Vox MINI3 User manual

2
Precautions
Location
Using the unit in the following locations can result in a mal-
function.
•Indirectsunlight
•Locationsofextremetemperatureorhumidity
•Excessivelydustyordirtylocations
•Locationsofexcessivevibration
•Closetomagneticelds
Power supply
PleaseconnectthedesignatedACadaptertoanACoutletofthe
correctvoltage.DonotconnectittoanACoutletofvoltageother
thanthatforwhichyourunitisintended.
Interference with other electrical devices
Radiosandtelevisionsplacednearbymayexperiencereception
interference.Operatethisunitatasuitabledistancefromradios
andtelevisions.
Handling
Toavoidbreakage,donotapplyexcessiveforcetotheswitches
or controls.
Care
Iftheexteriorbecomesdirty,wipeitwithaclean,drycloth.Do
notuseliquidcleanerssuchasbenzeneorthinner,orcleaning
compoundsorammablepolishes.
Keep this manual
Aerreadingthismanual,pleasekeepitforlaterreference.
Keeping foreign matter out of your equipment
Neversetanycontainerwithliquidinitnearthisequipment.If
liquidgetsintotheequipment,itcouldcauseabreakdown,re,
orelectricalshock.
Becarefulnottoletmetalobjectsgetintotheequipment.Ifsome-
thingdoesslipintotheequipment,unplugtheACadapterfrom
thewalloutlet.ThencontactyournearestVOXdealerorthestore
wheretheequipmentwaspurchased.
* Allproductnamesandcompanynamesarethetrademarks
orregisteredtrademarksoftheirrespectiveowners.
THE FCC REGULATION WARNING (for USA)
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.Theselimitsaredesigned to providereasonable
protectionagainstharmfulinterferenceinaresidentialinstal-
lation.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interfer-
ence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oandon,
theuserisencouragedtotrytocorrecttheinterferencebyone
or more of the following measures:
•Reorientorrelocatethereceivingantenna.
• Increasetheseparationbetweentheequipmentandreceiver.
•Connecttheequipmentintoanoutletonacircuitdierent
fromthattowhichthereceiverisconnected.
•Consultthedealeroranexperiencedradio/TVtechnicianfor
help.
Unauthorizedchangesormodicationtothissystemcanvoid
theuser’sauthoritytooperatethisequipment.

3
Contents
Introduction ----------------------------------- 4
Welcome aboard! --------------------------------------4
Main features--------------------------------------------4
Setup -------------------------------------------- 5
Installing Batteries -------------------------------------5
The Guitarist’s Guided Panel Tour ---- 6
Top Panel-------------------------------------------------6
Rear Panel -----------------------------------------------8
Using the Tuner ------------------------------ 9
Amp Models and Effects ----------------10
AMP model -------------------------------------------- 10
Effects--------------------------------------------------- 11
Delay/Reverb------------------------------------------ 12
Troubleshooting ----------------------------13
Specications -------------------------------14
Program Sheet ------------------------------15
Notice regarding disposal (EU only)
Whenthis“crossed-outwheeledbin”symbolisdisplayedon
the product, owner’s manual, baery, or baery package, it
signiesthatwhenyouwishtodisposeofthisproduct,man-
ual,packageorbaeryyoumustdosoinanapprovedmanner.
Donotdiscardthisproduct,manual,packageorbaeryalong
withordinaryhouseholdwaste.Disposinginthecorrectman-
nerwillpreventharmtohumanhealthandpotentialdamagetothe
environment.Sincethecorrectmethodofdisposalwilldependonthe
applicablelawsandregulationsinyourlocality,pleasecontactyour
localadministrative body fordetails.If thebaerycontainsheavy
metalsinexcessoftheregulatedamount,achemicalsymbolisdis-
playedbelowthe“crossed-outwheeledbin”symbolonthebaeryor
baerypackage.

