Help with Lexicon 110

Terry Sneed · Post by **Terry Sneed** » 8 May 2005 6:33 pm

Would somebody be so kind to tell me(in simple terms} what the mix knob, effects/lv/bal knob, the adjust knob, the varation knob, do please? I can't get heads nor tails out of the manual. I'd just like to know what each of these knobs are suppose to do. I know what the imput, output, and program knobs are for.I've done a search and only found settings. I really would appreciate it. I really like this effects unit, and I'd like to learn how to use it. a big thanks

Terry

Terry

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Mullen D10 /8x5 / session 500rd/ American Strat Highway 1 model
steelin for my Lord

[This message was edited by Terry Sneed on 08 May 2005 at 07:36 PM.]

Jim Whitaker · Post by **Jim Whitaker** » 8 May 2005 8:24 pm

Terry I don't have one but I can help a little.

Mix = amount of effect against amount of normal sound ( most people use about 35% mix
which mean 65% natural sound & 35% effect.

Balance should mean right or left side if it is stereo unit

effect =should mean total amount of effect
lv= should be volume
I don't know about the other knobs I'd have to fool around with it.

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JIM
"Zum SD10 3/6 """ "74" LTD & Session LTD, Nasville 400, Profex II "53" Esquire, "63 Epiphone, "63" Precision,
"77" Jazz

John Daugherty · Post by **John Daugherty** » 9 May 2005 4:43 am

Terry, the quote below is copied from page 1-2 in the manual. I don't think I can say it any better. I will certainly try to help. If you have a specific question, post it here and we will do our best.
The balance control is generally used to balance 2 effects(such as delay/chorus). Turning one way turns the amount of one effect up while turning the amount of the other effect down. The mix control adds more of the effect to the guitar signal as you turn it clockwise.
____________________________________________
"The front panel Adjust knob allows instant manipulation
of critical preset parameters, and the Effects Lvl/Bal knob
controls effect level in SINGLE programs or effect
balance in DUAL programs. All programs can be selected
with the PROGRAM and VARIATION knobs. The
PROGRAM knob selects SINGLE, DUAL, or User
programs, while the VARIATION knob selects among 16
program variations."
---------------------------------------------

Terry Sneed · Post by **Terry Sneed** » 9 May 2005 9:12 am

Thanks a lot guys, ya'll have helped me understand this thing a lot better.
so if I wanted to use the program that has delay/reverb, I can turn the effects/lv/bal knob to get more or less delay and reverb?
and if I choose only one effect, the effects/lv/bal knob changes that particular effect?
what about the adjust knob, what does it do?

Terry

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Mullen D10 /8x5 / session 500rd/ American Strat Highway 1 model
steelin for my Lord

[This message was edited by Terry Sneed on 09 May 2005 at 10:16 AM.]

John Hawkins · Post by **John Hawkins** » 9 May 2005 9:23 am

It sure would be nice for an old dummy like me ,if owners' manuals pretaining to these type effects systems, be written by someone that could write them in plain language so I could understand it.I'm sure other folks feel the same that have "waded " through certain instruction manuals without a clue about what was being written.

There has to be a better way to present instructions in writing for these type effects units IMHO .

I will bet that some folks on this forum could rewrite those manuals in plain language so folks could have a better understanding of how they work.

I don't own a Lexicon ( and I know they are fine units) but I do have a Digitech Studio Quad 4 and the more you read the instructions the more confused you become. Same with the Lexicon manual I assume, according to Terry 's post here.

I have to call on outside help if understanding "what to do next" is my intent.I have been lucky that user presets that I really like, were already in the Digitech when I purchased it new from a Dealer who is also a fine steel player and friend who was nice enough to put his programs in for me.

I have never cared for factory per- sets starting with a Profex I once owned.

As I say--I'm an old dummy about these type effect units. I sure like my 5 year old Digitech though, so far.

John

[This message was edited by John Hawkins on 09 May 2005 at 10:29 AM.]

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 9 May 2005 11:37 am

Typical of many manuals, they are written for someone who knows how to use it, not really for someone trying to learn how to use it. But, some of that is because some Elnglish major gramatically corrected what some tech wrote.

It's not just many musical equipment manuals. IBM is bad about that - they inundate you with documentation for a piece of equipment but unless you already know how it works, it's almost impossible to learn how to find what you want - even their techs have problems with the manuals.

One that I always found the opposite was the old ARRL (Ham Radio) Handbooks.

John Hawkins · Post by **John Hawkins** » 9 May 2005 2:56 pm

Jack,

If anyone I know of on this forum could make things in those manuals better understood using plain old language it would be Jack Stoner. Frankly, I had you in mind when I wrote that "someone" but did not know whether or not you would appreciate me mentioning your name or not so I just left it "someone".

You could sell a lot of plain language manuals to owners of both Lexicons and Digitech effects unit I would bet .

