tech21 SansAmp Character Series User manual

OWNER’S MANUAL
POWER REQUIREMENTS
* Utilizes standard 9V alkaline battery (not included). NOTE: Input jack activates battery.To conserve
energy, unplug when not in use. Power Consumption: approx. 5mA, for battery life of approximately
100 hours.
* USE DC POWER SUPPLY ONLY! Failure to do so may damage the unit and void warranty.
DC Power Supply Specifications:
-9V DC regulated or unregulated, 100mA minimum;
-2.1mm female plug, center negative (-).
Optional factory power supply is available: Tech 21 Model #DC2.
WARNINGS:
*Attempting to repair unit is not recommended and may void warranty.
*Missing or altered serial numbers automatically void warranty. For your own
protection: be sure serial number labels on the unit’s back plate and exterior
box are intact, and return your warranty registration card.
ONE YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY. PROOF OF PURCHASE REQUIRED. Manufacturer
warrants unit to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for one (1) year from date of pur-
chase to the original purchaser and is not transferable. This warranty does not include damage resulting
from accident, misuse, abuse, alteration, or incorrect current or voltage. If unit becomes defective within
warranty period, Tech 21 will repair or replace it free of charge. After expiration, Tech 21 will repair
defective unit for a fee.
ALL REPAIRS for residents of U.S. and Canada: Call Tech 21 for Return Authorization
Number. Manufacturer will not accept packages without prior authorization, pre-paid freight (UPS
preferred) and proper insurance.
FOR PERSONAL ASSISTANCE & SERVICE:
Contact Tech 21 weekdays from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, EST.
MADE IN THE U.S.A.
T: 973-777-6996 • F: 973-777-9899
E: [e-mail] • www.tech21nyc.com
©2010 Tech 21 USA, Inc.

THE INS AND OUTS
1/4” INPUT:1megOhm instrument level. For normal operation, signal level to Input should
be close to that of a standard electric guitar (approx -10dBm / 250mV). The input is designed with
the same sensitivity and loading characteristic as a tube amp. Also switches battery power on/off.
To avoid battery drain, unplug when unit is not in use.
1/4” UNIVERSAL OUTPUT: Unbalanced 1kOhm Low Z output. This output can be
connected to High Z guitar amplifiers (or effects) as well as Low Z mixer and computer inputs.
Output level is unity gain when pedal is in bypass mode. When activated, the output level can range from
instrument level to line level depending on your settings. Also drives long cables without loss of signal
integrity, even in bypass.
GUIDE TO CONTROLS
LEVEL: Adjusts the output level of the unit. This control has an exceptionally wide range for
maximum compatibility with a variety of equipment.
LOW, HIGH, MID*: On-board post-E section gives you full control, like having a studio
mixing board at your fingertips. Unlike passive tone controls that only cut, these active controls
cut and boost.*
DRIVE: Adjusts the overall amount of gain and overdrive, similar to when the output section
of a tube amp is being pushed. The first half of the rotation will increase the volume as well as the
overdrive.
CHARACTER: Voiced differently for each pedal in the series. It sweeps through various
tonal possibilities associated with each style of amplifier. In addition to modifying the frequency
response, Character also influences the attack and drive characteristics of each particular amplifi-
er style. Therefore, you may need to adjust your gain and tone settings after tweaking the Character
control.
SPEAKER SIMULATION*
Speaker simulation is an integral part of the circuitry. Each model is tuned to match the
speaker/cabinet of that amplifier. It is designed for a smooth, even response as would be
achieved by a multiply-miked cabinet, without the peaks, valleys, and notches associated
with single miking. The shape of the speaker curve will not adversely effect or interfere
with the frequency response of your own cabinet. The speaker simulation works in tandem with
the E controls to custom tailor the overall sound.
If desired, however, you can defeat the speaker simulation by disengaging the speaker switch (up
position). This will provide a slight 6dB per octave high-rolloff. As many amplifiers have a pre-amp
section with highs emphasized, this compensation will provide a more natural pre-amp sound
when going into the front of such an amp. Conversely, when going directly into a power amp or
an amp without highs emphasized, you may need to increase the High control on the pedal to
compensate for the lack thereof.
*For more details and sample settings,
see separate charts specific to each model.
!! WARNING !! DO NOT RUN THE SPEA ER OUT-
PUT OF ANY AMP directly into a SansAmp input.
Severe damage to the amp and the SansAmp will result.
