iSP Technologies BETA BASS DSP User manual

INTRODUCTION
Congratulations on your purchase of the BETA BASS DSP™. The BETA BASS DSP™ was
designed to provide the ultimate sonic performance possible in a BASS GUITAR DSP based
processor; all controlled on the floor, with simplicity of use and programmability. The BETA BASS
DSP™ is based on state of the art Digital and Analog circuit design and technology and features ISP
Technologies proprietary algorithms for all BETA BASS DSP™ functions. The BETA BASS DSP™
also features the patented Decimator noise reduction system for the highest level of noise reduction
and transparency available. Also included on board is a SONG mode allowing the guitarist to
arrange presets into 124 songs with 3 preset patches per SONG. Please read this manual carefully
for a through explanation of the BETA BASS DSP™ and its functions.
IMPORTANT SAFTEY INSTRUCTIONS
Please read the following very carefully before operating this unit
Read ALL instructions carefully before using this unit. Keep these instructions for future reference. Heed all
warnings and follow all instructions.
Do not use this unit near water, in the rain, or where there is moisture. If this warning is ignored a serious
electrical shock or death may occur.
Do not attempt to service this unit. No user serviceable parts inside. Refer servicing to qualified, ISP
approved personnel. Servicing is required when the unit is damaged in any way, such as power adaptor is
damaged, liquid has been spilled into the unit, the unit has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not
operate normally, or has been dropped.
Care should be taken to avoid spilling any foreign objects or liquid into this unit. Avoid exposure of this
equipment to dripping or splashing and ensure that no objects filled with liquid, such as vases, are placed on
the equipment.
Only use accessories or attachments that are specified by the manufacturer.
Failure to follow these instructions may void the warranty.
NO USER SERVICABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO
QUALIFIED ISP TECHNOLOGIES SERVICE PERSONNEL.
The lightning bolt triangle is used to alert the user to the risk of electric shock.
The exclamation point triangle is used to alert the user to important operating or
maintenance instructions.
POWER REQUIREMENTS
This unit requires the connection of the external AC Power Adaptor to a 120 volt AC
outlet. Do not attempt to connect this unit to any power source other than the one
supplied with the BETA BASS DSP. The BETA BASS DSP will typically draw on
the order of 1.5 amps of current from the AC power adaptor when in use.

FIGURE 1
BETA DSP v1 Instruction Manual
Quick Start
Refer to Figure 1 for the hardware drawing which shows the locations of the
switches, knobs, and jacks when reading the following, or even better, just look
at your unit.
1. Connect the bass to the IN jack, connect the STAGE OUT jack(s) to a
power amp such as the iSP Stealth which is connected to a speaker
cabinet, OR connect the DIRECT OUT jacks to the input of a mixer, OR
connect the PHONES jack to headphones or earbuds (or connect all
three). If you have a mono system, you can set the output(s) to mono in
the global parameters. The STAGE OUT jacks can be connected to a
conventional bass amplifier, but this will not yield optimum results, since
most bass amps will further shape the sound. You can connect an audio
source such as your phone to the AUX IN jack, then play along with tracks
while listening via the PHONES OUT or DIRECT OUTs.

