VS-R StroboRack™ User Manual SR-EX StroboRack ExpanderTM Module www.PetersonTuners.com © 2007 Peterson Electro-Musical Products, Inc.
CONTENTS Safety Instructions_____________________________________________________________________4 Introduction ___________________________________________________________________________5 Using Your New StroboRackTM ____________________________________________________________5 Front Panel Features____________________________________________________________________7 Rear Panel Features ____________________________________________________________________8 Rear Panel with SR-EX Expander Module _______________
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS • READ, FOLLOW, HEED, AND KEEP ALL INSTRUCTIONS AND WARNINGS. • DO NOT OPERATE NEAR ANY HEAT SOURCE AND DO NOT BLOCK ANY VENTILATION OPENINGS ON THIS APPARATUS. • DO NOT USE THIS APPARATUS NEAR SPLASHING, FALLING, SPRAYING, OR STANDING LIQUIDS. • CLEAN ONLY WITH A LINT-FREE, DAMP CLOTH AND DO NOT USE CLEANING AGENTS. • ONLY CONNECT POWER CORD TO A POLARIZED, SAFETY-GROUNDED OUTLET WIRED TO CURRENT ELECTRICAL CODES.
Introduction TM The Peterson StroboRack VS-R is a unique rack mount tuner with an unequalled real-time display and accuracy of 0.1 cent using Peterson’s exclusive Virtual TM ® Strobe™ Technology. It has a full complement of exclusive Sweetened Tunings for guitar, bass, steel guitar and Dobro and a wide range of classical temperaments for other instruments.
Switch on the unit using the power switch located beside the A/C receptacle on the rear panel. Play a note on your instrument, then observe the note displayed on the note screen. After noting the note name and octave, observe the Virtual Strobe TM screen. A movement of the image to the left indicates that the instrument’s note is flat; a movement to the right indicates that the note is sharp. When the strobe image hovers or becomes immobile, the note is in tune to within 0.1 cent.
StroboRackTM Front Panel in Depth A Input Jack TS B Mute Button C Note/ Octave Display D Virtual Strobe Display E Menu Screen Preset SWT Drop Hz Cents 1 2 3 4 5 6 F Menu Buttons 1= MENU 2= CENTS 3= PRESET 4= SWEETENER 5= DROP 6= SAVE G Data Wheel StroboRack Front Panel Features: A. B. C. D. E. F. G. Input Jack – ¼” metal chassis-mounted jack. When engaged, overrides rear combo jack input.
StroboRackTM Rear Panel Features A/C Power ON/OFF H A/C Power IN I Lamp ON/OFF Switch J BNC GooseNeck Lamp Socket K Tone Out (Audio Tones) L Mute Footswitch Input TS M H. A/C Power Switch – rocker type switch. I. Screw-In A/C Power Fuse Receptacle - chassis-mounted. J. Lamp Power On/Off Rocker Switch - chassis-mounted. K. BNC Power Socket 12V - chassis-mounted for gooseneck light. L. Mono Output - ¼” chassis mounted metal jack on rear panel of StroboRack for audio reference tone output. M.
StroboRackTM Rear Panel (With SR-EXTM PRO Expander Module Installed) A/C Power ON/OFF H A/C Power Receptacle I Lamp ON/OFF Switch Channel Selector Footswitch Input (TRS) J Mute/Preset Footswitch Input (TRS) M K Goose-Neck Light Socket (BNC) L Audio Tones Out N #2 Output (TS) R O GND/ LIFT SWITCH #1 Output (TS) P DI Output (XLR) S Combo Input (XLR TRS TS) T Q DI Input (TS) 9
StroboRackTM Rear Panel Features (With SR-EX PRO Expander Module Installed) H. A/C ON/OFF Power Switch – rocker. I. A/C Power Receptacle - chassis-mounted. J. Lamp Power On/Off Rocker Switch - chassis-mounted. K. BNC Power Socket 12V - chassis-mounted for gooseneck lamp. L. Audio Tones Output - ¼” chassis mounted metal jack on rear panel of StroboRack for audio reference tone output. M.
