The Effects Section - Hughes & Kettner Grand Meister Deluxe 40 Mode D'emploi

Caution: Please don't use this knob to control the amp's overall output
level – that's the Master knob's job (see 5.1)!

4 The effects section

GrandMeister Deluxe 40 offers three independent effects modules, with
reverb, delay and modulation effects as well as a noise gate. All of them
can be used simultaneously.
Heads Up: The far left knob positions of the "Reverb", "Dly Level", and
"Intensity" knobs bypass the given effect. Twisting those knobs counter
clockwise to the far left takes the given effect module out of the signal
path.
1 Reverb: GrandMeister Deluxe 40's digital reverb matches the warmth
and musicality of classic spring reverbs. A genuine improvement over its
analog ancestors, it automatically adjusts the reverb tail – the higher the
Reverb volume setting, the longer the reverb time.
2 FX Access: You always have direct access to the Reverb control. In
order to access the Delay and Modulation effects, just press the FX Access
button – it will start flashing. Now you are in the FX mode, and the channel
control knobs now serve as effects controls. To exit the FX mode, press FX
Access again. It stops flashing and you are back to the tone control mode.
3 Delay: The Delay module's "Dly Level", "Feedback" and "Dly Time"
knobs afford you total control over all parameters.
• Dly Level: Adjusts the volume of repetitions, sweeping from all the way
off to just as loud as the original signal.
• Feedback: Adjusts the number of repetitions from one to infinite.
• Dly Time: Adjusts the time to the next repetition from 50 milliseconds
to 1.4 seconds. When you're tapping in delay time on the FSM-432's
Tap button (see section 2.3), the effect adopts the new time after your
second tap. The Tap LED flashes for about five seconds in sync with the
beat to give you a visual indication of delay time. The Tap function only
works when the Delay is active. If the Delay is off – or more accurately,
bypassed – the effect will not adopt your Tap tempo.
Heads up: The FSM-432 offers a nifty Tap function that lets you control
the GrandMeister Deluxe 40's delay time via MIDI. Most third-party MIDI
controllers don't let you do this, and the control range is limited with the
few that do. Not many vendors offer the option of setting minimum and
maximum delay times, which you need to use this Tap function at least to
some extent. The problem is that there is no standard MIDI message for
tap, only for time. The correct value for time has to first be determined
by measuring the interval between two taps. Unlike all other knobs
where 0 is the minimum value and 127 the maximum value, there is no
standard value for delay time because practically every effects processor
works with whatever minimum and maximum delay times the designer
happened to prefer.
For example, the correct MIDI value for a delay time of 500 milliseconds
(120 BPM) is calculated for the GrandMeister Deluxe 40 as follows:
500 ms
x 128 = 47.4
(1400 – 50) ms
This FSM-432 performs this calculation automatically and sends the
correct value to the GrandMeister. The FSM 432 actually works with 256
steps, giving you twice the resolution of MIDI, which offers 128 steps at
best. This means that the FSM 432 sends precisely the value of 47.4 rather
than the rounded figure 48. In other words, the FSM-432's Tap function
gives you very accurate time values.
Continuous controller #4 adjusts the actual delay time. See section 8.3
for more on this.
4 Modulation FX: This module serves up four modulation effects – Chorus,
Flanger, Phaser, and Tremolo.
• Mod Type: Each effect is assigned to one quarter of this knob's control
range. The first quarter addresses Chorus, the second addresses Flanger,
the third addresses Phaser, and the final quarter addresses Tremolo. You
can adjust the modulation effect's rate within its assigned quarter. The
more you turn "Mod Type" up, the faster the rate gets.
• Intensity: This knob adjusts the volume of the modulation effects.
5 FX Loop: This serial loop lets you patch in external effects devices:
connect the Send jack in the FX Loop section on the amp's rear panel to
your effects processor's input and the Return jack to the processor's output
(see chapter 6.6). The FX Loop button activates and deactivates the loop.
6 Noise Gate: The programmable Noise Gate button switches the IDB™
noise gate on and off for each preset. When activated, the noise gate kicks
in to mute the amp as the signal level drops below a certain threshold. The
gate remains shut until you hit the guitar strings. When you do so, it opens
up again. The Noise Gate Hard/Soft knob on the amp's rear panel controls
the noise gate's response, see chapter 6.5.
GrandMeister Deluxe 40 – Manual 1.3
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