Blackstar AMPED 2 100W Compact Guitar Amplifier and FX Pedal - Manual (Page 5)

9 8
English
English
Front Panel
1. Voice
The Voice control changes the preamp voicing and character.
 USA - Inspired by classic American amps of the mid ’60s. Very clean, dynamic
and bright, with a solid low-end and controlled mids. A perfect pedal platform.
 UK - A distinctive preamp based on a much-loved British Class A amplifier of the
early ’60s. A low to medium gain preamp that can be used clean, warm or mildly
overdriven. Popular choice for a pedal platform or as a responsive crunch tone.
 Classic - Based on Blackstar’s award-winning cascaded valve/tube overdrive
circuits and a traditional ‘British style passive tone stack’. Perfect for big chords
and crunchy rhythm playing with clear note separation.
2. Gain
The Gain control adjusts the amount of overdrive or distortion. Low settings,
counter clockwise, will deliver a cleaner sound. As the Gain control is turned
clockwise the sound will become more overdriven, used in combination with the
Voice control to move through beautiful crunch tones, with maximum distortion in
the full clockwise position.
3. Bass
The Bass control adjusts the level of low-end frequencies in your tone. The tone
controls are tailored to the selected Voice. For example, the Clean Warm Voice
has a more pronounced low end, whereas the Clean Bright Voice has a more
controlled bass response.
4. Middle
The Middle control adjusts the level of mid-range frequencies in your tone. The mid-
range frequencies are particularly important in setting the amount of ‘body’ your tone
has. With the Middle control set to its minimum position (fully counter clockwise) the
sound will be scooped. As the Middle control is increased (clockwise) the amount of
‘body’ is increased.
5. Treble
The Treble control adjusts the level of high frequencies in your tone. At low settings
the sound will be warm and dark in character. As the Treble control is increased the
sound will become brighter.
6. Drive
The Drive pedal is placed before the Amplifier section in the signal chain. Select
from the three Drive types using the toggle switch:
 Boost - Boosts the level of the signal into the preamp. The Boost is a great way
to access more range from your chosen voice without affecting the overall tone.
 Drive - Adds saturation and distortion to your sound. Perfect for toggling
between a clean and dirty rhythm tone when used with a low gain voice.
 Fuzz - Produces gritty and gnarly distortion. The Fuzz reacts differently with
each voice, so try the Fuzz in front of each to find your sound.
Fine tune the Drive pedal using the Drive, Tone and Level controls.
7. Drive Footswitch
The Drive footswitch toggles the Drive pedal on and off. The LED will light up when
the Drive pedal is active.
8. Modulation
Select from the three Modulation types using the toggle switch:.
 CH/FL (Chorus/Flanger) – Ranges from lush, glistening Chorus to outrageous,
shrieking Flanger.
NOTE: The CH/FL Modulation type has a split Depth control. In the lower half of
the range the Modulation will be set to Chorus and the depth of the Chorus will be
adjusted. In the upper half of the range the Modulation will be set to Flanger and the
depth of the Flanger will be adjusted.
TIP: Set the Modulation pedal to Post when using the CH/FL setting with a higher gain
Voice to get the most impact from the effect. (See below on how to set Modulation
Pre/Post).
 Tremolo – Offers everything from subtle undulation to full-on, surgical chopping.
NOTE: The Tremolo Modulation type has a split Depth control. In the lower half of the
range the Modulation will be set to standard Tremolo and the depth of the Tremolo
will be adjusted. In the upper half of the range the Modulation will be set to Harmonic
Tremolo and the depth of the Harmonic Tremolo will be adjusted.
TIP: Set the Modulation pedal to Pre to try the Tremolo in front of a higher gain
Voice to push and pull your sound in and out of distortion (See below on how to set
Modulation Pre/Post).
 Phaser – Produces a classic, vocal-like sweep across your sound. Subtly blend
the effect or warp your sound into something new.
TIP: Experiment with the Phaser set to Pre and Post with the different Voice and Drive
options to create unique interactions (See below on how to set Modulation Pre/Post).
Fine tune the Modulation pedal using the Time, Depth and Level controls:
The Modulation pedal can be placed pre or post the Amplifier section using Blackstar’s
Architect deep-editing software. The default setting for Modulation Pre/Post is Pre.
9. Mod Footswitch
The Mod footswitch toggles the Modulation pedal on and off. The LED will light up
when the Modulation pedal is active.
When the Modulation pedal is active, holding the Modulation footswitch will activate
an ‘Emphasis’ effect. The current settings of the selected Modulation type will be
emphasised, with the result being a more intense effect. When the Modulation
footswitch is released, the Modulation effect will return to the previous settings.