StroboRackTM Front Panel Screens There are three screens on the front panel: 1. Note Screen This screen displays the note currently being tuned/ tracked by the tuner and its octave represented by a number. Please note that if nothing is plugged into the input jacks, the StroboRack’s built-in mic is automatically enabled and will pick up whatever sounds are in the vicinity. 2. Strobe Screen This screen displays the stroboscopic tuning image.
StroboRackTM Front Panel Controls There are seven buttons on the front panel of the StroboRack. One is on the left, which mutes the tuner’s output(s). The adjacent blue LED indicates the status of the mute function. When this LED is lit, the tuner’s output(s) are muted for silent tuning; when the LED is off, the outputs are un-muted and the instrument signal passes through the tuner unhindered.
MENU BUTTON When pressed, a list of parameters appears. Rotating the data wheel can individually highlight each one. The parameters under the MENU button include: AUTO – Controls whether the tuner or the user selects notes to be tuned (AUTOmatically or MANually). AUTO is the default. 1. Highlight the parameter by rotating data wheel ; 2. Select by pressing the data wheel ; 3. Edit to Manual operation by once again rotating the data wheel.
A440.0 – Controls the concert pitch in 0.5Hz increments. The adjustment range is 390.0Hz to 490.0Hz. The default value is 440.0Hz. 1. Highlight the parameter by rotating the data wheel ; 2. Select by pressing data wheel ; 3. Edit the concert pitch by once again rotating the data wheel . Press the SAVE button if you wish to save the new value to memory. PROG SWT – Allows the programming of user-defined Sweeteners. 1. Highlight the parameter by rotating the data wheel; 2.
7. When all notes are programmed press the SAVE button to save to the StroboRack’s memory OR; TM 8. Give the Sweetener a custom name. Rotate the data wheel to scroll through letters and numbers. When the desired character is displayed, press the wheel to advance to the next space: 8 spaces are available. When naming is complete, press the SAVE button.
SCRN SVR. - Controls the StroboRack’s built-in Screen-Saver/ Marquee that appears when the tuner is bypassed. Preset static, scrolling and flashing marquees are selectable as well as the ability to create a custom user marquee to display a band name, a website or a song. An immobile logo can be used to avoid distracting an audience whereas a scrolling or flashing message can call their attention to the name of the band, the next gig, a nickname etc.
CHOOSING A PRESET MESSAGE FOR THE MARQUEE/SCREEN SAVER 1, Rotate the data wheel to highlight the parameter. 2. Press the wheel to view choices. The first is the strobe image. Selecting this means the image will track whether the tuner is muted or not. “STROBO” causes an immobile StroboRack logo to appear when the tuner is bypassed. “PRE NAME” causes the current preset name to appear. “CUSTOM” causes whatever message the owner has programmed to appear .
CENTS BUTTON When this button is pressed, the cent value is highlighted (default is 00.0 cents). Use the data wheel to enter a plus value (clockwise), or a minus value. This value is active only as long as the tuner is switched on. This feature may be used to TM quickly (temporarily) align the StroboRack to an out-of-tune piano in order to allow subsequent tuning of other instruments to match.
DROP TUNING BUTTON This allows the user to drop-tune the present tuning to anywhere. Use the data wheel to enter the drop tune value; -1 means one half-step (semitone) down, -2 means two half-steps down etc. SAVE BUTTON The SAVE button gives the user access to the SAVE page. The data wheel allows the active parameters to be saved, deleted, replaced, added, or no action taken (Quit). AUDIO TONES TM Audio reference signals are available from the Sound Out jack on the rear panel of the StroboRack .
Peterson Sweeteners TM NAME SWEETENERS 01 EQU Equal Temperament 02 GTR Sweetened Guitar 03 ACU Acoustic Guitar 04 DAD Sweetened DADGAD 05 G12 12 String (Standard Strings) 06 G12 12 String (Octave Strings) 07 BRT Sweetened Baritone Guitar 08 BAS Sweetened Bass Guitar 09 BFE Buzz Feiten® Electric Guitar 10 BFEIN Buzz Feiten® Electric Guitar Intonation 11 BFB Buzz Feiten® Bass Guitar 12 BFBIN Buzz Feiten® Bass Guitar Intonation 13 BFA Buzz Feiten® Acoustic Guitar 14 BF12 Buzz Feiten® 12 String (Std.
