GNI BASS SHAPER User manual

BASS SHAPER’s
User’s Manual

BUFFER BOOST
(G)
OVERDRIVE / SUPER
NOISE GATE
PRE-AMP
SHAPE
HEADPHONE
AMPLIFIER
PREPARES
BALANCED
OUTPUT
Clean signal
DRIVE ON / OFF
Also turns the preamp
on and off as necessary
PRÉ-AMP
ON / OFF
INPUT
Pedal’s grounding
BALANCED
OUTPUT
CLN. / EFF. Switch
(drawn in “EFF” position)
CG / GL
BOOSTER
ON / OFF
EXTRA Switch
(drawn in headphone position)
“NORMAL”
OUTPUT
Knob: boost (set
booster’s gain, “G”)
Knobs: bass, mid, treble, level
Buttons: shape
Knobs: drive, level
Buttons: super, gate
block Diagram:
BA SS MID
BOOST PRE
TREBLE
DRIVE
LEVEL
LEVEL
SHAPE
OUT-2
CLN. / EFF.
EXTRA
SUPER GATE
CG GL
Control Panel:
BSH - BASS SHAPER
“ F2 ”
(drive)
“normal”
output input
battery
housing
power jack
“ F1 ”
(booster)
BA SS MI D
BO OST PRE
TR E B L E
DR I V E
LE V E L
LE V E L
SH APE
OU T-2
CL N. / EFF.
EX TRA
SU PER GATE
CG G L
balanced
(XLR) output
Overview:
GNI

Introduction
Thank you, and congratulations on your choice for GNI Music's products.
Lots of work from engineers and professional musicians were spent in
order to create really high-end pedals. These sections provide important
information concerning the proper operation of our pedals. Please read,
in order to feel assured you're ready to explore all available resources. For
more information and hints, check www.gnimusic.com.
Powering Up
BATTERY: You can use this product with a standard 9V battery. It’s
compartment is below the pedal (see picture). Please note that old, weak
batteries will compromise the quality of the sound, including clean sound.
SUPPLY: The most common way to power the pedal is using a 9V, DC,
regulated supply with the polarity shown below. Power jack is in the back
part of the pedal. We recommend at least 300mA supplies for better
quality and safety. BSH alone consumes up to 35mA.
9V, DC
WARNING! Wrong power supplies are deadly to GNI
Pedals! Non-regulated or switched type supplies
cause noise. Higher voltages and wrong polarity
cause severe and permanent damage to the
product.
Battery housing Power supply specs.
BASS SHAPER
GNI's Bass Shaper is a sophisticated bass pedal. It brings together many
of the main resources a bass player might need. The best way to
understand BSH is splitting it in several modules, and then study their
controls and details.
Basic modules: In, Out and Slide-Switches:
Input Jack (“IN”):
This jack receives a signal coming from the bass or other effects. It has a
secondary function: when no plug is present, it cuts electrical current from
the battery in order to save it while pedal is not in use. So, if you try to turn
the pedal on using a battery with no plug inserted in this jack, nothing will
happen.
Main Output Jack with Headphone Amplification (“OUT”):
This is where the processed sound (or clean sound, when in bypass) is
output. Due to BSH's pre-amplifier capabilities, this signal can be used for
direct recording.
Use of Headphones: The rightmost position of the “EXTRA” switch has
the drawing of a headphone. In that position, signal is amplified and a
headphone can be inserted in “OUT” jack. IMPORTANT: This position is
NOT recommended for use with amplifiers. It won't damage the amp, but
will compromise the quality of the sound.
Balanced (XLR) Output (“OUT-2"):
This is the best output for professional direct recording. Switches “CLN. /
EFF.” and “EXTRA” control this jack, offering the following resources:
CLN. / EFF. Switch:
?CLN (clean) position: sound at the balanced output is always the

