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User Manual: Ruppert Musical Instruments
User Manual: Ruppert Musical Instruments
TM
User Manual
Congratulations!
With the Basswitch IQ DI you have pur‑ product on the market that provides all
chased a high‑quality piece of musical these functions and potential applications
equipment that will open up new dimen‑ in a single compact unit. The Basswitch
sions in bass-signal amplification and IQ DI is a Swiss Army knife that should be
routing and give you the confidence that part of the equipment of every demanding
you are adequately prepared for any situ‑ bass player.
ation, be it in live performance or in a re‑ Please take your time to read this user
cording studio. manual carefully before you start using
When developing the Basswitch IQ DI we your Basswitch IQ DI. You will find lots of
focused on the needs and wishes of the useful information on the pedal and the
professional bass player who is not will‑ various ways it can be used. Keep this user
ing to compromise on either sound or the manual carefully so that you can consult it
technical quality of the equipment. The at any time.
Basswitch IQ DI is manufactured, assem‑ Your Basswitch IQ DI package contains
bled and tested in Germany to the high‑ the following items:
est quality standards using only the best - Basswitch IQ DI
brand components available to ensure - Optimised connector for the power sup‑
optimal treatment of the electrical signal ply socket
from your instrument. - 4 plates for mounting on a pedal-board
Thanks to its variable input impedance, etc.
the Basswitch IQ DI is an all-rounder, - User manual
equally suitable for electric and acoustic Please check that all these items are there
instruments. Whether the signal comes as soon as you unpack. Should something
from a magnetic or a piezo pick-up, the be missing, please contact your autho‑
high-end preamp of the Basswitch IQ DI rised dealer.
will ensure that their specific characteris‑ The Basswitch IQ DI is built to last, but
tics are uncompromised. if you nonetheless experience problems
The Basswitch IQ DI has been designed to or have any questions do not hesitate to
offer bass players an „all-in-one” solution contact us.
whether used in stand-alone mode or as
the control centre of a pedal-board. It is I wish you every success with your Bass‑
an A/B-input switcher, a high-end pre‑ witch IQ DI.
amp, a clean booster, a parametric EQ, an Yours,
FX loop switcher and last but not least a Jacques Ruppert
professional‑quality D.I. box. It is the only
P.S.: On our website www.basswitch.com you can find practical examples of how you can use your Basswitch IQ
DI and a whole range of sample settings for the parametric EQ – a treasure house for all sorts of bass sounds
that we will go on expanding!
Summary
Introduction 4
Description 6
Tech Talk 15
Technical data 18
Introduction
Why a specific preamp-/looper-/DI-pedal „Instrument B” input, the signal from In‑
for bass instruments? The reasons are ob‑ strument A can be routed to Channel A or
vious: the frequency range of bass instru‑ Channel B by using the A/B footswitch.
ments goes from very deep fundamentals
(e.g. 30.87 Hz for low B or 41.20 Hz for low E - The Basswitch IQ DI as high-end
on an electric bass) to very high overtones preamp with parametric EQ
that have a crucial impact on the timbre Channel A of the Basswitch IQ DI features
of the bass instrument even though they a high-end preamp and a 4-band EQ spe‑
are approaching the upper limits of the cifically designed for bass instruments
audible spectrum (from 18 Hz to 20 KHz). and featuring bass, semiparametric low-
On top of this, bass instruments have a and high-mids, and treble controls. This
characteristic attack with a very steep ini‑ means you can either efficiently match the
tial transient followed by a weak electri‑ sound and volume of two instruments con‑
cal signal. These characteristics of bass nected to the Basswitch IQ DI or have a sec‑
signals make enormous demands on the ond sound‑setting for a single instrument
electronics, with the result that the han‑ available at the push of a switch. Alterna‑
dling of bass signals by most equipment tively you can use the pedal, together with
is unsatisfactory and inconsistent in qual‑ its other features, as a flexible high‑end
ity. Only equipment specifically designed preamp. As a stand‑alone preamp, the
for the purpose is able to handle such a Basswitch IQ DI can drive a power amp,
demanding signal pattern adequately. The an active monitor, an active bass speaker
advantage of the Basswitch IQ DI, which cabinet or an in-ear monitoring system.
meets these demands, is that it can also Note: The design of Channel B follows the
be used in many other areas (e.g. to handle philosophy of not routing the instrument
the signals from acoustic instruments). signal unnecessarily through electron‑
ics but leaving it as pure and natural as
Functions and applications overview possible. Channel B therefore has neither
- The Basswitch IQ DI as A/B input a preamp nor an EQ. If two instruments
switcher are connected to the Basswitch IQ DI, the
Input „Instrument A” allows you to con‑ matching of the volume is done exclusively
nect either a low‑impedance instrument via the controls on Channel A. The Channel
(e.g. passive or active electric bass) or a A preamp therefore has a volume cut and
high‑impedance instrument (e.g. piezo- boost function.
pickup of an electric bass or double bass
or other acoustic instruments without - The Basswitch IQ DI as FX Looper
preamp). Input „Instrument B” allows you The Basswitch IQ DI has two effect loops:
to connect a second instrument. The A/B a passive serial loop and a switchable
footswitch permits toggling between the infinitely variable mixing loop, that en‑
two inputs, whereby the signal from in‑ ables you to go from a completely dry
put A is routed to Channel A of the pedal signal (100% original; 0% FX), via paral‑
and the signal from input B is routed to lel (100% original; 100% FX) to FX-only
Channel B. If no cable is connected to the (100% FX; 0% original). A phase-inverter
ensures that any out‑of‑phase signals is used as input and the ratio of this sig‑
do not cancel each other out in parallel nal to the signals coming from inputs A
mode. and B is adjusted by using the mix control.