A Word About Peterson Sweeteners A “Sweetener” is a group of twelve or fewer notes, which are precisely and individually adjusted in degrees of sharpness and flatness to sweeten the tuning of instruments using a Peterson tuner. Many musicians are familiar with having to tweak their instrument’s tuning after using a digital tuner. Peterson’s Sweeteners make this unnecessary. ® The Sweetener’s names are simply a guide; for example, the Dobro settings can be used for tuning any guitar to open A, D or G.
A Word About Temperaments Musical temperaments are systems used to determine where each note in the octave (12 notes) is to be placed in relation to the others. The most commonly used temperament in modern music is the Equal Temperament, in which the “space” or interval between each note and its immediate neighbor is always 100.0 cents. However, there are many other methods used to divide the octave. These temperaments are called Unequal.
Setting up Presets on the Peterson StroboRack™ In the StroboRack, a preset is a combination of a choice of Sweetener and Dropped tuning value. It’s possible to create a list of these presets which can be named and recalled by hand or with the remote footswitch* in any sequence. When a preset is activated, its name flashes briefly on the large center strobe display before reverting to the strobe image and tuning can commence. To program a preset: 1.
6. Press the data wheel to proceed to the renaming page. 7. Rotate the data wheel to name the preset (if not required, skip this step and proceed to step 8) 8. Press the Save button to save the preset and name. *With optional SR-EX Expander only Recalling Presets Press the Preset button and use the data wheel to scroll through the presets. If the SR-EX Expander is installed, connect a dual latching footswitch to the rear panel socket marked MUTE/PRESET.
Setting Guitar & Bass Intonation Using Your Peterson StroboRack™ After deciding on string gauge, setting string height (nut & bridge), neck relief, and all other factors that affect the guitar’s intonation considerably, the individual string lengths need to be adjusted. For this task, use Equal temperament in the StroboRack’s SWT menu. Lower the pickups away from the strings to avoid "doubling" and electromagnetic pull.
User-Programmable Sweeteners™ There are eight user-programmable Sweetener settings in the StroboRack recall anytime. TM (S-1 to S-8). The user can specify a Sweetener and program it into the StroboRack for Rear Panel Lamp Lamp ON/OFF Switch BNC Lamp Socket TM A BNC socket and ON/OFF switch allows the adding of an optional gooseneck lamp to the rear panel of the StroboRack . This lamp can be useful as a work light or as additional lighting to prevent accidents on dark stages.
StroboRack™ SR-EX PRO Expander Module INSTALLATION Install the SR-EX PRO Expander according to the included instructions. GENERAL With the Expander installed, the StroboRack’s input, routing and patching possibilities are vastly increased, but the operation of the tuner remains the same as do all front panel functions and procedures.
Tips To Keep Your Instrument In Tune 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Wash your hands before playing Allow the instrument to reach room temperature before tuning Always tune up to the target pitch, never down Keep the instrument at a constant temperature while playing Check your tuning frequently Wipe down your instrument with a cloth after playing Change strings as frequently as your budget allows If changing string type/gauge, re-intonate/ regulate the instrument On fretted instruments, check for fret wear Cle
Tuning Violin, Viola or Cello TM The StroboRack contains the first and only preset pure fifths for violin, viola and cello. Tune using the bow, as plucking the strings does not allow for string deflection due to the weight of the bow. For quick tuning in adverse conditions, plug a Peterson TP pickup into the StroboRack and attach the pickup to the instrument to be tuned.
StroboRackTM Signal Routing 1: Instrument – StroboRack - 1 Amp (Example: Electric Guitar/Bass/Steel) Notes: Input Signal: Input A or B (A overrides B) - Mono (TS unbalanced)* Output Signal: Mono Footswitch (or Mute button) mutes signal for silent tuning TS Mute Switch *Input: Standard cable with mono (TS) ¼” plug 30 Signal From Front or Rear Panel Input Jack TS* To Amp/FX
StroboRackTM Signal Routing with Optional SR-EX Expander 1: Instrument – StroboRack - 1 Amp (Example: Electric Guitar/Bass/Steel) Notes: Input Signal: Input A or B (A overrides B) Mono (TS unbalanced)* Output Signal: Mono Dual Footswitch mutes output for silent tuning and remotely controls presets.