4
Introduction
Welcome aboard!
ThanksforchoosingtheVOXMINI3.Toensurealongand
trouble-freerelationshipwithyournewamp,pleaseread
thismanualcarefully,usetheampasdirectedandkeepthe
manual for future reference.
WehopeyouenjoythegreatsoundoftheVOXMINI3!
Main features
l ThecompactMINI3featuresthreewas(3W)producing
stellartonesinheritedfromtheVOXValvetronixseries
(VT15,VT30,VT50,VT100).
l ThisportableamplierispoweredbysixAA-sizealka-
linebaeriesortheincludedACadapter,enablingyouto
playanywhere.Duringbaeryoperation,youcanplay
forupto10hours.
l Inadditiontofourhigh-quality,all-timefavoriteeects,
theamplierfeaturesfourdelayandreverbeectsthat
simulateacousticreverb.Theamplieralsofeaturesa
user-friendlyinterface,enablingyoutoadjustthetone
viaasingleknob.
l TheTAPbuonenablesyoutoeasilysetthedelaytime
insyncwiththetempo.
l Thebuilt-intunerfunctionenablesyoutotuneaguitar
connectedtotheINPUTjack.
l InputsincludeanAUXINjack,forconnectinganexternal
audiodevice(CD,MP3player,etc.),andaMICINjack,
towhichyoucanconnectamicrophone.Youcanplay
alongwithrecordedmusicoraccompanyyourvocalson
guitar.
YoucanalsoadjustthesendlevelfromtheMICINjack
totheDELAY/REVERBeectsbyusingthe dedicated
DLY/REVSENDknob.

5
Setup
Thissectiondescribesthebasicsetupofyouramplier.
NOTE: Thismanualalsodescribessafetyprecautionsand
functions.Besuretoreadtheentiremanual.
1. Turn the MASTER volume on the amp all the way
down.
2. Installbaeriesintheamplier.Alternatively,youcan
connecttheincludedACadaptertotheDC12Vjackon
therearpanel,thenplugtheadapterintoanACoutlet.
3. PlugyourguitarintotheINPUTjackonthetoppanel.If
youalsoplantouseaCDorMP3player,oramicrophone,
connecttheplayertotheAUXINjackorthemicrophone
totheMICINjackonthetoppanel.
4. TurnontheSTANDBYswitch.
5. SlowlyraisetheMASTERvolumetoadesiredlevel.
Installing Batteries
Removethebaerycompartmentcoverlocatedonthebot-
tomoftheunitbypullingtheribbon.InsertsixAA-size
alkalinebaeriesasshowninthegure.Besuretoobserve
thecorrectpolarity.
NOTE: Baeriesarenotincluded.Youwillneedtopurchase
themseparately.Neveruseanytypeofbaeryother
thanalkalinebaeries.
NOTE: Besuretoinstallbaeriesinthecorrectorientation.
Replacing the Batteries
IftheindicatorlocatedaboveandtotheleoftheSTANDBY
switchbecomesdark,replacethebaeries.
NOTE: Ifthebaerylevelbecomeslow,noisemaybegener-
ated.
NOTE: DepletedbaeriesmustberemovedfromtheMINI3
immediately.Ifyouleavethemin,malfunctionssuch
asbaeryleakagemayoccur.Youshouldalsore-
movethebaeriesifyouwillnotbeusingtheMINI3
foranextendedtime.

6
The Guitarist’s Guided Panel Tour
Top Panel
2
12
13
14
1
34 91011
5678
INPUT Section
1. INPUTjack
Thisiswhereyoupluginyourguitar.
2. MICINjack
Connectamicrophonehere.
3. TRIMknob
Enablesyoutoadjustthevolumelevelofthemicrophone
input.
4. DLY/REVSENDknob
Enablesyoutoadjustthesendlevelfromthemicrophone
inputtothedelay/reverbeects.
AMP section
This section enables you to make various amplier set-
tings.
5. AMPselector
Thisselectorenablesyoutoselectanampmodel.The
gain circuit, tone control characteristics, and circuit
layoutwillbesetautomaticallyinaccordancewiththe
selectedampmodel.Formoreinformationoneachamp
model,pleasereferto"AmpModel"onpage10.
6.GAINknob
Thisknobenablesyoutoadjustthepreampgainforthe
selectedampmodel.
7. TONEknob
Thisknobenablesyoutoadjustthetonalcolor.Thetone
willbechangedautomaticallyinaccordancewiththe
selectedampmodel.
8.MASTERvolume
Thisadjuststheoverallvolumeoftheamplier.
NOTE: TheGAINcontrolalsoaectstheamountofdis-
tortion.Forsomeseings,theremaybevirtually
nodistortion.

