Table of Contents
Advertisement
TECH 21, THE COMPANY
Tech 21 was formed by a guitarist possessing the unusual combination
of a trained ear and electronics expertise. In 1989, B.Andrew Barta
made his invention commercially available to players and studios around
the world. His highly-acclaimed SansAmp™ pioneered Tube Amplifier
Emulation in professional applications for recording direct and per-
forming live, and created an entirely new category of signal processing.
There have since been many entries into this niche, yet SansAmp contin-
ues to maintain its reputation as the industry standard.
With a full line of SansAmp models,Tech 21 also offers effect pedals
and MIDI products, as well as "traditional" style amplifiers for guitar
and bass. Each product is thoughtfully and respectfully designed by B.
Andrew Barta himself with the player in mind. Our goal is to provide
you with flexible, versatile tools to cultivate, control, refine and redefine
your own individual sound.Tech 21 takes great pride in delivering con-
sistent quality sound, studio to studio, club to club, arena to arena.
PRODUCT OVERVIEW
A Tech 21 Fly Rig is more than a pedalboard. In a single pedal. And no
board. Less than 13 inches long and weighing just over 20 oz., this sleek,
compact unit embodies an entire rig. At its heart, is the all-analog
SansAmp, which makes it possible to go direct to a PA or mixer. For ef-
fects, you have all the essentials and fun stuff, too.What you don't have
are crackling patch cables, dying batteries or ground loops. No stinkin'
van, heavy flight cases, cable spaghetti, and no dead weight.
With a Fly Rig, you can relax. For fly gigs across the globe, jamming at the
local hang, and last minute sessions, you'll be the first one ready to go.
You can stop stressing over what to pack and agonizing over what to
leave behind. You can stop dreading cheesy backline loaners and over-
heating at the mere thought of your touring rig going down. Just pop
your Fly Rig into your guitar case and head for the door. (Be sure to
wipe that smile off your face when the rest of the band shows up sweat-
ing and out of breath.).
PAUL LANDERS PL1 SIGNATURE FLY RIG
Known for staunchly rejecting any compromise of their vision or con-
forming to being politically correct, Rammstein is one of, if not the most
unique bands on earth.Their internationally-acclaimed shows take the
term "spectacle" to a whole new level.Their outspoken lyrics, driving
rhythms and crunchy attacks come together in a contagious groove typi-
cally incongruous with industrial metal. Each member is devoted to the
same uncompromising ethos, which is evident in their surprisingly tasteful
musicality, creative wit and saucy humor.
Paul Landers has been a long-time user of Tech 21 gear, both the
SansAmp GT2 and SansAmp PSA.While he liked the format of the Fly
Rigs, they simply didn't have all the features he specifically wanted. Given
Paul's long term relationship with Andrew Barta, it was a no-brainer to
collaborate on a Fly Rig to fit his needs.
Just prior to serious discussions on the development, Rammstein were in
rehearsals for their 2017 tour. Paul initially opted for, dare we say, a very
high-end digital emulator/effects processor.When it unexpectedly went
down, he grabbed his trusty SansAmp GT2. It was unanimously agreed by
the crew, sound engineers, fellow band members, and Paul himself, the
GT2 had more "air" and liveliness.This marked the initial design founda-
tion for Paul's Signature Fly Rig.
Unlike our other Fly Rigs, the Paul Landers PL1 Signature Fly Rig offers 2
SansAmp channels, one clean and one dirty. Other distinguishing features
include a custom-designed Vibrato effect with tap tempo control, an
Ambiance control with choice of atmosphere, and two modes of Boost.
Paul is known for his impish grin and waggish sense of humor, but the
PL1 Signature Fly Rig is brutally serious!
1
APPLICATIONS
For DIRECT RECORDING or DIRECT to PA. All of the tone
shaping and cabinet emulation needed is already incorporated into the
SansAmp section of the pedal. The PL1 automatically converts your
guitar signal to Low Z allowing you to plug into a variety of inputs that
would normally load down your guitar's signal. It can be plugged into
mixers (live and studio), workstation/recorders, and even directly into
the sound card on a computer.
As a PRE-AMP or STOMPBOX with a guitar amp. You can
connect the PL1 in-line just as you would a standard distortion pedal. If
the pre-amp of your amplifier is imparting too much of its own charac-
ter on the pedal, plug into the low level input and set the pre-amp as
clean and neutral as possible. As most amps tend to be on the bright
side, you may need to start with High in the SansAmp section below
12 o'clock and adjust as necessary.
Also, be aware that most tube amps have a tone stack.When every-
thing is on max, they tend to cut the mid range. So don't be surprised
to find that the flattest sound is achieved with bass and treble at mini-
mum, and mid at max. Since most tube amp passive tone stacks work in
a similar fashion, we recommend this as a good starting point and ad-
justing to taste.
You can also plug into the effects loop return (if the amp has one).This
will disable the entire pre-amp of the amp for a truer representation of
the pedal's sound.
GOOD TO KNOW BEFORE YOU START
SIGNAL FLOW OF THE PAUL LANDERS FLY RIG
SET LEVEL CONTROLS FOR UNITY GAIN
Set the level controls so you have the same volume coming from your
speaker/monitor whether the pedal is active or in bypass. This ensures
the next device in the signal chain won't get slammed by a much hotter
signal than what would normally come from the instrument. Similarly,
you wouldn't want a drop in volume either, which would force the next
device to struggle for enough signal.
NOTE: When running the PL1 Output directly to the PA, set the
SansAmp Levels fairly high to achieve the best signal-to-noise ratio.
SET ALL OTHER CONTROLS AT NOON, just to get started.
CLIP WARNING
The Ambiance control in the DLA section has a built-in clip warning.
Like a VU meter, it will flash yellow to warn you if the Fly Rig is being
overloaded.
You can then trim the corresponding control(s) accordingly: Boost or
the SansAmp Levels. Bear in mind that occasional blinks (peaks) are
okay and can be expected when you dig into your strings, but it should
not be continuously lit.
2
Hide quick links:
Advertisement
Table of Contents
