tc electronic Hypergravity Mini Compressor User Manual
- June 7, 2024
- tc electronic
Table of Contents
HYPERGRAVITY MINI COMPRESSOR
State-of-the-Art Multiband Compression with Advanced MD3 Multiband Dynamics
Algorithm for Professionally Polished Tones
User Manual
Important Safety Instructions
Terminals marked with this symbol carry an electrical current of
sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock. Use only high-
quality professional speaker cables with ¼” TS or twist-locking plugs pre-
installed. All other installation or modifications should be performed only by
qualified personnel.
This symbol, wherever it appears, alerts you to the presence of
uninsulated dangerous voltage inside the enclosure – voltage that may be
sufficient to constitute a risk of shock.
This symbol, wherever it appears, alerts you to important operating and
maintenance instructions in the accompanying literature. Please read the
manual.
Caution
** To reduce the risk of electric shock, do not remove the top cover (or
the rear section). No user-serviceable parts inside. Refer servicing to
qualified personnel.
Caution
** To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock, do not expose this
appliance to rain and moisture. The apparatus shall not be exposed to dripping
or splashing liquids and no objects filled with liquids, such as vases, shall
be placed on the apparatus.
Caution
****These service instructions are for use by qualified service personnel
only. To reduce the risk of electric shock do not perform any servicing other
than that contained in the operation instructions. Repairs have to be
performed by qualified service personnel.
- Read these instructions.
- Keep these instructions.
- Heed all warnings.
- Follow all instructions.
- Do not use this apparatus near water.
- Clean only with dry cloth.
- Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including amplifiers) that produce heat.
- Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or grounding-type plug. A polarized plug has two blades with one wider than the other. A grounding-type plug has two blades and a third grounding prong. The wide blade or the third prong are provided for your safety. If the provided plug does not fi t into your outlet, consult an electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet.
- Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched particularly at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point where they exit from the apparatus.
- Use only attachments/accessories specified by the manufacturer.
-
Use only with the cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or table specified by the manufacturer, or sold with the apparatus. When a cart is used, use caution when moving the cart/apparatus combination to avoid injury from tip-over. - Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time.
- Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel. Servicing is required when the apparatus has been damaged in any way, such as power supply cord or plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate normally, or has been dropped.
- The apparatus shall be connected to a MAINS socket outlet with a protective earthing connection.
- Where the MAINS plug or an appliance coupler is used as the disconnect device, the disconnect device shall remain readily operable.
- Correct disposal of this product: This symbol indicates that this product must not be disposed of with household waste, according to the WEEE Directive (2012/19/EU) and your national law. This product should be taken to a collection center licensed for the recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment (EEE). The mishandling of this type of waste could have a possible negative impact on the environment and human health due to potentially hazardous substances that are generally associated with EEE. At the same time, your cooperation in the correct disposal of this product will contribute to the efficient use of natural resources. For more information about where you can take your waste equipment for recycling, please contact your local city office or your household waste collection service.
- Do not install in a confined space, such as a bookcase or similar unit.
- Do not place naked flame sources, such as light candles, on the apparatus.
- Please keep the environmental aspects of battery disposal in mind. Batteries must be disposed of at a battery collection point.
- Use this apparatus in tropical and/or moderate climates.
LEGAL DISCLAIMER
MUSIC Group accepts no liability for any loss which may be suffered by any person who relies either wholly on or in part upon any description, photograph, or statement contained herein. Technical specifications, appearances, and other information are subject to change without notice. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. MIDAS, KLARK TEKNIK, LAB GRUPPEN, LAKE, TANNOY, TURBOSOUND, TC ELECTRONIC, TC HELICON, BEHRINGER, BUGERA, and DDA are trademarks or registered trademarks of MUSIC Group IP Ltd. © MUSIC Group IP Ltd. 2017 All rights reserved.
LIMITED WARRANTY
For the applicable warranty terms and conditions and additional information regarding MUSIC Group’s Limited Warranty, please see complete details online at music-group.com/warranty.
About this Manual
Use this manual to learn how to set up and operate your TC product.
To get the most from this manual, please read it from start to finish, or you
may miss important information.
This manual is only available as a PDF download from the TC Electronic
website. Of course, you can print this manual, but we encourage you to use the
PDF version, which has both internal and external hyperlinks. For example,
clicking the logo in the upper left corner of each page will take you back to
the table of contents.
