tech21 SansAmp GED-2112 User manual

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS.
READ AND SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS.
HEED ALL WARNINGS.
This unit is powered by potentially hazardous voltage. Therefore, observe
the following safety precautions:
1. Rea an follow all instructions before using
pro uct.
2. Do not use pro uct near water (such as near
a bathtub, washbowl, kitchen sink, swimming
pool, in a wet basement, etc.).
3. Unit shoul be locate so that its location or
position oes not impe e the flow of air through
the ventilation openings.
4. Pro uct shoul be locate away from heat
sources such as ra iators, heat registers, or
other pro ucts, inclu ing amplifiers, that pro-
uce heat.
5. Pro uct shoul be connecte to a power
supply only of the type escribe in the operat-
ing instructions or as marke on the pro uct.
6. Protect the power cor from being walke on or pinche particularly at plugs, con-
venience receptacles, an the point where they exit from the unit.
7. Do not allow objects or liqui s to penetrate the enclosure through openings.
. During heavy use, chassis may get hot to the touch. Han le with care.
9. Protect unit from strong impact.
10. Unplug pro uct before cleaning. Never spray liqui cleaners into the unit. Wipe
with a clean, lint-free cloth to remove irt an film.
11. Only use attachments/accessories specifie by the manufacturer.
12. This pro uct shoul be use only with a cart or stan , if neces-
sary, that is recommen e by the manufacturer. When a cart is
use , use caution when moving the cart/pro uct combination to
avoi injury from tipping over.
13. Amplifiers may be capable of pro ucing high volume levels that
coul cause permanent hearing loss or amage, if the exposure to
such levels is prolonge . Such amage is progressive an irreversible! If you experi-
ence any hearing loss or ringing in the ears, consult an au iologist.
14. Unplug unit uring lightning storms or when unuse for long perio s of
time.
15. This unit must be earth groun e . To re uce the risk of electric shock, NEVER remove or oth-
erwise attempt to efeat the groun pin of the power cor . If the provi e plug oes not fit into your
outlet, consult an electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet.
WARNING: To avoi the risk of fire, electric shock or injury, o not expose this unit to
rain or moisture. Do not remove metal coverings from its enclosure. Removing the cov-
erings exposes extremely angerous high voltages. There are no user-serviceable parts
insi e. Hazar ous voltages are present insi e the chassis. Refer all servicing to quali-
fie personnel.
CAUTION: Never mo ify the power cor . If original power cor becomes amage ,
fraye , or has expose wires, replace imme iately with same rating an gauge, or high-
er. Replacements are commercially available or you can contact Tech 21 irectly.
WARNING: Attempting to repair this unit is not recommen e an may voi its
warranty. NOTE: In the U.S. an Cana a, servicing is performe at factory only. In
other countries, please refer repairs to the local Tech 21 authorize istributor.
FUSE
Fuse hol er is locate insi e A/C cor receptacle. You must unplug and
remove power cord to change fuse. Replace with similar
type an same value:
100V an 117V units: use F 1A L
230V an 240V units: use F 0.5A L
QUICK START INSTRUCTIONS
Get your SansAmp GED-2112 up an running before rea ing the entire manual. But by
not rea ing the manual, you’ll miss out on getting the most out of your new investment!
1. Plug your instrument into the front panel Input jack (on the left si e).
2. Connect either the 1/4" or XLR SansAmp Outputs to the input of your mixer, power
amp, powere monitor or amp. Set all 3 Level Selector switches in the “in” position.
3. Attach the AC cor to the unit an plug into a wall socket. Set the Level controls to
minimum, then turn the SansAmp GED-2112 on an engage the Function switch
(between the Drive an Deep section).
4. Turn on the mixer or amp an bring up the Level controls of the SansAmp GED-
2112. If the signal is too “hot,” resulting in unwante istortion, or too weak, check the
mixer’s or amp’s input control as well as the Level controls of the SansAmp GED-2112.