I want to be first on your "for sale" list if you ever undertake a "plain language" manual rewrite on that Digitech Studio Quad 4.

Regards and thanks for all the good info. you contribute to this forum.

John

Terry Sneed · Post by **Terry Sneed** » 9 May 2005 7:20 pm

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>There has to be a better way to present instructions in writing for these type effects units IMHO .

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

AMEN JOHN!! for instance, the manual say's of the "adjust " knob- It can act as a linear control at it's maximum value when set to the 7:00 position
It can act as a bipolar control at it's minimum value when set to the 12;00 position, like a cut/boost EQ control.
Now, tell me a plain ole high school graduate is suppose to know what that bull means!

That's why I asked what the adjust knob means.
Terry

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Mullen D10 /8x5 / session 500rd/ American Strat Highway 1 model
steelin for my Lord

[This message was edited by Terry Sneed on 09 May 2005 at 08:22 PM.]

David Mason · Post by **David Mason** » 10 May 2005 4:29 am

You really have to choose a single effect that you want to experiment with, open the manual to the page for that effect and try the different options. But I’ll try here:

The knob on the far right is called the “Program” knob. This chooses between single and double effects. The first 8 choices for the single effects are on the left side of the knob, BUT: each of those allows you two choices also. For example, you can set the knob to say “Ambience, Room.” On the “Variation” knob (the next one over) numbers 1-8 are various kinds of “Ambience” reverb, and numbers 9-16 are various kinds of “Room” reverb. This is explained on page 4-6 and 4-7 of the manual. You really have to look at the manual, because THE ADJUST KNOB DOES DIFFERENT THINGS IN DIFFERENT VARIATIONS. “Plate, Gate”, ‘Hall, Chamber”, and “Ambience, Room” are all different kinds of reverbs, and the knobs do different things to them – you have to look at the page in the manual for each individual effect.

The first three knobs are simple, Input, Output, and Mix. The Mix knob lets you blend in the effect with some straight signal, and it is pretty sensitive to my ears at least – the difference between 11 o’clock and straight up 12 o’clock is really audible on some reverb programs, for example.

The choices on the right side of the “Program” knob are double programs (with the names listed in white and yellow letters). The 4th knob over, “Effects Lvl/Bal” controls the blend between the effects. Here, you REALLY have to go to the page about each particular choice because the “Variation” knob controls the routing and stereo split of the pairs of effects – see page 4-20 for how this works. AND, the “Adjust” knob does different things for each of the separate programs.

It helps to have a footswitch for some of the delay programs because you can tap in the tempo rather than using the button on the front – this is on page 2-5. I happened to have an amp footswitch designed to change channels, and it works fine, as does the “audio tap” described in the manual on page 2-5.

A whole lot of the choices that are available seem to me that they would be most useful if you were either playing cartoon soundtracks or experimenting with hallucinogenic drugs, or both - like the pitch-shifting programs. Or, for example, set the “Mix” and “Adjust” knobs all the way to the right, the “Program” knob to “Pitch-Detune”, and the “Variation” knob to 12. Now your pedal steel sounds as thought it’s being played by a retard with a profound sinus disorder! Your job, of course, is to determine when such a sound might be musically useful.

BUT: a whole lot of the choices are very useful too. Set the “Program” knob on Hall-Chamber, the “Variation” knob on 3, the “Mix”, “Effects Lvl” and “Adjust” knobs straight up and you’ll at least be in the ballpark. The reverbs, chorus and delays sound great, and the “Detune” function is actually quite neat when tempered by cranking the “Mix” knob down, read page 4-15. Some of the “Chorus-Reverb” combinations are nice too. The pitch shifting programs are described in detail on page 4-36.

This might all seem way too complicated, but the best part about the thing is that when you do find something useful, you can save it as one of 16 “User Programs” and recall it with a single choice of settings – “User” on the Variation knob, and then the number. How to do this is explained on page 2-4. It can apparently do a whole bunch of cool MIDI stuff too, but I have no need to know what that even is, so far.

Terry Sneed · Post by **Terry Sneed** » 10 May 2005 6:14 am

Well thanks David. I understood what the program knob, the imput and output were for, it was the rest of the knobs that had be confused. You explained them very well. Thanks

terry

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Mullen D10 /8x5 / session 500rd/ American Strat Highway 1 model
steelin for my Lord

David Mason · Post by **David Mason** » 10 May 2005 6:59 am

I should add, I finally got a little notebook to keep by my rack to write settings down in. I have a pretty complicated rig right now, with a stereo compressor, graphic equalizer, drum machine and such. I found it really annoying to get a great sound, fiddle with a few knobs to try and make it even better, and then not be able to remember what my settings were when it sounded good, so I have to resort to writing things down. There are so many different kinds of delay on the Lexicon alone you can get lost in it pretty easily.