Zvex Effects Loop Gate User manual

TYPE:Vextron [VT] | MODEL: Loop Gate™
Congratulations! You’re the proud owner of a Vextron Z.Vex Effects Loop Gate!™
INTRODUCTION:
Gating very complex sounds like fuzz and delay is always a
challenge. The Loop Gate™ provides a loop switch with a
built-in “perfect” audio gate (high headroom, no distortion, no
hiss) that lets you set up a loop of pedals you can switch in
and out of your signal path at will, but you have a couple of
really fun options to control that loop that include a cross-
fade “mix” option as well as creating tremolo-like sounds
with “chop” mode. The beauty of introducing a loop into
a noise gate is that the device looks at your guitar signal
to see when you want to gate. It doesn’t even bother to
look at the output from your loop of pedals... that is way
too noisy to study. It’s much better to look at the incoming
guitar signal to see what’s up, and that’s just what the Loop
Gate™ does. The guitarist can have all sorts of crazy things
happening in the loop without worrying that all of that sonic
madness will trigger the gate.
CONTROLS:
Release Knob; Normal / Chop Switch: The release knob
controls two different things depending on what position
the “Normal / Chop” switch is in. In “Normal” mode, the
release knob acts as a way to control the fade out time
of the gate or cross-fade. The release time is completely
adjustable from downright slammin’ (counterclockwise) to
extremely long and lovely (clockwise), like the most gor-
geous fadeout performed by a professional engineer. In
“Chop” mode, the release knob controls how long the gate,
once triggered, will open and close for. There is no fading
in this mode; the audio is “chopped.” This control can be
used like a tremolo speed knob because the gate will con-
tinue to open and close in a rhythmic-like fashion as long as
the gate’s sensitivity threshold is surpassed.
Sensitivity: A wide-ranging sensitivity control to set the
turn-on threshold. It can be extremely sensitive if set all the
way clockwise. If the user sets this all the way counter-
clockwise, it is impossible for the gate to open, which is
useful for crossfades while in “Mix” mode.
Buffer On / Buffer Off Switch: There is a switchable buf-
fer on the “loop send” part of the device (receive is always
buffered). These are the same glistening buffers found in
the Lo-fi Loop Junky™ (the clean sound). Please see the back
of this page for more information on turning this buffer off.
Gate / Mix Switch: In “Gate” mode, the device will gate to
silence when the guitar signal does not reach the sensitivity
threshold. In “Mix” mode, the device will allow clean guitar
to pass when the guitar signal does not reach the sensitivity
threshold; if the sensitivity threshold is met, it allows users to
do crossfades when audio is being generated inside the loop
(i.e. a playback device of some kind like the Lo-Fi Loop Junky).
Bypass Stomp Switch: True bypass switch.
Gate Stomp Switch: When this switch is not engaged, the
device acts as a simple effects loop with a switchable send
buffer (receive is always buffered). When it is engaged, the
“Gate / Mix” switch will control whether the device is gating to
silence or cross-fading.
BASIC OPERATION:
Plug your guitar into the right hand input jack. Plug the output
into an amp or other effect’s input. Plug the Loop Gate™ send
jack into the input of something weird and noisy. Like a Fuzz
Factory™ and a delay. Plug the output of the weird, noisy
thing into the Loop Gate™ receive jack. Set the sensitivity and
release to your liking in “Gate” mode. Rock out!
BATTERY CHANGE & POWER SUPPLY:
The Loop Gate™ draws about 10mA and can be powered
with a 9V battery (remove the four screws on the bottom for
replacement) or any standard filtered/regulated musical 9VDC
power supply with a Boss-style connector (negative-tip barrel
connector). We recommend using an alkaline 9V battery but a
carbon-zinc battery (shipped with the unit) will work.
WARRANTY:
Your Loop Gate™ is warranted for 1 year from date of pur-
chase, or 2 years if you send in your warranty card.
Please visit http://zvex.com/website/repairs.htm for any
repair questions or more information.
Enjoy!
Please see BACK PAGE for calibration in-
structions, warranty information and more
detailed instructions about the pedal.

Loop Gate™Instruction Sheet | Side 2
CALIBRATION INSTRUCTIONS:
If you unscrewed the back plate on the pedal, you may have
noticed a little trimmer. Don’t touch it! Your unit has come
pre-calibrated. You may decide you want to mess with this
to try to eke out more sensitivity. Ok, here’s how to do it:
1) Power the unit with a 9V adapter. It’s easiest this way.
2) Turn the release knob all the way counterclockwise
(CCW) and the sensitivity knob all the way clockwise
(CW).
3) Put the “Gate/Mix” switch in “Gate” mode and make sure
both stomp switches are engaged (LEDs on).
4) Buffer should be on and “Normal/Chop” switch should
be set to Normal.
5) All 3 LEDs should be on. If the middle LED is off, it’s OK,
but then we need to fix the calibration.
6) Unscrew the bottom lid, twist that trimmer all the way
CCW. Keep an eye on that middle LED, at some point in
this process it will turn off.
7) Now, very carefully and very SLOWLY, turn that trimmer
CW. As soon as that middle LED turns on, STOP!
8) That’s it! You’re unit is calibrated for maximum sensitivity.
You can do steps 6 and 7 several times if you want to
make sure you have absolute maximum sensitivity out of
it. Just remember that you have to bring the trimmer all
the way CCW before you can bring it back CW.
ADDITIONAL DETAILS:
“Mix” Mode:
When in “Mix” mode, it’s impossible for your guitar signal
to get into the Loop. In fact, the Loop Gate™ send jack is
grounded in this case. The purpose of “Mix” mode is to be
able to crossfade your guitar signal with audio being gener-
ated in the Loop. So, you’ll need something happening in
the loop for crossfading to occur (like a self-oscillating fuzz,
delay or playback device of some sort).
Using Chop While in “Mix” Mode:
Chop mode is arguably the coolest / most fun thing about this
pedal. You can still use chop even while in “Mix” mode, even
though it might seem kind of weird. The unit will go back and
forth between your guitar signal and whatever is going in the
loop.
Buffer Toggle:
A word of warning when not using the buffer: Certain ef-
fects, especially fuzz devices, may cause the sensitivity to get
loaded down and may be less reliable or predictable when
not using the buffer. The problem, of course, is that it is often
not desirable to put a buffer between your guitar and fuzz. The
best thing to do is experiment with the sensitivity knob and
your playing style to get something that works with your setup.
Also, try your fuzz with this buffer, you might like it!
Send / Receive Jack Wiring; Sidechain Capability:
The send jack and receive jacks are wired so that the send
is normal-ed to the return, so if you unplug the effects loop
the unit will operate as a standalone gate. That is to say, the
jacks are shorted together when the send/receive jacks are
unplugged. In addition, the send/receive jacks on your Loop
Gate™ are wired in a similar way as a recording console. If
you just plug into the send, the signal is not interrupted inside
(the send is still shorted to the return). However, if you plug into
the return only, the send is left dangling dead and the original
guitar signal disappears completely from the path. This allows
for “sidechain” capability as you could plug in a different audio
source into the Loop Gate™ input and route the guitar (or any-
thing you can imagine) into the receive jack.
P.O. Box 16078 | Minneapolis, MN 55416
www.zvex.com | [email protected] | [email protected]
Last Updated: October 2012