To download the most current version of this manual, visit
tcelectronic.com/support/manuals/
Getting support
If you still have questions about the product after reading this manual,
please get in touch with TC Support:
tcelectronic.com/support/
Enjoy your TC product!
About this pedal
Thank you for spending your hard-earned money on this TC Electronic product!
We have done our best to ensure that it will serve you for many years to come,
and we hope that you will enjoy using it.
HyperGravity Mini Compressor
HyperGravity Mini Compressor is the missing link that will take your tone from
good to great.
HyperGravity Mini Compressor’s advanced multiband dynamics algorithm is the
same MD3 compression algorithm that can be found in our studio production
masterpiece, System 6000, which has been the preferred dynamics tool for top
producers for over ten years. This technologically superior engine applies
perfectly tailored compression for your highs, mids, and lows. This is a more
transparent and musical compression than what can be achieved with standard
single-band compressors.
True Bypass
Here at TC, we have a simple philosophy: When you are using one of our
products you should hear something great – and if you don’t, you shouldn’t
hear it at all. This is why this pedal sports True Bypass. When it is
bypassed, it is really off and has zero influence on your tone, resulting in
optimum clarity and zero loss of high-end.
TonePrint
This TC Electronic product supports TonePrints.
To learn more about TonePrints, go to
tcelectronic.com/toneprint/Operation
What are TonePrints?
When you look at your TC Electronic effect pedal, you’ll only see a few knobs.
Actually, for some pedals, it’s just one knob. So – one knob, one function,
right?
Actually, there’s a lot more to it than meets the eye.
Star-tweaked signature sounds
When TC Electronic builds an effect pedal, the relationship between its
controls and many parameters “under the hood” is defined by developers,
musicians and product specialists who live and breathe sound. This gives you
an excellent starting point: a great-sounding pedal with well-balanced
controls. But wouldn’t it be cool to have world-famous guitar players – guys
like Paul Gilbert, Guthrie Govan, John Petrucci or Steve Vai – virtually
rewire your reverb pedal, defining what should happen “behind the scenes”?
And how about doing this yourself?
This is exactly what TonePrint allows you to do.
TC Electronic is working with top guitar players who explore a pedal’s hidden
tonal potential, redefining the controls and creating their personal
TonePrints.And we are making these custom TonePrints available to you.
Uploading them to your pedal is really easy (see “Transferring Tone- Prints to
your pedal using the TonePrint app”) – and with the amazing TonePrint Editor,
you can even create your own signature pedal, tweaked specifically to your
liking.
You can change the TonePrint in your pedal as often as you like, and the best
part:
It’s totally free.
Transferring TonePrints to your pedal using the TonePrint app
Being able to virtually rewire your TC Electronic effect pedal wouldn’t be
much use if you needed a lot of extra equipment to do it. This is why we
created the TonePrint app. The TonePrint app is free software for popular
smartphones that allows you to “beam” new TonePrints right into your effect
pedal whenever and wherever you feel like it.
Obtaining the TonePrint app
If you own an iPhone, you can download the TonePrint app from Apple’s App
Store.
If you own an Android phone, you will find the TonePrint app on Google Play.
Once you have the app, no additional downloads or in-app purchases are
required. You can access all available TonePrints from within the app, and all
TonePrints are free.
Transferring TonePrints to your pedal – step by step
- Launch the TonePrint app on your smartphone.
- Find the TonePrint you want to use. You can browse TonePrints by Artist or Product (i.e., pedal type). You will also find Featured Tone- Prints.
- Plug your guitar or bass into your TonePrint pedal.
- Turn your TonePrint pedal on.
- Turn up the volume on your instrument and set the pickup selector to one pickup.
- Hold the speaker of your smartphone next to the chosen pickup and touch “Beam to pedal”.
Editing TonePrints with TonePrint Editor
The TonePrint app allows you to use TonePrints created by your favorite guitar
and bass players. But this is only the start. Using TC’s TonePrint Editor,
you can create your very own signature pedal sounds.
TonePrint Editor features
- Use TonePrint Editor to build your own custom sounds.
- Enjoy complete control over all effect parameters and affect behavior – it’s your vision, your sound.
- Customize knob function and knob range to suit your needs and sounds.
- Audition your sonic creations in real-time life – make changes on the fly and listen to results immediately.
- Works with both PC and Mac. Last but not least…
- TonePrint Editor is absolutely free!
Obtaining TonePrint Editor
If you want to use TonePrint Editor for your Windows or OS X computer,
download it from tcelectronic.com/toneprint-editor/
If you want to use TonePrint Editor on your Apple iPad, download it from
Apple’s App Store.