TECH 21, THE COMPANY
Tech 21 was formed by a guitarist possessing the unusual combination of a trained ear and elec-
tronics expertise. In 1989, B. Andrew Barta made his invention commercially available to players
and studios around the world. His highly-acclaimed SansAmp™ pioneered Tube Amplifier
Emulation in professional applications for recording direct and performing live, and created an
entirely new category of signal processing. There have since been many entries into this niche, yet
SansAmp continues to maintain its reputation as the industry standard.
With a full line of SansAmp models, Tech 21 also offers effect pedals and MIDI products, as well as
“traditional” style amplifiers for guitar and bass. Each product is thoughtfully and respectfully
designed by B. Andrew Barta himself with the player in mind. Our goal is to provide you with flexi-
ble, versatile tools to cultivate, control, refine and redefine your own individual sound. Tech 21
takes great pride in delivering consistent quality sound, studio to studio, club to club, arena to arena.
PRODUCT OVERVIEW
The Character Series pedals are unusual inside as well as out. They have an abundance of knob con-
trols, are easy to use, and feature our proprietary, 100% analog SansAmp technology. These multi-
function pedals can be used as a stomp box with a guitar amp, as a pre-amp to drive a power amp,
and for recording straight into a mixer or computer.
You can explore and tailor various eras within each amp style simply by turning a knob. A single,
continuously-variable Character control sweeps through an entire tonal range that spans decades
of sounds. The Character, E controls and speaker simulation are individually voiced and custom-
tuned to reflect the specific personality traits inherent in each amp style.
By engineering individual amplifier styles, the Character Series pedals offer a significant value at a nom-
inal price. Whether you’re frugal or extravagant, you can focus on just those that are your personal
faves. Choose one, two, or collect them all --and trade them with your friends!
APPLICATIONS
AS A STOMPBOX with a guitar amp. You can connect the Character Series pedals
in-line just as you would a standard distortion or overdrive pedal. If the pre-amp of your guitar
amplifier is imparting too much of its own character on the pedal, plug into the low level input
and set the pre-amp as clean and neutral as possible. Since most amps tend to be on the bright
side, you may need to start with High below 12 o’clock and then adjust as necessary. You can also
plug the pedal into the effects loop return (if the amp has one). This will disable the entire pre-
amp of the amplifier allowing you to hear a truer representation of the sound. NOTE: the master
volume on your amplifier will be defeated, so be sure to have the volume control down on the
pedal.
AS A PRE-AMP driving a power amp. The 1/4” output of the Character pedal has
enough juice to drive a standard power amplifier. Simply connect the 1/4” output to the power
amp input and adjust the Level control accordingly. You will probably not use the bypass mode of the
pedal in this setup.
AS A DIRECT RECORDING DEVICE into mixer or computer. All of the tone
shaping and cabinet emulation needed is already incorporated into the pedal, giving you the per-
fect sound “right out of the box.” The Character Series pedals automatically convert your guitar
signal to Low Z allowing you to plug into a variety of inputs that would normally load down your
guitar’s signal. These pedals can be plugged into mixers (live and studio), workstation/recorders,
and even directly into the sound card on a computer.

NOTEWORTHY NOTES
1) Tech 21 controls are unusually sensitive and tend to perform well beyond what
would be considered “normal.” So you need not set everything at max to get maximum results.
For instance, to brighten your sound, rather than automatically boosting High all the way up, try
cutting back on Low first.
2) To find the best settings for interacting with your other gear, you may need to use radi-
cally different settings for each individual way you use it. You need not be discouraged or suspect
something is wrong with the unit. If you’ve got your sound, you’ve simply found the right balance to
complement each individual piece of gear. We recommend you start with the tone controls at 12
o’clock and cut or boost as necessary.
3) Tech 21 pedals have exceptionally low noise levels. However, they may amplify
noise emanating from the input source. To minimize noise, we recommend active electronic instru-
ments have the volume set at unity gain/maximum and tone controls positioned flat. If you need to
boost, do so slowly and sparingly. Also check for pickup interference by moving your guitar or
turning the volume off. Be aware single coil pickups are more likely to generate noise.
4) Placement notes: Each of the Character Series pedals can be treated as an amplifier or
preamp when it comes to setting up your signal chain:
Place the following effects BEFORE the Character Series pedal:
Booster, Compression, Fuzz, Phaser/Vibe, Overdrive, Wah.
