electro-harmonix Tri Parallel Mixer Effects Loop Mixer/Switcher User Manual
- June 6, 2024
- electro-harmonix
Table of Contents
TRI PARALLEL MIXER
Effects Loop Mixer/Switcher
Congratulations on your purchase of the Electro-Harmonix Tri Parallel Mixer!
The Tri Parallel Mixer can be used in multiple configurations for a variety of
switching and mixing applications. Use it to switch between or mix up to three
separate effects loops. Send a guitar or other instrument out to three
separate amplifiers, or input three separate instruments to switch between or
mix to a single output. Mix effects in parallel to create sounds and allow for
options not possible when using effects in series (one after another). These
are a few examples of the multiple ways to incorporate the Tri Parallel Mixer
into your setup.
WARNING : Your Tri Parallel Mixer comes equipped with an Electro-Harmonix
9.6DC200BI power supply (same as used by Boss® & Ibanez®: 9.6 Volts DC 200mA).
The Tri Parallel Mixer requires 45mA at 9VDC with a center-negative plug. Use
of the wrong adapter or a plug with the wrong polarity may damage your Tri
Parallel Mixer and void the warranty.
USING THE TRI PARALLEL MIXER
Plug the 9VDC adapter into the jack on the top left of the Tri Parallel Mixer. There are multiple ways to configure your setup, the most typical configuration is shown below: a guitar-based setup for mixing and/or switching between three separate effects loops.
In this configuration, plug your guitar or another instrument/sound source
into the INPUT jack on the right of the Tri Parallel Mixer. Connect your
amplifier or other sound destination to the OUTPUT jack on the left of the Tri
Parallel Mixer. All connections can be made using standard ¼” instrument
cables.
Connect the input of the first effect in your first effects loop to the SEND 1
jack. Connect the output of the last effect in your first effects loop to the
RTN 1 jack. Repeat this step for your other two effects loops using the SEND
2/3 and RTN 2/3 jacks. Below is the signal path in this configuration:
Use the CH 1/2/3 footswitches to activate their respective effects loops.
Double-tap any of these footswitches to enter master bypass, which connects
the INPUT jack directly the OUTPUT jack. When in bypass, single tap any
footswitch to re-enter active mode. There are other switching options and
configuration options that will be discussed later in this manual.
GLOBAL CONTROLS / JACKS
INPUT This jack on the right of the unit is the master input for the
Tri Parallel Mixer. The signal present here will be outputted to an active
channel’s SEND jack. In master bypass, the input signal connects directly to
the OUTPUT jack.
OUTPUT This jack on the left of the unit is the master output for the
Tri Parallel Mixer.
MASTER VOL This knob sets the master output level of the mixer.
DRY VOL This knob sets how much dry signal (the signal present at the
INPUT jack) is sent to the output of the Tri Parallel Mixer.
MASTER STATUS This LED lights when the unit is active and doesn’t light
when in master bypass. Double-tap any of the three footswitches to switch from
active to bypass mode. When in bypass, single tap any footswitch to enter
active mode. The Tri Parallel Mixer features buffered bypass.
CHANNEL CONTROLS / JACKS
The majority of the controls for the Tri Parallel Mixer are grouped into three
identical channel sections, each with a SEND and RTN (Return) jack, a SEND and
RETURN level control, an EQ control, a PHASE switch, and a footswitch.
SEND 1/2/3 Jack This jack outputs the signal inputted to the Tri
Parallel Mixer (via the INPUT jack) when its channel is active. Send output
impedance = 220.
SEND Knob This knob sets the level outputted to the SEND jack.
RTN 1/2/3 Jack This jack is the input for a given channel. The signal
inputted to this jack is sent to the OUTPUT jack (after the EQ control) when
its channel is active. RTN input impedance = 1M.
RETURN Knob This knob sets the level of the signal received at the RTN
jack before it is sent to the output of the Tri Parallel Mixer.
PHASE This switch, when set to 180, inverts the phase of the signal
sent out of the SEND jack. This can be useful when something in your effects
loop is causing phase issues when mixed in with either your dry signal or
other effects loops.
