ADA Amplification GCS-2 User manual

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ADA GCS-2 GUITAR CABINET SIMULATOR
USER MANUAL
Turn any full-range passive or powered monitor speaker or sound system
into a dynamic guitar cabinet, loaded with your choice of drivers.
Record directly from your pedal board or preamp without speakers or
microphones.
Get guitar cabinet feedback from your stage monitor

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The new ADA Guitar Cabinet Simulator (GCS-2) is an easy-to-use guitar cabinet
simulator designed for guitar players and sound engineers who are looking for high
quality analog solutions for amplifying and recording electric guitar without the need for
power amps, speaker cabinets or microphones. With the GCS-2 you can easily get the
most realistic tone and dynamics of a guitar speaker cabinet directly from your guitar
preamp or your pedal board. The GCS-2 can send a cabinet simulated guitar signal to
a mixing console to feed both the house sound system and your stage monitor. The
use of a floor monitor allows the guitarist to produce feedback the same way a head
and stack or combo amp would. The outputs of the GSC-2 include a PASS THRU jack
so you can send an unaffected signal to a stage amp and send a processed signal to
the house sound system to increase the volume, widen the sound field and fatten-up
your guitar tone as a multiple cabinet array would.
The GCS-2 is inserted between the output of your preamplifier (or effects pedal chain)
and a mixing or recording console to replace the close proximity microphone which is
typically placed in front of a guitar speaker cabinet. This eliminates the microphone
problems of bleed through or crosstalk from other instruments or amplifiers in live
situations. The GCS-2 is especially useful for owners of our APP-1 PEDAL PREAMP
because it can split the output of the APP-1 and send your signal to a guitar power
amplifier and to a mixing console.
Versatility is built into the GCS-2, but we have kept the front panel simple with four
switches and one MIC PLACEMENT control. Designed around a radically different

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analog technology called NATURAL RESONANCE, we have been able to achieve the
feel and not just the frequency response of the classic speakers and cabinets used
today and in the past. Real cabinet resonance at all levels and driver compression at
high levels adds an organic depth and focus to your guitar tone.
We have focused on the two extremes of speakers, the alnico (Jensen) and the
ceramic (Celestion and Eminence) by providing a VINTAGE / MODERN switch. You
have a choice of 10-inch and 12-inch drivers for bottom response and mid-range
coloration by using the 10-INCH / 12-INCH switch. You can select an open-back
cabinet or a sealed cabinet with the OPEN-BACK / SEALED switch. This feature sets
the GCS-2 apart from other cabinet simulators due to the NATURAL RESONANCE
filters at the low-end that resonate or “ring” like a real sealed cabinet. Finally we have
added a MIC POSITION potentiometer to allow you to tailor the low and high
frequencies of a real speaker in the same way a sound engineer would by moving a
microphone near the edge or the center of the speaker positioning the mic. As
recording engineers will tell you, the microphone placement is the key to achieving the
right tonal spectrum for a given track and can make or break the quality of your solos
and chording.

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CONTROLS
Selectable VINTAGE (Jensen alnico) or MODERN (Celestion / Eminence
ceramic) Speaker Character
Selectable 10” or 12” Speaker Size. Effects the bottom response and mid-
range coloration.
Selectable OPEN BACK or SEALED Cabinet Type. This feature sets the
GCS-2 apart from other cabinet simulators due to the NATURAL
RESONANCE filters at the low-end that resonate or “ring” like a real sealed
cabinet or “flap” like older open back cabinets.
Variable MICROPHONE PLACEMENT Control “positions” the mic to tailor
the low and high frequencies of a real speaker in the same way a sound
engineer would by moving a microphone near the edge or the center of the
speaker. As recording engineers will tell you, the microphone placement is
the key to achieving the right tonal spectrum for a given track and can make
or break the quality of your solos and chording.
FEATURES
Pure Analog Circuit Design using thru-hole, low-noise components
Powered by a single industry standard 9-volt AC Adapter, but runs internally
at 18 volts for high headroom and lower noise

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¼” phone jack INPUT with a direct, un-buffered PASS THROUGH ¼” phone
jack. This effectively splits the signal to feed both a guitar amplifier and a
mixing console
Balanced Output with switchable LINE or MIC LEVEL Output and GROUND
LIFT for Pin 1
Rugged all-steel chassis
Manufactured in California
HOOK-UP
Do not plug your guitar directly into the GCS-2. The input impedance is not
optimized for a guitar pickup, but rather for low impedance signals up to line
level.
Do connect the output of an effects pedal (especially a distortion pedal), the
output of your pedal board or a guitar preamp output to the input of the GCS-2.
Use only 9VDC 75 ma to 200 ma adapter with a 2.1 mm power plug, center pin
negative.

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There are many ways to use the ADA GCS-2, and the following are the most common.
1. Go direct to the house sound system from your pedal board for live
performances.
Take your guitar signal straight off your pedal board and skip the need to use
speaker cabinets and power amps and run it through the GCS-2. No need to haul
a combo amp or a head and stack around because you can achieve the same
response, feel and power by using a house sound and monitor system.
Advantages:
You have total control of your guitar tone if you tell the sound engineer
to set your channel “flat.”
Your audiences will here your guitar throughout the room because a
house sound system has greater dispersion than a combo or stack on
stage.
You won’t have to deal with micing your amp and any cross-talk or
bleed-over from other instruments.

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Diagram 1: Guitar to pedal board to GCS-2 to console to monitor speakers and house
speakers – no stage amp

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2. Split your guitar signal to your power amp and cabinet and send a cabinet
simulated signal to the main sound system
Diagram 2: Guitar to pedal board to GCS-2 split via the THRU jack to your stage amp
and the processed signal to the house sound system

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3. Get the same guitar feedback from a stage monitor as from your combo or
stack
Diagram 3: The GCS-2 has been carefully voiced and balanced to get the same
dynamics and frequency response as your stack or combo, so the feedback will be at
the same intensity and frequencies. You will find that getting feedback from your
monitor is more controllable than moving around your stack while performing.

