Introduction - Mackie hotwire VT12 Owner's Manual

Introduction

Thank you for choosing the Mackie Hotwire VT12
professional guitar amplifier, the world's first Class A/A-B
mode-switching tube guitar amplifier for live performance
and studio recording.
The Hotwire VT12 is a single 12" combo amplifier
combining extremely high power with a remarkably light-
weight, compact package offering players maximum flex-
ibility of features with authentic vacuum tube tonality.
This unique guitar amplifier was created by Greg
Mackie over a period of several years of meticulous
research and design, using proven techniques (okay,
and some trial and error) to fine tune the circuitry and
obtain the sounds for each mode. Other guitar amp
manufacturers use DSP to "model" the sound of various
vacuum tube amplifiers. Greg thought, "Why use DSP
to model tubes when we can simply put tubes in the
amp?" So the VT12 has two 12AX7A tubes in the preamp
section, which can be literally rewired, or "Hotwired," to
create different tube circuits by using the Mode control.
The VT12 comes with 12 Factory Modes, with the capa-
bility to modify and store them, and recall the original
Factory Modes at any time using the VT12's control
panel application (more on that later).
These modes serve as the basis to create presets,
which can also be stored in memory. You can create
up to 96 presets (24 banks of 4 channels each: Clean,
Crunch, Overdrive, and Lead). The distortion sounds
are created by the tube circuitry for that genuine tube
overdrive sound.
A 1.35" compression driver is included for high-
frequency enhancement of the Line, Acoustic, and Hi-Fi
modes. Thus, the VT12 can become a full-range system
for acoustic guitars, keyboards, microphones, and other
sources. There is a microphone input on the rear panel,
so as an example you could sing through the micro-
phone in full-range mode while the guitar is routed
through the tubes and limited to the 12" speaker.
Of course, standard tone stack controls are provided;
Bass, Middle, and Treble, along with a Presence control.
Standard effects controls are also included; Modulation,
Delay, and Reverb, with numerous types to choose from
for each effect.
There is a unique Output Power control, with set-
tings from 120 watts down to 1 watt. Each click of the
control reduces the output power by 3 dB (or one-half),
Most guitar players like the sound of their amp at high
volumes, but can't always play it that loud (rehearsal,
small clubs, etc.). The Output Power control allows you
to retain the soft overload and distortion characteristics
of the amplifier without the high volume.
A USB connection is provided on the rear panel for
connecting to your computer. You can install the VT12
control panel application on your computer (PC or Ma-
cintosh), which gives you access to even more editing of
user modes, presets, speaker EQ curves, and effects set-
tings. It also allows you to stream audio from the VT12
to your computer's DAW application for recording.
An optional foot pedal board is available (PB-1) for
switching channels, changing banks, wah, volume, and
expression foot control, and controlling the VT12's ten-
second onboard loop recorder, with unlimited overdubbing
capability. A simpler four-button footswitch (PB-4) is
also available that can switch among the four channels.
The features built into the VT12 go on and on, so we've
listed them below to provide a quick overview of all of
them. Be sure to read the "Getting Started" section next.
It will help you quickly understand how the VT12 works,
and have you enjoying your new guitar amp in no time.
VT12 Features
• Authentic tube amplifier tone, ranging from Hi-Fi
clean sounds to full-on high gain distortions.
• Fully-configurable dual 12AX7A vacuum tube
circuitry with 12 factory wiring modes (including
LINE, ACOUSTIC, HI FI, JAZZ, BLUES, CLASS A,
UK I, UK II, USA I, USA II, HI GAIN I, and HI GAIN
II), which can be modified for your own personal
preference.
• High power: 120 W main amplifier, + 30 W com-
pression driver amplifier, + 30 W external speaker
amplifier.
• Extremely light weight: at less than 25 lbs., the
VT12 is roughly half the weight of many typical
single 12" combo amplifiers.
• Four-band tone stack (Bass, Middle, Treble, and
Presence), with user-selectable USA and UK tone
stack types.
• 32-bit onboard digital effects, including modulation
(chorus, flanger, phaser, tremolo, modulated delay,
and rotary speaker), delay (mono delay, tape echo,
multitap delay), and reverb (room, hall, plate,
spring short, and spring long).
• 2 x 8 character amber-backlit LCD display.
• Storage capability for 96 presets, arranged in banks
of Clean, Crunch, Overdrive, and Lead channels.
• One-button Buzz feature, for eliminating noise due
single-coil pickups or other noisy input sources.
Owner's Manual
5