Telonics TCA-500 Manuel utilisateur
User Manual
Telonics TCA-500
Combo Amp
©2014 Telonics, Inc. All Rights Reserved
PB-009289 Rev _ PR LIMINARY 2014.04.11
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CAUTION Risks of electrical shock – DO NOT OPEN
CAUTION To reduce the risk of electric shock, do not remove from cabinet. No user serviceable
parts inside. Refer Servicing to qualified service personnel.
WARNING To prevent electrical shock or fire hazard, do not expose this appliance to rain or
moisture. Before using appliance, read the operating guide for further warnings.
Telonics TCA-500 Combo Amp
PB-009289 Rev _ PRELIMINARY
The Telonics TCA-500
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Congratulations on purchasing one of the world’s finest professional instrument combo
amplifiers! The TCA-500 combo amplifier is a state of the art audiophile quality unit designed
and built with the latest and best sounding technologies. It has been carefully engineered to
provide every function and convenience possible within its cost/benefit ratio, for the professional
musician. There is a reason for every function provided. The user is encouraged to read this
manual in order to achieve the highest level of performance provided by these capabilities.
The TCA-500 combo amplifier gives you dramatically better control of your sound. The result is
transparent smooth clean sound, tight bottom end and silky highs. It is designed to accommodate
many different instruments and as such, its controls cover a wider range of options than
previously offered to the professional musician. Accordingly, for any given instrument, the
controls may ‘feel’ more sensitive when adjusted for a specific instrument. For this reason, the
user is encouraged to make smaller adjustments while listening carefully. Final adjustments
should always be made with the ear, without regard to where one “expects” the knob to be.
Telonics TCA-500 Combo Amp Features:
• Superb string separation at all volume levels. No muddiness!
• All pure analog, main signal chain. No digitization of your sound thru A/D or D/A
converters.
• Pre Q Insert for Q or 3-wire Pot Pedal hook-up.
• Warm tube-like, even-order harmonic sound with crystal clear highs.
• Ultra low noise – studio quality.
• xceptionally high headroom.
• High output level available on demand.
• 500 Watt Power Amp section.
• Studio Pre- Q parallel effects loop with adjustable S ND and R TURN levels to
accommodate any FX unit(s) (rear panel mounted).
• Built in electronic reverb with front panel level control and remote control jack.
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• Overload L D indicator.
• Master Wet/Dry fader control – controls internal effects and parallel FX loop.
• Built-in “TBro” effect with remote control jack.
• Pedal Switch jack on rear panel allows switching “TBro” and Reverb remotely.
• Special “Blend” Q control for personalizing your tone or adjusting for venue. (Once
properly adjusted, Master volume and Blend are generally the only adjustments used).
• Auxiliary AC power outlet, switched with main power switch.
• Special Power On/Off circuit to minimize “pops” and speaker damage.
• Built in high output headphone amp with separate volume control.
• Super quiet Mute circuit with L D indicator.
• Digital Thermal Management System.
• 24 volt DC jack to power Telonics 24 VDC FP-100 foot pedal.
• Balanced XLR Direct stereo output for stage and studio use. Includes ground lift switch.
• Analog modeling for Direct Out for live venue or studio use, with preset modeling.
• Buffered tuner output (jacks on both front and rear panels) - active full-time, even when
mute is ON.
• Auxiliary stereo input (on rear panel) for home practice or solo gigs with front panel level
control. For CD/mp3 players or for use as a second effects R TURN. Also routed to DI
for recording.
• Front Mounted Power Amplifier On/Off switch for preamp-only use in Studio.
• Highest Quality Telonics N O Speaker (12 or 15 inch).
• 1U rack space provided which may be used for FX Units, tuners, etc.
• Built-in cabinet-wide L D lighting for low light venues with back panel switch to control
On/Off and brightness level.
• Highly abrasion-resistant outer surface, durable Baltic Birch plywood construction
throughout. Made for years of trouble free use.
• International versions available for export.
• Proudly made in the U.S.A. by musicians and engineers.
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24VDC Output
This socket provides an isolated 24 volts DC to power up the FP-100 foot pedal.
It accepts a special twist lock plug for a secure connection of power to the pedal.
A power lead with locking connectors is supplied with the TCA-500 Amplifier.
Input High impedance (1Meg Ohm) instrument input - will not load down your guitar
pickup or adversely affect your tone. It accepts a standard 1/4 inch type TS plug
for guitar level signals.
