| Author | Message | ||
| pastorscott
New Username: pastorscott Post Number: 7 Registered: 7-2003 |
Can someone give me a bit of a lesson on the signature electronics on my Orion 5? Knobs and filters and switches?? If there's one thing I've learned by reading all of your posts, its' that your knowledge, and generosity with it are huge. Thanks. Scott | ||
| palembic
Senior Member Username: palembic Post Number: 560 Registered: 9-2002 |
Hi there Pastor, how arethe heavenly things going? My 2 cents concerning signature electronics. There must be 4 knobs to rotate and 2 switches. Holding the guitar as "if playing" - the knob closest to the PU's is the general volume knob, speaks for himself I guess - the knob right (I suppose you are a righthanded player) of the volume knob is a "pan" knob. It "pans" from bridge-PU to neck-PU. A Neck-PU is capable of picking up more "debt" than a bridge PU. The best test here is to turn the volume at full, put the switches in the "up" position and the both filters to "full open". Start playing and use your 3th arm (and old Alembic joke) to turn the pan from full bridge to full neck and vice-versa. (BTW: it helps in checking out the possibiliies of an Alembic the first time that you use a helping "innocent" hand. I remember one of the brothers here asking his son as "third arm". Believe me: it helps a lot in understanding the sound you produce and how YOU can handle. ONe of the sayings I have: "It will take some time the Alembic first playing you before you play the Alembic". Anyway, having this kind of help really helps to master). The difference with Series electronics is that a "pan" knob makes a choice: OR the bridge, OR the neck. Advantage: NO volume problems (that's why the Series II has a master volume to correct), disadvantage: a different sound-shaping process. Brother Rami once gave an insight in his playing: he uses most of the time the pan slightly to the bridge for a more defined sound with more "edge". If you play in church conditions it COULD be necessary to do that to compensate for the natural "reverb" circumstances. - The two tone filters: the left one for the neck, the right one for the bridge. They are of the FILTER principle, so they don't really cuts or boost, no they let pass or blocking a frequency under/above the setting you choose. This technique uses the capacities of the PU's at full. There is no electronics "adding" something to that. There are other (older) threads who handle about the sound-shaping principles of the filter. To be honest I'm of the baboon-type in electronic matters. To master the possibilities start working with volume at full and for example on the neck PU (this is a good place to start because most of the people were former 1 PU players). PLEASE LEAVE THE SWITCHES UP! Again ask friendly your "third arm" to come and start playing while the knob is "turned". Again you will understand what happening. After you got the principle do the same with the bridge PU (only the brdige PU). AFTER that start experimenting by introducing the pan-knob. Believe me ...the range is now already A LOT. - Now ...those two switches. AHA ! Those switches are adding (+6db or + 9db ...I don't remember) a cerfain amount of HIGH frequencies ABOVE the setting you choosed on the filter! So there is a swich for each PU. What it does? Start working with the neck PU again (=PAN TO NECK) Volume full. The filter full. Start playing. Ask your third arm to "toggle" with the switch. You'll hear the difference. (Best results you will have here if you use a cabinet with a horn because this switch involves high frequencies.) If you got that: ask your third arm to leave the switch down and start SLOWLY turning the filter to the "close" position. As you play you'll discover a wild range of sounds with in the near end the sound that made Brother Stanley so famous (well ...part of it of course). So ... that's it. No you have to realise that IT ALL WORKS TOGETHER. I gave you the elements. WHERE you use it ... I dunno but it has to do with shaping sound in certain conditions so you always will start sounding as YOU playing. To be honest: I KNOW that this is agian a real long Paul-story but Brother Scott ...believe me ...the mastering will take you more tweaking time! I've been there and I don't see the end yet! Consider it as a big part in the fun playing an Alembic. Paul the bad one | ||
| pastorscott
New Username: pastorscott Post Number: 8 Registered: 7-2003 |
Paul- Thanks for the word! I'm searching for a good 3th arm. I've printed out your instructions and taped them to my forehead. I'm ready to begin the shaping process. No doubt I will be visiting the halls of Alembia U pretty soon to look you up. Thanks, Scott | ||
| jazzyvee
Junior Username: jazzyvee Post Number: 41 Registered: 6-2002 |
Nice long description, and well worth the effort to get to grips with. I have the SC Signature deluxe model and graduating from a Musicmaster Sterling, It took ages to get used to the flexibility of the Signature electronics. I have found that you need to stand a respectable distance in front of your cab to really get the right sound in you ears until you are familiar with the sound you are getting. (remembering you usually play with your back to the cab)and make small adjustments cos they really are sensitive. Now after a year I can dial in the sound I want pretty quick and then make small adjustments during the intervals. The thing is you always find a new sound. It's so flexible and clean,crisp and makes me smile. When I come off stage someone ALWAYS complements me on the sound of the bass. ( sadly not always on my playing LOL....) |
