Setting Up The Pz-Pre - Radial Engineering PZ-Pre User Manual

SETTING UP THE PZ-PRE

Always make sure the equipment you are connecting to is either
turned off, or the volumes are set to zero. This will eliminate any
power-up transients from harming the loudspeakers. To avoid
potential for electric shock, only connect the PZ-Pre to properly
grounded audio equipment. If your instrument uses an on-board
preamp, ensure the battery is fresh and fully charged.
To start, set the PZ-Pre to a neutral setting as shown below.
Connect the power supply and toggle the MUTE and BOOST
footswitches to their off positions.
Setting Instrument Levels
1. Start with your primary instrument connected to INPUT-1.
2. Determine the type of pickup you are connecting. If it is a passive
piezo pickup, activate the piezo buffer with the PZB-1 switch.
3. Stomp on the TOGGLE footswitch until LED-1 illuminates.
4. Turn on your instrument amplifi er or sound system.
5. Slowly turn LEVEL-1 clockwise and set a comfortable listening
level.
USING THE PZ-PRE EQ CONTROLS
Before you head off to your fi rst gig with the PZ-Pre, it is a good
idea to familiarize yourself with the controls in your practice room
and investigate the various functions. Do this at a low volume level
fi rst so that you do not cause feedback. Listen to the LO-CUT
(high-pass fi lter) and how it affects the tone of your instrument.
You will probably fi nd that using it will clean up the bottom end
of your sound without affecting the overall tone. In fact, if you
are playing with a drummer and bassist, you will likely fi nd that
fi ltering the lower registers of your instrument can really improve
the overall mix!
Now listen to the EQ. You will notice that the bass and treble
controls are quite powerful! So be careful! Less is always best
when it comes to equalization. Creating a big, fat sound with lots
of bottom end and a super crisp high end may sound good in
your basement, but live, these frequencies tend to muddy up the
bottom end, and cause the high end to get very harsh, especially
if you have mid-range horns in your PA. Furthermore, feedback
with acoustic instruments occurs when the sound resonates from
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True to the Music
PZ-Pre User Guide
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True to the Music
the PA back into the instrument pickup system. This increases
exponentially when you add lots of bass or treble!
The MID control is very important to getting your sound right. Each
instrument tends to work within a given sonic range. For instance,
a violin's range is much higher than that of a cello or double bass.
However, the character of all instruments is usually in the mid
range. This is also where human hearing is most effective.
The PZ-Pre has a semi-parametric mid-range EQ with one knob
that adjusts the center frequency (FREQ) and another that controls
the intensity (MID). You can cut or boost any frequency within
the controls' range of 82Hz to 5.6kHz. This is also where most
folks get into trouble. Because human ears are most sensitive to
mid-range, we tend to naturally cut it back. Now if you take out
the very essence of the instrument before it gets to the PA, what
do you expect the audience to hear? This is why we included a
separate Pre-EQ output for the front of house PA system. The
Pre-EQ output will give the house engineer a full-range signal to
mix with while the PZ-Pre EQ controls can be adjusted to suit you.
However, in any case be careful not to over-EQ your tone!
The sweep function of the FREQ control is designed to fi nd the
range best suited to your instrument's natural tone. Start by setting
the MID control at 2 o'clock and then sweep the FREQ control
until you fi nd the spot where your instrument seems to resonate
at an unpleasant frequency. Then back-off the MID control to
approximately 10 o'clock and listen. Try playing at soft and then
louder volumes to see what happens. Then try fi ne tuning the
FREQ control to see where it sounds best. Setting an EQ is more
of an art than a sience but you can not go wrong if you follow EQ
rule number 1: Less is Best!
Cut
TIP: The twelve o'clock position is neutral, or zero
boost/cut, for the BASS, TREBLE, and MID controls.
Turning these controls clockwise will increase, or
boost the amplitude while turning counter-clockwise
will decrease, or cut.
If the MID control is at the 12 o'clock position (zero
boost/cut) the FREQ control will have no effect. You
will need to set the MID control to a boost or cut posi-
tion in order to hear the sweep of the FREQ control.
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0 dB
Boost
PZ-Pre User Guide