Laney Black Country Customs THE DIFFERENCE ENGINE User manual

Page 1
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................3
THREE INTO ONE ......................................................................................................................................... 4
ANALOGUE TAPE ERA ............................................................................................................................ 4
DIGITAL ERA ............................................................................................................................................. 4
DYNAMIC DELAY ERA............................................................................................................................. 4
COMBINED POWER ................................................................................................................................ 4
FEATURES ...................................................................................................................................................... 5
WHATS IN THE BOX ..................................................................................................................................... 5
PEDAL OVERVIEW .........................................................................................................................6
CONTROLS .................................................................................................................................................... 6
CONNECTIONS ............................................................................................................................................ 8
GETTING STARTED........................................................................................................................9
HOW TO CONNECT TO THE DIFFERENCE ENGINE ............................................................................... 9
IN FRONT OF THE GUITAR AMP............................................................................................................ 9
IN THE FX LOOP....................................................................................................................................... 9
DIRECT.....................................................................................................................................................10
USING KEYBOARDS...............................................................................................................................10
STEREO CONNECTIONS ......................................................................................................................10
WHATS ON THE SCREEN?.........................................................................................................................12
PRESET & LIVE MODE.................................................................................................................................13
PRESET MODE........................................................................................................................................13
LIVE MODE..............................................................................................................................................13
SCROLLING THROUGH PRESETS ............................................................................................. 14
RECALLING A PRESET ................................................................................................................................14
EDITING A PRESET......................................................................................................................................14
QUICK EDITING......................................................................................................................................14
DEEP EDITING ........................................................................................................................................15
STORING A PRESET ....................................................................................................................................15
COPYING A PRESET ...................................................................................................................................15
CHANGING A PRESET NAME....................................................................................................................15
ROUTING 101.............................................................................................................................. 16
ROUTING......................................................................................................................................................16
STEREO....................................................................................................................................................16
XFB...........................................................................................................................................................16
PING PONG ............................................................................................................................................16
MONO .....................................................................................................................................................17
WET/DRY.................................................................................................................................................17
MENUS ......................................................................................................................................... 18
NAVIGATION OF THE MENUS ..................................................................................................................18
EXPRESS YOURSELF................................................................................................................... 19
CONNECTING THE EXPRESSION PEDAL...........................................................................................19
EXPRESSION PEDAL MENU..................................................................................................................19
CALIBRATION.........................................................................................................................................19
EXPRESSION MODES ............................................................................................................................20
INVERT.....................................................................................................................................................20
THE EDIT MENU .......................................................................................................................... 21
MODE...........................................................................................................................................................21
TIME..............................................................................................................................................................21
ANALOGUE ............................................................................................................................................21
DIGITAL ...................................................................................................................................................21

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DYNAMIC................................................................................................................................................22
MODE SPECIFIC SETTINGS .......................................................................................................................22
TAPE.........................................................................................................................................................22
MULTIHEAD ............................................................................................................................................22
DYNAMICS..............................................................................................................................................22
MIX................................................................................................................................................................23
REPEATS.......................................................................................................................................................23
COLOUR.......................................................................................................................................................23
TONE ............................................................................................................................................................23
ROUTING......................................................................................................................................................23
MODULATION.............................................................................................................................................24
COMPRESSOR.............................................................................................................................................24
SETTINGS MENU......................................................................................................................... 25
GLOBAL........................................................................................................................................................25
DISPLAY........................................................................................................................................................25
EXPRESSION PEDAL...................................................................................................................................25
TAP TEMPO..................................................................................................................................................26
VERSION.......................................................................................................................................................26
RESET SETTINGS.........................................................................................................................................26
MIDI .............................................................................................................................................. 27
MIDI CONNECTIONS .................................................................................................................................27
MIDI MENU ..................................................................................................................................................27
PROGRAM CHANGES ................................................................................................................................28
CONTROLLING PARAMETERS ..................................................................................................................28
MIDI CC CHARTS ........................................................................................................................................28
PRESET SELECT AND OTHERS.............................................................................................................28
SURFACE CONTROLS ...........................................................................................................................28
ANALOGUE CONTROLS.......................................................................................................................29
Table for HEAD enable CC 49..............................................................................................................29
TAPE SETTINGS......................................................................................................................................29
DIGITAL AND DYNAMIC TIME CONTROL..........................................................................................29
MULTIHEAD ............................................................................................................................................29
DYNAMICS CONTROL ..........................................................................................................................30
ROUTING.................................................................................................................................................30
MODULATION........................................................................................................................................30
COMPRESSOR........................................................................................................................................30
MSB & LSB PARAMETERS ..........................................................................................................................31
USB TO MIDI ADAPTOR............................................................................................................. 32
DOWNLOADING NEW PRESETS .............................................................................................. 32
UPDATING YOUR FIRMWARE................................................................................................... 32
SPECIFICATIONS ........................................................................................................................ 33
SAFETY AND WARNINGS.......................................................................................................... 34