7
EFFECTS section
Hereyoucanadjustseingsfortheeects.
Fordetailsoneacheect,referto“Eects”(page12).
9. EFFECTSknob
Thisknobenablesyoutoselecttheeecttypeandset
theintensityoftheeect.
Tobypasstheeects,rotatetheknoballthewaytothe
le.
10.DELAY/REVERBknob
Thisknobenablesyoutoselectadelay/reverb-typeeect
andsettheintensityoftheeect.
Toapplyaneect(selectedviathisknob)tothemicro-
phoneinput,usetheDLY/REVERBSENDknobtosetthe
intensityoftheeect.
Toturnothedelay/reverbeectappliedtotheguitar
input,rotatethisknoballthewaytotheleorsetthe
knobtotheminimum positionofthe"swoosh" ofthe
correspondingeecttype.
11.
TAPswitch,LED/TUNERLEDindicator
ThisswitchenablesyoutosetthetimeoftheDELAYand
REVERBeects.Tapthisswitchtwicetosetthetime.The
durationbetweentwotapswillbeusedasthetimevalue.
Theindicatorwillashinsyncwiththetime.
HINT: Tosetthetimetoexactlymatchthetempoofa
song,presstheTAPbuonseveraltimesalong
with the song.
NOTE: Ifyouturnothepowertotheunit,thevalue
setbytheTAPbuonwillberesettoitsinitial
value.
Toenablethetunerfunction,pressandholddownthe
TAPswitchformorethanonesecond.Alleectswill
bebypassed.Whenthetunerfunctionisturnedon,the
TUNERLEDindicatorwillindicatethetuningstatus.
Formoreinformation,pleasereferto"UsingtheTuner"
onpage9.

8
STANDBY/AUX IN/PHONES Section
12.STANDBYswitch
Whenthepowerison,theindicatorlocatedupperle
theswitchwillbelit.
13.AUXINjack
Connectanexternalaudiodevicetothisjack.Thisen-
ablesyoutoconvenientlyconnectaCDorMP3player
andplayyourguitaralongwiththeplayer’soutput.
14.PHONESjack
Usethisjackifyou’repluggingdirectlyintoamixer,re-
cordingdevice,orifyou’reusingheadphones.Theoutput
signalfromthisjackistakenbeforethepoweramp,and
thecharacteroftheguitarampcabinetisappliedtoit.
NOTE:Connectingheadphonestothisjackwillmutethein-
ternalspeaker.
NOTE:
BesuretomakeastereoconnectionatthePHONES
jack.Withamonauralconnection,nosoundwill
beoutput.
Rear Panel
1
1. DC12Vjack
ConnectthisjacktotheincludedACadapter.

9
Using the Tuner
TheMINI3'stunerfunctionenablesyoutotuneaguitar
connectedtotheINPUTjack.Thetunerdetectsthepitch
oftheinputsound,thenindicatesthedierencefromthe
standardpitchofE.
1. PressandholddowntheTAPswitchformorethanone
second.
Alleectswillbebypassed,andthetunerfunctionwill
turn on.
All effects are bypassed.
(No valid signal is being input.)
2. Playtheopen6thstring.
NOTE: Becarefulnottotouchanyotherstrings.
3.TunetheguitarsothatonlythecentergreenLEDindica-
torlightsup,asshownontheright.
TIP: TheMINI3recognizespitchEinanyoctave.This
isusefulifyouwanttotunetoharmonicsortune
othermusicalinstruments,suchasa bassgui-
tar.
4. To exit the tuner function, press the TAP switch. The
eectbypasswillbecanceled.
TIP: Onceyoutunethe6thstringusingthetunerfunc-
tion,tunetheotherstringsinreferencetothe6th
string.
The pitch is sharp.
The pitch is slightly sharp.
In tune.
The pitch is slightly flat.
The pitch is flat.