unprocessed clean sound, regardless of any effects turned on.
?EFF (effect) position: balanced output has the processed sound,
reproducing the all effects that are turned on at the time.
EXTRA Switch:
?CG. position: In “Common Ground” mode, balanced output shares
the same electrical grounding with the pedal. This is the most common
position.
?GL. position: “Ground Lift” is recommended under certain conditions
when your pedal and the equipment receiving its signal through
balanced output use incompatible grounding loops. In such scenario,
separating “grounds” might help reducing noise.
?Headphone position: it only amplifies the signal at the main “OUT”
jack. The balanced output signal is not changed, however, it forces
“ground lift” mode.
Main modules: pre-amp, drive and booster:
Pre-Amp:
Pre amplifier prepares the sound to be directly recorded from the pedal.
It's BSH's biggest module. These controls are part of the preamp:
?BASS, MID and TREBLE knobs: equalization of the respective
frequencies.
?LEVEL knob: preamp's output level, which is also the input signal to
BSH's booster. If high levels are combined with high booster gain,
some distortion might happen.
?SHAPE button: this changes the overall characteristic of the sound. It
acts mostly on mid frequencies, causing some compression.
To turn the preamp on and off, press both footswitches (F1 and F2) at the
same time. Preamp has a specific led in the main panel. “Shape” has
another led which will be on whenever the button is pressed. However,
note that shape will only act when the preamp module is on. Some people
will set the preamp and then leave it on 100% of the time. Other people will
use the preamp as an effect over the original bass sound, using it only as
needed. Both forms of use are correct.
Overdrive / Super Overdrive
This module adjusts the desired distortion of the pedal. These are the
controls:
?DRIVE and LEVEL knobs: intensity of the distortion, and its output
level.
?SUPER button: makes distortion more intense and aggressive. The
“overdrive” effect becomes a “Super Overdrive”. This button has its
own led which stays green in “normal” mode, and becomes red when
button is pressed (“super” mode).
?GATE button: BSH's noise gate. It works this way: 1) when there is
signal coming through, gate's led stays on and nothing special
happens. 2) As signal begins to fade, the led becomes weaker until it
shuts down. This is the moment when the noise gate is acting,
eliminating most background noise. Please, note that the noise gate
only acts when the overdrive module is turned on.
You turn the drive module on and off by pressing the respective “drive”
footswitch (F2). Drive requires the preamp to be turned on. Fortunately,
BSH handles that by automatically turning the preamp on and off.
Booster Module:
This is BSH's simplest module. It's an active gain stage that instantly
increases sound's level. Booster is entirely independent, so it can be
turned on anytime pressing the “boost” footswitch (F1).
“Boost” knob is the only adjustable control on this module. Use it to set
booster's gain from 0 (no effect) to 12 decibels.
At high settings, booster may cause distortion. If it happens, try to find a
better balance lowering levels on the preamp and drive modules. If those
are high, then booster might receive a strong input signal, and finally
saturate when trying to add even more gain.

Troubleshooting
All pedals are tested before leaving GNI’s facility. If you are having
difficulties, please pay attention to the following details. Most small
problems are easy to solve with a simple checklist:
?Insert input jack, or the pedal won’t turn on.
?Check if you used the correct sides for input and for output.
?If using DC adaptor, be sure it respects our specs. Reversed polarity,
wrong tension, etc. may damage the circuit.
?If using batteries, be sure they are not discharged. It can affect the
clean sound, and cause strange behaviors, like effects sounding when
the unit should be in bypass.
?Check volume levels, wrong connections and broken cables.
?Keep your unit away from other electrical devices. TVs and other home
appliances cause interference and noise.
?Don’t play very close to the amplifier, or directly facing it, in order to
avoid feedback noise.
Specifications
?Power supply: 9V battery, or adaptor according to our specs.
?Input impedance: 500 k?
?Output impedance: 1 k? (“normal”), 100 ? (“balanced”)
?Size: 62 x 141 x 110 (mm)
2.44 x 5.55 x 4.33 (in)
?Weight: 860g (1.9lb)
Specifications may change without notice.