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INTRODUCTION
THE DIFFERENCE ENGINE is the ultimate in delay pedals. Handcrafted in the UK, by
Laney’s own Black Country Customs team, deep in the depths of the Black Country.
The Pedal combines 3 distinctly different, superbly crafted eras of delay into a compact
box. Careful consideration has been taken to ensure the highest sonic quality that
would rival any top end studio gear.
The BCC-TDE is ideal for instruments and line level equipment, making it at home in
any set up, whether on a pedal board, in a rack, or in the studio.

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THREE INTO ONE
Three eras of delay built in to one powerful machine. The Difference Engine emulates three classic
eras of delay. Each preset is built from one of these eras.
ANALOGUE TAPE ERA
Modelled around classic vintage tape echo units, such as the RE501 space
echo, featuring all the warmth and analogue nuances of tape.
•Warm sounding analogue tone.
•Delay times up to 1250ms.
•Straight delay from a single tape head.
•Or select multiple tape heads –for that classic overlaid delay effect.
•Add tape artifacts with WOW & FLUTTER controls.
DIGITAL ERA
The digital era –based on the crisp sounding digital delays of the 80’s, such
as the KORG SDD3000 –with the modern benefits such as Tap Tempo,
Freeze and BPM display.
•Up to 2500ms of crystal clean delay.
•Multi Tap delay enables complex delay patterns.
•Ability to freeze repeats using the freeze function.
•Advanced routing options for stereo, wet/dry and mono options.
•Modulation on repeats to add colour.
DYNAMIC DELAY ERA
And thirdly the Dynamic Digital era –based on the huge sounding pumping
delays of the 80s and 90s.
•Up to 2500ms of delay time
•Settable boost and ducking ratio to dial in the severity of compression.
•0.1ms to 120ms attack times gives subtle to extreme ducking.
•15ms to 6secs of release time.
•Threshold control allows fine control of ducking with dynamic inputs.
COMBINED POWER
•Combine features from each era to create unique delays

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FEATURES
•3 distinct and superb delay modes.
•An ultra-sharp stunning 2.42” OLED screen.
•Compact pedal board friendly format.
•100 user recallable and customisable presets.
•Stereo In and Out via ¼” Jacks.
•External expression pedal configurable control.
•MIDI IN and OUT via 5 pin DIN for presets and parameter control.
WHATS IN THE BOX
•BCC-TDE delay pedal
•Black country customs presentation tin
•BCC-TDE quick start guide
•USB to MIDI adaptor

