USER’S MANUAL G-Force GUITAR EFFECTS PROCESSOR
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS The lightning flash with an arrowhead symbol within an equilateral triangle, is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated "dangerous voltage" within the product's enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS EMC / EMI. This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B Digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in residential installations. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications.
TABLE OF CONTENTS About this Manual WELCOME Foreword by Palle Schultz FROM THE USERS POINT OF VIEW Buttons, Knobs, Controllers and other functions QUICK REFERENCE THE FRONT PANEL Inputs, Outputs THE REAR PANEL THE SIGNAL FLOW HOW TO… build a User Preset, connect the Modifiers, setup an Expression Pedal etc.
WELCOME Congratulations Congratulations on the purchase of your new G-Force. We hope that you have as much pleasure using it as we had making it. The G-Force is carefully designed to produce the ultimate guitar effects. To achieve this, we supplied you with eight un-compromised, simultaneous effects. This means that the G-Force has the power to run all eight effects without losing sound quality.
FROM A USERS POINT OF VIEW Foreword by Palle Schultz, a guitar player with 10 years experience. From a users point of view If you ditch your beloved stomp boxes and invest your money in a multi- effects unit, you'll most likely lose the simplicity and flexibility of your pedal arrangement. You'll often have to deal with phone book sized manuals and interfaces made by and for computer experts. These circumstances often drive creative people and musicians away from such space-age machinery.
QUICK REFERENCE General Control General control of the G-Force is accomplished by dialing the Parameter wheel to change parameters, and the Value wheel to change values. In many of the displays you can select different menus by pressing the < > Arrow keys e.g., in the Effects display you can select between Mix, Edit, Routing and Layout. Press Enter to carry out an action (for example, when recalling a preset). Recall Press Recall (if you are not already there).
THE FRONT PANEL POWER Press and hold the Power switch for about 3 seconds, then release to power off. METERS These meters indicate the level of Left and Right inputs. IN/OUT KNOBS The overall Input level is adjusted via the knob in the upper left corner of the GForce. The Input should average approx. -3 to -6 dB on the Input meters. Set your output level using the Output knob. The Input level of the GForce automatically optimizes the signal to noise ratio via a small relay in the input section.
OVERALL BYPASS The Bypass key in the upper left corner is the overall bypass. With this key you can bypass all effects in the G-Force simultaneously. Note: If the Killdry function (in the I/O Setup Audio menu) is active, the G-Force will be muted. This means that no sound will pass through. TUNER Press this key to enter Tuner mode. TEMPO Tap the global tempo using the Tempo key. Note: this may affect the current preset. Pressing the Tempo key will enable the Tempo pop-up menu.
THE REAR PANEL Main Power Switch Hi-Z Balanced Serial no. Unbalanced Outputs Inputs S/PDIF Digital In/Out MIDI External In,Thru,Out Control Input Notes: The G-Force Input jacks are unbalanced. The Output jacks are balanced. If you are connecting the Outputs via stereo jacks to unbalanced equipment, you must tie ring and sleeve together in the cable ends away from the G-Force. You can always use standard mono guitar cables to connect G-Force.
THE SIGNAL FLOW Input gain Input selector Bypass Analog input Digital input Output gain Analog output (balanced) Digital output Notes regarding the signal flow: Signal is always present at both the Analog and Digital outputs. G-Force is limited to 44.1kHz sample rate at both Analog and Digital inputs. The Input level of the G-Force automatically optimizes the signal to noise ratio via a small relay in the input section.
HOW TO How to build a User preset This is a step by step guide to some of the main functions used when building your own presets. Start by Recalling factory preset #225 called “Empty Routing”: - Press Recall. - Dial the Value wheel until you see preset 225. - Press Enter to recall the current preset. Setting up an Effect There are two ways of inserting an effect. Let’s start by setting up a Reverb. - Press the Effects key. - Use the < > Arrow keys to select the Routing display.
HOW TO Moving all blocks using the Layout It suddenly comes to my mind that we need a Compressor in front of the Delay and Reverb. Let’s try to move the Delay and Reverb block: - Press the > Arrow right to move to the Layout display. - Dial the Value wheel to “Move R”. - Dial the Parameter wheel fully counter clockwise and press Enter to move the two blocks to the right. - Press the < Arrow left key once to select the Routing display.
