TC Electronic VORTEX FLANGER User manual

USER’S MANUAL

2
Important Safety Instructions
1 Read these instructions.
2 Keep these instructions.
3 Heed all warnings.
4 Follow all instructions.
5 Do not use this apparatus near water.
6 Clean only with dry cloth.
7 Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accor-
dance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
8 Do not install near heat sources such as radiators, heat
registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including ampli-
fiers) that produce heat.
9 Only use attachments/accessories specified by the
manufacturer.
10 Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel.
Servicing is required when the apparatus has been
damaged in any way, such as power-supply cord or
plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects
have fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus has been
exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate normally,
or has been dropped.
Warning!
• Toreducetheriskoffireorelectricalshock,donot
expose this equipment to dripping or splashing and
ensure that no objects filled with liquids, such as vases,
are placed on the equipment.
• Donotinstallinaconfinedspace.
Service
• Allservicemustbeperformedbyqualifiedpersonnel.
Caution:
You are cautioned that any change or modifications
not expressly approved in this manual could void your
authority to operate this equipment.
When replacing the battery follow the instructions on
battery handling in this manual carefully.
EMC/EMI
Thisequipmenthasbeentestedandfoundtocomplywith
the limits for a Class B Digital device, pursuant to part 15
of the FCC rules.

3
Theselimitsaredesignedtoprovidereasonableprotection
against harmful interference in residential installations.
Thisequipmentgenerates,usesandcanradiateradio
frequency energy and – if not installed and used in
accordance with the instructions – may cause harmful
interference to radio communications. However, there is
no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular
installation. If this equipment does cause harmful
interference to radio or television reception – which can
be determined by turning the equipment off and on –, the
user is encouraged to try correcting the interference by
one or more of the following measures:
• Reorientorrelocatethereceivingantenna.
• Increasetheseparationbetweentheequipmentand
the receiver.
• Connecttheequipmenttoanoutletonacircuit
different from the one to which the receiver is
connected.
• Consultthedealeroranexperiencedradio/TV
technician for help.
For the customers in Canada:
ThisClassBdigitalapparatuscomplieswithCanadian
ICES-003. Cet appareil numérique de la classe B est
conforme à la norme NMB-003 du Canada.

4
BOLD AS JIMI (TAPE) WARM TAPE (TAPE)

5
SUMMERS TIME (FLANGER) UNCHAIN MY FLANGE (FLANGER)

6
www.tcelectronic.com - www.youtube.com/tcelectronic
(EN) Introduction
Congratulations! You have just bought a flanger pedal that is a steppingstone to a world of
inspiration, innovation and tone.
WeareproudtopresentVortexFlanger,providingawesomeflangersounds,intuitivecontrolsand
instantsatisfaction.WithVortexFlangeryouaresetforanysituationthatcallsforsomeserious
flanging, from subtle two-tape-machines-simultaneously to full-on 747-take-off sounds. But that’s not
all! We love tone as much as any guitarist out there, so we are very excited to present a brand new,
groundbreakingconcept:TonePrint!
TonePrintgivesinstantaccesstocustom-tweakedsounds.Wehavegatheredanimpressivelistof
guitarheroesandhadthemtailortheirsignaturesounds–thetonesthatmadethemfamous.Toneprint
will not just bring you close to the sounds of your idols, they give you their actual sounds!
UsingTonePrintsisbotheasyandfun.JustdownloadtheTonePrintyouwantfromwww.tcelectronic.com
and,voila,yourfavoriteartisthasjustputhisTonePrintinyourpedal.Forgetemulation–let’stalk
collaboration!

7
1 - Effect on/off (true bypass)
2 - 1/4 inch mono jack input
3 - 1/4 inch mono jack input (for stereo in)
4 - 1/4 inch mono jack output
5 - 1/4 inch mono jack output (for stereo out)
6 - Feedback control
7 - Speed control
8 - Flange/TonePrint/Tape selector
9 - Depth control
10 - Delay time control
11 - Power in (9VDC)
12 - USB connection for exchanging TonePrint
settings and software updates.

8
Connecting
Input jacks - Use MONO for mono input and both MONO
andSTEREOifconnectingastereosource.
If you run on battery we recommend removing the mono
input jack to preserve battery power when you don’t play.
Output jacks - connect to another pedal or directly into
an amp or mixer. Use MONO for mono setups and both
MONOandSTEREOforstereosetups.
Notice that it is possible to select between true bypass and
buffered bypass mode via a dip switch located under the
battery cover.
Power in-usea9VDCpowersupplywiththefollowing
symbol:
USB
Connect to a computer using the supplied USB cable for
uploadofTonePrintsettings.
Theconnector-typeisMini-B.

9
The controls
FEEDBACK
UsetheFEEDBACKknobtocontroltheamountoffeedbackoftheshortmodulateddelaythatcauses
theFlangingeffect.Turntheknobcounter-clockwisetogetnegativefeedbackandclockwisetoget
positive feedback. Where the positive range gives a traditional studio-type feedback the negative range
givesmoreextremeand“tube-like”sound.Trythemout!12o’clockpositionisneutral=nofeedback.
Notice that too high settings might introduce internal feedback, resulting in a squealing noise that in
most cases is unwanted in flanging effects.
SPEED
UsetheSPEEDknobtosetthespeedoftheeffect.
DEPTH
UsetheDEPTHknobtosettheintensityoftheeffect.Themoreyouturntheknobclock-wise,themore
“out of tune” the modulated part of the signal is.
DELAY TIME
Typicaldelayvaluesforflangingeffectsarearound1-2mswhereasChoruseffectsoccurwithdelay
times around 10 ms. Short delay times give very intense, “jet engine”-type sounds with plenty high-end
frequencies. Longer delay times give the slightly darker more “tube”-type sounds.