(The signal from the return input of the Mix
- The Basswitch IQ DI as a real clean Loop cannot, however, be muted and is not
booster available at the Tuner Out).
A footswitch and a volume control allow
you to add a second high-end amplifica‑ Additional features
tion stage upstream of the Mix Loop. This - Tuner Out: Connect your tuner here to
can be used to provide tracking - or over‑ keep it out of the signal path and pre‑
drive/distortion pedals with an adequate vent potential sound losses. This way
input signal. If the Mix Loop is not used, the tuner can be on all the time allowing
the booster serves as a real clean solo you to check your tuning „on-the-fly”.
booster. - Lehle „True Sound Technology” (for de‑
tails please consult the chapter „Tech
- The Basswitch IQ DI as a D.I. box Talk”).
The Basswitch IQ DI can be used to send - Specially designed to protect the controls
the output signal directly to a mixing con‑ from damage and to prevent inadvertent
sole. The high-quality components and changes to the settings.
features of the Basswitch IQ DI (high-end - The design of the housing permits easy
preamp, Lehle transformer, ground-switch, installation: the ultra‑flat base and re‑
pre/post signal-processing switch, pad for movable rubber feet allow the unit to
output attenuation, rugged construction) be securely attached to the pedal‑board
make the Basswitch IQ DI an excellent D.I. using Velcro or similar. Alternatively, the
box, be it in a live setting or in the studio. Basswitch IQ DI can be permanently fixed
Note: Although the Basswitch IQ DI was to the pedal‑board using the mounting
not originally designed for this applica‑ plates included.
tion, it can also be used as a line mixer. To
do this, the return socket of the Mix Loop
Description
11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
9-20V R S R S TUNER OUT LINE OUT INST B ΩA INST A
MIX LOOP SER LOOP
TM
19
BOOST
T HF HM LF LM B VOL
MIX
18 17 16 15 14 13 12
20 IQ DI
GROUND 27
PAD
28
22 24 26
MIX LOOP/ MUTE A/B
PRE/POST 29
BOOST
21 23 25
12
9-20V R S R S TUNER OUT LINE OUT INST B ΩA INST A
MIX LOOP SER LOOP
TM
BOOST
T HF HM LF LM B VOL
MIX
GROUND
IQ DI
PAD
PRE/POST
MIX LOOP/ MUTE A/B
BOOST
TM
BOOST
T HF HM LF LM B VOL
MIX
GROUND
IQ DI
PAD
PRE/POST
MIX LOOP/ MUTE A/B
BOOST
ACTIVE
LO HI
DEPT RATE
MODE
THRESH RATIO THRESH RATIO
COMP COMP
GAIN
UniChorus
DUAL BAND SMX
OPTICAL COMPRESSOR
SFT
ACTIVATE HF BYPASS
BASS BASS
FILTER TWIN DISTORSION OVERDRIVE
OCTAMIZER
3. The Basswitch as an AB Switcher/Preamp/Booster/DI in standalone mode
9-20V R
MIX LOOP
S R
SER LOOP
TM
S TUNER OUT LINE OUT INST B ΩA INST A 1
BOOST
T HF HM LF LM B VOL
MIX
GROUND
IQ DI
PAD
PRE/POST
MIX LOOP/ MUTE A/B
BOOST
TM
BOOST
T HF HM LF LM B VOL
MIX
GROUND
IQ DI
PAD
PRE/POST
MIX LOOP/ MUTE A/B
BOOST
ACTIVE
LO HI
DEPT RATE
MODE
THRESH RATIO THRESH RATIO
COMP COMP
GAIN
UniChorus
DUAL BAND SMX
OPTICAL COMPRESSOR
SFT
ACTIVATE HF BYPASS
BASS BASS
FILTER TWIN DISTORSION OVERDRIVE
OCTAMIZER
5. The Basswitch as a Line Mixer
1 9-20V R
MIX LOOP
S R
SER LOOP
TM
S TUNER OUT LINE OUT INST B ΩA INST A
BOOST
T HF HM LF LM B VOL
MIX
GROUND
IQ DI
PAD
PRE/POST
MIX LOOP/ MUTE A/B
BOOST
17
Technical data:
Weight: 1375g
18 Length: 16,2 cm
Width: 22,0 cm
Overall height: 4,2 cm
Voltage range: 9-20 V AC/DC
Power consumption: max. 130 mA
Frequency range: 20 Hz – 100 KHz (+/- 0,2dB)
Distortion: 0,005 %
Input A impedance: 1 MΩ / 10 MΩ (switchable)
Input B impedance: 1 MΩ
Output impedance: 150 Ω
Signal-to-noise ratio: -94 dB @ 1kHz, 0 dBU (A weighted)
Max. level: 5V RMS (ca. 16 dBu)
Max. gain: +/- 15 dB
EQ
Bass: +/-18 dB @ 33 Hz (peaking)
Low Mid: +/-18 dB @ 90 Hz – 500 Hz (peaking)
High Mid: +/-16 dB @ 840 Hz – 5,6 kHz (peaking)
Treble: +/- 18 dB @12,5 kHz (shelving)
Contact:
Ruppert Musical Instruments
20a, rue de Bascharage
L ‑ 4995 Schouweiler
Luxembourg
Tel./Fax: 00 352 691 379050
Web: www.rmi.lu
E‑Mail: jacques@rmi.lu