GAME CHANGER AUDIO THIRD MAN PLASMA Coil User manual

THANK YOU FOR PURCHASING THE PLASMA Coil
- the ultimate high-voltage distortion unit!
~ Keep on Rockin’ in the Gluten-free world! ~
HOW THE PLASMA COIL WORKS
Instead of using LED circuits, transistors or traditional vacuum
tubes, the PLASMA COIL achieves distortion by converting your
instrument’s signal into a series of electrical impulses that
are sent to a step-up fly-back transformer. The transformer
amplifies these electrical bursts to thousands of Volts and the
current is discharged in special gas-filled tube.
We congratulate you on your excellent taste and we would
like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for making
this Tesla-Coil experiment possible!
The PLASMA Coil is a special edition of Gamechanger Audio’s
PLASMA Pedal - the world’s first commercial high voltage analog
audio processor. Our job is to invent exciting music technology
that inspires you to create new music. We are certain that the 3.5
kV of raw Rock’n’Roll power, packed into this pedal will do you
a world of good. Thank you, and:
The discharge tube is essentially a glass chamber housing a
pair of electrodes and filled with Xenon gas. Xenon is one of
the so-called noble gasses, and when it comes in contact
with electrical current, a process called ionization occurs.
Ionized gas becomes partially conductive and essentially it
“helps” electricity to travel between the electrodes. As a
byproduct of ionization, the gas converts a tiny part of the
electrical energy into visible light. Thanks to the tinted
plexi-glass the Xenon discharges appear yellow.
Enjoy your brand new PLASMA COIL!
The discharge produced by the transformer creates strong
electro-magnetic waves that can be picked up with an special
antenna or pick-up, de-modulated and re-formed back into an
audio signal. This is how PLASMA COIL is able to convert
instrument level signal into thousands of volts, and then turn
these bursts of electrical energy back into audio signal.
- UNUSUAL HARMONIC SATURATION
Besides producing a “lightning bolt” - the PLASMA COIL generates a
unique kind of distortion with many distinctive qualities:
When audio signal is driven by a step-up transformer, all the harmon-
ics and overtones that are present in the original signal become very
pronounced. There is also a certain amount of “noise pollution” that
is created by the transformer and gas-tube system - it could be
described as “crackle” or “buzz”, and it adds an electric quality to the
sound.
By playing around with the VOLTAGE Knob you can adjust the amount
of current sent to the PLASMA COIL’S discharge tube. On lower
settings - only heavy signals will create sufficient power to connect
the electrodes, and you will hear a distinctly gated sound. As the
signal drops beneath a certain threshold, the electrical passage
within the gas-filled tube is interrupted, and the pedal will not
produce any output signal at all. This feature allows you to achieve
extreme contrasts between individual notes, by eliminating all of
the in-between noises created by the intsrument’s pick-ups or by
humming strings.
The Gating effect can also be used to significantly alter how the
instrument responds to various picking and strumming techniques &
how the instrument sustains notes.
As mentioned above - the PLASMA COIL discharges the original DRY
input between the PLASMA Tube’s electrodes and creates a new audio
signal from fluctuations in the electromagnetic field surrounding
the transformer and the gas-discharge tube. This allows to bring out
an extremely wide range of frequencies that are often beyond the
instrument’s capabilities. Take a Telecaster, plug it into the PLASMA
COIL and crank the LOW end - you will hear twice as much bass, than
the instrument can produce under normal circumstances.
- NOISE-GATING PROPERTIES
- UNUSUAL HARMONIC SATURATION
- EXTREMELY WIDE EQ
KNOBS AND CONTROLS
Only loud, powerful signals will
pass through the xenon tube -
strong gating effect, a lot of
breakup and almost no sustain.
More like a cranked fuzz with lots of sustain and lots
of feedback.
However, even when VOLTAGE is cranked, you can use
your instrument’s volume knob or palm-muting
techniques to achieve noticeable gating.
EQ section that allows you to
shape and mold your tone - these
controls are very wide and can be
used to achieve extreme settings.
Standard Master Volume control - set to unity
volume when turned to the 12 o’clock position,
but may vary depending on the EQ knob
Settings.
Lets you adjust the amount of current
sent to the Xenon tube - effectively
increasing or decreasing the threshold
necessary for achieving a discharge in
the tube.
Optimal setting that will
give you a reasonable amount
of sustain, while still
preserving a very pronounced
noise-gating effect.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Input Type 1/4’’ Unbalanced TS
1/4’’ Unbalanced TS
1MΩ
7Vpp (+10dBu)
100Ω
7Vpp (+10dBu)
Center negative
2.1 x 5.5 mm barrel plug
(the standard 9V)
20Hz to 22kHz
±9dB, 600Hz corner freq.
±10dB, 1.5kHz corner freq.
Input Impedance
Max Input Level
Output Type
Output Impedance
Max Output Level
Power Connector
Frequency Response
EQ LOW FRQ Boost/Cut
EQ HI FREQ Boost/Cut
Check indicator white LED
IN, OUT, DC input
300mA, 9VDC
2.7 W
1 W
0.025 W
148mm*96mm*70mm
840 g / 1.8 lbs
Indicator
Connectors
Power Requirements
Peak Power Consumption
Mean Power Consumption
Dimensions (l*w*h)
Power Consumption during
Standby
Weight
We encourage you to experiment using the PLASMA COIL together with
tremolo and delay based effects. By putting a hard tremolo in front of the
PLASMA COIL you will achieve a satisfying flicker that sounds fantastic.