2. Connect the supplied 9V AC power adaptor to wall power, then to the
POWER input on the BETA DSP. The unit will power up and recall Preset 1.
Pressing the RECALL 1 switch will display the Preset 1 title.
3. With the Preset title displayed, adjust the INPUT LEVEL control on the back
panel so that the LEVEL 0 led (red) just flashes when you play hard, then
back off the INPUT LEVEL control slightly so that the 0 led does not light.
Short, infrequent flashes of the red 0 led are generally not audible, so don’t
worry about them. Adjust the STAGE OUT LEVEL or PHONES LEVEL
controls to taste. The DIRECT OUT levels can be controlled by the global
DIRECT TRIM parameter which affects all presets, and by the OUTPUT
LEVEL parameter within each preset, which affects all outputs, but is the level
specific to each preset. Note that the LEVEL leds only display the raw input
level when the preset or song titles are displayed (FUNCTION turned fully
counterclockwise). If any other parameters are displayed, the LEVEL leds will
display the maximum of the 4 output DAC (Digital to Analog Converter) levels.
4. Play!
5. Presets can be selected by pressing the PRESET down or up switches, then
the RECALL switch. Holding the PRESET down or up switches will result in
progressively faster scrolling through the preset titles. The +1 switch will
immediately increment one preset, and the LAST switch will immediately
recall the last previously recalled preset If the preset title is displayed (if
FUNCTION is set fully counterclockwise), the VALUE knob can be turned to
scroll through the preset titles. Pressing the RECALL switch will then recall
the selected preset.
6. Pressing the 2nd switch allows access to the STORE, SONG Mode,
mappable MOD and DELAY on/off switches, as well the TAP switch to set the
modulation rates and DELAY time. The precedence for the TAP function is
as follows: TAP will be mapped to either the delay time or the modulation
rate of the effect that is mapped to the MOD switch by the MOD SWITCH:
function. If only the MOD effect is on, TAP will be mapped to that effect. If
only the Delay is on, TAP will be mapped to Delay Time. If both are on, right
after the 2nd switch is pressed, TAP will map to the delay. However, if the
MOD switch is pressed first to turn on the MOD effect, TAP will be mapped to
the MOD effect, even if Delay is ON. For example, say you are in a Preset
that has both PHASER and DELAY turned on, and MOD SWITCH: PHASER
is set. If you want to use TAP to set the Phaser Rate, press 2nd, then press
MOD twice to turn PHASER off, then back on. Now TAP will be mapped to
set the PHASER Rate. Note that even though the MOD switch can only
be mapped to one effect at a time, all effects can be used
simultaneously in any preset! However the CRS/PSHIFT is a single
effect, so only one of those modes may be used at the same time.
7. Pressing and holding the TUNER switch will activate the tuner. Hitting any
other switch will then deactivate the tuner.
8. The FUNCTION knob selects the function such as Preamp, EQ, etc. The
PARAM knob selects the parameter within the function, and the VALUE knob
adjusts the value.
9. Changing a value will light the red STORE led. To store the new value for
later recall, press the 2nd switch, followed by the STORE switch. Note that the
BETA DSP ships with the Preset 101-200 LOCK set to ON, so storing to

those presets will display a FAIL message. Storing to presets 201-224 is
always allowed. See the section on the Global Parameters for more
information on how to turn off the Locks.
10. To copy a preset to a different location, first recall the preset. Then scroll to
the desired new location by using the PRESET down or up switches, or the
VALUE knob (if FUNCTION is set fully counterclockwise). Note that the
preset titles will flash, meaning the preset is not fully recalled. Then press 2nd,
STORE to store the last recalled preset into the new location. The original
contents of this location will be overwritten, so be carefull. Since the unit
ships with 100 unique presets written in locations 1 to 100, then repeated
again in locations 101 to 200, we recommend that you leave one of the two
banks locked to prevent inadvertantly writing over the original presets, at least
until you really need the storage space for your own presets.
11. Read the rest of the manual, it contains much valuable information to get the
most from your BETA DSP

DETAILED OPERATION:
Refer to the figure above for the hardware drawings which show the locations of
the switches, knobs, and jacks when reading the following. Refer to Figure 2 for
the signal flow diagram which shows the flow of the signal through the unit from
the input to the outputs. The following text explains the operation of the unit
organized by the software functions and parameters, but it also incorporates
explainations of the hardware functions where they are interrelated to the
software. Also, many important operational details are contained in the Quick
Start section, so reading and understanding that section is essential.
PRESET MODE:
This is the default mode when the unit is first turned on. It allows direct recall of
presets by name, adjustment and programming of presets, mapping of switches
and the expression pedal, MIDI Dump and Load, and setting of Global
parameters. The other mode of the unit is SONG MODE, which will be described
later.
Functions and Parameters:
Note that the titles of the functions do not always appear on the display, but most
of them are contained within the first parameter of that function. The following list
of functions are accessed in order by turning the FUNCTION knob clockwise.
The parameters are then accessed by turning the PARAM knob. The values
displayed are changed by turning the VALUE knob.
A) Mixer Function
1. OUTPUT LEVEL (OFF to +10 dB): Controls the output level
feeding all outputs from the unit. This is to allow the presets to be
set to nominally equal levels given different gains, compression,
EQ, and effects. It also allows adjustment to prevent clipping of the
4 channel output DAC. When the Function is turned to display this
or any parameter other than the titles, the LEVEL leds will display
the maximum output level of the 4 DAC channels. The OUTPUT
LEVEL can then be adjusted to prevent clipping of the DAC by
keeping the red 0 dB led from lighting.
2. DIRECT PAN (0 to 100): Pans the direct signal (the signal before
the stereo effects) from Left (0) to Right (100). The primary use for
this is to have the direct sent to one channel and the delay sent to
the other.

