Fishman Aura manual

Aura ™ Acoustic Imaging Blender[...]

Aura ™ Acoustic Imaging Blender 2[...]

W arnings Important Safety Instructions T o ensure your personal safety and the safety of others, operate this apparatus only after reading these instructions and heeding the warnings listed below . • • Before you operate the Aura, read the safety instructions below and keep them for reference. • • Follow all instructions. • • Do not us[...]

Get Y our Feet W et 1 Connect the Aura’ s ¼” Output or XLR Output to your amplifier or mixer input. 2 Connect your acoustic instrument to the Input jack on the rear panel. 3 Connect the recommended adapter to the 9VDC input to power up the Aura (see Controls and Connections, Rear Panel, 9VDC ). Keep the volume down on your amplifier or mixer t[...]

5 Intr oduction Aura ™ Acoustic Imaging Blender Product Registration Please fill out the Product Registration form online at http://www .fishman.com/register .asp Why register? When you do, we have your information on file should your Aura Acoustic Imaging Blender ever require warranty service. Y our registration also keeps you on the cutting edg[...]

Aura Capabilities What does it do? The Aura is the logical extension of Fishman’ s Blender technology . With a traditional Blender , we combine the utilitarian function of a pickup with the unquestionable realism that only a microphone can add. This combination produces a whole that is much greater than the sum of the parts. The Aura Acoustic Ima[...]

7 Introduction Aura, the Internet and Y ou The Aura ships with sixteen factory-loaded Sound Images of various guitar , microphone and pickup combinations. Of these sixteen factory-loaded Sound Images, twelve can be replaced with new Sound Images. Why would you want to start replacing these before you’ve even unpacked the Aura? Because each Sound [...]

Rear Panel 1 XLR Out Connect this balanced -4dBu level output to the input of your P A system, recording console, or to a microphone input on a portable amplifier . The Sound Image/pickup mix gets routed through this output. 2 Gnd/Lft Move the Gnd/Lft switch to the “Lft” position to eliminate the ground loop hum that can occur when you use the [...]

Front Panel 1 Output Level Knob Sets the overall level at the XLR and ¼” outputs. 2 Phase Switch Use this global phase switch to improve the amplified response at low volumes and to help reduce feedback at high volumes. 3 Input Level and LEDs Lets you match the output of your pickup to the input of the Aura for the cleanest possible signal. 4 Ef[...]

Chapter 1 Control Panel Over view Aura ™ Acoustic Imaging Blender 10[...]

The Five Basic Control Groups The Aura control panel can be divided into five functional groups: 1 Input/Output (see page 15) The Input Level control sets the optimum amount of gain for your pickup. The Output Level sets the level going to your amp or mixer . The slide switch marked Phase corrects phase anomalies that can degrade your sound or caus[...]

Factor y Default Settings = all programs and parameters can be returned to factory default settings (excepting user downloaded Sound Images). TO RESET : Hold down both UP and Feedback Cancel switches for over 2 seconds while plugging in 9V power . LED Display The LED Display is your guide for navigating through the Play , Edit and T uner modes. 1 P[...]

Edit/Play Switch Use this switch to navigate between the 50 program locations in Play and the 11 selectable parameters in Edit. The mixes you create in Edit will automatically be placed in the last selected program location when you move the switch to Play . Move the switch to Play and the numbers in the LED display will refer to the 50 program loc[...]

Chapter 2 Inner W orkings Aura ™ Acoustic Imaging Blender 14[...]

Input /Output Input Level and LEDs Use the Input Level control and the multi-colored LEDs to set the gain structure for the Aura. When you plug into the Aura, play your instrument aggressively and adjust the Input Level control so that the green LED (signal present) lights brightly , the yellow LED (optimal level) flickers often and the red LED doe[...]

Why a Phase Switch on the Parameter Knob? A Sound Image is created from an actual microphone in front of a guitar . So the distance of the mic from the instrument and the polarity of the mic capsule will contribute to relative phase of the signal. Because the Aura blends a Sound Image signal with a pickup signal there is a 50% chance that the two w[...]

Y ou can choose how the Aura changes programs in Play Mode Instant Change Mode (factor y default) In the Instant Change Mode the program changes as soon as you hit the up or down footswitch. TO ENABLE: Hold down the right footswitch for over 2 seconds, while plugging in 9V power plug. The prompt will appear in the display . Pre-select Change Mode I[...]

Edit Mode Edit/Play Switch Move this switch to access the 11 selectable parameters in Edit mode. The mixes you create in Edit will automatically be placed in the last selected program location when you move the switch to Play . When you move the switch to Edit, the numbers and letters in the display will refer to the Aura parameters. In Edit, you s[...]

Parameter Knob With the Parameter knob, you can access the components used to build Sound Image/pickup mixes. There are two main groups of discrete parameters for the Aura effect and the pickup, plus three other parameters common to both. T o make the parameters available, move the switch to Edit, then move the pointer on the Parameter knob to the [...]

