Hotone Ampero User manual

USER'SMANUAL

DESIGN INSPIRATION

The contents of this manual are subject to change without notice.

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Welcome

Thank you for purchasing a Hotone product.

Please read this manual carefully to get the most out of your Ampero.

Please keep this manual to use for further reference.

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Contents

Notice

Definitions

Panel

Getting Started

Main Display Screen

Using the Screen

Touch Operation

Quick Access Knobs

Main Knob

Ampero Tools

Tuner

Drum

Looper

EXP Pedal

Customizing your Ampero

Edit

Patch Edit Menu

Module Edit Menu

Control Settings

Current Settings

CTRL Target

Tap Tempo and Tap Divide

Quick Access Knobs

EXP Settings

SAVE

GLOBAL

I/O

USB Audio

Footswitch

MIDI Channel

About

Factory Reset

Suggested Setups

Using with your instrument and amp

Connecting to your amp's RETURN or Power Amp (Loudster) INPUT

Connecting your mixer, interface, headphones, and other equipment

Connecting to your computer as an audio interface

Using the AUX IN line

Included Software

Effects List

Effect Models List

FX 1, FX 2, FX 3

AMP

CAB/IR

DLY

RVB

Drum Machine Rhythms

MIDI Control Information List

Troubleshooting

Technical Specifications

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Notice

Please read this manual carefully. It contains information regarding the proper use of this product and other important information.

Warning

• Do not open the casing or attempt to modify the product or power supply. Hotone will not be responsible for product damage or bodily harm should the product be

tampered with.

• To reduce the risk of hearing damage, do not use headphones at high volume for an extended period of time. Should you notice discomfort, discontinue use and see a

medical professional immediately.

• Children using this product should be accompanied by an adult.

Environment

• Avoid using the unit in any of the following conditions that could cause malfunction:

- Extremely hot or cold places

- Near heaters and other heat sources

- Sandy or dusty places

- Places that are extremely humid or exposed to splashing water

- Places with lots of vibrations

Power Supply Safety

• Always use a DC 18V center negative adapter. Use of an adapter other than that specified could damage the unit or cause malfunction and pose a safety hazard.

• Always connect the adapter to an outlet that supplies the rated voltage required by the adapter.

• When disconnecting the adapter from an outlet, always pull the adapter itself. Pulling the cable will cause damage to the unit. Make sure to separate the power

adapter and store in a safe place.

• During lightning storms or when not using the unit for an extended period, disconnect the adapter from the outlet.

• Make sure your hands are dry when plugging in the adapter.

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Operation Safety

• Never put objects filled with liquids on the unit as this could cause electric shock.

• Never place candles and other burning objects on top of the Ampero. Doing so could cause a fire.

• Ampero is a precision device. Do not apply excessive force to the switches and other controls. Do not expose the unit to strong impact or drop it.

• Do not apply excessive force to the touchscreen or casing, which may cause malfunction.

• Do not place foreign objects (liquid or solid) into the product.

• The unit and power supply will become warm with extended use; this is normal.

Connections and Interference

• Turn off Ampero and all other connected devices before connecting any cables to it.

• Disconnect the power supply and other line connections before moving Ampero to another location.

• Ampero is designed to resist external electromagnetic interference, but may produce static in some cases of strong electromagnetic interfere (e.g. high power

transformers or wireless TV/phone equipment). Turn off any nearby electromagnetic equipment when using, if possible.

• Like all digital devices, Ampero may experience malfunction and/or loss of data if exposed to strong electromagnetic interference. Please use caution.

Cleaning

Use a soft cloth to clean the panels if they become dirty. If necessary, slightly moisten the cloth. Never use cleansers, wax, or solvents such as paint thinner, benzene or

alcohol.

Malfunction

• If the unit should malfunction, disconnect the power adapter and turn the power OFF immediately. Then, disconnect all other connected cables. For:

-Power adapter malfunction

-The unit or power supply emits an odor

-Liquids or foreign objects entered the unit

-The unit has other obvious signs of malfunction (e.g. won’t turn on, knobs won’t work, won’t produce sound, etc.)

Prepare information including the model name, serial number, specific symptoms related to the malfunction, your name, address and telephone number and contact the

store where you bought the unit.

Notice

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Definitions

Module

Ampero supports the simultaneous use of up to 9 effects. Each is called an “effects module”, or simply “module”. There are several effects available in each module.

Parameter

Variables that determine the application of an effect are called “parameters”. If we imagine each module as a separate effect pedal, then each parameter would be a

knob on that pedal.