Place the following effects AFTER the Character Series pedal:
Delay, E , Flanger, Phaser (yes, after is good, too), Pitch Shifter, Reverb.
5) Buffered bypass eliminates the shortcomings associated with “true bypass” (pops and
clicks, and high-end loss when multiple pedals are connected together), as well as signal loss asso-
ciated with other types of switching circuits.
6) Custom actuators. All Tech 21 pedals feature smooth, silent-switching actuators that are
licensed by other major manufacturers.
7) LED indicator light. When battery begins running low (around 6 volts), the LED will
become noticeably dim.
SPECIALIZED CONTROLS*
MID, LOW, HIGH*
Shifting MID is custom tuned to:
+12dB @ 400 Hz. or -12dB @ 750 Hz.
LOW and HIGH emulate‘70s British console EQ:
LOW is custom tuned to:
+22dB boost or -12dB cut @ 120 Hz.
HIGH is custom tuned to:
+30dB boost or -12dB cut @ 2.5 kHz.
Settings below 12 o’clock yield clean,
classic Hi-Watt®-style tones.
Nearing 12 o’clock brings you into
crunchier territory associated with ‘70s
Who-style tunes such as Who Are You,
Baba O’Riley, and We Won’t Get Fooled
Again.
Above 12 o’clock accentuates upper
mids for Gilmour/Floyd-style leads.
Full up may cause your mate or your lead
singer to flee the premises, which could be
desirable in certain circumstances.
SPEAKER SIMULATION*
Built in speaker simulation is tuned to match
Fane®-style speakers.
*Voiced specifically for the Leeds pedal.
Please consult the Owner's Manual for
complete guidance to operation.
®Registered trademarks. Names of sample settings are
intended for descriptive purposes only and should not
be construed as an endorsement or affiliation with any
companies, products, artists, or songs named.
THICK CRUNCH
GILMOUR-Style LEAD
FULL STACK
LEEDS BASS

SPECIALIZED CONTROLS*
MID, LOW, HIGH*
MID is custom-tuned to 12dB @ 500 Hz.
LOW and HIGH emulate‘70s British console EQ:
LOW is custom tuned to:
+22dB boost or -12dB cut @ 120 Hz.
HIGH is custom tuned to:
+30dB boost or -12dB cut @ 2.5 kHz.
Settings below 12 o’clock emulates an
F.A.C. (Frequency Analyzing Control) for mid-
range sweep. From minimum, it goes from
tightening up the low end to a looser/thicker
low end response.
Nearing 12 o’clock increases the low end
drive for thicker Stoner rock, Sabbath-style.
(Switch your Les Paul to the neck pickup!)
Above 12 o’clock adds a presence punch
for more modern sounds and higher gain leads.
Full up brings you to the brink of blowing
up (but not to worry, it won’t).
SPEAKER SIMULATION*
Built in speaker simulation is tuned to match
English Greenback-style speakers.
*Voiced specifically for the Oxford pedal.
Please consult the Owner's Manual for
complete guidance to operation.
®Registered trademarks. Names of sample settings are
intended for descriptive purposes only and should not
be construed as an endorsement or affiliation with any
companies, products, artists, or songs named.
BRITISH POP
T-REXTACY
TWANGY ZEP
SABBATH-Style BASS
SCOOPED RHYTHM
CHUGGING RHYTHM
THICK GRIND
DISTORTED CLARITY
SPECIALIZED CONTROLS*
MID, LOW, HIGH*
Shifting MID is custom tuned to:
+12dB @ 450 Hz. or -12dB @ 550 Hz.
LOW is custom tuned to ± 12dB @ 125 Hz.
HIGH is custom tuned to ± 12dB @ 3.2 kHz.
Settings below 12 o’clock bring you
lower gain crunchy rhythms.
Nearing 12 o’clock brings you into higher
gain crunchy rhythm and lead tones.
Above 12 o’clock gets you over-the-top
rhythm and molten metal leads.
Full up, it may cause your ceiling paint to
blister and peel.
SPEAKER SIMULATION*
Built in speaker simulation is tuned to match
Celestion®-style speakers.
*Voiced specifically for the U.S. Steel pedal.
Please consult the Owner's Manual for
complete guidance to operation.
®Registered trademarks. Names of sample settings are
intended for descriptive purposes only and should not
be construed as an endorsement or affiliation with any
companies, products, artists, or songs named.