B) PREAMP Function
1. DISTORT MIX (0 to 100): Varies the relative amounts of clean and
distorted signal. 0 means full clean signal, 100 means full distortion
signal.
2. GAIN (1 to 60 dB): Dials up the gain before the clipper stage.
Additionally, there is gain available in the Pre EQ (labeled DIST
BASS, DIST MID, DIST TREBLE).
3. HIGH PASS (20 to 240 Hz): Varies the corner frequency (-3 dB
point) of a high pass filter the precedes the clipper. This allows the
low frequency component of your signal to stay clean.
4. SAG (0 to 100): Emulates the sag of the supply voltage rails in a
tube amp. Higher values result in more sag. This means that as
you play harder, the rails sag down resulting in more clipping of the
signal. Play softer and the rails move higher, resulting in a cleaner
sound. This is most effective with moderate levels of GAIN.
5. OUTPUT LEVEL (OFF to +10 dB): This is the same parameter as
in the mixer function. It is just repeated here for convenience
because as preamp parameters are changed, it is typical that the
output level will need to be readjusted.
6. COMPRESSOR (OFF or ON): Turns on the compressor, which is
positioned before the clipper stage. Compression is useful for
making clean or low gain settings sound louder, as it reduces the
level of loud passages and increases the level of soft passages.
The downside is the more compression used via lowering the
threshold, the more noise is added to the signal.
7. COMP THRESH (-30 to 0): The lower the setting, the more the
compression.
8. DIST BASS (-15 dB to +15 dB): The level of the pre-distort bass
EQ. Note that this only controls the tone of the distorted
component of the signal, not the clean. So if DISTORT MIX is set
to 0, these DIST eq controls have no effect. For higher gains,
these pre-eq sections do not so much affect the tone of the output,
but rather affect the character of the distortion.
9. DIST BASS (20 Hz to 240 Hz): The ‘turnover’ or upper frequency
at which the amount of pre distort bass boost or cut begins to lose
effect. Frequencies above this point will still be boosted or cut, just
not as much, and as frequency in the signal increases, the amount
will diminish to 0. This is a ‘shelf eq’ type section that remains
nominally flat at low frequencies.
10. DIST MID (-15 dB to +15 dB): The level of pre-clip midrange EQ.
( See the graph on the next page for a better understanding of the
operation of a parametric equalizer ... )
11. DIST MID (31 Hz to 6000 Hz): The center frequency of the
midrange boost or cut

12. DIST MID (0.1 to 2.5 OCT): The approximate width in octaves of
the midrange boost or cut. Beyond this width, the curve will slowly
transition back to 0 if the bass and treble are set flat.
13. DIST TREBLE (-15 dB to +15 dB): The level of pre-clip treble EQ.
14. DIST TREBLE (2000 Hz to 12.0kHz): The lower frequency at
which the amount of pre treble boost or cut begins to lose effect.
Frequencies below this point will still be boosted or cut, just not as
much, and as the frequency in the signal decreases, the amount
will diminish to 0. This is a ‘shelf eq’ type section that remains
nominally flat at high frequencies.
C) MASTER EQ Function
1. MASTER EQ (OFF or ON): Turns off or on the 5-band parametric
eq section that follows the clipper. See the graph below for an
explanation of how a parametric equalizer works.
The graph below shows an EQ response curve with a center frequency
of 100Hz and also at 1KHz. The MID “LEVEL” on the BETA BASS
DSP will adjust the amount of Boost or Cut applied to the signal. The
MID FREQUENCY, “FREQ” adjusts the center frequency as shown
below allowing you to select the center point or peak frequency you are
boosting or cutting. The MID BANDWIDTH “BW” is the bandwidth of
the frequencies being boosted or cut and is selected as OCTAVES.
An OCTAVE setting of .1 will be a narrow band of frequencies that are
affected by the boost or cut approximately .1 octaves at 3bd down from
the peak frequency. An OCTAVE setting of 2.5 will be a much broader
portion of the spectrum that is affected by the boost or cut
approximately 2.5 octaves at 3db down from the peak frequency. This
type of equalization allows much more precise adjustment of tone
shaping than typical Bass, Mid, Treble controls

