Front Panel; Instrument Input; Footswitch Din Jack; Record Voicing - Mesa/Boogie Formula Pre Owner's Manual

Now that you have a better understanding of the layout and features of your new Formula, we can move on to the individual controls
and take a look at their role in obtaining the sounds you want to dial.

FRONT PANEL:

This 1/4" jack is the instrument Input for the Formula. The input impedance is 1 meg ohm which should be optimum for
INPUT:
most all applications where your instrument is feeding only one source. When connecting your instrument to multiple sources you may
IN FT.SW.
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FOOTSWITCH:
This is the 5-pin DIN input for the Formula's 4 button Footcontroller. The Front panel Channel Select toggle (next
to Power - left side of chassis) must be in the center position for the Footcontroller to operate. The Footcontrollers' power-up default
will be Lead 1 (Orange) before any choices are made. If you ever misplace the cable, most 5-pin DIN or standard midi cables available
IN FT.SW.
M B
ESA OOGIE
Early on in the development process we realized that there was no way to treat the clean direct sounds and

RECORD VOICING:

the high gain direct sounds the same. In the end we arrived at the conclusion that for each sound to be the real thing, two complete
IN FT.SW. RECORD
LO GAIN
HI GAIN
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for certain lower gain sounds in the two lead channels to keep the top end a little more up front and attack oriented...this setting works
real well for blues type styles.
HI GAIN (down position) is optimized for gain sounds. The right high frequencies are rolled back substantially - to avoid the dreaded
buzzy quality that can so often dominate direct guitar sounds - while at the same time the lower attack region is relatively untouched.
(Extreme settings at the front end GAIN control will produce natural tube saturation which will affect the attack characteristics substan-
tially.) HI GAIN may also be used to shape the sound when you are using the PULL SHIFT function of the Rhythm (top) channels'
GAIN control for either crunch or gainier single note sounds. In this application the EQ and feel will be much better suited than that of
the LO GAIN position. The HI GAIN circuit is tranformer coupled much like a power amp and therefore reacts similarly in terms of
response to the dynamic changes in your playing.
The two circuits provide you with the ability to zero-in on just the right sound and feel for each style of playing. You may feel free to
experiment as to the best way to use them for your recording techniques and music. Though they are labeled specifically, many great
sounds may be found by cross applying them. Thus the Formula is a dedicated recording pre-amp.
CONTROLS:
This is probably the most powerful control on your Formula. There are three of these riding on the front panel: two heading
GAIN:
IN FT.SW. RECORD
LO GAIN
HI GAIN
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need to buffer the signal. If you plan to use the Formula in this type of set-up at all times, call us and we
can explain how to change the input impedance to better fit your particular application.
at most music stores will work fine.
circuits were needed. This mini toggle lets you choose between a circuit voiced specifically for low
gain clean sounds and one tailored for high gain lead work.
LO GAIN (up) should be used for clean rhythm playing in the top Rhythm channel. It is voiced so that
all the sparkling high end harmonics are retained and a fast dynamic attack is preserved - as well as
allowing the sub-lows to pass sounding breathy and warm. You may also prefer the LO GAIN setting
up the two stacked rows of rotary controls and another
just to the right of the Graphic EQ. In all three channels,
GAIN the setting of the GAIN control determines the sensitivity
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GAIN
RHYTHM ON
O
U
LD
EQ
1
T
LD2
P
FT
IN
SW
U
LEAD 2 AC
T
Formula Pre
MASTER