HOW TO - Change the curve by setting the three input parameters. If you want the Delay to stay down while you play, Low input should be 100%, and High input should be 0%. Experiment with these values. Connecting Your Expression pedal can be connected in two ways, either directly to the “External control” jack on the back panel of the G-Force, or via a MIDI board. Press Exit to leave the Link display. If you want remove the link simply press Exit again.
HOW TO - Scroll horizontal until you see Ext1 in the top line of the display, using the Value wheel. - Scroll vertically using the Parameter wheel until the cursor is placed on the line where Pitch “In level” and “Ext1” meet. - Press Enter to connect the two parameters. You now have your pedal connected to the In level of the Pitcher, which means that you can control the amount of pitch with your foot. The function of the pedal is stored with the preset.
SETUPS G-Force Setup The G-Force is carefully designed to perform all the basic effects needed in a guitar setup. Because the G-Force can be used in a number of applications we propose a few different setups. Be sure that your amplifiers are turned off while connecting the G-Force. Turn on the G-Force before your amplifiers.
RECALL The Recall Display Select which blocks will be loaded from new preset Preserving the tail of Reverbs and Delays at preset change Spillover from one preset to another can be obtained by using the same sub-algorithm, and combination of Mute mode = “Fx In” and bypassing the current block. Example: If you want to leave a Delay tail hanging over a preset change, you must be sure to keep the same subalgorithm in both presets.
STORE Store a new User preset - Press the Store key. - Select a location for your new preset. (the G-Force can hold 100 User presets). - Move the cursor to the new name line and dial in the new Preset name (find letter or number with the Value wheel and confirm with the Enter key). - Set Cursor to DONE and press Enter to complete the store operation. Quick Store with the same name If you want to store an edited Factory preset with the same name, simply press Store and Enter.
EFFECTS Selected Double click on the block bypass key of the effect you want to edit Select Out and press Enter to edit Speaker filters Select In and press Enter to edit Noise Gate Selected Double click on the block bypass key of the effect you want to insert or dial Value wheel to find new effect and press Enter to insert. Dial Parameter wheel to select effect and press Enter to edit right away.
EFFECTS If you want to Edit one of the eight effects, press the Effects key. In the header of the effects display you can choose between - Mix, Edit, Routing, and Layout. By using the < > Arrow keys you can step between the four displays. If an effect is bypassed, it will appear with no bottom line. Editing an effect Press the Effects key and select the Edit display (using the < > Arrow keys).
I/O SETUP preserve their internal relationships by keeping the mix level of the effect. Input selector Input signal Kills all dry signal Digital clock indicator The parameters in the I/O Setup contain setups of all the G-Force’s external connections: - MIDI, Pedal, Digital and Analog Audio. In the I/O Setup display, you can select between MIDI, Control and Audio using the < > Arrow keys. All settings of the I/O Setup are global, i.e. they do not change with the preset.
I/O SETUP not. If your MIDI device or foot controller is capable of using this function, you should select Fine or Coarse. (Please refer to your MIDI device/Foot Controller owners manual to make sure which type the current product is using). If set to “disabled”, the G-Force will act as a standard MIDI product. Bank size The bank size is used to adapt the G-Force to different board manufacturers when recalling preset above #128. In most cases this parameter should be set at 128, but in some cases e.g.
I/O SETUP Ext. Controllers There are two ways to connect an expression pedal to the G-Force. One way is to connect it directly to the External Control jack on the back panel of the G-Force. The other way is to connect it via a foot-controller, i.e. as a MIDI controller. To make it easy for you to set up a pedal, we designed a Learn function. Place the cursor on the parameter you want to control, press Enter to activate Learn, and press your pedal.
I/O SETUP How the Modifiers are connected The basic flow of both the internal and external controllers is explained in this chapter. In the G-Force you have a number of external controller inputs. These can be MIDI controllers, MIDI program change, the GForce Ext. input 1/4” jack etc. These inputs must be connected to eight virtual handles named Ext. 1-8. The eight handles (Ext. 1-8) can be connected to a large number of algorithm parameters via the Modifier Matrix (see Matrix for further details).