2: Instrument - StroboRackTM - 2 Amps (Example: Electric Guitar/Bass/Steel) Notes: Input Signal: Input B only Mono signal on bridged ¼ TRS plug* Output Signals: 2 Mono Dual Footswitch - 1. mutes all outputs for silent tuning 2. Remotely controls presets.
StroboRackTM - 2 Amps Switchable (Example: Electric Guitar) Notes: Input Signal: Input B only - Mono to bridged ¼” TRS plug* Output Signals: 2 Mono Dual Footswitch selects output channels Second Dual footswitch mutes all outputs for silent tuning and remotely controls presets.
4: Instrument – StroboRackTM - Amp – PA (Example: Electric Bass) Notes: Input Signal: Input A or B (A overrides B) Mono (TS)* Output Signals: 1 Mono (TS unbalanced), 1 Balanced (XLR) Footswitch/Mute Button mutes output 1 and DI output for silent tuning TRS Mute Switch *Input: Standard cable with mono (TS) ¼” plug 34 To PA Console XLR Signal From Front Panel Input Jack A TS* To Amp/FX TS Signal From Rear Panel Input Jack B TS*
5: Instrument - StroboRackTM- PA (Example: Electro-Acoustic Guitar) Notes: Input Signal: Input A or B (A overrides B) Mono (TS)* Output Signals: 1 Balanced (XLR), 1 Mono Dual Footswitch mutes all outputs for silent tuning and remotely controls presets TRS Mute Switch To PA Console XLR Signal From Front Panel Input Jack A TS* To acoustic amp Signal From Rear Panel Input Jack B TS* *Input: Standard cable with mono (TS) ¼” plug 35
6: Instrument - StroboRack- 2 Amps – PA (Example: Electric Bass) Notes: Input Signal: Input B only - Mono to bridged TRS jack plug* Output Signals: 1 Mono (TS unbalanced), 1 Balanced (XLR) Dual Footswitch mutes all outputs for silent tuning and remotely controls presets TRS Mute Switch *Input: Mono cable bridged to stereo ¼” plug 36 To PA Console XLR To Amp/FX 1 TS To Amp/FX 2 TS Signal From Rear Panel Input Jack B TRS*
7: Stereo Instrument - StroboRackTM- 1 Amp – PA (Example: Hybrid Guitar/Bass) Notes: Input Signal: Input B only - Stereo (TRS Unbalanced)* Tip to output 1, Ring to output 2 Output Signals: 2 Mono (TS unbalanced), 1 Balanced (XLR) The two input signals are kept separate throughout the tuner. Dual footswitch: 1. Mutes all outputs and 2. Allows remote control of presets.
8: Dual Mono Instrument - StroboRack- 2 Amps - (Ex: Stick/Tap/Touch Instr.) Notes: Input Signals: Input B only - 2 Mono (TRS Unbalanced)* Tip to output 1, Ring to output 2 Output Signals: ¼” Mono unbalanced x 2, XLR balanced The two input signals are kept separate throughout the tuner. TRS Footswitch mutes all outputs and allows remote control of presets. Second dual footswitch selects outputs 1 & 2. If required, connect Output 2 to DI externally using a patch cord (see Example 7).
Microphone/Balanced Instrument - StroboRackTM – PA (Example: Studio) Notes: Input Signal: Input B only Balanced XLR* Output Signal: Balanced DI circuitry is disabled automatically as the signal is already balanced. Footswitch or mute button mutes balanced output for silent tuning.
Frequently Asked Questions TM Q. I’m a guitar player who tunes to low C (4 half steps down). Can I still use the Sweeteners A. Yes. Select GTR and use the DROP control at –4. (like GTR)? Q. I play a 5-String violin, does the VLN preset allow for that? A. Yes, low C is pre-programmed to be a perfect fifth below G. Q. I play pedal steel guitar, how do I get the tuner to always power up with the E9 Sweetener active? A. Choose either S-E9 or 0-E9 and assign that sweetener to a preset. Q.
peterson VS-R STROBORack ™ Warranty We warrant this product to be free of defects in materials or workmanship for a period of one year after delivery to the original purchaser. Our obligation under this warranty is limited to the replacement or repair of any part or parts which prove upon our examination to be defective. This warranty does not apply to damage resulting from transportation, misuse, abuse, or alteration. The complete unit must be returned to our factory, transportation charges prepaid.
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