Dreadbox Smashing Tremolo Treminator User manual

ON footswitch
Set the effect ON or OFF.
Also while holding the footswitch down,
it works as a SHIFT function button.
Tap footswitch
Tap tempo over the LFO rate.
When holding the TAP and the ON buttons down for 3 sec,
you will save the SHIFT state
Shape Knob
Select an LFO waveform.
This is not a continuous wave-shaper,
but a 5 position selection.
Fade Knob
Fade in and Fade out over the tremolo depth.
Set at 50% to disable this function.
For more info check
the “FADE AND EXPRESSION” chapter
Rate Knob
Manual control over the LFO speed.
Its range is from 20 sec to 220hz,
depending on the DIV
and [SHIFT]+DIV selection
VCA
This controls the pedal’s level,
even if the effect is on a By-Pass mode
CV OUT
Send the LFO out
CV IN
Controls the LFO Rate
DIV Toggle Switch
Here you can set the divisions of the LFO Rate
(or the multiply on the rate indication).
It’s x1 , x3 , x4
Depth knob
Set the Depth of the Tremolo effect
Output
Audio out , send to an amp,
mixer or monitor.
Input
Audio, line or fretted instrument input.
Accepts up to 2Vpp levels.
9VDC center pin negative
standard effect pedals power
Treminator is based on the synthesizer’s last signal flow stage, called the VCA (voltage con-
trolled amplifier). We took this simple circuit and adapted it into a really expressive effect pedal
combined with an LFO, which is controlled by envelope generators. Forget everything you knew
about tremolos and prepare to be amazed...
On/Off Indicator Signal to Gate Indicator

These are the SHIFT controls, that you can access while holding down
the ON button. Remember, in order to store this so that the pedal remem-
bers them the next time you power it, you must press and hold both
footswitches for 3 seconds!
RATE = THRESHOLD
Controls the signal to gate function. For more info about signal to gate,
check the “FADE AND EXPRESSION” chapter.
SHAPE = RESET
This controls if the Waveform of the LFO will be reset whenever a signal
to gate appears. When at 0-49% sets the LFO waveform reset OFF. At
50-100% sets the LFO waveform reset ON. For more info about LFO
waveform reset check the “FADE AND EXPRESSION” chapter.
FADE = RATE EXPRESSION
This acts as the LFO speedup (0-49%), or slowdown function (51-100%).
At 50% travel this is set to off. For more info about speed expression
check the “FADE AND EXPRESSION” chapter.
DEPTH = RATE EXPRESSION AMOUNT
Sets the amount of speedup/slowdown. For more info about speed
expression check the “FADE AND EXPRESSION” chapter.
DIV toggle switch: extra divisions over the LFO rate. Its x1 , x2 , x4. Those
are multiplied to the main DIV selection, allowing for many combinations
and up to a x16 multiply over the rate control.
HOLD
DOWN
SHIFT
THRESHOLD
RATE
EXPRESSION
RESET RATE EXPRESSION
AMOUNT
EXTRA DIV
A. Send an audio signal or an instrument to the input
B. Send the output to an amp or a monitor
C. Power the effect by using a 9VDC center negative power adapter (specialized for effect pedals)
D. Press the ON button to engage the effect
E. Then set an initial preset as followed:
RATE = 50% SHAPE = triangle FADE = 50% (that is off actually) DEPTH = 50% DIVISIONS = 1 (left)
This should result into a “normal” 1 sec tremolo effect. Start from here and try to experiment with the rest of the functions.
In order to enable the secondary controls, press and hold down the ON button. While this is on hold, you have access to different parameters.
If you’d like to save the secondary functions’ settings, press and hold ON+TAP for 3 seconds. The LEDs will flash, indicating that this state is saved and the next
time you power the pedal, you will have it as you left it.

- CMOS Buffered Bypass
- 9VDC center pin negative
supply 150mA at least
-True stereo
- All IN/OUT are TS mono
jacks
- dimensions: 14x10x5 cm
- weight: 0,525 kg
1. Signal to Gate
A signal to gate, is the process of reading and detecting an
audio signal and then turn it into an ON/OFF function.
When the audio signal reaches a certain level, an ON order is
produced, while when the signal falls below the same level,
an OFF order is produced.
The level that the ON/OFF is produced, can be manually
specified by the Threshold control knob.
[Threshold is controlled with the SHIFT+RATE knob]
The lower the Threshold amount, the easier an ON order will
be produced.
But what is the use of the signal to gate when using the
Treminator effect pedal?
A. WAVEFORM RESET: Restarts the LFO waveform [that is
when SHIFT+SHAPE is set to more than 50% ]
B. FADE IN/OUT: Activates the Tremolo’s amount expres-
sion
C. SPEEDUP/SLOWDOWN: Activates the LFO’s speed
expression
2. LFO waveform reset
In order to activate this feature, you need to set the WAVE-
FORM RESET [SHIFT+SHAPE] at 50% or more. When you do
this, each time a new Signal to Gate goes ON, the LFO will
restart its waveform. To easily understand this effect, set a
very hard and relatively slow (3-4 sec) tremolo effect and
observe that the LFO will start over.
A waveform reset is also produced by the TAP TEMPO
footswitch, each time a new tempo is received.
3. FADE IN/OUT
A FADE IN effect in Treminator, occurs when the tremolo
depth starts from 0% and reaches up to the level you have
the DEPTH knob set to.
For example: If you have the DEPTH knob at 50%, and you
set some FADE IN amount, each time a signal to gate is
produced, the tremolo effect disappears and gradually
comes back to the 50% DEPTH level.
The FADE OUT does the exact opposite:
It starts from the DEPTH level, only to gradually reach 50%
level.
4. Speed expression
This effect acts as the above feature, but instead of
controlling the LFO depth, you control the LFO RATE. So,
when having some SPEEDUP amount, you start from the
indicated RATE amount and you speedup according to how
much speed RATE EXPRESSION AMOUNT you have applied.
The SLOWDOWN is the exact reverse: You start at the RATE
EXPRESSION AMOUNT, only to reach the LFO RATE you have
set.
5. Setting up the SIGNAL TO GATE
In order to successfully use the above features, you need to
have the Signal to gate set right.
Connect the pedal and set it up as specified on the “Getting
started” section.
Use your instrument as you would do in normal conditions
and observe the right LED.
You want to be able to fully and easily control when the LED
goes ON or OFF.
Adjust the THRESHOLD amount until the above is achieved.
Circuit: Analog signal, digital modulations
Bypass: Buffered opamp, a constant 3 to 4dB volume drop is expected and is compensated over the tremolo effect, to counter the “signal volume drop” feeling a tremolo has.