Fulltone TERC TSC-618 - Manual (Page 2)

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FRONT PANEL
The following features contain references to numbers found on both the Front Panel (Page 2) and Back Panel (Page 3)
FRONT PANEL FEATURES
LINE / INSTRUMENT button (diagram feature #1): Line level devices are items such as amplifier effects loops, recording consoles & patchbays, or other Pro
Audio devices. Push button IN to select LINE LEVEL, which reduces the input 12dB and raises the output 12db. This switch does not change the volume, but you
will notice a serious increase in noise/hiss unless you are interfaced with proper LINE LEVEL devices. If interfacing with line level devices, always leave this
button pushed IN so as to not distort or damage the TERC’s preamp. NOTE: If plugging the guitar directly in to your TERC (jack 21), always have LEVEL switch to
OUT position for INSTRUMENT level operation.
PEAK L.E.D. (#2): This LED will light up if the preamp is overloaded by the incoming signal. It is unlikely that you will ever see this light up, as the TERC has a 30
volt power supply, offering 3.3 times more headroom than any 9 volt powered device.
EFFECT ON/OFF BUTTON (#3): Push button IN for EFFECT-ON, push to OUT for EFFECT OFF. The TERC is not true-bypass and is structured for 1:1 gain,
neither boosting nor cutting the overall volume.
OUTPUTS STEREO / MONO BUTTON (#4): There are 3 analog Chorus Circuits in a TERC: Left (L), Right (R), and Center (C). With this button pushed IN to
STEREO, the L OUTPUT (#17 & 18) emits signal from the L & C Chorus circuits only, and the R OUTPUT (#19 & 20) emits signal from the R & C circuits only.
With this button switched OUT (MONO mode) the L, R, and C Chorus circuits all sum evenly to both the L and R OUTPUTS. NOTE: If you are simply plugging
your guitar in to the TERC and on to only one amp you would use MONO mode (button OUT) and connect the amp cable to either one of the L or R outputs.
PRESET MODE (feature #5): This is the classic Tri-Stereo-Chorus slow chorus sound. PRESET mode only happens when the PRESET button is IN and the
MANUAL button (#6) is OUT. You will notice that the INTENSITY knobs and the SPEED knob do not function when the PRESET is selected. NOTE: make sure
MANUAL button (#6) is OUT or you will hear BOTH the PRESET and the MANUAL sounds at the same time!
MANUAL MODE (#6): MANUAL mode happens when the PRESET button is OUT and MANUAL button is pressed IN. In MANUAL mode the L, R and C
INTENSITY knobs (f#7,8, 9) and the SPEED knob (feature #10) are functional. NOTE: make sure PRESET button is OUT.
Combining PRESET & MANUAL modes: Yes, by pressing IN both PRESET (#5) and MANUAL (#6) mode buttons, you can combine all the different Low
Frequency Oscillators (LFO’s) for all sorts of possibilities. It’s amazing to hear the PRESET mode’s slow swirl with a fast speed selected in the MANUAL mode on
top of that.
INTENSITY knobs (#7, 8, & 9): The knobs ONLY function when the MANUAL knob is pressed IN. Turning these Clockwise (CW) will increase the chorus effect
level, with the deepest chorus being around 12 o’clock to 1 o’clock. Chorus is created by taking the original signal, processing that signal through a delay and
modulating (pitchbending) it, then mixing the original and the processed signals back together. The strongest chorus sounds you can get are when the orginal and
processed signals are mixed together equally with a 50/50 balance, the “chorus” is created by these original and processed signals fighting against each other!
Once you change the balance so that the processed signal gets louder than the original signal, you are only hearing the processed signal... which is what we call
VIBRATO. Therefore, when any of the TERC’s INTENSITY knobs are past 1 o’clock your will be hearing mostly the pitchbend vibrato from those channels,
something Michael Landau made famous during his “Raging Honkies” Band period.
SPEED knob (#10): This knob only operates when the MANUAL mode button is pressed IN. Turn it CW to increase the rate of the modulation, turn it counter
clockwise (CCW) to decrease the modulation rate. It has a ridiculously wide range of available speeds, and you can turn it (CCW) to a point where it is so slow the
entire modulation cycle takes five seconds or more to complete. You will hear both Flange and Phase effects at lower speeds, especially with the INTENSITY
knobs around 12 o’clock.
OUTPUT LED’s (#19): These L & R LED ladders monitor the OUTPUT signal from your TERC. It is not uncommon to see these jump up to the +3 dB area, please
make sure your signals are adjusted so that it only briefly visits the red, otherwise distortion will occur.
POWER switch (#12): Press this IN to turn on the power to your TERC. If it does not light up RED, check if the power cable is plugged snuggly in to the power
cable receptacle (#13) or check the fuse, which is located in the power cable receptacle (#13) on the back of the TERC.
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