Input Gain
and
Red Overload
LED
This control sets the gain for the first amplification stage. And is used in
conjunction with the MAST R L V L control, it also affects the level for the
Pre Q Pedal insert To/Send” jack and the maximum level to the EFX Send
jack (both of which are on the rear panel). Start at 3 or 4 and adjust as needed.
It’s important to understand the function of this control as its setting
impacts other controls and the overall sound. When a guitar signal is fed
into the amplifier, it is necessary to increase the signal level to minimise
noise that might be added in the following stages. Typically, guitar pickups
with a high output require a lower gain setting and pickups with a low
output required a higher gain setting.
In the lower right-hand corner of the Input Gain box is a red (Input/ Q
Overload) L D that indicates an overload is occurring in the pre-
amplifier stage. If this L D flashes on frequently, or stays on while the
guitar is played, the Input Gain is setting is too high and should be
reduced in order to avoid distortion of your sound.
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Input Gain
and
Red Overload
LED
(continued)
The following text describes how the Input Gain should be set with a
typical arrangement:
i) We assume that in most cases, the output of your guitar connects to
your volume pedal input and the output of your volume pedal connects
to your amplifier (Note; always use good quality leads for these
connections and try to ensure they’re no longer than they need to be to
reach the jacks. Make sure they are not a trip hazard).
ii) With the Master Level control set to 1, your volume pedal set to
maximum and Input Gain control set to 1, play some nice big chord
groups slightly harder than you ould normally play; slo ly increase
the Input Gain control until the Overload LED just starts to occasionally
flash, then reduce the Input Gain control until it ‘just’ ceases to flash as
you strike the chords.
iii) You have no set the optimum level for the Input Gain control. You
should not need to adjust the Input Gain control unless you change
your guitar or volume pedal. We suggest you note this setting.
A common mistake is to see players using the Input Gain to control
output volume. The problem with this is the Input Gain control
affects the level sent to the effects unit.
Always use the Master Level to control output volume after the
Input Gain control has been adjusted as outlined above.
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Bass Level Controls low frequency response. Turning clockwise will boost the bass up to
+22dB. Turning counter clockwise will decrease the level down to -16dB.
Start at 0 (flat) and adjust to taste.
Note that it is a common error to boost the bass excessively, as this dulls the
character of the strings. Remember that it is always best to use “Subtractive
qualization” as discussed later in this manual. i.e., instead of boosting the Bass,
reduce the Mids and/or Treble. A simple check for excessive bass boost is to
listen closely as you strike a lower string repeatedly. Start with the Bass Level
control set at -4 or -5. While listening to the character of the string, advance the
Bass Level control slowly clockwise. At some point (usually around +1 to +3, the
character of the sound will change and will sound like more of a “thud” and have
a muted quality. For most people, that is too much bass boost, so back off the
control counterclockwise slightly until the sound is once again clear and clean.
Mid Level It is necessary that the user understand that the Mid Level and Mid Frequency
controls work ‘together’. These two controls are used together to set up the
mid range frequency shaping; they are perhaps the most important tone
shaping controls and they ‘must’ be set properly to achieve a balanced
sound. These controls allow the player to compensate for the ear’s normal
increase in sensitivity to mid range frequencies and the guitar’s resonance
around those frequencies.
The Mid Level control determines the amount of effect which the Mid Frequency
control has on your sound.
It sets a boost or cut in the mid-range frequencies, which are selected by the Mid
Frequency control. Mid Level is adjustable from -20dB cut to +5dB boost.
If you were to set the Mid Level control to Zero dB (3 o’clock knob position), the
Mid Frequency control would ‘do nothing whatsoever” to your sound, it would
have NO effect on your tone.
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Mid Level
(continued)
Since the mid-range frequencies are tiring to the human ear, it is almost always
necessary to CUT or reduce them. The Mid Frequency control allows the user to
choose the center frequency at which the mid frequencies are reduced, to suit his
or her ear.
The following text describes how the Mid Level and Mid Freq
controls should be set for steel guitar:
i) We assume the Input Gain control has already been set. Set the Bass
Level control to 0, the Treble Level control to 0, the Blend control to 0
and the Master Level control to 2. All effects should be OFF.
ii) No set the Mid Level control fully clock ise (+5) and set the Mid Freq
mid ay (600 Hz). Note hen you pick a string the Overload LED may
flash; don’t adjust the Input Gain control. Note that the overload
monitoring circuitry monitors both the output of the gain section and
the EQ section; because e’ve set the Mid Level control to full boost it
causes the overload.
iii) Ensure the combo speaker is pointed to ards your ear. Pick one or t o
strings in the center string grips and slide the bar over the normal
range of the fret board you ould use. As you are doing this, t eak the
Mid Freq control up and do n around the 400 to 800 region; it’s handy
to have a friend rotate the Mid Freq control as you play. At one point
over the region you might possibly notice, no matter here you are on
the fretboard, a ‘honky’ midrange sound is heard that’s a little
unpleasant on the ear. It does take practice and time to learn ho to
detect this point, so don’t be concerned if it’s not clear the first time
you attempt this. Note the Overload LED may help detect this point,
quite often it flashes more as you hit area’s here’s there’s more
resonance.
