User guide

True to the Music
PZ-Pre User Guide
Radial Engineering Ltd.
True to the Music
Radial Engineering Ltd. PZ-Pre User Guide
Magnetic or Piezo Pickups with On-board Preamp
Many electrif ed acoustic instruments feature an on-board preamp
that works with internal pickup systems. The pickups may be
passive magnetic, piezo or a combination of both types. These
instruments are referred to as “active” because there is a preamp
between the pickups and the instrument output that requires a
power source such as a battery. The preamp controls are usually
mounted on the side of the instrument.
Active instruments produce a signal that can connect to the PZ-
Pre without the need to engage the piezo buffer. The instrument's
on-board preamp will buffer the signal and the output can connect
directly to the PZ-Pre with an instrument cable.
1110
OUTPUT CONNECTIONS
The PZ-Pre is equipped with four outputs, each of which is
designed for specif c tasks to address various needs on stage.
Instrument Amplifi er Output
This ¼” guitar level output is designed to feed an on-stage guitar
amplif er. Think of this output as your own personal ‘world’ where
you create your sound and get inspired. You may even set up a
mic in front of your stage amp so the FOH engineer can mix in
your effects with his room mix.
Tuner Output
This ¼” output is separately buf fered so that connecting an
electronic tuner will not have any ef fect on the instrument tone
because of impedance loading. When the MUTE footswitch is
depressed, all other outputs are turned off while the tuner output
remains active. This lets you quietly tune on stage or change
instruments without disrupting the audience.
Pre-EQ and Effects XLR (Dry Direct Box) Output
This balanced mic level XLR output is designed to go into the PA
system. It is ‘dry’ and unprocessed so that the FOH engineer can
treat this signal to optimize the sound in the P A. For instance,
you may want reverb on stage, but in an arena, this is likely the
last thing that is needed. This is also a great place to connect a
recorder if you plan to produce a CD afterwards. With a clean,
unprocessed track, you can add effects such as reverb or chorus
in post-production or even re-amplify the signal using the Radial
X-Amp. None of the ef fects, EQ or notch f lter will af fect this
output.
Post-EQ and Effects XLR (Wet Direct Box) Output
This is primarily designed to feed stage monitors, but is also where
you would connect your PZ-Pre to the PA if you do not have a FOH
engineer running the PA system. For monitoring, you can have all
of your effects on and create the stage mix that sounds best to
you without interfering with what the FOH engineer may require.
The FOH engineer can receive the dry, unprocessed signal from
the Pre-EQ XLR output. You can also send a wet mix to the house
PA and the FOH engineer can combine both feeds!
On-board Preamp
Controls
Combination Pickup Systems
Each type of pickup system has strengths and weaknesses, and
some players may use a combination of pickups to create a more
natural tone than either pickup system can produce alone.
You can connect both a magnetic and piezo pickup and use
the unique BLEND-MIX feature to blend the outputs together .
Alternatively, the PZ-Pre can toggle between the pickups to use
the one that best suits the song being played.
Bridge Saddle Piezo
Magnetic Pickup
Stereo TRS
Output Jack