Patch

The ON/OFF status of each module and the parameter settings are stored in units called “patches”. These are your “tones”. Use patches to recall, edit, and save your

favorite tones.

Bank

A set of 3 patches is called a “bank”. Ampero has a total of 66 banks, including 33 editable player (user) banks and 33 factory banks (F01-F33), which can be adjusted by

not saved.

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Panel

1.Display Screen: Displays Ampero’s current status. Use the touchscreen to select effects, edit patches, and make tone adjustments.

2.Volume Knob: Adjusts the overall volume of all output connections.

3.MENU/VALUE Knob (Main Knob): Turning or pressing this knob allows you to change menus and adjust parameters.

4.Screen Lock Button: Used to lock or unlock the touchscreen.

5.Quick Access Knobs: Use to adjust parameters on the lower part of the screen. Each knob will vary in function according to the parameter on the display.

6.Footswitch: Use to change patches, turn on/off effects, set tap tempo, etc.

7.Expression Pedal: Use to control the parameter of one or several effects, including output volume.

1 3

555

66 6 6

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8. EXP2: 1/4” TRS input,for connecting an external expression pedal. Perfect for Hotone Soul Press or Bass Press.

9. Input Mode: Selects between input modes optimized for different instruments.

a.E.GT: Electric guitar or bass

b.A.GT: Acoustic guitar or other acoustic instrument

c.LINE: Keyboard or synthesizer

10. INPUT: 1/4” Mono input connection for guitar or other instrument.

11. BALANCED OUTPUT: Balanced stereo XLR output connections to mixer or audio interface. For mono output, use only the left balanced output.

12. GND LIFT Switch: Turn the GND LIFT switch ON to cut off the ground connection of the two XLR connectors (Ground Lift) to avoid noise caused by the Ground Loop.

Turned OFF, the XLR line will be ground normally.

13. AUX IN: 1/8” stereo input for connecting external devices (phone, MP3 player) for practice and jamming.

14. PHONES: 1/8” stereo output for connecting headphones.

15. UNBALANCED OUTPUT: Unbalanced 1/4” TS stereo output connections to amplifiers or other equipment. For mono output, use only the left unbalanced output.

16. USB: USB 2.0 Type-B connects to your computer for use with Ampero software, or as a USB audio interface.

17. Power Switch: Turns power on/off.

18. MIDI IN: Standard 5-pin MIDI IN for connecting a MIDI controller. Perfect for Hotone Cybery.

19. Power Supply Connection: Power supply input (18V DC center negative).

10 11 11

13 14

12 15 15

17 18 19

Panel

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Getting Started

1. Connecting your Device

Plug your guitar in to the Ampero input jack and run a cable from UNBALANCED OUTPUT L to your amp. Please remember:

(1) Keep your amp volume down.

(2) Connect your cable to the amp’s FX Loop Return if it has one. See page 33.

(3) Make sure to select the correct input mode based on what kind of instrument you have: E.GT for electric guitar or bass, A.GT for acoustic instruments,

LINE for keyboards.

2. Turn the Ampero volume knob all the way down, then connect the power supply and turn Ampero ON.

3. Calibrate the strings. Press and hold footswitch 3 until the TUNER comes on the display screen. See page 9.

Pluck each string and tune until the pitch reaches the middle of the screen and turns green, as below:

When finished, tap the footswitch again to exit the tuner.

4. Select a patch:

Tap footswitch 1, 2, or 3 to choose a patch you like.

Tap footswitches 1 and 2 together to move forward through the patches, and tap footswitches 2 and 3 together to move back through the patches.

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Main Display Screen

When Ampero is turned on it will display the main screen, as shown below:

1. Current patch number

2. Current patch name

3. Patch selection back button

4. Patch selection forward button

5. Effects parameters controlled by quick access knobs. Pressing the parameter name allows you to change the parameter you’re controlling. See page 22.

6. CTRL/EXP gives you access to control settings. See page 17.

7. DRUM opens the drum machine settings. See page 10.

8. GLOBAL opens the global settings page. See page 28.

9. EDIT allows you to edit the current patch. See page 14.

10. Indicates the status of the built-in expression pedal (lit up when on, gray when off)

11. Indicates screen lock status

12. Indicates the current patch tempo

3 4

5 5 5

6 7 8 9

10 11 12

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Using the Screen

Touch operation

Changing patches and editing settings can all be done with the touchscreen.

Quick Access Knobs

The quick access knobs allow you to change the values of the three parameters directly above on the touch screen.

Main Knob

Turning the main knob lets you select the object you want to control. That object will light up when selected, then press the knob to confirm the selection.