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PEDAL OVERVIEW
CONTROLS
•COLOUR
oSets the level of modulation present in the delay repeats. The type of modulation is
controlled by the mode and the modulation settings of the preset. See the MODULATION
section for more details.
•MIX
oTurn to adjust the overall level of the delayed signal in the overall mix.
•TONE
oSets the overall tonality of the delayed signal. At 50% the tone has no effect, values above
50% will increase the level of brightness, below 50% will darken the tone of the repeats.
•REPEATS
oSets the number of repeats of the delayed signal. At minimum settings you’ll get a single
repeat and at maximum you’ll get runaway feedback that goes into self-oscillation.
•DISPLAY SCREEN
oThe OLED display will show the current mode and preset details to you.
Note: You can set the contrast and auto dim options in the SETTINGS MENU
•MENU
oPress the MENU button to display the inbuilt menu on the Screen. Whilst the menus are
displayed pressing the MENU button will enter the current selection.
•MODE
oPress the MODE button to swap between PRESET and LIVE modes. When viewing the
menu, MODE will act as an exit / back button. The two modes are described in detail in the
oPRESET & LIVE MODE section.

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•EDIT
oThe EDIT control is a multifunctional endless encoder with a tactile button press. Turning
the EDIT control left or right will scroll or change parameter values and pressing the EDIT
control has different functions depending on what you’re doing at that time.
▪In PRESET and LIVE modes, the EDIT control will change the current delay time,
pressing the EDIT control will change which digit of the delay time you want to
change. Great for dialling in those exact delay times.
▪When browsing the menu system, the EDIT control allows you to scroll up and
down and select/enter with a press of the EDIT control.
▪When editing a parameter, turning the EDIT control will change the value of the
parameter and pressing the EDIT control will scroll through the digits.
•LEFT FOOTSWITCH
oThis footswitch has two functions, in PRESET mode it is used to scroll down the current
preset. In LIVE mode it is used to enable/disable the BCC TDE Effect.
•RIGHT FOOTSWITCH
oLike the LEFT footswitch, in PRESET mode it is used to scroll up the current preset. In LIVE
mode the RIGHT FOOTSWITCH handles both TAP TEMPO and the FREEZE FUNCTION.
Note. Check out the PRESET & LIVE MODE for more information about the two main operation modes.

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CONNECTIONS
•EXPRESSION
oConnect a TRS ¼” Expression Pedal here to control a wide selection of parameters.
Checkout the EXPRESS YOURSELF section for more details.
•INPUT
oUnbalanced ¼” Jack Connections for your guitar, bass, mono pedals, keyboard etc. If
you’re using only one input use the LEFT input, for stereo devices connect both LEFT and
RIGHT inputs.
•OUTPUT
oConnect these ¼” unbalanced outputs to other pedals, directly to your guitar amp input of
FX loop or into an audio interface etc. When running in mono use only the LEFT ¼” output.
•MIDI
oConnect your MIDI gear here, the BCC-TDE supports a variety of different MIDI messages.
See the MIDI section for more details.
•DC IN
oThe BCC-TDE requires a 9V DC power supply (not included) and supports most standard
9V DC pedal supplies such as the type you may already have on your pedal board.
oPSU plug type should be centre negative, 2.1 x 5.5 x 10mm plug type.
Note. Make sure your PSU can supply at least 150mA

Page 9
GETTING STARTED
HOW TO CONNECT TO THE DIFFERENCE ENGINE
IN FRONT OF THE GUITAR AMP
This is the simplest and quickest way to get started. Plug your guitar directly into the
BCC-TDE left input and take the left output of the pedal into the amplifier input.
Figure 1
Note The BCC-TDE fits nicely on a pedal board and can be connected to other pedals in series.
Figure 2
IN THE FX LOOP
If your amp includes an FX loop, it’s common to connect delay effects into the loop. Using the FX loop
can provide a cleaner delay tone especially when using distortion. The BCC-TDE is happy to run full
line level or -10. Be sure to check and set the mix level accordingly
Figure 3

