Source Audio Soundblox 2 User manual

DIMENSION REVERB
USER’S GUIDE
SA225

2 | Welcome
WELCOME
Thank you for purchasing the Soundblox 2 Dimension Reverb. The
Dimension Reverb features a broad set of painstakingly crafted profes-
sional quality reverb effects including models of popular mechanical
reverbs, acoustical reverbs, and our own original effect creations. Each
reverb effect can be customized and tweaked by a full set of useful
controls and additional interface options.
The Dimension Reverb also features a new compact physical format in
addition to many new and useful features designed for easy on-stage use.
Like all Soundblox effects pedals, the Soundblox 2 Dimension Reverb is
also “Hot Hand Ready”.
The Quick Start guide will help you with the basics. For more in-depth in-
formation about the Dimension Reverb, move on to the following sections.
Enjoy!
-The Source Audio team
If possible, dispose of the device at a recycling center. Do not dispose of the
device with the household waste.
For full compliance with EN 61000-4-6 standard, input cable must be less
than 3 meters in length.

Overview | 3
OVERVIEW
DIVERSE SOUND PALETTE
12 unique, rich-sounding reverb effects based on physical spaces and
mechanical reverbs.
DEEP CONTROL SET
Access to Reverb control parameters typically found only on professional
rack systems.
STATE-OF-THE-ART DSP
Our proprietary 56-bit Digital Signal Processor, the SA601, and crystal
clear 24-bit converters.
COMPACT DESIGN
A compact, rugged, cast-aluminum housing.
UNIVERSAL BYPASS™
Select either analog buffered or relay-based True Bypass.
2 USER PRESETS
Easy to configure user presets selectable via two footswitches.
MULTI-FUNCTION INPUT
A multi-purpose control input for use with Hot Hand®, expression pedal,
or MIDI.

4 | Quick Start
QUICK START
1. POWER
To power the unit, connect the included DC adapter power supply to
the 9V DC jack on the back panel.
Note: Using a non-Source Audio supply could damage the unit. Please
be very cautious when using 3rd party power supplies.
2. GUITAR/AUDIO CONNECTIONS
Next, plug your guitar (or other instrument) into the jack labeled
GUITAR IN via a standard ¼" cable. Connect your amp (or other audio
device) to the GUITAR OUT jack, again with a standard ¼" cable. Both
input and output are mono signals.
GUITAR IN
MULTI-
FUNCTION
IN
MULTI-
FUNCTION
OUT
GUITAR OUT
9V DC

Quick Start | 5
3. BRIEF KNOB, FOOTSWITCH, AND BUTTON DESCRIPTIONS
(see Controls section for more details)
• EFFECT KNOB: selects the reverb type to be used.
• TIME: adjusts the duration of the reverb.
• OPTION: adjusts parameter selected by the OPTION SELECT button.
• TREBLE: controls the high frequency damping on the reverb.
• MIX: balances the wet and dry signals.
• OPTION SELECT: selects which parameter will be controlled by the
OPTION knob.
• CONTROL INPUT: selects the external controller type to be used.
• FOOTSWITCHES: Enables/Disables a preset depending on the selected
footswitch. Press and hold to save an edited preset.
DR
YW
ET
12
SPRING 2
CLUB
STAGE
ARENA
E-DOME
PLATE 1
PLATE 2
SPRING 1
MODVERB
METAL BOXROOM
ECHO
TIME
OPTION TREBLE
MIX
HH
PRE-DELAY
(OUTPUT)
DIFFUSE
(RATE)
BASS
(DEPTH)
MIDI
EXP
CONTROL
INPUT
OPTION
SELECT
DIMENSION REVERB

6 | Theory of Operation
THEORY OF OPERATION
For those readers interested in seeing exactly what’s happening inside
the Dimension Reverb, figure 1 is a block diagram of the reverb algorithm.
The various control knobs are positioned next to the processing steps
they control.
IN
wet
Filtersdelay
delay
Diffusion
Diffusion Filters
delay Diffusion Filters
DIFFUSE
Wet
Sum
Injection
Mixer
Feedback
Gain
TIME
Unitary
Mixer
HF & LF
Damping
TREBLE BASS
MIX
LFO
RATE
LFO
DEPTH
OUTPUT
Pre-Delay
PRE-DELAY
Volume Trim
EFFECT
Delay Times
OUT
dry
Diffusion
figure 1