EQ This knob affects the tonal characteristic of the signal inputted to
the RTN jack. When the knob is at the center, there is no effect. Turn the
knob up for a brighter signal (more treble) and turn the knob down for a
darker signal (more bass).
CH 1/2/3 Footswitch This switch is used to activate/deactivate a given
channel. Double tap any of these switches to enter bypass mode. When in bypass
mode, click any of these switched to enter active mode. There are other
functions these switches can perform, which will be discussed later.
CH 1/2/3 LED These LED lights to indicate which channels are active.
There are other scenarios where these LEDs may be blinking to indicate
different options, which will be discussed later in the manual.
- There are certain scenarios where the signal may be active at a given SEND or RTN jack despite that channel being inactive. These scenarios are discussed in the Advanced Switching Options section.
ADVANCED SWITCHING OPTIONS
Before explaining the advanced switching options, it is useful to visualize the signal path of a given channel, which essentially exists in two halves:
All three channels are set up this way. By default, when a given channel is
active both the SEND SWITCH and RETURN SWITCH are closed, allowing the signal
to flow through them. When a given channel is inactive, both of these switches
are open, blocking any signal from flowing. Advanced options allow you to
change how this works, expanding the Tri Parallel Mixer’s possible
applications.
BOTH, SEND, & RETURN MUTING MODES
There are three “Muting Modes” that each channel can be independently set to.
The default mode, explained above, is BOTH, where when a channel is inactive
both the SEND and RETURN sides of the channel are muted. The two other modes
are:
SEND MUTING In this mode, when a channel is inactive only the SEND
SWITCH is opened. The RETURN SWITCH is always closed. This is useful if you
have an effect such as a delay or reverb in an effects loop channel and you
want the tails or decay of that effect to naturally fade out after switching
the channel off.
RETURN MUTING In this mode, when a channel is inactive only the RETURN
SWITCH is opened. The SEND SWITCH is always closed and the signal will always
come out of the SEND 1/2/3 jack even when a channel is inactive.
To switch between these modes:
- hold any one of the three footswitches down for about a second until all three upper LEDs are blinking.
- Once here, as you press and release a given channel’s footswitch, that LED will change blinking speeds.
- There are three blinking speeds, representing the three muting modes. The slowest speed sets that channel to BOTH, the medium speed is SEND MUTING, and the fastest speed is RETURN MUTING.
- Once you’ve set your channels to the desired modes, hold any one of the three footswitches for about a second until the LEDs stop blinking.
AND / XOR MODES
By default, clicking the footswitch of a given channel turns that channel on
or off without affecting any other channels. This is called AND Mode. You can
also set the Tri Parallel Mixer to XOR (exclusive or) Mode. In this mode, only
one of the three channels can be active at a time.
Switching on one channel automatically switches off the other two. It this
useful to use the Tri Parallel Mixer as more of a switcher and less of a
mixer.
To switch between these modes:
- hold the CH 1 and CH 2, or the CH 2 and CH 3 footswitch together, for about a second, until the three upper LEDs are blinking.
- The LEDs will either be blinking in unison, indicating AND Mode, or blinking one after another, indicating XOR Mode.
- To change the setting, simply press and release any of the three footswitches.
- Once you have set it to your desired setting, hold down any one of the three footswitches for about a second, until the LEDs stop blinking.
FACTORY RESET
Upon powering up, the Tri Parallel Mixer will remember your last settings, as far as which channels were active and the current Muting Mode and AND/XOR Mode. To easily reset everything to the default settings, perform a factory reset by following these steps:
- Unplug the 9V power from the Tri Parallel Mixer
- Hold down the CH 1 and CH 3 footswitches
- While still holding them down, plug in the 9V power
- All four LEDs will light for about a half-second, then the top three LEDs will go off. The Factory Reset is complete.