Please note that version 2.0 or higher of the TonePrint Editor is required for
working with TC Electronic Mini pedals. Version 2.0 has a Library function
that allows you to access and use Tone- Prints even without an Internet
connection.
Obtaining the TonePrint Editor manual
Download the TonePrint Editor manual from tcelectronic.com/toneprint-
editor/support/
If you open the manual for TonePrint Editor in Adobe Reader, you can click on
interface sections to jump directly to the sections of the manual you are
interested in.
Setup
Ready…
Your TC Electronic effect pedal box should contain the following items:
-
Your TC Electronic effect pedal
-
1 TC Electronic sticker
1 leaflet about TC’s guitar FX product range
Inspect all items for signs of transit damage. In the unlikely event of transit damage, inform the carrier and supplier.
If damage has occurred, keep all packaging, as it can be used as evidence of excessive handling force.
Set… -
Connect a 9 V power supply with the following symbol to the DC input socket of your TC Electronic effect pedal.
This product does not come with a power supply. We recommend using TC Electronic’s PowerPlug 9 (sold separately).
- Plug the power supply into a power outlet.
- Connect your instrument to the in jack on the right side of the pedal using a ¼” jack cable.
- Connect the out jack on the left side of the pedal to your amplifier using a ¼” jack cable.
Inputs, Outputs, and Controls
If you need to change the battery of your TC ELECTRONIC effect pedal, proceed
as follows: 
Power / computer connection
Power input
To power up your pedal, connect a power supply to its power input socket.
The power input socket of your TC Electronic effect pedal is a standard
5.5/2.1mm DC plug (center = negative).
Your TC Electronic effect pedal requires a 9 V power supply providing 100 mA
or more (not supplied). TC Electronic recommends using the PowerPlug 9. To
minimize hum, use a power supply with isolated outputs.
USB port
Use the standard Mini-B USB port on your TC Electronic effect pedal to connect
your pedal to a computer. This will allow you to load TonePrints into the
pedal or create your own TonePrint using TC’s TonePrint Editor. For more
information, see “TonePrint”.
If there should be firmware updates for this pedal, they can also be installed
using the USB port – see “Updating the firmware”. Footswitch
- To turn the effect on, tap the footswitch.
- To turn the effect off, tap the footswitch again.
- The LED will light when the pedal is engaged.
Audio in and out
Audio input (mono)
The audio input on the right side of this pedal is a standard ¼” jack
(mono/TS).
-
Connect your guitar to the audio input on the right side of your pedal using a regular ¼” mono cable. Audio output (mono)
The audio output on the left side of this pedal is a standard ¼” jack (mono/TS). -
Connect the audio output of your pedal to the next device in the signal chain using a regular ¼” mono cable.
Effect controls
Please note that the knob assignments on your TC Electronic effect pedal are
the default assignments. Using the TonePrint Editor, you can rewire all knobs
so they control one or several parameters of your choice. For more
information, see the TonePrint Editor manual.
A compressor reduces the dynamic range of a signal. Generally speaking, it
will help you to “even out” signal level variations by reducing signal peaks
dynamically.
Reducing the dynamic range gives you more headroom that you can use to
increase the overall signal level. The result is a more consistent signal that
is easier to work with both the guitar player and the sound engineer.
Compression can be used either subtly or as a pronounced effect.
HyperGravity Mini is a multiband compressor. What does this mean?
Splitting an audio signal into several frequency bands before compressing
tremendously helps fight undesired “breathing”/pumping. Think of a multiband
compressor as multiple compressors targeting and processing low, mid, and
high-frequency ranges independently and efficiently.
Use HyperGravity Mini Compressor’s controls to shape the character and
intensity of the compression applied to your guitar signal.
Sustain knob
Use the Sustain knob to set the amount of compression that should be applied
to the signal. This corresponds to the Threshold parameter/ knob you will find
in most studio compressors.
- Set the Sustain parameter to high values to lower the compression threshold. A low threshold means that compression kicks in more often, reducing the dynamic range of the signal. In combination with high-Level settings, this will give you a consistent signal with lots of squeezes, squash, and nearly endless sustain.
- Set the Sustain knob to a low setting for a high threshold – meaning compression will kick in less often. This will give you just a hint of compression when the signal exceeds the threshold. This is perfect for clean rhythms.