MODIFIER Matrix Cursor Link When you have two lines connected, (i.e. Ext.1 connected to Tremolo speed) it is possible to make a transformation between the two lines. Move the cursor to the dot connecting the two lines and press Enter to enter the Link display. Connection Point Parameter List The Matrix is where you connect your External pedals (set up in I/O Setup, Ext. Input) or the internal Modifiers to the parameters you want to control.
MODIFIER Glide time With this parameter you can set a minimum time that the parameter should use to go from maximum to minimum or vice versa, meaning that even though you move your expression pedal from min. to max. in a split second, the current parameter will still take some time to go through the same range. Modifiers This is the display where you set up the parameters for the internal modifiers.
MODIFIER ADSR 1&2 ADSR’s are used to play short sequences triggered by the audio input. You set up a number of terms to describe the current sequence, and a trigger level also known as Threshold. Attack The Attack or rise time of the curve i.e. how long it takes to go from minimum to maximum level. Decay Sets how long it takes the curve to fall back from maximum to Sustain level. Sustain The amount of time that the ADSR will hold the Sustain level.
MODIFIER UTILITY Pulsewidth Out2 phase -An LFO phase change causes a small delay in the second waveform starting point. This means that out 1 and 2 start the current waveform at two different points. Example: If Out2 phase is set to 180 degrees, Out 1 and 2 will be exactly opposite. Dials In the Utility display, you can choose between Config. and Billboard. Use the < > Arrow keys to select between the two displays. Config. User Interaction In the config.
UTILITY set by the Mix parameter in each block and “Input/Output” will mute the direct signal at preset change. Extern Modifier Input This function sets how externally controlled parameters should react at preset change. Reset - Will preset the controlled parameter to the value stored in the preset. At the first movement of the External controller, the parameter will be captured. Preserve - Will preserve the value of the external controller, meaning that the controlled parameter will start this value.
UTILITY MIDI to User bank Connect the storing device to the G-Force’s MIDI In and press Enter. The G-Force is now ready to receive a MIDI bulk dump containing User presets. WARNING: This action will overwrite ALL User presets. Billboard Scrolling Speed Activity Activity Preset change Always show tuner Run message Message string Edit message Billboard In the Billboard display you can setup a number of terms for the Billboard. Scrolling Speed Sets the scrolling speed of the Billboard.
TEMPO Tapped or dialed BPM Set override On/Off Tapped tempo in ms. Tempo Set the global tempo by tapping the Tempo key. The global tempo can be used as a common tempo guide in all presets. All Delay algorithms and all algorithms containing a speed are able to use the global tempo. Tapping a tempo into a Delay All Delay and Speed parameters have links to the Global Tempo menu. This means that a tapped tempo can be used in any presets that have these parameters.
TUNER Choose Detect or manual note selection Master Tune Billboard is always Tuner Mute when Tuner is active The Tuner display When pressing the Tuner key, you access the Tuner display. In the Tuner display, you have four setup parameters. Entering the Tuner display also activates the Tuner guides on both the Billboard and the Gain reduction meters. Tuning Note With this parameter you can either choose the Detect mode or you can manually select which note you want to tune.
THE BLOCKS Algorithms This chapter will go through all Edit parameters in the eight blocks and the Input and Output sections. Mute mode The eight effect blocks all have a number of different Mute modes. They are located as the last parameter in the Edit list of each block. The idea is that you can decide how every single block should react when you push the current blocks bypass key on the front panel.
THE BLOCKS Release rate The Release rate sets the speed that the Noise Gate damps with, meaning if the parameter is set to 100dB pr. second, the Noise Gate will damp very quickly. Level This level control can be used for controlling the In Level of the different presets. By setting the Level at 6dB, in all your basic presets, you reserve a little extra level for your lead presets. The Level parameter is also found in the Modifier Matrix, and can therefore be controlled via pedal or MIDI.