• If the object selected is a button, it will respond as if you’d touched the button on the touchscreen.

• If the object selected is a parameter, you can use the main knob to adjust the parameter value. Pressing the main knob again will take you back to selection mode.

Reminder: The details of Ampero’s use and programming may slightly vary under certain operational circumstances. Please read this manual carefully to get all the

necessary information.

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Ampero Tools

Ampero is equipped with some great tools to expand your playing experience: a tuner, drum machine, looper, and expression pedal.

TUNER

In default mode, pressing footswitch 3 will open the tuner.

On the upper part is a scale that indicates your pitch. Left of center is flat, and right of center is sharp. As you tune your instrument towards the middle, the color of the

scale will change from red (out of tune) to yellow (near pitch) to green (in tune).

Quick access knob 1 adjusts the pitch calibration (REF PITCH), ranging from 435Hz to 445Hz. Standard pitch is set at 440Hz.

Quick access knob 3 lets you select the tuner mode from Bypass (for dry signal through), Thru (for effect signal through) or Mute (for silent tuning).

You can exit the tuner either by pressing any footswitch or by pressing the Back button on the touchscreen.

Exit tuner

Pitchflat Pitchsharp

Intune

Indicatesthecurrentnotename

SelectstunermodeAdjuststhepitchcalibration

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Ampero Tools

DRUM

Select DRUM on the main screen to access the drum machine.

Quick access knob 1 scrolls between genre styles. Ampero has 100 drum styles. See page 75.

Quick access knob 2 adjusts the drum tempo, ranging from 40BPM-250BPM.

Quick access knob 3 adjusts the drum volume from 0-99.

Exit the drum machine menu by pressing BACK at the top left. Exiting the menu will not stop the drums from playing.

Exit the menu

Play/stopbutton

ControlsdrummachineoutputSelects a drum rhythm Controlsdrumspeed

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Ampero Tools

LOOPER

In default mode, pressing footswitch 3 and the CTRL footswitch together will open the looper menu.

The progress bar at the top will be shown in red during recording and overdubbing. It will be shown in green in play mode.

Footswitch 1 controls start (yellow LED) and stop (yellow LED closed) for half speed playback. Footswitch 2 controls the start (white LED) and stop (white

LED closed) for reverse playback. These footswitch controls correspond with the 1/2 SPD and REV buttons on the touchscreen.

Quick access knob 1 adjusts the loop recording level from 0-99.

Quick access knob 2 selects between setting the loop before (Pre) or after (Post) your effects chain.

• In Pre mode, the looper will record mono audio without any effects, up to 100 seconds.

• In Post mode, the looper will record stereo audio with effects, up to 50 seconds.

Quick access knob 3 adjusts the loop playback volume from 0-99.

Exit the looper by pressing BACK on the upper left of the screen.

Exit looper

Currentlooperstatus

1/2speed on/off switch

Reverseon/offswitch

Record/playtime

Clearallrecordeddata

Record/playprogressbar

Previouspatch

Nextpatch

Switcheslooperposition

(pre/posteffects)

ControlslooperplaybacklevelControlslooperrecording level

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Ampero Tools

Looper operation and status modes:

Operation

On with no data

Stop

Tap footswitch 3 when there’s no data

Tap footswitch 3 while recording, overdubbing, or paused

Tap footswitch 4 while loop is playing

Tap and hold CTRL footswitch

Each time a recorded loop plays from the beginning

Function/Status

Stop

Record

Play

Stop

Clear

Play

LED Color (FS 3)

None

Flashing green

Steady red

Steady green

Flashing green

Quickly ﬂashing green

Single ﬂash

LED Color (CTRL)

None

Flashing green

None

Steady Green

Flashing green

Quickly ﬂashing green

Single ﬂash

Reminder:

1. When the loop recording reaches it’s time limit, the looper will automatically stop the recording and begin playback.

2. When the looper is in Post mode, changing patches will not change already recorded loop phrases.

3. Half-speed and Reverse functions will affect all recorded loop phrases.

4. If the looper is switched to a different position while it’s running, the loop will automatically stop and be erased.

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Ampero Tools

EXP Pedal

You can either use the built in expression pedal (EXP 1) or connect your own (EXP 2) to control various Ampero paramaters.

Some of Ampero’s preset patches have been set up to use the built in expression pedal. These can be used without any further setup. For more on expression pedal

settings. See page 23.

To turn the built in expression pedal on, press the pedal all the way forward so it clicks. When the built-in expression pedal is on, the LED under the pedal will turn

green, and this icon will show up on the Main Display screen to indicate it is on:

Reminder:

1. When the built in expression pedal is off, it continues to work as a volume pedal for Ampero. For more on volume pedal settings, see page 23.

