Note: Using the Active input with passive basses (active instruments will always employ a battery)
may result in a loss of high end transients. Players who roll off their high end starting at about 2kHz,
or prefer a "darker" sound, may find this input more to their liking.
If you hear some distortion with your active bass and are using the Active Input, make sure the preamp
clip LED indicator is not lighting. If the preamp stage is not being driven into clipping, replace the battery in
your instrument.
GAIN CONTROL
The Gain control adjusts the volume of the preamp section. Since the Gain control is similar to a "pad," a
small amount of signal will be heard even with the Gain control rotated fully counter-clockwise ("MIN") if
the Master Volume is up.
After all EQ settings and the Aural Enhancer are set, the Gain control should be raised until the preamp
clip LED barely flashes when your loudest note is struck. This will insure maximum signal to noise ratio
and prevent unwanted clipping of the preamp section.
Note: The Gain can serve as an EFFECTS SEND LEVEL ADJUSTMENT. If your effect is being overdriv-
en, turn down the Gain control and readjust your Master Volume for overall loudness.
PREAMP CLIP LED
The preamp clip LED will light whenever the preamp, tone section or output buffer reach clipping (run out
of headroom). This function does NOT monitor the first tube stage of the Passive input. See that section
for more info.
In the event the clip indicator lights, turn down the Gain control. Since this circuit monitors the tone
controls, boosting any one of them can cause the clip LED to activate. Once again, you may leave the tone
control at its desired level, but turn the Gain control down further.
Note: Even though the Preamp Clip LED lighting indicates that at some point the preamp is clipping,
no harm is being done to your amplifier. However, clipping of the power amp can cause damage to
your speakers and is not recommended.
AURAL ENHANCER
The Aural Enhancer is a feature that's been on just about every SWR amplifier since the company's
inception in 1984, and is a trademark part of the "SWR Sound" people have come to know and love. It
was developed to help bring out the fundamental low notes of the bass guitar, enhance the high-end
transients, and reduce certain frequencies that help "mask" the fundamentals. The ultimate result is:
1. A more transparent sound, especially noticeable when slapping and popping.
2. It can make a passive bass take on an "active" type of quality when set at positions of "2 o'clock" or
further clockwise.
Let's take a second to learn how the Aural Enhancer works. Think of it as a variable tone curve that
changes depending on where you set the Aural Enhancer control knob. As you raise the control clockwise
from the "MIN" position, you are elevating a whole range of sound (lows, mids, and highs) at a variety of
frequency points selected specifically because they're different than those selected for the individual tone
controls of most SWR units.
This remains true up to about the "2 o'clock" position. This position—a favorite for many users—brings
out both the low end fundamentals and crisp highs and, at the same time, adds a little lower midrange to
help cut through the band. However, if you go further clockwise and past the 2:00 position, selected mids
will start to drop off—specifically, a group of frequencies centered around 200 Hz. At this point and after,
the effect becomes much more pronounced. However, the curves involved here are gentle, as opposed to
the very extreme curves you can create by boosting or cutting the Active Tone Controls (EQ).
Most significantly for basses, the Aural Enhancer will help bring out the fundamentals of your lower
registers without masking them with overtones, as is possible when boosting the bass frequencies only. At
the same time, it opens up the sibilance characteristics of all instruments without being harsh.
10 • BABY BABY BLUE