5. Play your instrument an you shoul hear soun coming through your system. If not,
check that your instrument’s volume control is turne up, recheck your connections, an be
sure your cable isn’t faulty. If there is still no soun , refer to factory or qualifie technician.
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1
This symbol, wherever it appears, alerts the user to the presence of uninsulate angerous
voltage within the pro uct’s enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitu e to constitute a
risk of electric shock to persons.
This symbol, wherever it appears, alerts the user to important operating an maintenance
instructions in the accompanying literature. Rea the manual.

TECH 21, THE COMPANY
Tech 21 was forme by a guitarist possessing the unusual combination of a traine ear
an electronics expertise. In 1989, B. An rew Barta incorporate Tech 21 an ma e his
unique invention commercially available to players an stu ios aroun the worl . His
highly-acclaime SansAmp™ pioneere Tube Amplifier Emulation in professional appli-
cations for recor ing irect an performing live, an create an entirely new category of
signal processing. While there have since been many entries into this niche, SansAmp
continues to maintain its reputation as the in ustry stan ar .
With a full line of SansAmp mo els, Tech 21 also offers effect pe als an MIDI pro -
ucts, as well as “tra itional” style amplifiers for guitar an bass. Each pro uct is
thoughtfully an respectfully esigne by An rew himself with the player in min . Our
goal is to provi e you with flexible, versatile tools to cultivate, control, refine an re e-
fine your own in ivi ual soun . Tech 21 takes great pri e in elivering consistent pro-
fessional quality soun , stu io to stu io, club to club, arena to arena.
SansAmp GED-2112, an Overview
Tech 21’s proprietary, 100% analog circuitry gives your instrument a natural warmth
an presence as if you were miking your instrument through a tube pre-amp. For stu io
an live applications, our SansAmp Tube Amplifier Emulation technology enables you to
go straight into the mixer of a recor er or PA system via the XLR Direct Outputs.
Ge y Lee has been performing without onstage amps an speakers since the Test for
Echo Tour in 1996, favoring major househol appliances instea . Wanting to stream-
line an simplify his gear for new projects, Ge y partnere with Tech 21 to esign a
signature SansAmp, the GED-2112. This challenging collaboration involve istilling a
rackloa of equipment into a single rackspace. It resulte in a new format for Parallel
Pre-Amping --having two separate internal pre-amps that run in parallel.
Accor ing to Ge y, “The GED-2112 is really a continuation of my long-time approach
to bass tone. A ‘ eep clean’ tone couple with the ‘e gy crunch’ I get from the
SansAmp RPM now all in one box. With selectable A/B inputs, an separate balance
an unbalance irect outputs, this box is the foun ation for great bass tone in any
setup. Plus it’s green!”
The Drive pre-amp section is base upon the versatile SansAmp RPM, for a wi e range
of sonic possibilities. The Deep pre-amp section offers thick, meaty tones. Saturation
goes from clean in lower settings to increase harmonics an tube-like compression in
higher settings. You can use either section in epen ently or blen them externally
irect to a mixing boar as well as to two amplifiers.
Unconventional? Unortho ox? Unique? You betcha.
FRONT PANEL
Input Jack
1/4" Input is 1MOhm, factory set at instrument level. Plugging into the front Input jack
overri es an isconnects the rear panel jacks (Input A an Input B).
Input Selector Switch
There are ual input jacks locate on the rear panel to have 2 instruments plugge in an
rea y to go. The front panel switch allows you to choose between Input A an Input B, as
long as you are not plugge into the front Input jack.
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DRIVE SECTION
The Drive section of the SansAmp GED-2112 is esigne with active controls, which
cut an boost, rather than tra itional passive controls which only cut. This effectively
oubles many of the control’s capabilities, giving you a much larger range of a justabil-
ity an , ultimately, more variety. It shoul be note that you nee not necessarily set
everything at max to achieve maximum results. As you experiment an become familiar
with the interrelationship of the controls, you’ll easily be able to customize your own
soun s.
Drive
A justs the overall amount of gain an over rive, similar to when the output section of
a tube amp is being pushe . Also controls the input sensitivity with clean soun s. For
fatter, more robust clean soun s, increase Drive until it starts to istort, then gra ually
ecrease until it isappears.
