Effectrode DELTA-TREM DT-2A User manual

Specifications
• Input impedance: greater than 1M
• Outputimpedance: less than 1K
• Controls: Shape,Depth,Speed and Rhythm
• Features: Raysistor and tube tremolo circuitry
• Expression pedal: RolandEV-5 or EV-7.
• Turquoise LEDs: pulsatewith modulation
speed for visual song tempo matching.
• Continuously variable L.F.O.: Three banks
containingdozens of different waveforms.
• Power requirements: 12VDC@ 1Amp
• Dimensions: width 7.5" depth 4.8" height 1.3"
• Weight: 2lb (on Earth); 2.1lb (Saturn)
• Construction:solid die-castaluminum box
• Finish:Olive-brown powder coat
Serial #
Copyright © 2019 Effectrode®Thermionic
RAYSISTOR TREMOLO-PANNER
Owner’s Manual
12 Broughton Crescent, Barlaston,
Staffs,England.ST12 9DB
www.effectrode.com
DT-2A

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Introduction
The Delta-Trem™ authentically recreates the
alluring,hypnotic tone andfeel of avintagetube
amp tremolo.This is accomplished byusing a
‘Raysistor’ (photo-cell/lamp)andtube signal path–
twice for stereo! This is an exceptionally warm and
musical tremolo effectthat blendswellwith clean
and overdrivenguitar.The dual signal pathallows
the pedal to operatein monotremolo mode intoa
single amp or true stereo where the sound‘ping-
pongs’ betweentwo amps fora huge,spacious tone.
Circuit operation isdead-quiet with none of the
audible 'ticking'sound oftenassociatedwith tube
amp tremolo.The Delta-Trem features an incredibly
versatile L.F.O.(low frequencyoscillator) that can
reproducetheclassic sound of thetube ‘vibrato’ in a
vintage Fender®‘Deluxe’ amp,theswirl of a
DeArmond™ mechanical-fluid tremolo and even the
deep,swampythrobof the old‘Valco’ amp trem.In
short, the Delta-Trem givesguitaristseasyaccessto
classic rock'n'roll,surf tremolo tonesand much,
much more with unparalleled warmth and clarity.
Thankyoufor trusting Effectrode tobeyoureffects
company.Wewishyou manyyears ofmusical
enjoyment from this veryspecial,hand-crafted,all-
tube pedal.
Phil Taylor –Designer
Tubes
The 12AU7 tubes in the Delta-Trem canbeswapped
with other 9-pin double triodetubessuchasthe
12AX7, 12AY7,etc. Thesesubstitutions yield higher
gain and mild overdrive for a‘Leslie’ style growl as
well as tonal differences depending onthetube type,
manufacturer,etc. Sylvania Mil-Spec N.O.S.tubes
are highly recommended.
Pots
This pedal is fitted withcustomBritish made Omeg
potentiometers.Theseare sealed units toprevent
drying out or dust enteringthem,which meansthey
never require periodiccleaningor lubrication.
Additionally,aunique pot bushingsystemprotects
the potsfrom mechanical damage(i.e.being
stepped on!)

