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Blackstar Amplification POLAR 4 Owner's Manual
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Blackstar Amplification POLAR 4 Owner's Manual

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Owners' Manual - ENGLISH
Designed and Engineered by
Blackstar Amplification UK

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Summary of Contents for Blackstar Amplification POLAR 4

  • Page 1 Owners’ Manual - ENGLISH Designed and Engineered by Blackstar Amplification UK...
  • Page 2 After extensive research, development, and testing, we present POLAR 4, the audio interface designed for the recording guitarist. POLAR n The proprietary Enhance switch, adding a unique circuit that enhances your guitar DI signal to replicate the feel and response of playing emulates the input stage of valve amplifiers, enriching the sound of all through a real valve amplifier.
  • Page 3 Getting Started Connectivity Instrument and Microphone MIDI Line Level Devices Overview - POLAR CONTROL Specifications Overview - POLAR 4 Hardware POLAR CONTROL - Layout Panels – A Closer Look POLAR CONTROL - Details Inputs Channels Setting Input Preamp Gain Direct Input Monitor...
  • Page 4 USB-A to USB-C Cable n USB-A to DC Cable https://blackstaramps.com/polar4-welcome n Safety Information Sheet System Requirements The POLAR 4 Audio Interface is compatible with: n macOS 10.15 and later n Windows 8 and later Software System Requirements POLAR Control software is compatible with: n macOS 10.14 and later...
  • Page 5 Contents Page Overview – POLAR Control Blackstar’s POLAR Control software, included with every POLAR interface, offers professional-level mixing and routing for Windows and Mac. Developed by expert audio engineers, it emulates traditional studio mixers for complete control and customization. Streamline your workflow with quick adjustments and versatile routing seamlessly alongside your DAW—all within an intuitive, user-friendly interface. For more details on POLAR Control, see page 15...
  • Page 6 13. Kensington Lock: use a lock to secure the device and deter theft. 14. DC 5V Power Input: an optional way to supply power to your POLAR 4 15. USB-C: Connect your POLAR 4 to your computer using the supplied USB-A to USB-C cable.
  • Page 7 DAW M O N I T O R M O N I T O R POLAR 4’s LED meters show signal level in dBFS (Decibels relative to full scale) (Digital Audio Workstation). in the following increments:...
  • Page 8 I N S T cable to avoid loud pops that could damage speakers or headphones. Both instrument input sections on your POLAR 4 feature a harmonically rich FET input stage, providing you the best sonic foundation for your guitar tone.
  • Page 9 IN ST The large monitor control allows you to adjust Another feature that makes POLAR 4’s Enhance switch ground-breaking for the output level sent to the Balanced Outputs recording guitars directly is that it completely prevents digital clipping, no matter on the rear panel, typically connected to your how much input gain you add.
  • Page 10 DC 5V power adapter. adapter. NOTE: When using iOS devices, you must power your POLAR 4 with DC 5V. For more details, see the iOS section on page 22. Balanced Outputs...
  • Page 11 Ableton Live Lite software that comes with your POLAR 4. USB-C port on your computer. This rest of this section will cover how to set up your POLAR 4 to start Logic Pro X recording with the most popularly used DAWs, including: 1.
  • Page 12 Contents Page DAW Setup 2. Recording Audio: 2. Recording Audio: n Create a new audio track in Pro Tools. n Select the appropriate input channel in the mixer for your n Select the appropriate input channel for your connected connected instrument or microphone. instrument or microphone.
  • Page 13 Contents Page Connectivity POLAR 4 supports connections for a wide range of audio equipment. This diagram illustrates a typical setup and how to make each connection. Instrument and Microphone Powered Speakers PC/Mac 1. Connect your guitar, bass, or other instruments to Input 1 using a standard 1/4”...
  • Page 14 Thanks to the Enhance switch, which mimics the input stage of a valve jack inputs on Channels 1 and 2 with 1/4” TRS or TS cables. amp, the POLAR 4’s inputs are ideally suited for guitar pedals. This allows you to use your favourite guitar effects pedals during recording to capture Make sure you select LINE on the LINE/INST switch.