Note that this eq section effect both the clean and distorted
components. The fully parametric nature of these sections with
adjustable frequencies and bandwidths give you the power to
create nearly any tone you want.
2. BASS (-15 to +15 dB): The level of boost of the bass EQ.
3. BASS (40 Hz to 240 Hz): The ‘turnover’ or upper frequency at
which the amount of bass boost begins to lose effect. Frequencies
above this point will still be boosted, just not as much, and as
frequency in the signal increases, the amount will diminish to 0.
This is a shelf type section.
4. MID1 LEVEL (-15 dB to +15 dB): The level of cut or boost at the
center frequency in the first midrange section.
5. MID1 FREQ (31 Hz to 6000 Hz): The center frequency of the first
midrange section.
6. MID1 BW (0.1 OCT to 2.5 OCT): The approximate width in octaves
of the midrange boost or cut. Beyond this width, the curve will
slowly transition back to 0 if the bass and treble are set flat.
7. MID2 LEVEL (-15 to +15): The level of cut or boost at the center
frequency of the second midrange section.
8. MID2 FREQ (31 Hz to 6000 Hz): The center frequency of the
second midrange section.
9. MID2 BW (0.1 OCT to 2.5 OCT): The approximate width in octaves
of the midrange boost or cut.
10. MID3 LEVEL (-15 to +15dB): same as MID2 LEVEL.
11. MID3 FREQ (31 Hz to 6000 Hz): same as MID2 FREQ.
12. MID3 BW (0.1 OCT to 2.5 OCT): same as MID2 BW.
13. TREBLE (-15 to +15 dB)
14. TREBLE FREQ (2000 Hz to 12.0kHz): The lower frequency at
which the amount of treble boost or cut begins to lose effect.
Frequencies below this point will still be boosted or cut, just not as
much, and as the frequency in the signal decreases the amount will
diminish to 0. This is a ‘shelf eq’ type section that remains
nominally flat at high frequencies.
D) DECIMATOR Function
1. DECIMATOR (OFF or ON): Turning the VALUE knob turns off or
on the DECIMATOR noise reduction.
2. THRESHOLD (-90 dB to –20 dB): The approximate signal level at
which the DECIMATOR will begin downward expansion of the input
signal, effectively turning off the noise. Higher threshold values are
needed to deal with higher levels of noise. Since the detector for
the DECIMATOR is at the very input of the digital signal processing
chain, this threshold does not usually have to be re-adjusted
because of changes in the preamp settings, but using very high

values of gain may make the residual noise more apparent, so you
will want to set this to a higher value on those presets.
E) INTELLIGENT SPEAKER(TM) Function
1. INTELLIGENT SPKR(TM) (OFF or ON): This turns on the speaker
filter function. It achieves virtually identical sound to a microphone
on a speaker cabinet, since it convolves the signal with actual
samples of a microphone on a speaker cabinet! This function
always affects the signal output on the Direct and Headphone
outputs, but will also affect the Stage Outputs if the Global
parameter ‘STAGE SPKR SIM’ is set to ON. This parameter is
useful if you want to use the Stage Outputs to drive a full-range
speaker such as a vocal wedge or even in-ear monitors, and use
the STAGE OUT LEVEL control to vary the level independently
from the DIRECT OUT signal, which typically feeds the front of
house system in a live situation, or mixer/DAW inputs in a recording
situation.
2. Type (4x10 Modern, 2x12 Modern, 1x15 Aluminum, 4x10 59 B-
man, 1x15+4x10 Stack, 8x10 Classic, or Lowpass Filter): Of
these, only the Lowpass Filter is not based on measurement of an
actual speaker, but is simply a fourth order lowpass filter
approximation to a speaker.
3. REACTANCE (-3 to +9): Bass boost or cut level. This simulates
the bump in the bass that can occur with a tube amp interacting
with the LF impedance bump (the reactance) in a speaker. If
anything it allows you to adjust the bass further to your liking.
4. MIC POSITION (-6 to +6): This simulates moving the microphone
from the edge of the cone to the center of the cone by appling a
high frequency shelf eq.
F) EXCITER Function.
1. EXCITER (OFF or ON): Turns it off or on. The exciter can also be
turned on or off by pressing the switch sequence 2nd, then MOD, if the
MOD SWITCH: function is set to EXCITER.
2. EXCITER MIX (0 to 100): Controls the amount of the effect.
3. EXCITER EQ (0 to 100): Varies the center frequency of the effect.
G) WAH Function.
1. WAH (OFF or ON): Turns the WAH on or off and selects if it is
placed pre or post distortion. There a 4 ways the WAH can be
turned on or off. One is by accessing this parameter and turning
the VALUE knob. The second is by pressing the 2nd switch (if it is
not already on), then pressing the MOD switch, if the MOD
SWITCH: function has been set to WAH. The third is to connect an