Bass and Treble
These active tone controls cut or boost ±12 B from unity gain at 12 o’clock. Bass is
80 Hz. Treble is 3.2kHz.
Mid Shift and Mid
Mi Shift is a parametric EQ control, with a sweep ranging from 170 Hz to 3.0 kHz,
which allows you to select the center frequency of the Mi control. Mi will then cut or
boost ±12 B from the frequency selecte by the Mi Shift.
Blend
Blen s the irect instrument signal with the SansAmp circuitry. In most cases, you will
probably have this set at maximum (100% SansAmp). For certain applications, however,
you may want to a just the ratio of your irect signal to achieve your esire soun .
While the SansAmp Tube Amplifier Emulation circuitry is bypasse when Blen is at
minimum, the Bass, Mi Shift, Mi , Treble, an Level controls remain active.
Level 1
A justs the output level of the Drive Section.
Function Switch (locate between the Drive an Deep Sections)
Activates the circuitry an has a correspon ing LED status in icator. (NOTE: In later
versions, the LED will pulsate when playing to in icate there is output.)
To engage, push the switch to the in position. For Mute, the switch shoul be in the out
position. Note: The Mute function affects all outputs, except the Tuner.
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DEEP SECTION
The Deep Section is an in epen ent, parallel pre-amp with in ivi ual Level an
Saturation controls. To keep things lean an efficient, the EQ curve is preset to Ge y’s
personal specs.
Saturation
A justs the overall amount of gain an over rive, similar to when the output section of a
tube amp is being pushe .
Level 2
A justs the output level of the Deep Section.
REAR PANEL
Inputs A and B
Dual inputs to have 2 instruments rea y to go. Remin er: when you plug into the front
panel’s Input, rear panel Inputs A an B will be isconnecte .
Inputs A and B Level Selector Switch
This switch lets you connect the SansAmp GED-2112 to a wi e variety of equipment
with a variety of signal levels. Also, you can set the Input level selector switch to its
-20 B position when you plug in extra-hot signals, such as the output from active bass
guitars. There are two positions:
0dB (in position). Optimizes the rear panel Inputs to accept instrument level sig-
nals. In this position, Input A an B’s sensitivity is the same as the front panel’s Input.
NOTE: We recommen you start with the switch in this position.
-20dB (out position). Set the switch in this position to engage the pa when
sen ing a line-level signal into the SansAmp GED-2112. When the switch is in this
position, the signal coming into the unit is pa e own by 20 B.
EFFECTS LOOP
(Drive Section Only)
Send and Return
The Effects Loop allows you to connect external effects with the SansAmp GED-2112
an is place between the tone controls an Level controls of the Drive Section.
Connect the input of your processor to Sen ; output of your processor to Return. Note:
When nothing is plugge into the Effects Loop, the signal passes through from the
SansAmp GED-2112 to the Drive Output jacks, with both the SansAmp 1/4" an XLR
Outputs receiving the same signal.
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Mix 50/50 Switch
The 1/4" Sen routes 100% of the SansAmp GED-2112’s signal through your effects
processor when the 50/50 switch is not engage . If you engage the 50/50 switch, then
50% of the SansAmp GED-2112 signal goes through your effects processor, an the
other 50% passes irectly to the SansAmp 1/4" an XLR Outputs of the Drive Section.
To preserve the signal integrity of the SansAmp GED-2112, use the Effects Loop with
the Mix 50/50 switch engage . When the SansAmp GED-2112 is in this mo e, the
effects processor’s mix control shoul be set at 100% wet. Your relative wet/ ry mix
can then be controlle by increasing/ ecreasing the effects processor’s output level.
NOTE: If you experience a thin, un esirable soun or phase cancellation, the effect
may not be capable of a 100% wet signal. Therefore, we suggest isengaging the Mix
50/50 switch.