Theory of Operation | 7
Looking at the diagram of the algorithm, the input audio signal comes
in initially and goes through a volume control and a diffusion block (con-
trolled by DIFFUSE) before entering the pre-delay line. The length of that
delay is set with the PRE-DELAY control. The output of that delay is sent
into the main reverb loop through the injection mixer. The audio circulates
through the main reverb loop consisting of a number of delay lines with
their lengths set by the EFFECT knob. The precise lengths of these delay
lines are varied by an LFO (Low Frequency Oscillator) controlled by the
RATE and DEPTH.
These delay outputs go into additional diffusers (also controlled by
DIFFUSE), then to a block that creates the final wet signal, then to the
injection mixer, and then to the feedback block. The reverb TIME knob
sets the amount of feedback through the loop anywhere from 0.0 (mini-
mum time) to 0.993 (maximum time). The higher the feedback, the longer
the sound will continue to circulate through the entire reverb loop. Lower
feedback will make the output signal die away more quickly.
The Unitary Mixer takes all these signals and combines them to produce
the same number of output signals. However, this mixer has special
properties, such that the signal energy leaving the mixer is exactly equal
to the energy going in. This is an important feature that keeps the signal
from ringing excessively at any given frequency. Next there is a bank of
filters that control the high and low frequency damping. The amount of
damping is set by the TREBLE and BASS controls. At this point the signal
flow wraps around back into the delay lines. Meanwhile, the extracted wet
signal is combined with the dry signal (controlled by the MIX knob) and
this becomes the final output.

8 | Connections
CONNECTIONS
GUITAR IN: Connect your guitar, bass, or other instrument here using a
standard MONO ¼" cable.
GUITAR OUT: Connect this to your amp, pedal, or other audio device.
MULTI-FUNCTION IN (optional): The multi-function input is a flexible
control input for use with external controllers. It can accept digital or
analog signals which allows the Dimension Reverb to interface with the
following accessories:
• SA110/SA115 Hot Hand Wireless Adapter
• SA111 Hot Hand Wired Sensor
• SA161 Source Audio Dual Expression Pedal
• Source Audio Soundblox 2 MIDI Adapter
MULTI-FUNCTION OUT (optional): Use a Source Audio daisy-chain
cable to connect this jack to the sensor/multi-function input of another
Soundblox pedal.
9V DC: Connect the included 9 Volt DC power supply here.
GUITAR IN
MULTI-
FUNCTION
IN
MULTI-
FUNCTION
OUT
GUITAR OUT
9V DC

Controls: Knobs | 9
CONTROLS: KNOBS
EFFECT (not labeled)
The effect knob selects which reverb type will be used. There are 12 posi-
tions around the knob. For information on the individual settings see the
Effect Types section.
SPRING 2
CLUB
STAGE
ARENA
E-DOME
PLATE 1
PLATE 2
SPRING 1
MODVERB
METAL BOXROOM
ECHO
- Continued

10 | Contols: Knobs
TIME
This is the primary reverb control. The TIME parameter sets how long the
reverb sound will “ring out”. This can also be thought of as a feedback
control to set how long the input will circulate through the reverb effect
before dying away. The minimum time corresponds to zero feedback
within the reverb. This will produce a single echo spread out by the dif-
ference in times of the various delay lines inside the reverb. The shortest
times are not realistic in a traditional reverb sense and the longest times
are extreme, but each can produce some very interesting effects.
OPTION
The OPTION knob offers six secondary parameters that can be assigned
to a single physical knob. Press the OPTION SELECT button to scroll
through the parameters. The knob will adjust the parameter that is cur-
rently selected by the OPTION SELECT button:
TIME
OPTION

• PRE-DELAY (green LED): Sets the initial time before the reverb
begins. Pre-delay times vary between 0 and .5 seconds. In
ECHO mode delay times vary between 0 and 2.5 seconds. Pre-
delay is excellent for creating slapback effects. It will also create
the illusion of playing in a larger space (the longer it takes to
hear the first echo, the further away the walls would be). Long
pre-delay times may seem excessive, but can work well in a
band or mix context.
Tip: Use pre-delay to add clarity. If the reverb begins too soon
after a note is played, it tends to clutter the perception of the
sound. Delaying the reverb makes it much easier to hear the dry
signal without sacrificing any of the reverb signal. Also, try using
pre-delay with a very short reverb time for an interesting and
non-traditional effect. This combination creates a single, heavily
processed echo.
Tip: If the pre-delay knob is moved while audio is running
through the effect, a Doppler shift will be heard. Assigning an
expression pedal or Hot Hand to the Pre-Delay knob (See the
Control Assign section) is a great way to create some extremely
far-out effects.
Controls: Knobs | 11
PRE-DELAY
(OUTPUT)
DIFFUSE
(RATE)
BASS
(DEPTH)
OPTION
SELECT
- Continued
Press button to
select option