Once you have found the honky, excessive ‘middle’ sounding frequency,
rotate the Mid Level control to around the 10 o’clock position (-12dB). As
you play your guitar tweak the Mid Level control up and down around this
point until it sounds balanced in the mid range. Generally, the most
suitable setting is between -15 dB and -12 dB for most people. Don’t
worry about setting the bass and treble controls until you’re happy that the
mid range is the best it can be.
Always, Always, make the above adjustments with the Bass and treble
controls at zero.
Mid Frequency Sets the frequency at which the Mid Level control has an effect. Several
frequency intervals between 375 Hz and 1400 Hz are marked. Its effect is
determined by the setting of the Mid Level control. Proper adjustment is achieved
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as outlined above.
Treble Level Adjusts the high frequency level of the sound generated by your instrument. Start
at 0 (flat) and adjust to taste. Turning clockwise boosts the level of highs up to
+16dB, turning counterclockwise cuts the level of highs down to -16dB.
Note: We always recommend using the minimum amount of bass and
treble tone shaping to achieve the sound you desire. These controls
are very powerful; they can greatly cut or boost the gain of the lower
and higher frequencies. If an extreme setting of this control is
required to achieve a balanced sound you may have an issue with
your Mid Level and Mid Frequency control settings, or, with your
guitar pickup, leads, volume pedal.
After setting the Bass Level, Mid Level, Mid Freq and Treble Level
controls we suggest you note the settings.
Blend
Only set this control after you have set
all
the o
ther
tone control
s.
This is to
be used as a sonic “shading” control and, like any seasoning, a little goes a long
way. Start at 12 o’clock. Clockwise yields a “Mooney” bright aggressive sound;
counter clockwise gives you a mellow, darker tone.
The Blend control is initially one of the most confusing settings to
understand… until you start using it. After using the combo for a few
gigs you may find it’s the only tone control you need! Once the bass,
mid and treble controls have been set the amplifier might be
considered as calibrated to your style and guitar sound.
As you rotate the Blend control clockwise you’ll notice the treble
increases and the bass decreases.
As you rotate the Blend control anti-clockwise you’ll notice the
treble decreases and the bass increases.
This control is like ‘one stop shop’ compensating for the affect the room
acoustics has on the overall sound. It’s quite remarkable how a small
tweak of this control can sweeten up your sound in a gigging situation.
And being a single control it’s easy to remember where you started before
you started tweaking.
Normally, players leave this control at zero and only adjust it slightly
between +1 or -1 to compensate for the venue (room size, crowd size,
bandstand configuration (even for relative humidity changes, as sound
propagates differently with humidity changes).
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Master Level Sets the overall output level of the Combo Amp. Adjust this after you have set
the Input Gain and Q. This is your main volume control knob – to be adjusted as
necessary as you play a gig. For normal size venues, the customary range is
between 6 and 8 or less.
The Master Level control sets the overall signal level sent to the power
amplifier (PA). Adjustment of this control will not affect the Direct Out
level. This allows players to adjust their own stage level without
affecting the signal level sent to the mixing desk – a handy feature!
BRO This switch will activate a “TBro” type effect. The green “TBro” ‘ON’L D will
light when TBro is active. The Foot Switch connector on the rear panel can be
used to turn the TBro function Off and On if the TBRO pushbutton switch on the
front panel is pushed On (in). If either this switch or an external switch is in the
Off position, the effect will remain Off. (When an external/remote switch is not
used, the default is On. (See back panel Foot Switch)
An optional remote switch box for steel guitar (and a remote foot switch for other
instruments) is available for rapid remote control of the TBro and Reverb
functions. The usage of these optional accessories is outlined later in this manual.
Reverb Level –
Rev ON button
The Reverb Level control determines how much of the internal reverb signal is
applied to the Wet/Dry Fader control. The input level to the reverb circuit is
affected by the Input Gain control level (as mentioned earlier). The reverb input
is a combination of the dry input after the EQ controls and the Post EQ EFX
Return signal (rear panel).
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