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DIRECT
The BCC-TDE doesn’t need to be used directly on your pedal board. The BCC-TDE is perfect for
running directly into a mixer, audio interface or even into other gear. The output of the BCC-TDE can
be connected to any line level input device.
Figure 4
USING KEYBOARDS
The BCC-TDE can be used with most keyboards and synths which have ¼” Jack connections. You can
run keyboards in both MONO and STEREO.
Figure 5
Note: Any line level source can be used with the BCC-TDE, not just guitars, keyboards, and synths!
STEREO CONNECTIONS
The BCC-TDE works great just using MONO connects (LEFT IN, LEFT OUT). But if you want to
experience true sonically expansive delays, you’ll want to hook up the BCC-TDE in stereo.
In stereo modes you have some options on how to connect, depending on your needs. For a more in-
depth look on how the BCC-TDE can be routed, check out the ROUTING 101 section.
MONO IN -> STEREO OUT
•Connecting into the LEFT (MONO) input and then to both LEFT and RIGHT outputs.
Figure 6

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STEREO IN -> STEREO OUT
•Connect both LEFT and RIGHT inputs and both LEFT and RIGHT outputs.
Figure 7
Note. Try to avoid using STEREO inputs and then only using the LEFT (MONO) output. Some settings will
lose your RIGHT signal completely. If you need to use it in this way, make sure to set the routing & mix
options accordingly.
CENTRE DRY AMP -> STEREO DELAYS
•For super large delay soundscapes, connect from a dry amp FX SEND into the LEFT input of the
BCC-TDE. Then connect LEFT and RIGHT outputs to separate amps.
Figure 8
WARNING HUGE DELAY SOUNDS MAY CAUSE BRAIN MELTING!

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WHATS ON THE SCREEN?
As soon as you turn on the pedal you are greeted with our wonderful LANEY logo.
After the boot up has completed you’ll see the home screen of the pedal.
Figure 9
The aim of the home screen is to give you important information at a glance
1) PRESET / LIVE
oThis indicates the current footswitch MODE. In LIVE mode you’ll also see a FR logo at the
bottom indicating that the FREEZE function is available on the right footswitch.
2) PRESET NUMBER
oThe current preset number, we’ve got 100 preset slots to save your settings into.
3) DELAY ERA
oShows the current delay ERA selected. This can be ANALOGUE, DIGITAL or DYNAMIC.
4) PRESET NAME
oShows the name of the current preset. Check out the SCROLLING THROUGH PRESETS
section for more information.
5) ROUTING MODE
oThe current routing mode displayed as an icon. See ROUTING 101 for more details.
6) DELAY TIME
oProbably the most important value here, the current delay time of the pedal. This time display
can be in ms, BPM or tape speed.

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PRESET & LIVE MODE
The home screen has two operating modes, PRESET and LIVE. These two modes
control the main functions of the footswitches.
PRESET MODE
LIVE MODE
Short Press
Long Press
Short Press
Long Press
Left Footswitch
Patch up
Scroll up
On/Off
NA
Right Footswitch
Patch down
Scroll down
TAP TEMPO
FREEZE
The pedal will always start in PRESET MODE on power up.
To switch between PRESET and LIVE mode you can press both footswitches together, or you can
press the MODE button.
Note. You can alter the scroll speed of the PRESET MODE in the DISPLAY MENU.
PRESET MODE
•In this mode the two footswitches are used to scroll up and down the saved presets. Left switch
goes down and the right switch goes up. Hold the switch to scroll faster.
LIVE MODE
•Press and release the left footswitch to turn on and off the delay effect.
•Two (or more) short presses of the right footswitch will set the delay time using tap tempo.
•Pressing and holding the right footswitch will enable the FREEZE function. The Freeze function
operates as a looper, constantly repeating the contents of the delay buffer while the footswitch
is being held.