THE BLOCKS Parametric Equalizer The parametric EQ contains two shelving filters (#1 and #5) and three bell filters (#2, #3, #4). A low shelving filter is a filter that works from a certain target frequency and down, meaning everything below the target frequency will be adjusted. A high shelving filter is equal to low shelving but now all the frequencies above the target are adjusted. A bell filter is a filter that works around a target.
THE BLOCKS Out Level Controls the output level of the block. Mute mode See Mute mode in the introduction of this chapter. Wah Wah FORMANT CURVE Start The Starting point of the formant curve. Thru The Thru point of the curve WAH WAH Freq The frequency of the Wah Wah. Connect this parameter to an LFO, ENV or an expression pedal and you will get Autowah, Touchwah, or Manual Wah. Instrument mode This parameter changes the range of the Wah Wah between guitar and bass ranges.
THE BLOCKS Phaser Out Level Controls the output level of the block. Mute mode See Mute mode in the introduction of this chapter. Pan+Trem block PHASER Speed Controls the speed of the Phaser. Tempo The Tempo parameter sets the relationship to the global Tempo e.g. if you set it to 1/4T you will get quarter note triplets of the tapped tempo. 1/4 equals the BPM (tapped Tempo). If you select “Ignored” the current parameter will use the Preset value and will not be affected by the Global Tempo.
THE BLOCKS Curve (only in Advanced) Sets the curve of the LFO. Choose between: Square, Sine, or Triangle. The most common LFO curve in Tremolo is Triangle. Square Triangle Sine Try the Square waveform with 100% Depth, to get holes in your guitar sound (called Transforming). Pulsewidth (only in Advanced) Controls the division of the upper and lower part of the current waveform, e.g. if Pulsewidth is set to 75%, the upper half of the waveform will be on for 75% of the time.
THE BLOCKS Large increments of the Pan Center, in combination with a broad Depth will cause the Panner to pan beyond a normal stereo image. Width (only in Surround Panner) Controls the Width of the Panner. When Width is set to more than 100%, the Panner will pan beyond a normal stereo image. Check it out. Mix Mix between direct sound and effect. In Level Controls the input level of the block. Out Level Controls the output level of the block. Mute mode See Mute mode in the introduction of this chapter.
THE BLOCKS Level 1-2 Sets the level of the two pitch voices. Pan Position 1-2 Controls the panning of each of the two pitch voices. Mix Mix between direct sound and effect. In Level Controls the input level of the block. Feedback 1-2 Sets the amount of Feedback on the two voices. This can create really weird effects since the signal will be pitched over and over meaning that it will rise/fall more and more over a period of time. Out Level Controls the output level of the Intelligent Pitcher block.
THE BLOCKS Out Level Controls the output level of the Pitch block. Mute mode See Mute mode in the introduction of this chapter Detune Voice 1-2 Sets the amount of pitch on each of the two voices. Maximum pitch is +/- 50 cents. Delay 1-2 Sets the Delay of the each of the two voices. Maximum delay time per voice is 400 ms. Pan Position 1-2 Controls the panning of each of the two detune voices. Delay The Delay block has five different sub-algorithms: Stereo, Dual, Dual Two-tap, One-tap and Quad-tap.
THE BLOCKS Lowcut Cuts off frequencies lower than the selected frequency. The slope of the filter is 12dB/octave. If you select “Ignored” the current parameter will use the Preset value and will not be affected by the Global Tempo. Highcut Cuts off frequencies higher than the selected frequency. So if you feel that there is too much treble in your signal, you remove this by adjusting the highcut filter down. The slope of the filter is 12dB/octave.
THE BLOCKS Mute mode See Mute mode in the introduction of this chapter. Pan position 1-2 Controls the panning of the two Delay taps. Lowcut 1-2 Cuts off frequencies lower than the selected frequency. The slope of the filter is 12dB/octave. Highcut 1-2 Cuts off frequencies higher than the selected frequency. So if you feel that there is too much treble in your signal, you remove this by adjusting the highcut filter down. The slope of the filter is 12dB/octave.