  • Page 15 3. Mute/Solo Buttons: Allows you to mute or solo a specific channel, 9. Sample Rate: Shows and allows adjustment of POLAR 4’s sample rate. isolating it or silencing it from the mix. 10. Preset Box: Shows the current preset configuration, and allows you to 4.
  • Page 16 With Direct Input Monitor, you can monitor the signal straight from the inputs of your POLAR 4 with near-zero latency, which can be crucial for monitoring live vocal performances and more. Disabling Direct Input Monitor will mute Channel 1 and 2 on Polar Control.
  • Page 17 (decibels relative to Full Scale). You can Solo and/or Mute multiple channels at once. Like the LED Meters on your POLAR 4, Polar Control’s meters move up noticeable as your session becomes more demanding (e.g., with many plugins and down in response to the signal input.
  • Page 18 Output Mix Buttons: Think of the Output Mix Buttons as different “pages” you can view. POLAR 4 can record and playback at up to 192 kHz. When you select the Output 1 + 2 button, you see the volume (Fader) and balance (Pan) levels for what’s coming out of the Balanced Outputs 1/L &...
  • Page 19 4. With your headphones on, speak/sing into the microphone while raising the 2. On Polar Control, enable Direct Monitor Input. Gain control on your POLAR 4 to set an appropriate level (to learn about 3. On Polar Control, select Output Mix 1+2, then raise Channel 1’s Fader to -6.0 dB setting levels see page 7) 4.
  • Page 20 Contents Page POLAR CONTROL – Examples (cont’d) This section outlines a few recording setups that will enhance your experience using the Polar Control software. (3) Loopback Often called “loopback”, with Polar Control you can route audio from your computer’s output back into your recording software, enabling you to record system audio, streams, or any other audio playing through your computer.
  • Page 21 Contents Page POLAR CONTROL – Signal Flow Diagram to Output 1/L & 2/R, and Headphone Output 1 on Polar Interface to Output 3 & 4, and Headphone Output 2 on Polar Interface to DAW Input 5/6 (and/or Computer Audio Input 5/6) from from from...
  • Page 22 1. Using the included DC to USB-A cable, connect the DC end to the DC 5V port on the rear panel of your POLAR 4. Connect the USB-A end to a 5V NOTE: POLAR 4 will not operate without external power. This means that POLAR 4 cannot USB power supply.
  • Page 23 Adapter 1. Using the included DC to USB-A cable, connect the DC end to the DC 5V port on the rear panel of your POLAR 4. Connect the USB-A end to a 5V USB power supply. 2. Connect the USB-C end of the USB-C to USB-A cable to your POLAR 4.
  • Page 24 Using a standard 5-pin MIDI cable, you can enable communication between DAW and MIDI devices and/or controller. The input port receives MIDI data, while the output port sends data. To use MIDI, select Polar 4 as your MIDI input/output device in your DAW settings or computer settings. MIDI Controller...
  • Page 25 Contents Page Specifications Specification Blackstar POLAR 4 Overview Number of Microphone Preamps Yes, 48V Phantom Power Instrument Inputs Line Inputs Line Outputs Headphone Outputs Midi In / Midi Out Midi Loopback USB Type-C Connectivity USB 2.0 Protocol Desktop Form Factor...
  • Page 26 Contents Page Specifications (cont’d) Specification Blackstar POLAR 4 Instrument inputs 20-20kHz ±0.2dB Frequency Response 112dB (A-Weighted) Dynamic Range -82dB (-81dB A-Weighted); 3dB Gain, 630mVrms, 20Hz-24kHz BW THD+N 10dBu Maximum Input Level 46dB Gain Range 500kΩ Impedance Line outputs (Balanced) 20-20kHz ±0.15dB...
  • Page 27 Contents Page Specifications (cont’d) Specification Blackstar POLAR 4 Analogue to Digital Converter -100dB THD+N THD+N 114dB Dynamic Range Digital to Analogue Converter -100dB THD+N THD+N 114dB Dynamic Range Power 4.8W External (Optional) USB A to DC cable, USB A to C cable...
  • Page 28 Blackstar Amplification Ltd, Beckett House, 14 Billing Road, Northampton, NN1 5AW, UK For the latest information go to: www.blackstaramps.com Whilst the information contained herein is correct at the time of publication, due to our policy of constant improvement and development, Blackstar Amplification Ltd reserves the right to alter specifications without prior notice.