USER GUIDE PRO-EQ PLATINUM BASS
Welcome Thank you for making Fishman a part of your acoustic experience. We are proud to offer the finest acoustic amplification products available; high-quality professional-grade tools which empower you to sound your very best.
Quick Start 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Place XLR Pre / Post switch to “post” position. Adjust the Input Gain so that the Clip / Low Battery light barely flickers with strong playing. For acoustic bass only: Set Phase switch to position that sounds best and suppresses feedback. Set Compression and Depth to 10:00. Set EQ and re-adjust Input Gain if necessary (Clip LED should barely flicker with strong playing).
Power Options 1. 9-Volt Battery Squeeze the tabs on top of the preamp together and the battery drawer will pop out. Snap in a fresh 9-Volt alkaline. To conserve the battery, unplug the input of the Platinum Bass when you are not using the preamp. 2. 48-Volt Phantom Power Use an XLR cable to connect the Platinum Bass to a mixing board with 48V phantom power.
Input Gain For the cleanest possible signal, adjust the Input Gain so that the Clip / Low Battery LED barely flickers with strong playing. If the Clip LED lights up brightly as you play, your bass signal is overdriving the circuit and you will hear distortion. Not every instrument will have enough signal to engage the Clip light on your Platinum. This is perfectly acceptable. Clip / Low Battery Indicator This light has three distinct functions: 1.
Compression (continued) To gently smooth out your instrument’s all-around response, set the Compression between 8:00 and 11:00. For more punch set the Compression between 12:00 and 2:00. This is especially effective for tumbao and walking bass styles. For heavy compression with lots of sustain set the Compression knob between 3:00 and 5:00 (for best results set the Input Gain as high as possible without lighting the red Clip light).
Fighting Feedback 1. Start with the Phase switch in the left position and the Depth control at 5:00. 2. Turn your amp or PA up so that it is on the verge of feedback. 3. Flip the Phase switch back and forth until you find the position that sounds good and doesn’t feed back from open G and above (mid-bass feedback). 4. Turn up the amp some more until you get feedback around open D and below (deep-bass feedback). 5. Move the Depth control counter-clockwise until deep bass feedback goes away.
Tone Controls Bass - We carefully voiced this control to give you the deep bass you need for your lowest notes, with plenty of mid-bass punch for the D and G strings. If the sound becomes boomy when you raise the Bass control, lower the Depth control until the sound tightens up. Low-mid - Boost here to thicken up the low end. Cut low mids for a more transparent tone or to reduce feedback with acoustic bass. Mid - This control subtly affects how well the instrument blends in or stands out in the mix.
XLR Pre/Post Switch Choose between a true D.I. (pre EQ) or an affected XLR output (post EQ). 1. XLR Post Signal Path: Bass Signal Input Gain Depth EQ Compression Volume Phase Switch XLR Out Post is useful in live venues (especially if you are mixing from onstage) where you want your personal “dialed-in” sound to come through the PA. 2.
Sample EQ Settings Here are a few suggested settings for the Pro-EQ Platinum Bass: Dub/Reggae Tumbao Fretless Jazz 10 Classic Thumb-style
Studio Acoustic Motown Five String 11 Fishman BP-100-pizz / arco
Stage Setups 1. Set the XLR Pre / Post switch to “post” when you want your personal “dialed in” sound to come through the PA. 2. Plug into a bass amp. Start with the amp’s tone controls set flat. Primary equalization is performed by the Platinum Bass EQ.
2a. Alternate into bass amp (especially for upright) For a cleaner and less colored sound, try bypassing the preamp in your bass amp and plug the output from the Platinum Bass directly into the effects return or the power amp input at the back of your amp. 3. Splitter / “Transparent” DI: If you wish, you may bypass all the Platinum’s controls for a true buffered DI into both the PA and a bass amp.
Block Diagram input input gain depth tuner / send output low mid volume mid hi mid compression phase bass lift pre gnd post treble 14
Specifications Nominal Input Level: Input Overload Level: Input Impedance: Nominal Output Levels and Impedances Amp Out:: Tuner / Send Out: XLR Out : Tone Controls Bass: Low mid: Mid: Hi Mid: Treble: All tone controls within ±1 dB of nominal. -14dBu +10dBu 10MΩ -20dBu to +10dBu (1kΩ) -14dBu to +10dBu (1kΩ) -30dBu to -6dBu (600Ω) ±12dB @ 30Hz +6dB, -12dB @ 200Hz +6dB, -12dB @ 1.
Technical support, troubleshooting tips and other product information can be found at www.fishman.com/support/ www.fishman.
