Electro-Harmonix HOLY STAIN Quick Manual

HOLY STAIN
EH Multi Effect Pedal
Distortion/Reverb/Pitch Shift/Tremolo
Congratulations on your purchase of the Holy Stain: the first multi-effect pedal from
Electro-Harmonix. The Holy Stain is comprised of two stages: an analog distortion
and a DSP. Two types of distortion are available: Fuzz and Drive. There are four DSP
functions: Room Reverb, Hall Reverb, Pitch Shift and Tremolo. You can choose from
one distortion mode and one DSP mode at a time or bypass either stage. Please read
further to learn how to fully operate your Holy Stain.
WARNING: Use only the 9.6VDC/200mA AC adapter the Holy Stain 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 Holy Stain does not use
batteries.
- EFFECT DESCRIPTIONS -
DISTORTION
The Distortion section of the Holy Stain is made up of 4 controls: DIRT, COLOR,
TONE and VOLUME. DIRT and COLOR are both rotary switches while TONE and
VOLUME are rotary potentiometers.
The DIRT control allows you to change the type of distortion from Clean to Fuzz to
Drive. The Drive setting gives you a smooth distortion. The Fuzz setting is a harder
edged distortion compared to the Drive setting. Use the Clean setting to bypass the
distortion. Please note: the Clean setting is part of the distortion circuit so you may
still hear a little grit when set to Clean.
The Holy Stain has two controls to help tailor your distortion's tone: COLOR and
TONE. The COLOR switch subtly changes the character of the distortion using three
settings: Bright, Dark and Warm. Use the Bright setting for a full frequency distortion.
Choose the Dark setting to cut high frequencies for a smoother distortion. The Warm
setting is somewhere in between the other two giving a rounder distortion. Please
note: when DIRT is set to Clean, the COLOR switch has no effect on the tone except
that in Warm mode your sound may be slightly distorted, depending on the volume of
your pickups. The TONE knob is a drastic tone control that, when set to extremes,
will allow you to emphasize the highs or lows. Set TONE to the middle for a nice,
even, full frequency sound.
The VOLUME control sets the overall output volume from the distortion stage. The
output of the distortion stage is sent directly into the input of the DSP.
ROOM and HALL REVERB
The two reverb settings are excellent sounding, easy-to-use reverbs. The primary
difference between the Room and Hall reverbs is the pre-delay time. The Hall setting
has a longer pre-delay as compared to the Room. Pre-delay is the delay time
between playing a note and hearing the onset of the reverb effect.
All four DSP functions allow you to change their sound using the AMOUNT knob. The
AMOUNT knob's function changes with each setting. For the two reverbs: the
AMOUNT knob sets the reverb time or length of reverb tail. As you turn the AMOUNT
knob clockwise the reverb time will increase.
The MIX knob sets the balance between the output of the distortion circuit and the
output of the DSP. When the MIX knob is set to fully counter-clockwise you will hear
only distortion, no DSP. When the MIX knob is set fully clockwise you will hear the
direct output of the DSP which may include the distortion that is present at the DSP's
input.
Press the MODE Footswitch to cycle through the 4 DSP modes.
PITCH SHIFT
In Pitch Shift mode, the Holy Stain will change the pitch of the note you play up to a
3rd and down to a 4th. This means that when the AMOUNT knob is set to the full
clockwise position, if you play a C note on the guitar, the Holy Stain will shift that
note up to an E. If the AMOUNT knob is set to full counter-clockwise, the Holy Stain
will shift the C note down to a G.
In Pitch Shift mode, the AMOUNT knob sets the pitch shift amount. When AMOUNT is
set to 12 o'clock, you will hear practically no pitch shift. As you turn the knob in the
clockwise direction, your notes will shift up. As you turn AMOUNT counter-clockwise
your notes shift down. The AMOUNT knob, in Pitch Shift mode, is continuously
variable from – a 4th to + a 3rd. It does not change the pitch in discrete steps. Set
the AMOUNT knob to somewhere around 12 o'clock to double or thicken your sound
without changing the pitch.
The MIX knob controls the volume of your original note versus the volume of the
pitch shifted note. To hear an equal balance between original and pitch shifted notes,
turn the MIX knob to 12 o'clock. To hear only the pitch shifted notes, turn MIX to its
fully clockwise position.
TREMOLO