Sustain and auto make-up gain
HyperGravity Compressor automatically employs make-up gain. As a compressor
reduces the dynamic range of the processed signal by attenuating peaks, the
gain is applied to compensate for the reduced signal level. As you increase
the Sustain, more compression and more make-up gain are applied. In other
words: The signal becomes louder.
Please note that higher Sustain settings will increase noise, as the noise
floor is inevitably amplified along with the signal. Experiment with Sustain
and Level settings to find the right balance.
Level knob
Use the Level knob to control the overall signal level. Crank this knob up for
a massive level boost that will make your solos and lead lines sing like never
before.
Attack knob
Use the Attack knob to define how fast full compression should be applied. The
shorter the Attack time, the sooner the signal’s dynamics will be compressed.
Use low settings for a superfast chicken pickin’ style attack, or maximize it
for a more open and punchy compression tone.
Attack and note transients
Use the Attack knob to ensure that the transients (the onset of the notes and
chords you are playing) can pass HyperGravity Mini Compressor uncompressed.
Transients are usually much louder than the rest of the signal, and if they
are compressed too strongly, this may introduce artifacts. The “right” setting
depends on your playing style, instrument, and other factors. Be sure to
experiment!
Updating the firmware
TC may provide updates for the built-in software of your pedal, the firmware. Updating your TC pedal’s firmware requires…
- a computer running Microsoft Windows or OS X with a standard USB interface
- the specified DC power supply for your pedal.
Preparing the firmware update
-
Download the newest firmware from the “Support” page for your TC pedal.
There are updates
– for Microsoft Windows (these are ZIP archives containing the firmware installer) and
– for OS X (these are disk image files containing the firmware installer). -
Unplug all cables (including the power supply) from your TC pedal.
-
Connect the pedal to your computer using a USB cable.
-
Press and hold the footswitch on your TC pedal. If your TC pedal has more than one footswitch, press and hold the leftmost footswitch.
-
Insert the DC power supply plug.
-
The LED on your pedal should turn green. If your TC pedal has more than one LED, the leftmost LED should turn green. This indicates that the pedal is ready to receive the software update.
-
Release the footswitch.
-
Your TC pedal will now be recognized as an updatable device.
Applying the firmware update
- Quit all MIDI-related applications (e.g. your DAW) on your computer and launch the firmware updater you have downloaded in step 1.
- In the firmware updater app, select your TC pedal from the drop-down list under the “STEP 1” heading.
- When the “Update” button under the “STEP 2” heading turns green, click it. The updated firmware will now be transferred to your TC pedal. Wait for the progress bar to reach 100%. When the update procedure is complete, the pedal
will automatically restart.
Links
TonePrint resources
- TonePrint: tcelectronic.com/toneprint/
- TonePrint products: tcelectronic.com/toneprint/toneprint-products/
- TonePrint app: tcelectronic.com/toneprint-app/
- TonePrint Editor: tcelectronic.com/toneprint-editor/
- TonePrint Editor manual: tcelectronic.com/toneprint-editor/support/Specifications
Support resources
- TC Electronic Support: tcelectronic.com/support/
- TC Electronic – product software: tcelectronic.com/support/software/
- TC Electronic – all product manuals: tcelectronic.com/support/manuals/
- TC Electronic user forum: forum.tcelectronic.com/
TC Electronic on…
-
the web: tcelectronic.com/
-
Facebook:facebook.com/tcelectronic
-
Google Plus:plus.google.com/+tcelectronic/
-
Twitter:twitter.com/tcelectronic
-
YouTube: youtube.com/user/tcelectronic
Specifications
| Bypass mode | True Bypass (Buffered Bypass optional) |
|---|---|
| Dimensions (H x D x W) | 93 x 48 x 48 mm (3.7x 1.9 x 1.9 “) |
| Input connector | Standard ¼” jack – mono/TS |
| Output connector | Standard ¼” jack – mono/TS |
| Power input | Standard 9 V DC, centre negative > 100 mA (power supply not |
included)
Battery option| –
Input impedance| 1 MΩ
Output impedance| 100 Ω
USB port| Mini USB connector for uploading and editing custom TonePrints and
for software updates
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION COMPLIANCE INFORMATION
Responsible Party Name: Music Group Services NV Inc.
Address: 5270 Procyon Street Las Vegas, NV 89118 USA
Phone Number: +1 702 800 8290
HYPERGRAVITY MINI COMPRESSOR
EMC/EMI 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
residential installations.
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. For customers in Canada, This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian CAN ICES-3B.