12 | Controls: Knobs
• OUTPUT (red LED): Sets the overall output volume of the effect
which is useful for matching the level of the effect vs. the bypass
volume. It can also be used to prevent clipping if longer reverb
times are used with continuous loud inputs.
• DIFFUSE (green LED): Adjusts the amount of “spreading” in the
feedback loop. The higher this parameter is set, the more the
sound will be diffused as it circulates in the reverb loop. Sharp
transients (like guitar pick noise) will be smeared out over time.
At least a small amount of diffusion is recommended to create
natural sounding reverbs. Larger amounts can smooth over
what might otherwise be an undesirable set of individual early
echoes. However, maximum diffusion may produce some ring-
ing at certain frequencies.
• RATE (red LED): Adjusts the rate of the LFO (Low Frequency
Oscillator) that is applied to the reverb. The modulation is an
optional setting that adds some nice animation to the reverb
sound. In the physical world, reverb modulation would be the
sound created in a room with moving walls. Obviously, real
rooms don’t have moving walls, but they do have moving air cur-
rents, and also a complexity of reverberation paths way beyond
what we can simulate. With a slow rate and low depth setting
the LFO provides an added level of realism to our reverb.
• BASS (green LED): Like the TREBLE control, the BASS param-
eter works like a bass tone control by damping the amount of
bass frequencies that go through the feedback loop. Set to full
counter-clockwise, this is most bass damping which will tend
to cut the overall bass tone. Full clockwise will allow the bass
frequencies to ring out resulting in more overall bass.

Controls: Knobs | 13
• DEPTH (red LED): The second control related to the LFO. The
DEPTH control adjusts the total amount of modulation applied
to the reverb. As the depth is turned up, there is a sense that the
wet signal is running through a chorus effect. With more depth,
pitch shifts on individual echoes may be heard and things get
rather unnatural (but what’s wrong with that?).
Factory Defaults: given the number of different functions available on
the OPTION KNOB, it can be useful to “zero” all of the controls to a
default value. We pre-loaded the Dimension Reverb with unique default
settings for each reverb type which are a good starting point for each
reverb sound. You can recall these values at any time by pressing and
holding the OPTION SELECT button until the six red and green LEDs
begin to blink.
MIX
Adjusts the balance of the wet reverb sound and the clean input signal.
Full counter-clockwise is a completely dry tone and full clockwise is the
effected tone with no dry signal added.
DR
YW
ET
MIX
- Continued

14 | Controls: Knobs
TREBLE
This knob controls the high frequency damping (or roll-off) in the feed-
back loop. As the knob is turned down (full counter-clockwise) and more
damping is applied, higher frequencies will tend to die out more quickly
for a duller sound. Turn the knob fully clockwise for the least amount of
damping which will result in more overall treble in the sound.
Discovering Preset Knob Positions
Since the Dimension Reverb preset values can differ from the physical
knob positions, it may be useful to determine the positions of the preset
knob values. To do this, start with the pedal in bypass and set all of the
knobs to the full counter-clockwise position. Next, enable the preset and
slowly turn each knob up one at a time until the preset indicator LED be-
gins to blink rapidly. When this happens, the current position of the knob
matches the saved value.
TREBLE

Controls: Footswitches | 15
CONTROLS: FOOTSWITCHES
There are two footswitches on the Dimension Reverb. The left footswitch
corresponds to preset 1 and the right footswitch corresponds to preset
2. Pressing either of the footswitches will engage the respective preset.
Pressing the same footswitch again will put the effect back into bypass
mode. Pressing the other footswitch will engage the other preset without
going into bypass. There are indicator LEDs for each footswitch that show
which preset is currently enabled or both LEDs will be off when the effect
is in bypass mode.
When a preset is enabled and edited, the indicator LED for that preset will
begin to blink occasionally to show that the preset has been edited. Once
a preset has been edited, it can be saved by pressing and holding the
footswitch. The LED will blink quickly to indicate that the preset has been
saved. Once changes are saved, the LED will be lit solidly again.
Note: Changes made to a preset will be lost if you go into bypass or
switch to another preset without saving.
An edited preset can be saved to either of the two preset locations. For
example if preset 1 has been selected and edited, it can be saved to pre-
set location 2 by pressing and holding the right footswitch.