10
Amp Models and Effects
Thissectiondescribescharacteristicsofeachampmodel
andeect.
AMP model
BTQ CLEAN
Thismodelsthecleanchannelofahigh-qualityampthat
wasproducedonlyonspecialorder,andwasknownasthe
overdrivespecial.Withabeautifullyroundedlowrange,a
sharpmidrangeaack,andasweettrebleregister,thisis
idealforsinglecoilpickups.
BLACK 2x12
Thismodelsablack-faced2x12"comboampthathasbecome
anindispensibleitemforcountryandbluesplayers.Itstight
andcleansoundprovidesdeeppiano-likebasstones,and
willdelivertheclassicChicagobluestoneparticularlywhen
usedwithsinglecoilpickups.
TWEED 4x10
Thismodelsa4x10"comboampfrom1959thatwasoriginal-
lydesignedforbassguitar.Itssmoothandcrispoverdrive
soundwillrespondsensitivelytoyourpickingdynamics
andtothevolumeofyourguitar.
AC15
Thismodelschannel2oftheVOXAC15(1x12",15W),which
wasmanufacturedin1962andwasabighitforitscompact
cabinet,power,andgreattone–alongwiththen-popular
Britishbands.
AC30TB
ThismodelsanAC30ampwiththe“topboost”circuitthat
wasincludedasstandardstartingwithunitsproducedin
1964.Itdeliversasmoothandrenedtopend,majestically
deepoverdrive,andarichandbrilliantcleansound.
UK '70S
Thismodelsthehightreblechannelofahand-wiredamp
headmadeinEnglandduringtheearly60’s.Raisingthe
volumeofthis50Woutputampallthewayproducesthe
crunchthatwillforeverbethesoundofrock‘n’roll.
UK '80S
ThismodelsaUK-manufactured100Wsingle-channelhead
withmastervolumemadein1983.TurntheGAINcontrolall
thewayuptogetthatthick,snarlinghardrockandheavy
metalsoundthatdominatedthe80’s.
UK '90S
Thismodelsthehigh-gainchannelofamodern100Wamp.
Whileindividualnotesareclearlydened,itdeliversamon-
stersoundthat’squiteaggressiveandarrogant.

11
CALI METAL
This models themodern high-gainchannel froma wild
beastofahigh-gainamp.Itsdeepandlooselow-end,spar-
klinghighs,andmonstrousgainareidealforguitarstuned
aslowaspossible,orformetalactswieldingseven-string
guitars.
US HIGAIN
Thismodelstheoverdrivechannelofasnakeskin-covered
100Wampheadmadein1991.Withanopenlow-endanda
compressedmid/highrange,itspowerfulandheavysound
deliversaforcefultonethatwillnotbreakdownevenwith
themostextremegainseings.
LINE
Thismodelfeaturestwo-bandtonecontrolsthatcreatea
purecleantonewithnodistortion.UsetheGAINknobto
adjustthevolumelevelforthelowrange,andtheTONE
knobforthehighrange.
Effects
COMP
Thismodelsacompressorthatfeaturesaclean,percussive,
andmellowsustain.Suitableforpoporfunkrhythms.
Usetheknobtoadjusttheamountofsustain.
CHORUS
Thismodelsastandardanalogchorusthataddsarichspa-
ciousnesstothesound.
Usetheknobtoadjustthemodulationspeed.
FLANGER
Thismodelsananalogangerthatcreatesasoundwitha
peculiarswooshingeectlikeajetengine.
Usetheknobtoadjustthemodulationspeed.
TREMOLO
This models a typical tremolo built into a standard U.S.
comboampthatchangesthevolumeupanddowncycli-
cally.
Usetheknobtoadjustthetremolospeed.

12
Delay/Reverb
ANALOG
This models an analog delay that uses a bucket brigade
device(BBD).Thesoundqualityislowdelity,butitswarm
soundispopularamongmusicians.
Use the knob to adjust the mix amount of the delay
sound.
UsetheTAPswitchtosetthedelaytime.Thelongestpos-
sibledelaytimeis1,486ms.
TAPE ECHO
Thismodelsapopularanalogtapeecho.
Tapeechowasoriginallycreatedbyusingaplaybackhead,
andthedelaytimewasadjustedbymodifyingthemotor
speed.Theknobandswitchfunctionalityisthesameas
thatfortheANALOGmodel.
SPRING
Thismodelsaspringreverbinsideaguitaramp.
Use the knob to adjust the mix amount of the reverb
sound.
UsetheTAPswitchtosetthereverbtime.
ROOM
Thisisastandardroomreverbthatcontainsalotofinitial
reection.Theknobandswitchfunctionalityarethesame
astheSPRINGmodel.