UNIVERSAL OUTPUT SECTION
The output sections of the SansAmp GED-2112 are esigne to be compatible with any
application. The outputs can be use for full range (P.A. systems, multi-track recor ers,
powere stu io monitors) or limite range systems (amplifiers utilizing limite range
guitar or speaker cabinets), as well as
simultaneously . For recor ing, the SansAmp out-
puts are like having a built-in irect box. Designe without a transformer, they provi e a
balance , low-impe ance output of extremely high quality for recor ing or interfacing
with professional-quality signal processors. You can go irect to the boar an get the
same soun you hear coming out of the speakers right onto tape or isc. The SansAmp
circuitry not only captures the warm, rich, natural harmonics an sweet over rive char-
acteristics inherent to tube amplifiers, its speaker emulation encompasses all aspects
of multiply-mike tube amp rigs. For live gigs, you can use these outputs irect into the
P.A. system an you won’t nee a microphone in front of your amp.
1/4"Uneffected Output
Buffere output without processing. Sen s a irect signal, right from the input, to
another channel on your amp, pre-amp, or effects chain.
1/4"SansAmp Outputs
Each 1/4” SansAmp Output carries the signal from its correspon ing section of the
SansAmp GED-2112, inclu ing any effects that are place in the Effects Loop of the
Drive Section.
Level Selector Switch:
0 B (in position): Unity gain output. NOTE: Start with the switch in this position.
-20 B (out position): Pa s own the signal by 20 B.
SansAmp XLR Direct Outputs
Each XLR Output carries the signal from its correspon ing section of the SansAmp
GED-2112, inclu ing any effects that are place in the Effects Loop of the Drive
Section.
Level Selector Switch:
0 B (in position): Line-level output. NOTE: Start with the switch in this position.
-20 B (out position): Pa s own the line-level signal by 20 B.
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Ground Lift
Connects or isconnects the groun circuits between both XLR Outputs of the
SansAmp GED-2112 an a (groun e ) mixer. We recommen starting with the groun
lifte . If necessary, connect the groun by pushing the switch in.
Tuner Output
As long as the unit is plugge in, the tuner output provi es a constant, unaffecte sig-
nal at all times, regar less of the position of the Level controls or the status of the
Mute switch on the front panel. This output can also be use as a buffere out to sen
a transparent signal to other outboar gear.
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Note: Ge y’s settings are base on a irect connection to a PA or recor ing set up an meant to
be monitore through a full range system (stu io monitors, IEMs, etc.). Levels may vary. Limite
range systems, such as a bass amp, may require some a justments. Be aware your instrument
type an playing style will have a pronounce effect on the final results. ©Copyright.

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SansAmp GED-2112 Specifications
Note: With on-going pro uct evelopment an improvements, specifications an /or
the cosmetic appearance of this unit may change without prior notice. Replacement
parts are available, i.e., knobs, rack han les, faceplate, etc. For more information,
please contact Tech 21.
Mo el Number: GED-2112
Input Impe ance- Front Input: 1MOhm
Input Impe ance-Inputs A & B: 1MOhm
Output Impe ance-1/4” SansAmps: 1KOhm min
Output Impe ance-XLRs: 600 Ohms min
Input Level-Front Input: 1V RMS max
Input Level-Inputs A & B: 1V RMS or 10V max, with -20 B pa engage
Output Level-XLRs: Switchable to -20 B or 0 B range
Effects Loop Sen : 1K Ohm min, -20 B
Effects Loop Return: 100K Ohm min, -20 B
Low Frequency Response: 10Hz or better*
High Frequency Response: Harmonic content, 20kHz or better*
Maximum Power Consumption: 5 Watts
AC Input Power (factory set): 100V, 117V, 230V, 240V
Cycles: 50/60 Hz
NOTE: Each unit constructe for specific voltages. AC power cannot be switche .
Enclosure: Aluminum an steel, fully shiel e
Dimensions: 19.0"w x 1.75"h x 5.25" / Overall epth: 6.25"
Weight: 5 lbs.
*Due to the variety of amplifier emulations available, frequency response
characteristics will vary.