16 | Effect Types
EFFECT TYPES
Here are some brief descriptions of the EFFECT knob settings on the
Soundblox 2 Dimension Reverb:
ROOM SOUNDS
The first five EFFECT choices are intended to represent real acoustical
spaces progressing in size from small to enormous. The room sounds are
labeled: Room, Club, Stage, Arena, and E-Dome.
SPRING 2
CLUB
STAGE
ARENA
E-DOME
PLATE 1
PLATE 2
SPRING 1
MODVERB
METAL BOXROOM
ECHO

Effect Types | 17
PLATE AND SPRING REVERBS
Our Plate and Spring effects are simulations of two popular mechanically
constructible reverb units. The critical component in a real plate reverb
is large plate of sheet metal. Plate reverbs tend to have a high diffusion
rate, so for an accurate representation the DIFFUSE knob should be on
the high side.
The Spring Reverbs simulate the effect of broadcasting a signal into an
actual coiled metal spring. Spring reverbs are commonly found built into
many guitar amplifiers.
MODVERB
All of the reverbs have LFO modulation applied to the delay line lengths,
but ModVerb has delay lines nearly as long as the E-Dome delays and an
additional modulation in which the internal wiring of the reverb smoothly
changes at the LFO rate.
METAL BOX
This reverb type also has extra modulation. It replicates a very small
space, perhaps the size of a metal cargo-shipping container. It will give
a sort of chorused sound with very short reverb times and a lot of
modulation.
ECHO
This a basic delay algorithm, using all the same controls that the reverbs
use. The TIME knob sets the feedback amount, while the PRE-DELAY
sets the echo time. Add some diffusion to create more interesting delay
effects.

18 | External Control
EXTERNAL CONTROL
One of the new Core Features of the Soundblox 2 line of effects pedals is
the addition of the Multi-Function Input. The Multi-Function input is an
intelligent control input that can accept both digital and analog control
signals. The Multi-Function input replaces the Sensor Input on previous
Soundblox pedals. The MULTI-FUNCTION input can connect to wired or
wireless Hot Hand accessories, a Source Audio Expression Pedal, or a
future Source Audio MIDI interface that will enable full MIDI I/O access to
the pedal.
GUITAR IN
MULTI-
FUNCTION
IN
MULTI-
FUNCTION
OUT
GUITAR OUT
9V DC

External Control | 19
Selecting an external control input:
Press the CONTROL INPUT button to cycle between the external control
options. There are four possible settings:
• OFF (no LEDs on): External control is disabled in this mode
• EXP: Expression Pedal for use with the SA161 Source Audio Dual
Expression Pedal. By default, the expression pedal will control
the TIME parameter. The expression pedal can also be assigned
to control any other knob parameter or the REVERB SEND
parameter (see below).
• MIDI: MIDI control mode. Select to enable MIDI I/O through the
Soundblox 2 MIDI Interface
• HH: Hot Hand mode. Select to enable Hot Hand control. By
default, Hot Hand will be assigned to control the TIME param-
eter. Alternatively, Hot hand can also be also be assigned to
control any other knob parameter or the REVERB SEND.
- Continued
HH
MIDI
EXP
CONTROL
INPUT
Button

20 | External Control
CONTROL ASSIGN
By default, the expression pedal and Hot Hand inputs are assigned to
control the TIME parameter. This can easily be changed to control any
other knob parameter or an additional REVERB SEND parameter. To as-
sign control to a knob parameter:
1. Select the desired external control option: EXP for expression pedal,
HH for Hot Hand.
2. Press and hold the CONTROL INPUT (A) button until the LED begins
to blink slowly.
3. Set the low position of the desired knob, for example MIX (B), to the
lowest setting you would like to use.
4. Press the CONTROL INPUT button again and the LED will now blink
rapidly.
5. Set the desired high position you would like to use.
6. Press the CONTROL INPUT button to complete the assignment. The
LED will blink 3 times to indicate the process is complete.
DR
YW
ET
12
SPRING 2
CLUB
STAGE
ARENA
E-DOME
PLATE 1
PLATE 2
SPRING 1
MODVERB
METAL BOXROOM
ECHO
TIME
OPTION TREBLE
MIX
HH
PRE-DELAY
(OUTPUT)
DIFFUSE
(RATE)
BASS
(DEPTH)
MIDI
EXP
CONTROL
INPUT
OPTION
SELECT
DIMENSION REVERB
A
B