13
Troubleshooting
The amp isn’t powering up when the STANDBY switch
is ON.
• Haveyouinstalledbaeries?Isthepolaritycorrect?
Or,istheACadaptercordconnectedtotherearpanel
oftheampcorrectly?
• IstheACadapterpluggedintoanACoutlet?
• IstheACoutletswitchedonandworking?
• IstheACadapterdamaged?
There’s no sound coming from the amp
• Isyourguitarturnedup?
• Arebothendsofyourguitarcablepluggedintowhere
theyshouldbe?
• Isyourguitarcableworking?
• Are the top panel MASTER volume and GAIN knob
turnedup?
•Doyouhaveheadphonesoranythingelsepluggedinto
theamp’stoppanelPHONESjack?If“yes,”unplug!
The amp doesn’t seem very loud
• Isyourguitarturnedup?
• IsthetoppanelMASTERvolumeorGAINknobturned
downlow?
There’s no sound heard from the PHONES jack when
you use it.
• CheckthatthetoppanelMASTERvolumeisn’tturned
allthewaydown.
• Makesuresoundiscomingfromtheamp.
You’ll needto unplugyour headphonesorcablefrom
thePHONESjacktodothis,sincepluggingsomething
intothisjackautomaticallymutestheamp’sspeakers.
If there’s still no sound from the amp, go to “There’s
nosoundcomingfromtheamp.”Ifyoudohearsound,
checktheheadphonesorcableyouarehookingupto
thisjack.
The effects cannot be applied to the sound.
• Isthetunerfunctionturnedon?
If the tuner function is turned on, the eects will be
bypassed.PresstheTAPswitchtocancelthebypassing
oftheeects.
•
IstheEFFECTSorDELAY/REVERBknobsettoOFForto
alowervalue?
AdjusttheEFFECTSandDELAY/REVERBknob.
• IftheeectscannotbeappliedtotheMICsignal,theDLY/
REVSENDknobmightbesettoalowervalue.Adjust
theDLY/REVSENDknob.

14
The sound of a device connected to the AUX IN jack
is not output.
• Makesurethattheexternaldeviceisconnectedprop-
erly.
• Thevolumecontrolontheexternaldevicemightbeset
too low.
The sound from a microphone connected to the MIC
IN jack is not output.
• Makesurethatthemicrophoneisconnectedproperly.
• Themicrophoneswitchcouldbesettoo.
• TheTRIMknobcouldbesettoolow.
Specications
Number of amp types: 11
Number of effects: 4
Number of delay/reverb: 4
Input/output jacks:
1xINPUT,1xMICIN,1xAUXIN,1xPHONES
Power amp output: Maximumapprox.3WRMS@4ohms
Speaker: 5inch4ohms
Signal processing
A/Dconversion:24-bit D/Aconversion:24-bit
Samplingfrequency: 44.1kHz
Tunerrange:  E1–E6(41.2Hz–1318.5Hz)
Power supply: SixAA/LR6alkalinebaeries
   ortheincludedACadapter
Battery life: Maximum10hours
Current consumption: 175mA
Dimensions (W x D x H): 262x174x223mm
10.31x6.85x8.78inches
Weigh: 2.8kg/6.17lbs.
Included items: ACadapter(DC12V )
*Appearanceandspecicationsofthisproductaresubject
to change without notice.
FormoreinformationonVoxproducts,pleasevisitour
websiteatwww.voxamps.com

15
Program Sheet
Copythefollowingblankprogramsheet,andrecordyourfavoritesoundseings.
PROGRAM NAME:
NOTE:

2010 VOX AMPLIFICATION LTD.
IMPORTANT NOTICE TO CONSUMERS
This product has been manufactured according to strict specications and voltage requirements
that are applicable in the country in which it is intended that this product should be used. If you
have purchased this product via the internet, through mail order, and/or via a telephone sale, you
must verify that this product is intended to be used in the country in which you reside.
WARNING: Use of this product in any country other than that for which it is intended could be
dangerous and could invalidate the manufacturer's or distributor's warranty.
Please also retain your receipt as proof of purchase otherwise your product may be disqualied
from the manufacturer's or distributor's warranty.