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SCROLLING THROUGH PRESETS
The BCC-TDE can store and recall up to 100 PRESETS, we’ve preloaded each pedal
with factory presets to get you started and to show you some of the capabilities of the
BCC-TDE.
Note. We’re really proud of our presets, we’ve worked with a lot of great artists and
people in the industry to give you the best selection available!
RECALLING A PRESET
Recalling a preset is easy! In the PRESET MODE you can use the two footswitches to scroll up and
down the saved presets. A short press will move 1 preset at a time, whilst holding the footswitch will
scroll up/down presets until you release.
PRESET
↳
NUMBER
↳
NAME
↳
SAVE
↳
COPY
You can also change preset via the PRESET submenu. To access the PRESET submenu from the home
screen.
•Press MENU.
•Use EDIT to scroll to the PRESET sub-menu.
•Press MENU / EDIT to enter the sub-menu.
From the PRESET submenu you can then recall patches:
•Use EDIT to select the patch number “NO:”
•Press MENU / EDIT to enter the patch number selection.
•Use the EDIT to scroll through patches.
•Press MENU / EDIT / MODE to exit.
EDITING A PRESET
Once a PRESET has been edited, a * will appear next to the preset name.
Warning! If you power off the device, all unsaved changes will be lost.If you switch patches before
saving you will also lose any changes.
QUICK EDITING
Editing a PRESET is a breeze, when the PRESET is recalled, you can adjust PARAMETERS within the
PRESET via the Surface controls on the pedal surface. These surface controls allow you to quickly
adjust the following PARAMETERS:
•COLOUR
•MIX
•TONE
•REPEATS
Also adjusting the EDIT control will adjust the delay time. Pressing the edit encoder will select with
unit of time to be adjusted. Making it easy to adjust from long to short delay times.

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DEEP EDITING
The surface controls are just the surface (excuse the pun) of the power of the BCC-TDE. If you’re
willing to go deep, then the sonic possibilities are expansive! To access additional parameters, you’ll
need to use the EDIT submenu. To access the EDIT submenu from the home screen:
•Press MENU
•Select EDIT submenu
•Press MENU / EDIT
Use EDIT to navigate to each of the required submenus to be edited and press MENU / EDIT to enter
these. Use EDIT to adjust the selected parameter value or to navigate further submenus. To return to
a previous menu press MENU, to exit to the home screen continue to press MENU until the home
screen is visible.
Note. For more information on what each menu does, check out the MENUS section.
STORING A PRESET
Now you’ve dialled in your sound, you’ll want to make sure it’s saved so you can easily recall it later.
To save the changes you have made to your preset, first enter the PRESET submenu.
Use EDIT to navigate to the SAVE and press EDIT / MENU to save your preset.
Note. The screen will display *CHANGES* if there are currently unsaved changes to your preset, and
display *SAVED* to confirm your preset is now safe!
COPYING A PRESET
If you want to make changes to a preset but don’t want to overwrite the original
settings, you can make a copy of the preset into another location. Then you’re free to
edit the copy without worrying about overwriting any settings.
•First recall the preset you want to copy.
•Press Menu and navigate to the Preset option, press menu, and then navigate to
copy. Press menu again to bring up the copy screen.
•Use EDIT to navigate to the preset number you wish to copy to. The
preset name currently stored at that location will be displayed in the
highlighted area.
•Press MENU / EDIT to copy the preset to this selected location. You
will be prompted with a warning message.
•Select YES to confirm the copy. The pedal will also switch to the new
preset position. WARNING: This will overwrite any existing preset at
the “TO:” number.
CHANGING A PRESET NAME
Now that you’ve edited and customised some of the presets to suit your needs, you can further
customise your preset by giving it a name. This is the final step in making the preset your own!
A preset name can be up to 16 Characters in length and contain CAPS, LOWERCASE, NUMBERS &
SPECIAL CHARACTERS.
In the PRESET submenu, navigate to the existing preset name you wish to change. Scroll down to the
name and press EDIT / MENU to begin editing the preset name.
Whilst changing the name, use EDIT to scroll to the desired new letter. Once the new letter is
reached, press MENU / EDIT to move to the next letter in line. Once you’re happy with the new name,
press MODE to return to the PRESET submenu. After editing the preset name, remember to save your
changes!

