Electro-Harmonix Iron Lung Instructions

IRON LUNG
Vocoder
Congratulations on your purchase of the Electro-Harmonix Iron Lung Vocoder. The Iron Lung
is a versatile and easy to use vocoder in a compact pedal format. Musicians no longer need
large rack equipment, computer plugins, or large keyboards to get a wide array of classic and
modern vocoder sounds. The Iron Lung includes the same popular vocoding algorithm as the
V-256.
Special Features of the Iron Lung:
256 band Vocoder
TONE and GENDER BENDER controls
Guitar Bypass or Split Guitar/Vocal Bypass (requires Insert Cable)
WARNING: Use only the AC Adapter that the Iron Lung comes
supplied with. Do not use any other AC Adapters. Using other AC
adapters, even those made by Electro-Harmonix, could cause harm to
the unit, the adapter or you. The Iron Lung does not use batteries.
- QUICK START GUIDE-
BASIC AMPLIFIER CONNECTION SETUP
1. Connect your microphone (dynamic mics works best since the Iron Lung does not
provide Phantom Power) to the MIC input on the right side of the Iron Lung using a
balanced XLR cable.
2. Using an unbalanced instrument cable, plug your instrument into the INST Input Jack on
the right side of the Iron Lung.
3. Connect an unbalanced instrument cable from the OUTPUT jack on the left side of the
Iron Lung to input of your amplifier.
4. Plug the AC Adapter into a wall outlet.
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5. Plug the barrel connector of the AC Adapter into the 9V power jack at the top of the Iron
Lung. Polarity is center negative.
6. Turn both knobs to their middle, 12 o'clock positions.
7. Set the Mic Gain switch to the middle position.
8. Push the MIC BYPASS footswitch until its associated LED is lit. Play your instrument,
while singing or talking into the microphone. You should hear the vocoding effect.
Remember you will only output from the Iron Lung when you are playing your
instrument and speaking into the microphone.
9. If you connect a guitar to the input of the Iron Lung, try adding a distortion pedal
between your guitar and the Iron Lung, this will help to emphasize the vocoder effect.
- CONTROLS, INDICATORS & I/O-
TONE
This knob adjusts the tonal quality of the effect. Fully CCW emphasizes lower frequencies and
fully CW emphasizes higher frequencies. Additionally as the TONE knob is turned CW from
noon, harmonic overtones are added to the instrument signal to make them sound fuller and
richer. The added harmonic overtones are especially useful when you using a dry electric
guitar straight into the Iron Lung.
GENDER BENDER
Formant shift corresponds roughly to the length of the vocal tract. Bass and baritone singers
have longer vocal tracts than sopranos and tenors.
The GENDER BENDER knob adjusts the amount of formant shift that is applied to the effected
signal. For knob settings above noon, the formant will shift upward, which is equivalent to
shortening the vocal tract, to sound more female. For knob settings below noon, the formant
will shift downward, which is equivalent to lengthening the vocal tract, to sound more male.
At noon, there is no formant shift.
BYPASS FOOTSWITCH / STATUS LED
The BYPASS footswitch toggles the Iron Lung between effect mode and bypass mode. If the
STATUS LED is lit, then the Iron Lung is in effect mode. If the STATUS LED is off, then the
Iron Lung is in bypass mode.
NORMAL BYPASS mode: when a standard mono guitar cable is plugged into the Iron
Lung's output jack, while the Iron Lung is set to bypass, your unaffected instrument is output
through the OUTPUT jack and the effect is muted. In effect mode the dry guitar is muted and
only the effected vocal signal is passed through the OUTPUT jack.
SPLIT BYPASS mode: when a TRS Insert Cable is plugged into the OUTPUT jack before
applying power. In bypass mode, the instrument is output on the TIP of the OUTPUT jack and
the vocal is output on the RING of the OUTPUT jack. In effect mode, the effect will be
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