THE BLOCKS One Tap Delay Time Sets the delay time. Maximum delay time is 1480 ms. Tempo The Tempo parameter sets the relationship to the global Tempo e.g. if you set it to 1/4T you will get quarter note triplets of the tapped tempo. 1/4 equals the BPM (tapped Tempo). If you select “Ignored” the current parameter will use the Preset value and will not be affected by the Global Tempo. Feedback Adjusts the amount of Feedback. Pan position Controls the panning of the Delay.
THE BLOCKS Mix Mix between direct sound and effect. In Level Controls the input level of the block. QUAD TAP DELAY Quad Tap Delay Tap 1-4 Sets the delay time of the four taps. Maximum delay time per tap is 1480 ms. Tempo 1-4 The Tempo parameter sets the relationship to the global Tempo e.g. if you set it to 1/4T you will get quarter note triplets of the tapped tempo. 1/4 equals the BPM (tapped Tempo).
THE BLOCKS Out Drive Outdrive is simulating the kind of distortion that you would get from the output stage of an amplifier. Mix Mix between direct sound and effect. In Level Controls the input level of the block. Out Level Controls the output level of the Drive block. Connect this parameter to the Envelope follower in the Modifier Matrix to eliminate noise from the Drive. Mute mode See Mute mode in the introduction of this chapter.
THE BLOCKS Advanced Chorus Advanced Chorus adds some extra parameters like LFO Phase and Curve. Speed The speed of the Chorus, also known as Rate. Tempo The Tempo parameter sets the relationship to the global Tempo e.g. if you set it to 1/4T you will get quarter note triplets of the tapped tempo. 1/4 equals the BPM (tapped Tempo). If you select “Ignored” the current parameter will use the Preset value and will not be affected by the Global Tempo.
THE BLOCKS Depth Adjusts the depth of the Flanger, also known as Intensity. Feedback Controls the amount of feedback in the Flanger. Note that this parameter can be negative, i.e. feedback in reversed phase. Mix Mix between direct sound and effect. In Level Controls the input level of the block. Golden Ratio Sets the Golden Ratio between Speed and Depth On/Off. If you want to create wild Flanger sounds, you may want to turn the Golden Ratio off.
THE BLOCKS The Reverb Block section to find the tonal balance that suits you. REVERB You will hear a short spatial reverb which sounds a little like a “gated “ reverb. Then at last add the decay by turning up the Decay level in the Decay parameters section and select the decay time that you prefer. You will also hear that you are able to create a very spatially wide and deep stereo reverb, with a relatively short and low level decay.
THE BLOCKS High color Sets the treble color of the decay. When Color in the Room section of the algorithm is set to Auto, it also controls the treble factor of the initial room reflections. Wool - Warm - Real - Clear - Bright - Crisp - Glass High factor Emphasizes or reduces the character set by the High color. Range +/-25. Low color Sets the Bass color of the Decay. Thick - Fat - Round - Natural - Light - Tight - Thin - No bass. Low factor Emphasizes or reduces the character set by the Low color.
THE BLOCKS Simple Reverb The Simple Reverb is based on the same algorithm as the Advanced, but the number of parameters are reduced to 5. This makes it possible for you to set up the Reverb easily and quickly Type Sets the type of the Reverb, meaning the size and relationship between Predelay, Early reflections and Decay automatically. (See Advanced Reverb for further explanation). Types: Room, Club, Hall, Church, Cathedral, Grand Hall, Fast Decay, Slow Decay, Plate, Spring.
THE RESET PAGE Store and load your own default settings Enter User Data page Reset system parameters Clear all user presets Test Programs Type your name here and your phone number How to enter the Reset page Hold the Overall Bypass key pressed during power-up. Move the marker using teh Parameter wheel and press Enter to select the RESET type you desire. Load User Defaults This will reset all system parameters back to a default setup made by you (See Store User Def).
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS Analog Inputs Connectors: Impedance: Max. Input Level: Sensitivity: A to D Conversion: A to D Delay: Dynamic Range: THD: Frequency Response: Crosstalk: 1/4" phone jack, unbalanced (Ring: grounded) 1 MOhm +21 dBu @ 15 dB headroom: -26 dBu to +6 dBu 24 bit (1 bit, 128 times oversampling) 0,9 ms @ 44.1 kHz >105 dB 0.003% @ 1 kHz, 6 dB below full scale +0/-0.5 dB (20 Hz - 20 kHz) <-60 dB (20 Hz - 20 kHz) Analog Outputs Connectors: Impedance: Max.
