R-56 tube reverb user`s manual
Contents
1. IME TASONIX R 56 tube reverb user s manual Copyright 2013 Metasonix All rights reserved Please read all of this before using it RETAIN INSTRUCTIONS The safety and operating instructions should be retained for future reference HEED WARNINGS All warnings on the R 56 and in the operating instructions should be adhered to FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS All operating instructions should be followed WATER AND MOISTURE The R 56 should not be used near water e g near a bathtub washbowl kitchen sink laundry tub in a wet basement near a swimming pool etc Care should be taken so that liquids are not spilled onto or near the enclosure VENTILATION AND COOLING The R 56 normally operates warm to the touch It MUST be situated so that its location or position does not interfere with convective cooling The R 56 MUST NOT be used ona bed sofa rug or similar surface which may prevent proper cooling It is NOT a toy If the R 56 is mounted in a synthesizer rack or other built in installation space must be left around it to allow convection cooling HEAT The R 56 MUST be situated away from heat sources such as radiators heat registers stoves or other devices including power amps that produce heat POWER SOURCE The R 56 should be connected to a power supply ONLY of the type described in the operating manual or as marked on the R 56 WARNING Each R 56 requires 12v at 300 mA and 12v at 300 mA The cabinet power supply must be able to deliv2. ease ae N Lla AL of overdriving the R 56 it is intentional and INPUT Eee amp can be controlled with the Input Level OO NT 7 control If you hear unpleasant clipping sounds and aren t looking for such effect intentionally reduce the input level By overdriving the input tube distortion is added then solid state distortion effects from subtle to extreme The two Output Level controls allow adjustment of the output mix between totally dry no reverb effect to totally wet reverb effect signal only Once the input is adjusted to the desired level set the Dry level to the desired setting usually 0dB or 12 o clock then add Wet signal as desired An added Wet Only output jack carries only the Wet signal which allows for control by an external VCA or other effects and subsequent mixdown The photo above shows the recommended starting settings when first using the R 56 A feedback loop allows for direct feedback around the spring This effect is independent of the input signal and affects any input signal It can produce feedback oscillations whose frequency is dependent on the spring delay time and the driving signal Note that this feedback loop has considerable gain and is prone to feedback oscillations at any time at the direct request of our customers The Feedback knob controls the oscillation threshold If no feedback is desired turn it fully counterclockwise An Invert switch allows inversion of t
3. aged or develop faulty internal wiring connections requiring replacement This particular R 56 was shipped and wired for two 12CTS8 triode pentodes The R 56 can also accept type 7060 or 7258 tubes without modification types which are much more difficult to find than 12CT8s Do NOT attempt to substitute other tube types 12CT8s are still quite easy to find and are available from distributors such as Radio Electric Supply vacuumtubes net or Antique Electronic Supply tubesandmore com Note this is an ADVANCED MODIFICATION and is NOT RECOMMENDED for inexperienced personnel The R 56 can be rewired to accept 5AN8 6AN8 or 8489 triode pentodes by cutting the traces going to the heater pins 4 and 5 and wiring those pins to a source of 5v power This source will need to provide about 3 amps of cold current and up to 1 2 amps of operating current after warmup This is NOT a trivial modification and the assistance of Metasonix or a technician with experience in working with tube electronics is mandatory If you are confused or have ANY technical questions feel free to contact us Please DO NOT ASSUME and f you are not an experienced technician DO NOT TRY RANDOM TUBES OR MODIFY THE CIRCUIT IN ANY WAY 495 N Main 109 LAKEPORT CA 95453 USA M E j A 5 O N Fi X 707 263 5343 synth metasonix com www metasonix com
4. er this current WARNING The tubes get hot in normal operation and should not be touched after 10 minutes with power applied CLEANING The R 56 should only be cleaned with a soft cloth moistened with water Unplug the power supply before attempting to clean NON USE PERIODS The R 56 should be shut off when left unused for a long period of time MECHANICAL unlike all other synthesizer modules on the market the R 56 has its reverb spring tank mounted directly on the front panel The tank is fragile and must be treated with extra care especially if the user decides to remove the protective cover and modify or scrape on the springs DAMAGE OR TUBE REPLACEMENT REQUIRING SERVICE The R 56 should be serviced by qualified service personnel when The power supply has been damaged The R 56 has been dropped physically damaged or subjected to force Liquid has been spilled onto the R 56 or it has been exposed to rain The R 56 does not appear to operate normally or exhibits a marked change in performance SERVICING The user should not attempt to service the R 56 All servicing should be referred to qualified service personnel METASONIX LIMITED WARRANTY and standard legal disclaimer Thank you for purchasing this Metasonix product The following terms and conditions apply 1 Warranty period is for ONE YEAR from date of purchase with proof of purchase submitted Warranty covers electrical failure of vacuum tubes and gas filled t
5. he drive signal to the spring input which can produce drastically different sounds especially on bass heavy transients such as bass drums This might not seem like a major sound effect but it is especially when an external reverb spring tank is connected in parallel with the internal tank Two CV inputs are available One is for controlling input preamp gain from complete cutoff 2v to maximum drive to the spring 10v It does not affect the dry signal The other CV input controls the feedback loop around the spring for a wide range of chaotic distortion effects The Feedback control knob must be turned up for this effect to operate as it uses a vactrol to increase feedback past the potentiometer Usually setting the Feedback knob to the 9 o clock position allows increasing the feedback without oscillation when the CV is at zero volts the Feedback knob might need adjustment if the R 56 oscillates with zero CV input INTERNAL TANK The internal reverb spring tank is a special miniature device made by Accutronics apparently for use in guitar pedals It is more rugged than most tanks and does not need to be spring mounted or put in an isolation enclosure Accessing the spring directly is possible though not recommended Note that you may invalidate your warranty if you damage the spring Use caution As seen in the photo at left carefully insert a small screwdriver or other pointed tool into the rectangular a slot vi