This also goes for arpeggiators and other rhythm-based effects.
By setting up a delay unit before the PLASMA COIL you will get a wide
variety of break-up sounds, as the delay’s trails begin to get softer.
There is a lot of room for experimentation, when it comes to combining
PLASMA Coil with other drive and distortion effects - When PLASMA Pedal is
placed before other drive and distortion pedals the noise-gating effect is
transferred to the rest of the signal-chain, and you can achieve very
explosive flavors of distortion.
Although primarly designed for guitarists, PLASMA Coil is also a great
distortion for synth and bass players - the low-end is massive and the
high-end sizzle cuts trough anything.
It can also be used to crush a snare or kick drum, or even a whole beat.
For studio use - please make sure that the input signal is INSTRUMENT LEVEL.
PLASMA COIL sounds great without reverb. That way the noise-gating effect
is very pronounced and you get total silences between notes.
WARRANTY & RETURNS
OTHER EFFECTS
TIPS
The PLASMA COIL DOES NOT support 9V batteries, and it should always be
powered with a standard 9V DC guitar pedal power supply with a center
negative connector (OneSpot, Boss, Snark, etc.).
NEVER operate the PLASMA COIL near water or on outdoor stages in rainy
conditions. DO NOT play your PLASMA COIL in the shower!
Gamechanger Audio and Thrid Man Records will not be liable for any injury,
material damage, or any other loss, caused by the incorrect operation of
PLASMA COIL, or breach of the warnings and instructions laid out in this
manual.
The XENON Tube contained within the PLASMA COIL will run an estimated
10 000 hours - In case of a broken tube or a faulty unit, please contact your
PLASMA COIL Dealer or [email protected]. For all other inquiries,
please reach out to Gamechanger Audio or Third Man Records.
WARNING!
You have a 30 day return period when you may return the product and receive a full
refund. You will only be responsible for return shipping charges.
Each PLASMA Pedal manufactured by Gamechanger Audio and distributed by Third Man
Records is warranted to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for one
year from the date of shipping or longer if required by the relevant legislation.
This warranty shall not apply to any unit which in the opinion of the manufacturer
has been used improperly or has been mechanically or otherwise damaged by
accident, misuse or negligence or has been altered or repaired in such a way to
impair performance, nor shall it apply to cosmetic defects (considered normal wear
and tear)
Other parts, such as knobs, rubbers, cable connectors, are non replaceable. The
manufacturer reserves the right to make changes in design or construction of this
equipment without obligation to install similar changes in equipment already sold.
FOR THE US:
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a class B
digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are designed to
provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential
installation. this equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy
and, if not installed and used in accordance with these instructions, may cause
harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that
interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause
harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by
turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the
interference by one or more of the following measures:
- reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
- Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
- connect equipment into an outlet or a circuit different from that to which the
receiver is connected.
- consult the dealer or an experienced radio / TV technician for help.
This device complies with part 15 of the FCC rules. Operation is subject to the
following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and (2)
this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may
cause undesired operation.
Unauthorized changes or modification to the system can void the users Authority to
operate this equipment. this equipment require shielded interface cables in order to
meet FCC Class B limit.
FOR EUROPE:
This product complies with the requirements of Electromagnetic Compatibility
Directive 2014 / 30 / EU.
FOR CANADA:
NOTICE: This class B digital apparatus meets all requirements of the Canadian
Interference-Causing Equipment Regulations
AVIS: cet appareil numérique de la classe B respecte tout les exigences du
règlement sur le matériel brouilleur du Canada.
MANUFACTURER ADDRESS:
GAMECHANGER AUDIO
AISTERES STREET 6
RIGA, LATVIA
LV-1007
[email protected]
WWW.GAMECHANGERAUDIO.COM
[phone]
EQ section that allows you to shape and mold
your tone - these controls are very wide and
can be used to achieve extreme settings.
SUBHARMONIC
MODE 2
SUBHARMONIC
MODE 1
VOLTAGE
BOOSTER
UPPER HARMONIC
MODE
MIXED HARMONIC
MODE 1
MIXED HARMONIC
MODE 2
EFFECT KNOB
Back panel toggle adjusts
the effect switch from
latching to momentary.
Momentary or latching footswitch
that activates the PLASMA COIL’S
special effect (middle knob).
SUBHARMONICS:
The PLASMA COIL's subharmonics are produced by modulating the
Xenon tube's Voltage with multiple divisions of the instruments
fundamental frequency. The result is a glitchy, distorted octave-down
sound that is somewhere between a ring-mod and a bit-crush effect.
UPPER HARMONICS:
The PLASMA COIL's upper harmonics are produced by using a full-wave
rectifier and band-pass filter. The result is an octa-fuzz type sound
with a distinct 2nd harmonic enhancement which is perceived as an
octave up effect.