10
FLANGER TYPE Selector:
SwitchbetweenstandardFlange,TapetypeandTonePrint
FLANGE
Thecharacteristic“flanging”soundoccurswhenapitch-modulatedpartofthesignalisslightlydelayed
and fed back to the input of the effect algorithm. Experiment with the Feedback parameter to get an
idea of the effects you can achieve.
TAPE
- also know as the “through-zero-flange” emulates the original way of creating a flange effect, with
two identical pieces of audio material being played back simultaneously on two tape decks and then
beingmixedonathirddeck.Theflangingeffectwasachievedbyslowingdownandspeedingupthe
twodecksatdifferenttimes.Anessentialpartofthespecialeffectcreatedthiswayistheuniquephase
cancellation occurring when the two signals pass each other in time (the zero point).

11
TonePrint
Consider the knobs and switches on your pedal as a few handles that actually controls a large number
ofparameters.TCElectronicstaffhasdefinedthecontrols,-butwouldn’titjustbecooltoletthe
world’s leading guitar players contribute with their own definition of how the controls should work?
YES-thisisTonePrint.Weallowtopguitarplayerstodigoutthepedalshiddentonalpotential,
re-definethecontrolsandmaketheirownTonePrints.TheseTonePrintsareavailableforyouand
uploadingTonePrintstoyourpedaliseasy.
• ConnectthepedaltoyourMacorPCcomputerusingthesuppliedUSBcable.
• Findyourpedalatwww.tcelectronic.com/pedalsanddownloadtheTonePrintsettingfromyour
favorite guitar player to a location where you can easily locate it again. E.g. on your desktop.
• OpentheapplicationandpressUPDATE.
Now,–onceyouhaveselectedTonePrint,allcontrolsreactexactlyasdefinedbytheartistthathas
providedtheTonePrint.

12
Bypass modes and Kill-Dry on/off
Unscrew the back-plate and look for the two small dip-switches in the upper left corner.
Theupperdip-switch(closesttotheDC9Vinconnection),switchesbetweenTrueBypassmode
(default) and Buffered Bypass mode.
True Bypass – is a hardwire bypass that gives absolutely no coloration of tone when the pedal
isbypassed.UsingTrueBypassonallpedalsisaperfectchoiceinsetupswithafewpedalsand
relatively short cables before and after the pedals.
Buffered Bypass – If you use a long cable between your guitar and the first pedal, if you use many
pedals on your board and if you use a long cable from your board to the amp, then the best solution
True Bypass Buffered Bypass Kill-Dry - off Kill-Dry - on

13
will most likely be to activate the buffer in the first and last pedal in the signal chain. Can you hear the
differencebetweenapedalinTrueBypassorBufferedBypass?Maybe,maybenot,–manyfactors
apply.Active/passivepick-ups,singlecoil/humbucker,cablequality,ampimpedanceandmore.We
cannot give a single ultimate answer. Use your ears and find the best solution for your setup!
Kill-Dry on/off – With Buffered Bypass activated (upper switch to the right), the lower dip-switch sets
Kill-Dry on/off. Kill-Dry removes all direct signal from the pedals output and is the mode to use when
the pedal is placed in a parallel effects loop.
Kill-DryisNOTanoptioninTrueBypassmode.
Changing battery - Unscrew the thumb-screw on the back of the pedal and detach the back-plate.
Un-mount the old battery and attach the new battery to the battery clip making sure the polarity is
correct.Thenremounttheback-plate.Tosavebatterylife;removetheinputjackwhenyoudon’tplay.
Batteries must never be heated, taken apart or thrown into fire or water. Only rechargeable
batteries can be recharged. Remove the battery when the pedal is unused for a longer period of
time. Dispose batteries according to local laws and regulations.

14
2amazingflangereffects:A1:1recreationofthelegendaryTCElectronicChorus/Flangerpedal
and a classic tape flanger for those psychedelic studio-style flange effects
Unique,newTonePrintsettingforstuffingCoronaChoruswithyourfavoriteartist’stones
72 mm x 122 mm x 50 mm - 300 g (excl. battery)
DualSupplyRailstechnologyensuresheadroomforlineleveleffectloopsfromasingle9V
battery.BatteryfailurecircuitautomaticallyputsVortexFlangerintotruebypassmodeifthe
battery runs out
Custom ‘hammerhead’ rugged, die-cast aluminum casing built for a life on the road
Unique one-screw battery access for lightning fast battery changes
Stereo inputs with automatic mono/stereo sensing – feed it any signal
Stereo outputs for that ultra-wide flanger sound
MiniUSBconnectorforuploadingcustomTonePrintsandsoftwareupdates
Speed,Depth,FeedbackandDelayTimeknobswithhigh-quality,metal-shaftpotentiometers
Heavy duty tactile footswitch with true bypass for zero tone coloration
USBcableforuploadingTonePrints,Owner’sManual,TCElectronicGuitarPamphlet,TC
Electronic Sticke.
These specifications are subject to change without notice
Sounds
Size & Weight
Battery
Design
Connectors &
Inputs/Outputs
Knobs etc.
In the box
(EN) Technical Specifications

TC Electronic, Sindalsvej 34, DK-8240 Risskov
[email protected]