6. nvenience please check carefully that you have fully read and followed the instructions in this instruction manual This warranty is in lieu of all other expressed warranties obligations or liabilities ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OBLIGATIONS OR LIABILITIES INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FORA PARTICULAR PURPOSE SHALL BE LIMITED IN DURATION TO THE DURATION OF THIS WRITTEN LIMITED WARRANTY Some states do not allow limitations on how long an implied warranty lasts so the above limitations may not apply to you INNO EVENT SHALL WE BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES FOR BREACH OF THIS OR ANY OTHER WARRANTY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WHATSOEVER Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of special incidental or consequential damages so the above limitation may not apply to you This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state METASONIX shall not be held liable for any incidental consequential or direct damages or expenses associated with the use or misuse of its products The audio output of this product is capable of damaging some types of solid state audio equipment such use is entirely at the risk of the user METASONIX does not guarantee that any of its products are designed for any particular use or purpose The entire risk of suitability and performance of this product lies with the user Products manufact
7. sible on top of the tank Once the snap is released carefully pull the front cover off it is tight You will then see the two springs and the driver pickup coils at either end Do not attempt to manipulate or modify the coils The easiest modification to the R 56 is to decrease the reverb decay time by damping the springs This may be done by inserting a small wedge of lightweight foam or wadded tissue paper between the springs Again be careful This will make the reverb decay very short more like a digital or plate reverb With care the springs may be scraped or struck for the usual twang reverb sounds EXTERNAL TANK The RCA jacks on the rear of the R 56 allow the connection of an external reverb tank of the usual guitar amp design with RCA patch cables The RED jack goes to the tank INPUT and the WHITE jack goes to the tank OUTPUT Note that only certain reverb springs can be used with the R 56 Most vintage guitar amps use a spring with an 8 ohm input which the R 56 cannot drive A spring with an input impedance of 300 ohms or more and an output impedance of 1000 ohms or more is mandatory Be careful not to short out any traces on the R 56 PC board with the RCA jacks There should be a plastic label covering the board under the jacks to protect the board signals from inadvertent shorting by the RCA plugs If an external tank is used the internal tank may be disconnected by carefully pulling out the two small whi
8. te plastic connectors plugged into the blue plastic tank assembly accessible from the rear of the R 56 Or the two tanks may be operated together in parallel offering a far greater range of complex reverb effects especially by operating the Invert switch This gives a transient cancellation effect similar to that found in the PAIA Hot Springs reverb of the 1980s _ MAINTENANCE _ The R 56 requires a power supply producing 12v DC at 800 850 mA cold and 300 mA after warmup When first powered on the R 56 briefly draws greater current so be aware of this when using a power supply to run it plus other modules You MUST assure the power supply is able to handle the R 56 load plus the load of other modules We do not recommend the use of a Tiptop microZeus or Happy Ending power supply due to their limited peak current capacity The tubes in the R 56 are being run VERY conservatively They should last for tens of thousands of hours of normal use Still the R 56 produces a lot of waste heat so we recommend shutting it off when not in use UNLESS YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE DOING DO NOT REPLACE OR SUBSTITUTE THE TUBES YOURSELF Please note not all tubes have easily visible heaters They were not designed to offer pretty cosmetics If you can t see a heater glowing DO NOT assume that tube is bad We get many foolish complaints of this type TUBE REPLACEMENT despite their expected long lifetime the tubes might be dam
9. ubes except in cases explained in 3 below 2 Operating instructions must be followed This device was intended ONLY for use by AUDIO AND MUSIC PROFESSIONALS IT IS NOT INTENDED FOR USE BY ORDINARY CONSUMERS Product must not have been damaged as a result of defacement misuse abuse neglect accident destruction or alteration of the serial number improper electrical voltages or currents repair alteration or maintenance by any person or party other than our own service facility or an authorized service center use or installation of non Metasonix replacement parts in the product or the use of this product outside of the U S A or Canada except as a product distributed by an authorized Metasonix dealer or modification of the product in any way or incorporation of the product into any other products or damage to the product caused by accident fire floods lightning or acts of God or any use violative of instructions furnished by Metasonix 3 Obligations of Metasonix shall be limited to repair or replacement with same or similar unit at our option To obtain repairs under this warranty present the product and proof of purchase e g bill or invoice to the authorized Metasonix service center transportation charges prepaid When returning the product for repair please pack it very carefully preferably using the original packaging materials Please also include an explanatory note IMPORTANT To save yourself unnecessary cost and inco
10. ured and or sold by METASONIX are not authorized for use as critical components in devices used in life support and other systems whose failure or performance could result in compromised safety or danger to life or property NOTE All sales are FINAL especially custom designs Only a Metasonix authorized dealer is permitted to return products to Metasonix for a refund or exchange What it does The R 56 is the first spring tank reverb for modular synths that uses vacuum tube driver and recovery amplifiers Except for the final drive stage to the tank the output driver and the mixer for wet dry signal balance the signal path is all tube Input overdrive can be set for clean pass though mild tube distortion or extremely heavy solid state clipping distortion All CV inputs have 100k ohm impedance The audio output is able to drive a 600 ohm load The CV inputs may be anywhere in the 15v y7 to 15v range DRIVE CV IN can accept up to METASONIX 40v USAGE The audio input has a considerable range of METASONMIX R 56 Vacuum Tube Reverb control with Input Level so the R 56 can be amp fed with a low line level audio signal as low as 10 dBu or with the very hot signals THO produced by most Euro synthesizer modules Because out past users have repeatedly ERT begged for more gain the R 56 has OUTPUT copious gain for either dry or wet s i signals The user must be aware of the
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