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With theinternal jumper Link in place the ‘Shape’,
‘Depth’, ‘Speed’ and‘Rhythm’ parametersof the
‘Right’ tremolo arethesameasthe‘Left’ tremolo
settings.Further,whenthe‘Tap/Sync’ footswitch is
pressedand held down,the‘Shape’, ‘Depth’ and
‘Speed’ knobs become ‘Wow’ (speedvariation),
‘Dither’ (wave shapedithering)and‘Phase’ (variable
from 0º-180º) controls for the‘Right’ tremolo.
CV (Control Voltage) input allowsthespeed of the
tremolo tobecontrolled with anexpression pedal,
such as the Roland EV-5or EV-7. Other expression
pedals canbeusedif theirpotentiometer hasa
resistance in the range of 10K to 250K andare wired
as shown below.
Tip: wiper (pin2)
Ring:+5V (pin 3)
Shield:GND (pin 1)
The Delta-Trem tremolo speed canalsobe
controlled using an external V.C.O.(voltage
controlled oscillator). Voltagerange must bein the
range of 0to 5 volts.
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Controls
Shape knob adjuststhecharacter of thetremolo by
altering theL.F.O.waveshape.Waveshapesare
continuously variable,transistioningseamlessly from
one toanother asthe knob is rotated.Moreshapes
can beaccessedvia the3-way‘Filament/Fluid/Neon’
toggle switch on the rear panel.
Depth knob controls the intensity of thetremolo
effect from asubtle shimmer todeep amplitude for
somegoodold Louisianaswampblues. When fully
counter-clockwisethetremoloeffectis cancelled.
This meansthe Delta-Trem is workingasatube
buffer/booster adding warmth andsomeadditional
drive to the your guitar.
Speed knob sets the tremolo modulationrate.
Rotatingthisknobclockwiseincreasestherate.The
Delta-Trem’s unique‘Raysistor’ circuitry is a
staggeringimprovement on the primitive phase-shift
neonoscillators found invintagetube amps–being
smoother,deeper,richer and super-quietin
operation (noaudible ‘ticking’noise).
In‘tap tempo’ mode the ‘Speed’ knobfunctionsasa
tap divide/multiply control whenthe‘Tap/Sync’
footswitchis pressedand held down.Rotatethe
‘Speed’ knobclockwisefor ¼(16th ), ⅓(eighth
triplet), ½(eighth ), 1/1(quarter ), 3/2 (dotted
quarter ), 2/1(half ), 3/1 (dotted half ), 4/1 (whole
) modulation speed divisors.

Rhythm knob selects1of 8different accented
rhythmic patternstoemphasise specific tremolo
pulsebeats. Thefollowing time signaturesare
available:1/1, 1/2(march time), 3/4 (waltz time), 4/4
(rock/pop), 5/4 and6/8time along with other
patterns. Asthe‘Rhythm’ knob isrotated clockwise
the timesignature increasesproducing ever more
complexpatternsuntilthe Delta-Trem beginsto
sound more like a sequencer than a tremolo!
Note:‘Shape’, ‘Depth’, ‘Speed’ and‘Rhythm’ knobs
affect the‘Left’ tremolo.Toalter theseparameters
the ‘Right’ tremolo pressand hold the ‘Tap/Sync’
footswitchwhilst adjustingtheknobs(with jumper
Link removed).
Filament/Fluid/Neon switch selectsbetween three
banksof differentL.F.O.waveforms.The‘Filament’
bankcontainssubtle triangle,sine andsmoothed
square waveshapes; the ‘Fluid’ bank containsrising
saw,triangle andfalling saw waveshapes; and the
‘Neon’ bank containsdeep pulse wave shapes.
Mono/Stereo switchallows the Delta-Trem towork
as atremolo/panner/splitter for mono sources(such
as guitar) or asatrue stereotremolo for usewith
stereokeyboards. Whentheswitch is‘up’ theinput
is mono (TS) and when ‘down’ it’s stereo (TRS).
Bypass footswitchallowsselection between
‘effectified’ (tube buffered tremolo)and ‘non-
effectified’ (true bypassed ‘dry’) signal.
Tap/Sync footswitchsetsthetremolospeedofthe
Delta-Trem.Twoor more successivepresses(taps)
of thefootswitch setthespeed accordingto the foot
tap rateputting the pedal into ‘taptempo’ mode.
Movingthe‘Speed’ knobslightlywillput thepedal
back into‘standard’ mode.Onepressjust resetsthe
tremolo tothebeginningof itscycle allowing
resynchronisationwith the beatwhen playingin a
live situation.
Note:Tremolo speedcan also be setaccurately
usinganexternal tap tempo controller such as the
Time Traveler™ pedal or any controller pedal that
features anormally openmomentaryfootswitch.
Connection ismade via theRCAjacksocket onthe
rear panel of the Delta-Trem.
Internal Dwell trim-pot setsthe bias point of the
filament lampto alter thedepthandcharacter of the
tremolo.Toaccessthe ‘Dwell’ trim-pot, first
disconnect thepower tothepedal,carefully unscrew
the six screws underneaththepedal and then
remove the base-plate.Asmallwatchmaker’s
screwdriver or specialised trimmingtool willbe
required to adjust the trim-pot.
TONETIP!The Delta-Trem canbeutilisedasan
audiophile tube boost/buffer/splitter whenthe‘Depth’
knob set tominimum and with the‘Dwell’ trim-pot
maxed out.