Aura Equalization The bracketed Bass, Mid and T reble parameters next to the “Aura” designation are for equalizing the Sound Image in the mix. We recommend that you use these controls sparingly , especially when boosting. Most often a ver y slight cut or boost is all that is needed get a Sound Image dialed in. Set Blend to A when you equalize t[...]

Mid Use the Data knob to change the behavior of the Mid control. The default Mid setting is flat (read 0 in display). T o cut midrange, turn the Data knob left and the display will show a negative number (down to -9 ) that indicates the amount cut in dB. T o boost midrange, turn the Data knob right and the display will show a number (up to 12 ) tha[...]

How to use the Phase switches: 1 Start with the Edit/Play switch in the Play position and select a program. Make note of the number of the program and move the switch to the Edit position. 2 T urn the Parameter knob to Blend and turn the Data knob clockwise until the letter A (Aura effect only , no pickup) appears in the display . 3 Raise the Outpu[...]

Effect on/of f Switch The Effect on/off lets you bypass the blended sound image/pickup mixes in both the Play and Edit modes, so that only the basic pickup signal from your instrument appears at the Aura’ s outputs. Use the Effect on/off switch to help set baseline levels for your mixes (see Level above) and to compare your raw pickup sound to th[...]

Feedback Cancel We’ve made it very easy to eliminate the feedback that typically occurs when you plug in an acoustic instrument. Here are three ways to use the Feedback Cancel filter . Factory Default Feedback Cancel The Feedback Cancel is set up at the factory with a 100 Hz notch filter; the frequency where many acoustic guitars howl. Simply tap[...]

Chapter 3 Setting Up for Performance 25 Aura ™ Acoustic Imaging Blender[...]

Setting Up for Performance With 11 adjustable parameters, 12 factory Sound Images (and more to download from the Fishman Aura website), plus 50 program locations to hold your mixes, the Aura gives you an incredible amount of power and flexibility . Y ou have the power to create an almost infinite number of Sound Image/pickup mixes to suit your tast[...]

27 Aura ™ Acoustic Imaging Blender Setting Up A Mix Here is a general step by step method for putting together a mix. This is a serial procedure in which each step leads to and affects the one that follows. For the most reliable results, try to consistently follow the order below whenever you set up your mixes. If you need more detail than is cov[...]

Aura ™ Acoustic Imaging Blender 28 Adjust the EQ Move the Parameter knob to Bass, Mid or T reble for either the Aura or Pickup and adjust to taste with the Data knob. For best r esults, apply EQ to the “Aura” side (Sound Image) sparingly . Y ou can apply EQ more liberally for the pickup side. T ypically you boost Bass and T reble a bit and cu[...]

29 Aura ™ Acoustic Imaging Blender Build Y our Own Programs for Perfor mance We give you 50 program locations to store your mixes. Here are some suggestions for setting up sequences of programs for performance. Remember to document your mixes and their program locations on the blank Programs page in the back of this manual. Assigning Sound Images[...]

Aura ™ Acoustic Imaging Blender 30 Specifications Power: 150 mA @ 9Vdc Power Connection: Center pin negative 2.1mm dia., 5.5mm outer dia. Input Impedance: 5 Meg Output Impedance: 1k Nominal Operating Level: -17dBu Unbalanced Output Level: -10dBu +/- 2dB (-10dBu, 1kHz input) Balanced Output Level: -4dBu +/- 2dB (-10dBu, 1kHz input) Distortion: Les[...]

Glossar y AST T echnology An acronym for Acoustic Spectrum T ransform, the trademark for Akai Professional’ s digital technology that makes digital Sound I maging possible. Aura A digital Sound Image added to a pickup signal. Data Knob T urn this knob to modify the Data currently shown in the LED display . Edit Mode The state in which the Aura’[...]

Aura ™ Acoustic Imaging Blender 32 T roubleshooting Problem Possible Cause Solution Power does not turn on Do you have the correct AC adapter? Use only Fishman 910R or Roland PSA adapters No sound or not loud enough Have the connections to other devices been made correctly? Check your connections Are the Input and Output levels too low? Raise Inp[...]

Factor y Default Settings All programs and parameters can be returned to factory default settings (except user-imported Sound Images). T o reset: Hold down both UP and Feedback Cancel switches for over 2 seconds while plugging in 9V power . A prompt will appear in the LED Display when the Aura has reset. Factor y Defaults: Play mode, default to pro[...]

01 Dreadnought 1 rosewood undersaddle dynamic P1 MHD28SM58NTI 02 Dreadnought 2 rosewood cutaway undersaddle large diaphragm condenser P2 MD16U47PP 03 Grand Concert 1 mahogany undersaddle small diaphragm condenser P3 M00184011NTI 04 Classical 1 rosewood undersaddle large diaphragm condenser P4 R2CWECX111PPRO 05 Jumbo 1 maple undersaddle large diaphr[...]

35 Aura ™ Acoustic Imaging Blender Programs 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50[...]

Limited W arranty Save your original sales receipt. It is your proof of purchase if you require warranty service. The Fishman Aura Acoustic Imaging Blender (“Product”) is warranted to the original consumer purchaser to be free of defects in materials and workmanship under normal use and service for a period of one (1) year from the date of purc[...]