2. You can use CTRL footswitch to switch built in expression pedal on/off. See page 19.

3. If your external expression pedal has an off switch and is turned off, it will not function.

4. If you use an external expression pedal, the display won’t show any message when it is connected. As soon as you connect and turn on an external expression pedal,

it will function to control the effects parameter determined by the current patch. If the current patch does not have any effects controllable by expression pedal, the

pedal will not function. See page 26.

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Customizing Your Ampero

This section will show you how to customize your Ampero’s settings, edit patches, setup the expression pedal, and change other features to your taste.

EDIT

Edit your patches to get the tone you want.

Remember that turning the modules on/off and adjusting parameters will change the current patch. If you switch patches or turn Ampero off before saving your changes,

the changes will be lost.

Make sure to press SAVE on the upper right of the display screen to save your settings.

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Patch Edit Menu

Select a patch from the main menu by using the forward/backward arrows on the screen.

You can also select a stored patch by pressing any of the three numbered footswitches. Scroll back (press 1 and 2 together) or forward (press 2 and 3 together) through

patches using the footswitches.

Next, select EDIT to enter the patch edit menu:

The menu is made of ten icon squares representing Ampero’s nine effects modules and a volume module.

The signal chain is ordered like this:

FX1 (select one)-FX2 (select one)-AMP (amp simulator)-NR( noise reducer)-CAB (cabinet simulator)-EQ (equalization)-FX3 (select one)-DLY (delay)-RVB (reverb)

FX1, FX2, and FX3 will hold effects of your choosing.

Press a square to select that module, then use quick access knob 1 or the on/off button to turn that module on or off. Press EDIT to enter the module edit menu.

You can also use the main knob: turn it to select a module, then press and click it to turn the module on or off. Press and hold the knob to enter the module edit menu.

Quick access knob 3 can also adjust the effect on the current module.

When you select TEMPO/VOLUME, use Quick Access Knob 1 to adjust the patch tempo from 40-250BPM, use Quick Access Knob 3 to adjust the patch volume from 0-99.

Customizing Your Ampero

Exitediting Entersavemenu

Currentpatchnumber

Indicates a module that is turned off

The highlighted frame indicates that

the AMP module is selected

Indicatedsamodulethatisturnedon

Presstoeditpatchtempoandpatchvolume

Turntheselectedmoduleon/off

Edittheselected module

Indicatestheeffectusedintheselectedmodule

Turn Quick Access Knob 3 to change effects

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Module Edit Menu

Use the module control panel to edit or turn the current module on/off.

Select an effect from the effects list.

The parameter panel shows the adjustable parameters of the effect selected.

If the selected effect has more than three adjustable parameters, there will be an arrow at the right of the parameter panel. Press the arrow to see

the other parameters.

Use the three quick adjust knobs to adjust the parameters directly above the knobs. If there are no parameters corresponding to a certain knob,

turning that knob will have no effect.

For more information on modules, effects, and parameters. See page 40.

Reminder: In some extreme cases the signal processor may become overloaded and display a “System Overload” caution.

Customizing Your Ampero

Parameter2 Parameter3Parameter1

Taptoseeotherparameters

(appearsonlywhenmorethan

3parametersareavailable)

Taptoseeotherparameters

(appearsonlywhenmorethan

3parametersareavailable)

Slidetocheckavailableeffects

Taptoselect

Effectslist

Nextmodule

Current patch number

Go back to patch edit menu

Previousmodule

Taptoturnthemoduleon/off

Entersavescreen

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Customizing Your Ampero

Control Settings

Use the control settings to determine the CTRL footswitch and quick access knob targets, setup the expression pedal parameters, and calibrate the expression pedal.

Remember that all the control settings will change as you change patches. If you switch patches or turn Ampero off before saving your changes, the changes will be

lost. Make sure to press SAVE on the upper right of the display screen to save your settings.

Press CTRL on the main menu to enter the control menu.

Make selections from the right and left panels.

Like the effects module parameter menu, the selection panel features three adjustable options. These options will change according to the current menu option.

If the selected menu has more than three adjustable options, there will be an arrow at the right of the selection panel. Press the arrow to see the other options.

Use the three quick adjust knobs to adjust the options directly above the knobs. If there are no options corresponding to a certain knob, turning that knob will have no

effect.

Current patch number

Exitthemenu Entersave screen

Sub menu

Taptoselect

Optionspanel

Mainmenu

Tap to select

Option2Option3Option1