TROUBLESHOOTING You are not getting any sound through the G-Force when you bypass it. - You selected Killdry ON, in the I/O Setup, Audio menu. You press Power switch, but there is no reaction. - The power switch on the rear panel is switched off. You can not turn the power off. - Press and hold the Power switch for 3 seconds, then release to power off No sound through the G-Force. - You are using Analog input, but the input selector in I/O Setup, Audio menu is set to Digital.
MIDI IMPLEMENTATION CHART EFFECTS PROCESSOR G-Force - May 23 th, 1997 Version 1.
SELF TEST PRESS THE BYPASS KEY, WHILE POWERING UP, TO ACCESS THE SELF-TEST AND SELECT »RUN TEST PROGRAM« Turn the Value Wheel to scroll through Self tests Key test Select Key test by pressing Enter. The keys must be pressed in the order they are requested by the G-Force to pass the test. Press Exit to leave Key test. In/Out knobs test Select In/Out knobs test by pressing Enter. Turn the In/Out knobs to 30 and back to 0 to pass test. Press Exit to leave In/Out test.
PRESET LIST 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Mono Reverb Mono Chorus Mono Dyn Delay Mono Harmony C-Maj Mono Doubler Mono Tremolo Mono Touchwah Mono Phaser Mono Crank It Up Mono Pedal Delay Mono Pedal Pitch Mono Farout Phaser Stereo Reverb Stereo Chorus Stereo Wide Panner Stereo Dyn Delay Stereo Harmony C-Maj Stereo Doubler Stereo Light Tremolo Stereo Summers Strum Clean Clean Clean Clean Clean Clean Clean Clean Clean Clean Clean Clean Clean Clean Clean Clean Clean Clean Clean Clean / /
PRESET LIST 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 A Little Bit Country On The Edge A Clean Fortress Gated Delay 60's Flanging Funky Chorus Flange Yer Face Dream Phaser Churner Clean Clean / Clean Clean / Clean / Clean Clean / Driven Clean 68 69 70 71 72 73 Stereo Tremolo Beatle Chords Phased Tremolo In My Room Spin Off Vibropedal Room Driven Clean Clean Clean Clean / Dirty Clean / Dirty 74 75 76 77 Tremolo + Reverb Day at the Beach Spinner Wahble Gatelike Clean / Dirty Clean Clean / Dirty Clean / Dirty 78 Fi
PRESET LIST 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 Pitch -12 and -5 C+W Diaton Solo in A Eats Your Attack Pedal Octave Down Pedal Octave Up Pitch Dm 5 and 3 Pedal Add Octave Up Flanger Beautyverb Verb Morphed to Dly Dirty Clean Clean Clean Clean Clean Clean Clean Clean 122 123 124 125 126 I've Been Drinking Panner Pedal Picking Style Envelope Filter Nervosa Doubler Distorted Clean / Dirty Clean / Dirty Clean / Dirty Clean / Dirty 127 128 129 Blues Room Hammer to Fall Iron Man Clean Clean Clean 130 131
PRESET LIST 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 Owner Solo Double Fridge Solo Tribute 2 Bootsy War of the Worlds Inside Out Dyn Pan Far Away Vibrato Dynamic Lesley Varispeed Phaser Dark Envelope Filter Touch Wah + Octave Who's Next.
PRESET LIST 219 Auto Resonance Clean / Dirty 220 221 222 223 224 225 Drive 1 Drive 2 Drive 3 Noise Gate Slow Noise Gate Slow Empty Routing Clean Clean Clean Clean Clean Clean / / / / / / Dirty Dirty Dirty Dirty Dirty Dirty A single block with an all-purpose Auto-Resonance Filter. An external LFO controls the Resonance filter. A single block with an all-purpose Drive. A single block with an all-purpose Drive. A single block with an all-purpose Drive. Pretty much what the title says.