PARALLEL EFFECT MIXING-
In a traditional setup with multiple effects pedals, effects are run in series, with the output of one connected to the input of the next. In this configuration, the sound created by an effect earlier in the chain will greatly affect any effects used later in the chain. The Tri Parallel Mixer allows you to use effects in parallel, where each effect acts on your input signal independently and is then combined. This allows for tonal options not possible when running effects in series. A couple of examples are shown and explained below:
In the example above, you can use three separate effects from the EHX 9
Series, in this case, a Mel9 Tape Replay Machine, B9 Organ Machine, and Synth9
Synthesizer Machine, and combine them in parallel to create a mix of
mellotron, organ, synthesizer, and guitar tone.
In the example above, mixing two very different overdrives on bass, in
parallel, can result in a very full and unique distorted bass tone. You can
also use the built-in DRY blend on the Tri Parallel Mixer to retain some of
the bass guitar’s natural low end.
OTHER CONFIGURATIONS
Over the next couple of pages, some other possible configurations and
applications of the Tri Parallel Mixer will be shown to help illustrate
multiple ways you can use the unit.
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 1: An example where you may make use of RETURN MUTING mode. Even
when channel one is inactive, the bass guitar signal will still flow out of
the SEND 1 jack and into the EHX Battalion Bass Preamp/DI. This allows the
signal to always come out of the Battalion’s XLR out, but only when the
channel is active would it be routed to the amp.
Figure 2: An example of using the Tri Parallel Mixer as an instrument
switcher. Plug each instrument into a channel’s RTN jack, then set the Tri
Parallel Mixer to XOR switching mode and click a channel to select that
instrument. Use the RETURN knob for a given channel to adjust the level of
just that instrument.
Figure 3: An example using the Tri Parallel Mixer to send a guitar to two
separate amplifiers. You could either instantaneously switch between the two
amplifiers or simultaneously send your guitar signal to both. Use the SEND
knob for a given channel to set the level of the signal sent into the
amplifier.
WARRANTY INFORMATION
Please register online at http://www.ehx.com/product-registration or complete and return the enclosed warranty card within 10 days of purchase. Electro-Harmonix will repair or replace, at its discretion, a product that fails to operate due to defects in materials or workmanship for a period of one year from date of purchase. This applies only to original purchasers who have bought their product from an authorized Electro-Harmonix retailer. Repaired or replaced units will then be warranted for the unexpired portion of the original warranty term.
If you should need to return your unit for service within the warranty period, please contact the appropriate office listed below. Customers outside the regions listed below, please contact EHX Customer Service for information on warranty repairs at info@ehx.com or +1-718-9378300. USA and Canadian customers: please obtain a Return Authorization Number (RA#) from EHX Customer Service before returning your product. Include with your returned unit a written description of the problem as well as your name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, RA# and a copy of your receipt clearly showing the purchase date.
United States & Canada
EHX CUSTOMER SERVICE
ELECTRO-HARMONIX
c/o NEW SENSOR CORP.
47-50 33RD STREET
LONG ISLAND CITY, NY 11101
Tel: 718-937-8300 Email:
info@ehx.com| Europe
JOHN WILLIAMS
ELECTRO-HARMONIX UK
13 CWMDONKIN TERRACE
SWANSEA SA2 0RQ
UNITED KINGDOM
Tel: +44 179 247 3258 Email:
electroharmonixuk@virginmedia.com
To hear demos of all EHX pedals visit us on the web at
www.ehx.com
Email us at info@ehx.com
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FCC COMPLIANCE
This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to
the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful
interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received,
including interference that may cause undesired operation. If the device is
not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, it may cause
harmful interference to radio communications and void the user’s authority to
guarantee the equipment.
Note: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits
for a Class B digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These
limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful
interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses,
and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in
accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio
communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not
occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful
interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by
turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the
interference by one or more of the following measures:
- Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
- Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
- Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.
- Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
Modifications not expressly approved by the manufacturer could void the user’s
authority to operate the equipment under FCC rules.
The CE logo indicates that this product has been tested and shown to conform
with all applicable European Conformity directives.
References
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