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4. Record in silence while listening through headphones. The sound in your
headphones is so dynamic and realistic that your inspiration will allow you a
wholesome freedom of expression.
Diagram 4: Guitar to pedal board to GCS-2 to the recording console and to your
headphone mix.

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5. Using a head amp and sending the preamp out or effects send to the GCS-2 for
feed to the live sound reinforcement system.
Diagram 5: Guitar to amp head to GCS-2 to sound reinforcement system – no stage
amps.
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6. The ADA APP-1 Pedal Preamp with the GCS-2. The ultimate tone with a very
small footprint for recording.
Diagram 6: guitar to APP-1 to GCS-2 to headphone mix and to studio monitors.
Monitor provides
feedback to guitar.

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USING THE BALANCED OUTPUT
The GCS-2 has both single-ended ¼-inch phone jack and balanced XLR outputs. For
most sound systems, the balanced output is preferred because it avoids common audio
problems such as ground loops, signal bleed and degradation. There are 2 switches
on the back panel. The GROUND LIFT switch is used to isolate the signal ground of
your equipment coming into the GCS-2 from the signal fed to the console. This avoids
line frequency hum in your audio signal. The other switch is a signal level switch that
allows the GCS-2 to send either a high-level signal (LINE LEVEL) or a low-level signal
(MIC LEVEL) to the console. This will allow your sound engineer to optimize the signal
to maintain fidelity when it enters the console.
SPECIFICATIONS
INPUT IMPEDANCE: 390k Ohms
Nominally Unity Gain OUTPUT IMPEDANCE: 200 Ohms Internal Power Supply +/- 9VDC
TECHNICAL SUPPORT
1. What are some quick tests to troubleshoot my unit?
Sometimes a few quick tests at home can be the difference between thinking your unit
is broken and getting it working properly. Here is a list of quick trouble-shooting steps to
test your gear and unit. As basic as these sound please run all the tests.

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Check simple signal chain: Plug your cable from your guitar into your amp.
If you have a direct connect tone go to step 2. If not you have a bad cable,
guitar or amp.
Check 2nd cable: Take your 2nd cable and switch it with the first cable. If
you have sound, we now know both cables, your guitar and amp, work.
Check power: Plug your amp into the same outlet that you’re using to power
your ADA product. If the amp turns on, then the outlet works. If not try
another outlet to power your unit.
Check native ADA Signal Chain: Plug the first cable from your guitar into
your ADA product (input). Plug the 2nd cable between your ADA product
(output) and into your amp. Make sure the ADA is plugged into a working
power source. DO NOT insert it in a pedal chain, i.e., do not introduce any
other pedals into the signal chain. If your ADA product works, your pedal
chain most likely has a problem. If you hear nothing, then their may be a
problem with your individual unit. Please see the FAQ on how to get an RA
number.
2. What do I do if my product is not working?
If your product is not working we STRONGLY suggest that you run a series of quick
tests to troubleshoot the unit (see above). They may sound very basic, but it can save
you time in getting your unit working and you back to playing. If you are an international
(non-USA) customer, you must contact your local dealer and/or your national distributor

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for repair. If you are in the USA and the unit truly does not work, email
[email protected] to get a Return Authorization (RA) number from us.
3. What do I do after receiving my RA number?
You will need to box your unit, write your Return Authorization (RA) number on the
outside of the shipping box in a large bold lettering, and send it to the address supplied
with the RA you received from us. You are responsible for shipping to and from ADA,
so please track and insure your parcels. ADA cannot be held responsible for parcels
that are lost or damaged in the shipping process. ADA cannot accept your shipment if
there is no RA number written on the outside of the box.
SERVICE
If your unit requires service, please go to our website’s SERVICE page for information
to help you find a solution to the problem you are having with your GCS-2. We have
provided you with a step-by-step troubleshooting procedure to get you back up and
running if you are experiencing a simple problem.
RETURNING UNITS FOR SERVICE
If you still need to send in your ADA product for service, YOU MUST FIRST GET A
RETURN AUTHORIZATION NUMBER (RA) BEFORE YOU SHIP TO OUR SERVICE
CENTER. Items shipped to us without an RA, will not be accepted by our Service
Center and will be returned to you by the shipper. You can get an RA number by first
contacting us online at: www.adaamps.com/service .

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DO NOT SHIP YOUR GCS-2 TO OUR SERVICE CENTER BEFORE GETTING AN
RA (Return Authorization Number) FROM US.
Ship to:
ADA Amplification
1543 Third Avenue
Walnut Creek, CA 94597
WARRANTY
Your ADA GCS-2 is warranted against defects inmaterial and workmanship for a period of three-
hundred and sixty five (365) days from date of purchase. This warranty is to the original owner and
is non-transferable. During the warranty period, ADA or its agent will, at its sole option, repair or
replace defective parts and make necessary repairs to the product which is defective at no charge.
If the failure is the result of misuse, abuse, accident or misapplication, ADA has no obligation to
repair or replace the failed product. ADA retains the right to make such determination on the basis
of factory inspection. ADA will not be responsible for any speaker or device damaged by the
GCS-2. This warranty remains valid only if repairs are performed by ADA or its agent and provided
that the serial number on the unit has not been defaced or removed. This warranty is expressly in
lieu of all other warranties either expressed or implied. This warranty gives you specific rights. You
may have other rights that vary from state to state in the U.S.
PART NUMBER: 701417 rev 01