SWR WORKINGMAN’S 10 Owner's Manual page 11

Most significantly, the Aural Enhancer will raise the low end at a point lower than the Bass control itself.
For a typical 4-string bass, the Bass control itself will suffice. For the 5-string player, the Aural Enhancer
will help bring out the fundamentals of the instrument, in the 30-60 Hz range. Discretion should be
used when doing this without an extension cabinet. True low fundamentals (one of the sonic signatures
of all SWR amplifiers) require lots of headroom and air motion. That's why we recommend that 5-string
players use an extension cabinet to increase the power output of the amplifier and get more air moving.
Bass Control
The Bass control, as stated above, works in a range that will be useful under most "normal" conditions.
Its musical use might be thought of as a "fatness" control. Leaving the Aural Enhancer in a position
lower than 12 o'clock will not boost the extreme bottom so much as to make indistinct the effect of the
Bass control. The overall "punch" of your instrument, from your low E-string on up about two octaves
(midway up the G- string), will be determined with this control. With passive instruments, this will be
straightforward. With active instruments having bass-boost controls more exploration will be worthwhile.
(Some active tone circuits have boost/cut controls, while others have straight boost controls).
Mid Range Control
The Mid Range control operates in a crucial area for most instruments. Many basses, particularly those
strung with roundwound strings, can have a very "honky" or nasal sound. Dropping the Mid Range con-
trol can go a long way toward smoothing out your tone. We suggest, though, that what sounds best
when your listening to your tone by yourself may not be what works best in a band or recording.
Sometimes that objectionable quality may be just the right "hair" on your note to still have an audible
presence in the track or on stage.
Treble Control
The Treble control operates in a tonal area that extends through and beyond the usual Treble control
range. It may be thought of as a "transparency" control. Boosting the control will open up the sound of
a dull instrument, particularly in conjunction with the piezo tweeter. However, this is also the range of
string rattle, finger slides, pickup clicks, etc. Again, we recommend you experiment with the control
alone with your instrument, and listen again in a band context, both near to and away from the
WorkingMan's 12. Qualities like punch, fatness, presence and bite can be fairly well spread out. Treble,
despite the broad dispersion of the piezo tweeter, is a very directional quality. Spend some time explor-
ing what you can hear in this area as you move around.
AURAL ENHANCER
The Aural Enhancer was developed to bring out the fundamental low notes of the bass, reduce certain
frequencies that can "mask" fundamentals and enhance the high-end transients. The effect becomes
more pronounced as the control is turned up. The result is a more transparent sound. Listening to a
passive bass with the control set all the way down, and then turning it all the way up, can be likened to
listening to the bass suddenly become "active."
EFFECTS BLEND CONTROL
The Effects Blend control mixes the signal coming from your instrument with the sound coming from
your effect. With the Blend control fully counter-clockwise, no signal from your effect will be heard.
As you turn this control clockwise, more of the effect can be heard in the overall sound. When the Blend
control is fully clockwise, no dry or unaffected signal is heard other than the output of your effect device.
WORKINGMAN'S COMBOS OWNER'S MANUAL • 9 9