you switch from one preset to another, the knob's actual position may
not reflect the setting programmed in the preset, and you may well hear
something other than what you're seeing would suggest. The knob will
respond like any other conventional pot as soon as you move it. The Store
LED in the Master section tells you the knob's
setting stored in the preset. It lights up when the physical position of the
knob corresponds to the preset setting. You can learn more on this in
section 2.4.
Heads Up: You may hear a soft background noise when twisting knobs.
This sound is made by the Programmable Resistor Network (PRN™), as
it switches its 256 resistors: Each of these rotary controls consists of 256
individual resistors in serial array, 256 switches, and a memory with the
ability to save and recall every switch's position.
2.2 Selecting presets
Presets can only be changed via MIDI. You can use any MIDI footswitch,
MIDI controller, or MIDI equipped pedal board to switch presets. Both
MIDI devices, amp (receiver) and the controller (sender), should use the
same channel. Otherwise, MIDI commands will be ignored or get lost. The
factory default is MIDI channel 1 and "Omni On" (amp receives on all 16
MIDI channels) to guarantee instant operation. If the GrandMeister 36 does
not react on program changes properly, see chapter 8.1 to change the MIDI
channel or refer to the manual of your favourite MIDI controller.
2.3 Using the Hughes & Kettner FSM-432
MIDI Board
Let's have a look on the Hughes & Kettner FSM-432 first. It serves to select
the 128 memory slots arranged in 32 banks of four presets each. You can
easily configure setups any way you wish, say by assigning the four presets
of a bank to a song.
Preset A, B, C, D
Presets within a bank activate directly, that is, you can switch straight from
A to B within the same bank. The LEDs above the A, B, C, and D buttons
indicate the selected preset.
Bank Up/Down
To access a preset in another bank, select the target bank using the Up
and Down buttons. You can continue playing with the current preset while
you're navigating. The display of the FSM-432 shows the banks number; it
flashes until you select a preset in the target bank by pressing A, B, C, or
D. The FSM-432 will not switch over to the new preset until you do this.
Tap
Tap offers you a quick, convenient way of adjusting delay time. It's
particularly handy on stage: Simply tap your foot on the Tap button in
time with the beat to match delay time to the tempo. See section 4.3 for
more info.
4
2.4 Programming a preset
Programming a preset is as simple as it can get. Once you have found
your favourite setting, exactly that setting of every single knob and switch
(except the Master Volume) can be stored into a preset with the Store
button. This is pretty much like playing a tube amp with 128 channels,
each with its own Gain, Volume, EQ and even effects setting.
Storing settings by overwriting the currently selected preset
An easy way to store edited settings is to simply overwrite the most recently
selected preset. To do this, press and hold the Store button for about two
seconds until its light flashes briefly and then extinguishes. The Channel
LED (see chapter 3) also flashes to confirm the write operation. Release the
Store button, and your settings will be stored.
Storing settings by selecting a new memory slot
If you do not wish to overwrite the current preset, you can easily select a
new memory slot instead. In this case, rather than holding the Store button
down for two seconds, press it briefly and then release it. Its light stays
on to signify that GrandMeister 36 is primed and ready to receive a MIDI
program change to define a memory slot.
• From the FSM-432: Select a MIDI bank from 1 to 32 on the FSM-432. The
bank number in the display flashes to signify that the FSM-432 is waiting
for input via one of the four preset buttons A to D. Then engage preset
button A, B, C, or D. The display stops flashing, the light on the Store
button extinguishes, and the preset is stored.
• From any other MIDI device: as soon a program change is sent, the
preset will be stored and can be recalled just by sending that program
change again.
Reading out stored knob settings
When you select a preset, the single knobs' actual positions may not
represent their stored values. But it is easy enough to read the information
out: Select a preset, grab the knob of your choice and twist it to the left or
right until the Store button lights up. Now the knob's position matches the
setting stored in the preset.