Owner`s manual

Owner's Manual 444
Controlling the 444 via the front panel
Selecting Amplifiers and Cabinets / Switching rules & protection
At this point you hooked up amplifiers and cabinets to the 444. Let's start switching!
You should establish a certain operating process when operating the 444. Either in the operating way via the
front panel switches, when programming midi presets or using control changes, a cabinet has to be chosen
first by pressing the corresponding front panel CABS switch (or the corresponding control change at the midi
send device). It is NOT possible to select an AMP before.
And again, a CABS button can only be selected with a speaker cabinet hooked up to the corresponding
SPEAKER CABINETS jack. Thereby the 444 not only controls if a plug is connected to the SPEAKER
CABINETS jack, but also the attached load for its impedance. Hereby a low impedance is interpreted as a
speaker cabinet, a high impedance could be a non connected cable, a defective speaker cable or even a
speaker in form of a ruptured speaker coil etc. In that case the 444 would refuse the selection and state an
n.c. in the display for 'no connection'. This way the 444 prevents your amplifier from damage because of
running without a load. The display will state an error status (Er).
A short summary:
Select CABS button first. Two cabinets can be selected. If two cabinets are selected, one of the
chosen has to be switched off first, before the 444 lets you select another.
Select AMPS button next. One amp at a time can be selected, which means by selecting another
AMPS button the 444 disables the previously chosen amplifier.
FX Loop
The FX loop option of the 444 allows to assign one single effect unit or even a complex FX rig to any of the
FX loops of your connected amplifiers. That way you are not in need of one effect unit for each amplifier.
Connect your FX or separate looper unit to the FX IN / FX OUT. By pressing the FX LOOP ON/OFF button,
the FX IN / FX OUT are assigned to the selected amplifiers FX loop. Be aware that it can not be activated
without having a cabinet and an amplifier selected before. When engaged, the FX LOOP ON/OFF switch will
light up to show its active status.
When switching between amplifiers, the 444 assigns the FX IN / FX OUT to the selected amp's FX Loop at
the same time.
Amps without FX loop
There are many especially classis amps like Fender Brown-, Black-, Silverfaces, Vox ACs or Marshall
Plexis, JMPs, JCM800s, but also many newer amps in the tradition of those not featuring any kind of
insert between pre- and poweramp such as an FX loop.
The 444 gives you the option of sharing a single FX unit or a complex effect rig not only with any of
your FX loop equipped amp, but also with those classic style amps not featuring an FX loop.
All you need to do is connect the AMP(1-4) SEND and RETURN in front of the amp!!!
This is simply done by patching a short cable from the AMP INPUTs (1-4) to the corresponding AMP(1-
4) SEND. Next connect the RETURN of that FX loop to the ampflifiers input.
Now you can assign the 444s FX loop (FX IN and FX OUT) both in front of your amp without FX loop or
in between pre- and poweramp of your amp with FX loop.
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