Iron Ether Xerograph Deluxe User manual

Iron Ether
Xerograph Deluxe
user's manual
The Xerograph Deluxe is a 4-pole resonant lowpass
filter, with capabilities to sweep the cutoff frequency
of the filter using the instrument's playing dynamics, an
expression pedal, or both simultaneously.
Controls:
Frequency knob: This sets the base cutoff frequency of
the filter. When using an expression pedal, this knob
will set the minimum frequency from which the
expression pedal will sweep (heel down position) - the
maximum frequency (toe down position on the
expression pedal) is set by the range limiter on the
expression pedal itself.
When used as an envelope filter, this sets the base
frequency from which the dynamics will sweep up or
down.
S/F switch: Selects slow or fast envelopes.
2/4 switch: Selects between 2-pole and 4-pole modes.
2-pole is a more mellow, classic sounding filter with a
wide, vocal-like resonance peak. 4-pole mode has a
steeper cutoff and a sharper resonance peak.
Range and interactivity
The Xerograph Deluxe is designed to be a powerful,
versatile tool for creating classic, modern, and unique
sounds. The controls have a wider range than is
commonly found in effects pedals, so that the user is
not limited to a small subset of possible sounds and
techniques. At first this range can be tricky to harness,
and it's quite possible to set the pedal in a way that
filters out all audible frequencies and lets no sound
through at all, but with use these controls should
become quite intuitive, and the increased range will
be useful in sculpting unique new sounds.
In the Xerograph Deluxe, the cutoff of the filter can be
modulated by three separate sources - the Freq knob,
the input dynamics, and the expression pedal. Since
these are all mixed together to control the cutoff, by
necessity they will interact with each other.
Quick start/settings
Start with all switches to the right, and all knobs down
all the way (counter-clockwise). Turn up the filter
volume halfway, and begin turning up the Frequency
knob slowly while playing. You will hear frequencies
gradually becoming audible, from low to high.
Leaving Freq at about noon, begin turning up Sens-
itivity so that you can hear the filter sweep up and
down with each note plucked on your instrument.
Leave Sens at a spot that gives a medium sweep with
your instrument's volume level, and begin turning up
Resonance. You will hear how this emphasizes certain
frequencies and makes the sound more synthy or
"funky."
Switch S/F to slow mode and get a feel for how this
reacts to your playing. The amplitudes of multiple notes
in quick succession will be averaged out, so that instead
of sweeping up and down with every note, the filter
can be smoothly played up and down by playing notes
closer together or more sparsely.
Res Freq
Sens
Clean Filter Vol
S/F 2/4 D/U
Res Freq
Sens
Clean Filter Vol
S/F 2/4 D/U
Res Freq
Sens
Clean Filter Vol
S/F 2/4 D/U
Res Freq
Sens
Clean Filter Vol
S/F 2/4 D/U
Settings templates
use these blank templates to write down
your favorite settings

Resonance knob: This adds feedback around the filter,
boosting a narrow band of frequencies around the
cutoff, intensifying the effect of the filter. Set this low
for more subtle tone-shaping effects, to the center for
"quacky" sounds, or up to around 3 o'clock for a wet
synth sound. Turning the knob to maximum sends the
filter into self-oscillation.
Filter Vol: Controls the output volume of the filter
signal.
Clean Vol: Controls the volume of the unfiltered signal,
mixed in with the filter.
Sensitivity knob: Controls how much the playing
dynamics will sweep the filter cutoff; all the way
counter-clockwise will turn the envelope follower off
completely, so the filter is controlled only by the Freq
knob and expression pedal.
Up/Down switch: Controls the direction of sweep for
the envelope follower. In Up mode, the filter frequency
starts at a low point selected by the Frequency knob,
and sweeps higher with increasing dynamics. In Down
mode, this is reversed - the Frequency knob selects the
highest frequency and sweeps down from this point.
Expression pedals
The recommended expression pedal to use is the Moog
EP-3. It's wired to correctly interface with the Xero-
graph Deluxe and has the range attenuator knob,
which is necessary for setting the range of the sweep.
Set the low frequency with the Freq knob on the XD,
then use the range knob on the EP-3 to set the maxi-
mum frequency. Using these two controls, you can
define a sweep as narrow as a few semitones, within
whatever frequency band you desire.
Most other expression pedals have a minimum value
limiter, rather than the maximum value. This is not
useful here as it duplicates the function of the Freq
knob on the XD.
Power supply
The XD is powered by the industry-standard 9 volt DC
center-negative power supply (2.1mm jack). It draws
85 mA. Use a power supply that can source at least this
much current.
Finish
Each Xerograph Deluxe is individually machine-
engraved, then painted by hand. As a result, each one
has individual variations - no two will look identical.
Warranty
Your Xerograph Deluxe is warranted for materials and
manufacturing for one year from the date of purchase.
The warranty is void if you use the wrong type of
power supply, take it apart, attempt to modify it, or
use it in a way not intended.
Bypass: The XD features a relay-based true bypass
system. When the pedal is bypassed, the signal is
connected directly from the input jack to the output
jack via a mechanical switch, and does not pass
through any buffers, electronic (FET) switching, or
other circuitry that could have an effect on sound
fidelity. It's different from the more common true
bypass in that instead of a 3PDT stomp switch, the XD
uses a mechanical relay designed specifically for low-
voltage audio-type signals. This makes for a quieter
switch, greater reliability, and the bonus of automat-
ically going into bypass if power to the pedal is lost.
Quick start continued
Switch to Down mode - in this mode you'll generally
want to turn Freq much lower than it would be in up
mode, and you may want a higher Sensitivity setting
in this mode as well since we want to sweep far down
from the maximum.
Use with other pedals
The XD is great for carving up and accentuating
harmonics. Feeding it a signal with plenty of harmonic
complexity will give it much more material to work
with, and lead to stronger sounds. Iron Ether pedals
such as the Oxide, Subterranea, QF2, and FrantaBit
are all designed to add different varieties of harmonic
richness and therefore work well preceding the XD.
Try your favorite fuzzes and overdrives in front of it.
Note that the output level of the pedal(s) preceding the
XD will impact the way the envelope follower responds.