Mesa/Boogie Clearlink Receive Owner's Manual

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS:
• Read these instructions.
• Follow these instructions.
• Heed all notes and warnings.
• Do not use this device near water.
• Clean this device only with a dry cloth.
• Keep these instructions for future reference.
• Damage to this device by improperly connected and/
or grounded equipment is not covered under warranty.
• Do not defeat an amplifier's safety ground - which is
provided by the 3-prong AC power-cord plug! Doing
CLEARLINK
™
so may not only be ILLEGAL, but it may also pose a
SHOCK or ELECTROCUTION HAZARD.
CONVERTER / ISO TRANSFORMER
Owner's Manual
Congratulations on your choice of MESA/Boogie ® and wel- Furthermore, it can be used with unbalanced guitar signals from
®
come to the MESA Family! The same passion for excellence, a wide variety of pedals and other buffered devices, to safely
commitment to quality and dedication to customer satisfaction eliminate ground loop hum and noise, and to correct phase re-
is present in each and every product we make in our one-and- verse issues, making it a must-have tool for every guitar player
only shop in Petaluma, California, U.S.A. Rest assured that and technician.
the very same people that hand-build the finest amplifiers in
the world, also built your CLEARLINK™ CONVERTER/ISO CONTROLS & CONNECTIONS
TRANSFORMER and you have access to the same resources
for help that all our customers do. Call on us anytime and enjoy!
It's always a good idea to make any audio connections
with every piece of equipment in a guitar rig turned off,
CLEARLINK™ CONVERTER/ISO TRANSFORMER
or at least the amplifier volume(s) turned down, to avoid
loud bursts of sound from damaging speakers or other
The CLEARLINK™ CONVERTER/ISO TRANSFORMER is a components.
high performance passive audio device that can receive a bal-
IN:
anced guitar signal from as far away as 330ft/100m with great This combination 1/4" phono and 3-pin female XLR jack
integrity and noise immunity. is the input and accepts either a balanced or an unbalanced,
buffered guitar signal. For balanced input signals, use either a
Used in tandem with the CLEARLINK™ BUFFER/BALANCED standard XLR microphone cable or a shielded 1/4" TRS (tip,
LINE-DRIVER, it can manage long-distance guitar signals ring & sleeve) balanced cable, up to 330ft/100m long. For un-
between wireless units, pedalboards, and amplifiers - whether balanced input signals, use a shielded 1/4" TS (tip & sleeve)
on-stage or off-stage, distance doesn't really matter anymore. instrument cable and always aim for the best quality and short-
In the studio, it allows a guitar player to sit in the control room est length possible - this will minimize the signal's susceptibility
and connect to a far away amplifier in the live room. The long- to noise and interference.
distance connection is made with a standard balanced XLR
OUT:
microphone cable and the output connection going to an ampli- This 1/4" phono jack is the output and provides
fier's input is made with a standard shielded 1/4" TS instrument an unbalanced signal that is electrically isolated from the
cable. input, via the specially designed and shielded audio isola-
tion transformer. Connect this jack to the input of a pedal
The ability to receive a guitar signal from extreme distances or an amplifier, which is properly grounded with a 3-prong
cleanly, and without degradation, is made possible by a spe- AC power-cord plug, using a high quality shielded 1/4" TS
cially designed and shielded audio isolation transformer. It's instrument cable that is 5ft/1.5m long or less - in order to
complimented with ground-lift and phase-reverse switches minimize high-frequency roll-off.
to safely prevent ground loop hum and noise, and to correct
phase cancellation problems, both of which can occur when Note: If the output is going to be routed through a patch-
running multiple and/or channel switching amplifiers. box or patch-panel, try not to exceed the 5ft/1.5m length
limitation, which applies to the entire length of cable con-
nected between the CLEARLINK™ CONVERTER/ISO CLEARLINK™ CONVERTER/ISO TRANSFORMER. Typi-
TRANSFORMER output, and the pedal or amplifier input. cally it would only require being moved a short distance in
a particular direction to resolve this type of hum.
PHASE:
This pushbutton switch inverts (reverses) the
phase of the output signal in relation to the input signal.
FAQ & HELPFUL HINTS
When the switch is in the "IN" position, the signals are in-
phase (0deg), and when it's in the "OUT" position, the sig-
Can I use the CLEARLINK™ CONVERTER/ISO TRANS-
nals are out-of-phase by 180deg (reversed). With a single
FORMER as a DI-box?
amplifier, it's best to leave this switch set to the "IN" posi-
tion. Running multiple amplifiers at once can sometimes
Sorry, but it's not a direct-box.
lead to a phase cancellation problem, which results in a
sound that can be described as hollow, thin, not as loud,
Can I use the CLEARLINK™ CONVERTER/ISO TRANS-
lacking low end or fullness... The best way to test and fix
FORMER for re-amping?
this is to try and set the amplifiers to the same volume
level, individually. Then activate the amplifiers simultane-
Sorry, but it's not a re-amp device.
ously, and listen with this switch in both positions - the best,
correct setting will result in a sound that can be described
What is "galvanic isolation" and does the CLEAR-
as fuller or slightly louder.
LINK™ CONVERTER/ISO TRANSFORMER have it?
GROUND:
This push-button switch safely lifts (isolates)
Galvanic isolation is another term used to describe two
the ground connection between the IN and OUT jacks,
circuits that are electrically and physically separated from
eliminating a ground loop and its hum and noise. When the
one another, in order to prevent a ground loop from oc-
switch is in the "IN" position, the grounds are connected,
curring, which results in hum and noise. All audio isolation
and when it's in the "OUT" position, the ground connec-
transformers have/provide it; some manufacturers choose
tion is lifted. Try both positions and use the setting which
to use the term and others don't, and just go with "isolated"
results in the least amount of hum and noise.
or "isolation". It's all the same, so yes, the CLEARLINK™
CONVERTER/ISO TRANSFORMER has "galvanic isola-
Note: Any device that contains an audio isolation trans-
tion", and it is provided by a specially designed and shield-
former is susceptible to hum from the magnetic field gener-
ed audio isolation transformer.
ated by a power transformer, such as those found in an
amplifier, effect processor, "wall-wart" power adapter or
universal pedalboard power supply. Even with adequate
shielding of the audio transformer and the device itself,
there can still be a potential for unexpected hum. So if an
unusual hum does occur, which cannot be eliminated by
either position of the GROUND switch, try re-locating the
FAQ & HELPFUL HINTS continued ▶