preamp or any standard grounding type footswitch or connections from an external switching system such as MESA Boogie MIDI Matrix It allows remote switching between Lead and Rhythm modes FUNCTION SWITCHES Reverb EQ amp REV EQ These 1 4 jacks are used to control the Reverb and or the EQ functions using the optional footswitches For controlling the Reverb alone or the EQ alone connect our Single Footswitch to the appropriate jack using a 2 conductor unshielded cable If you re using the Dual Footswitch to control both reverb and EQ plug it into the center EQ amp REV jack using a 3 conductor stereo cable The function jacks can also be used to control the reverb and EQ from an external switching system such as the MIDI Matrix EFFECTS LOOP The Effects Loop in the Preamp has a mono single send and stereo dual returns This means you can incorporate stereo effects devices in the loop and the signal will be maintained in full stereo all the way through to the outputs The Eff
14. t to set the Volume at 5 1 2 to 6 If you never use clean sounds or don t need squeaky clean rhythm sounds you ll probably be more concerned with the Lead mode In that case a volume set ting of 7 1 2 to 8 may be in order Of course the best way to find the setting that is the ultimate for you is simply to experiment Master This control serves two purposes and remains functional in both modes It is a master vol ume control for the rhythm mode and it is also in series with Lead Master This means that low set tings of the Master control should be balanced with higher settings of the Lead Master control if equal levels are desired between Lead and Rhythm modes Similarly higher settings on the Master will require lower settings on the Lead Master to achieve a balance A good basic setting for the Master control is 5 If you start around 5 you can still increase or decrease the setting to a degree without having to alter the Lead Master setting The second purpose of the Master control is that it functions as the Effects Send level Again a set ting of 5 usually provides the right amount of signal to drive most effects units If this setting is incompatible with your effects adjust as needed and then re adjust the overall loudness of the Preamp with the Output Level controls Lead Drive As you might expect this control adjusts the gain sustain and sensitivity of the Lead mode Although it is affected by the setting of the Volume control
15. the dry or non reverberated signal is heard As the control is turned up the wet or reverberated signal is gradually mixed in Try a set ting of 3 for a medium amount of reverb or season to taste Once you ve got a setting you like you can switch it in or out with the optional reverb footswitch or other external switching via the rear panel FUNCTION jack labeled REVERB OUTPUT LEVEL A amp B This pair of controls determines the overall level being sent form Main Outs A amp B and Recording Outs A amp B to your power amp or mixing console To get the best sig nal to noise ratio and to avoid clipping the levels must be set neither too low nor too high If you need guidance in setting these levels try the following method Start by setting both Output controls to zero Next set the Master control at 5 and the Lead Master at 4 Set the Lead Drive at 6 and the Volume at 7 With these settings the volume levels of the Rhythm and Lead Modes will be about equal Now we are ready to bring up the Outputs With the Power and Standby switches in the Preamp and power amp in the ON position slowly bring up OUTPUT LEVEL A to the desired listening level Depending on the power amp being used the setting will most likely be very low probably between 2 and 4 Next increase OUTPUT LEVEL B until its level equals that of OUTPUT A Don t be surprised if the number settings on the two outputs are slightly different when equal lev
16. ts of the effects unit to the RETURN jacks on the Preamp using shielded cables and use the Preamp s Main Outputs to feed the power amp Use the Mix or Blend control on the effects unit to set the wet dry effect direct blend Another way to run the Preamp in stereo with effects is to connect one of the Preamp s MAIN OUT PUTS or both if the effects unit has stereo inputs to the input of the effect In this case the Preamp s OUTPUT LEVEL control s will determine the send level to the effects the overall level going to the power amp will be determined at the effects unit 3 The Controls Let s review the controls one at a time to learn their various functions and how they interact Volume This very powerful control determines the gain in the Rhythm mode and also the amount of signal fed to the lead mode Lower settings of this control will result in cleaner brighter rhythm sounds and lower gain lead sounds Higher settings will result in fatter clean rhythm sounds and tighter more focused lead tones By experimenting with the volume control you will discover a sweet spot probably somewhere between 6 and 7 1 2 where you ll find the ultimate shimmering warmth in your clean sound yet enough gain to keep your lead mode tight and singing We ve found that settings of 6 3 4 to 7 provide a great clean sound and yet allow instant switching to a great lead sound However players who put emphasis on the ultimate clean sound will probably wan
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