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ROUTING 101
ROUTING
You may set the routing mode globally, or for each preset. Routing controls the
internal signal routing within the BCC-TDE. Each routing option has different
characteristics and outcomes so be sure to choose the correct routing mode you
require, thinking about what outcome you would like to achieve.
The different routing options are as follows.
STEREO
The routing of the pedal is split equally between the left and right outputs. If a mono input is used,
then the output is split equally left and right. If a stereo input source is used, then the stereo integrity
of the input signals is maintained through the pedal. Any panning applied to the stereo inputs pre the
pedal, will pass through the pedal unaltered.
XFB
A tap off from the feedback from delay 1 is sent to the input of delay 2 whilst a tap off the feedback of
delay 2 is sent to the input of delay 1.
PING PONG
The delay repeats alternate between the left and the right channels giving the impression of bouncing
from one side to the other.
Note. This will only be heard if both the left & right output jacks are connected.

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MONO
The routing of the pedal sums the inputs from the left and right inputs and effects them equally and
then routes them to both outputs.
WET/DRY
Designed to be used in a dual amp application. In Wet/Dry mode the DRY signal is sent to the amp
connected to the LEFT output. The WET (delayed) signal is sent to the amp connected to the RIGHT
output. In Wet/Dry mode you always have a dry, unaffected guitar sound which helps maintain the
clarity and integrity of your guitars tone.

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MENUS
I see you’ve braved the manual so far and are wanting to learn the hidden secrets of
the Difference Engine. From here on out it’s a deep dive into all the settings and
tweakable options available to dial in your own customised sound.
NAVIGATION OF THE MENUS
If you haven’t pressed it already, pressing the MENU button from either LIVE or PRESET mode will
open the menu and display it on the screen.
Note. While browsing the MENUs you can still use the footswitches, but the 4 rotary controls are
disabled.
You can use the EDIT ENCODER to scroll up and down the menu selection. Pressing down on the
encoder or pressing the MENU button will enter or select the MENU function. Pressing the MODE
button at any point will exit the current function, go back a MENU, or exit the MENU completely.
The menu structure is shown below, with descriptions on the following pages
↳ ↳ ↳ ↳
↳ ↳ ↳↳
↳↳ ↳ ↳↳
↳↳ ↳ ↳↳
↳↳↳↳
↳↳↳↳
↳ ↳ ↳
↳ ↳ ↳
↳ ↳ ↳
↳↳ ↳
↳ ↳ ↳
↳ ↳ ↳
↳ ↳ ↳
↳ ↳ ↳
↳↳ ↳
↳↳↳
↳ ↳ ↳
↳↳↳
↳↳↳
↳ ↳ ↳
↳ ↳ ↳
↳ ↳ ↳
↳ ↳

Page 19
EXPRESS YOURSELF
You can connect an expression pedal to the BCC-TDE for parameter control with your
feet. The following parameters can be controlled via an expression pedal:
•VOLUME
•TAILS
•TIME
•REPEATS
•COLOUR
The BCC-TDE supports a TRS style expression pedal. See the diagram below:
Figure 10
Note. You’ll need to purchase an expression pedal separately. Most 3rd party TRS expressions pedals
will work well.
CONNECTING THE EXPRESSION PEDAL
Connect the TRS expression to the EXPRESSION ¼” input.
Figure 11
EXPRESSION PEDAL MENU
Now you have connected the expression pedal, it’s time to configure the pedal to your needs. All
expression pedal settings can be found in the EXPRESSION PEDAL menu. To access the menu from
the home screen:
•Press MENU >
•Using EDIT scroll to SETTINGS >
•Press MENU / EDIT to enter the SETTINGS MENU >
•Use EDIT to scroll to EXPRESSION PEDAL
•Press MENU / EDIT to enter the EXPRESSION PEDAL menu
CALIBRATION
To make sure the BCC-TDE is compatible with as many pedals as possible it is possible to calibrate
the BCC-TDE to use the full range of your expression pedal.
To CALIBRATE your expression pedal from the EXPRESSION PEDAL MENU screen:
•Use EDIT to scroll down to the CALIBRATE option