ACOUSTIC PRE-AMP/DI

‑‑

Copyright 2004 -2008, Samson Technologies Corp.

Printed June, 2008 v1.1

Hartke
45 Gilpin Avenue
Hauppauge, New York 11788-8816
Phone: 1-800-3-SAMSON (1-800-372-6766)
Fax: 631-784-2201
www.hartke.com
 Table Of Contents

Acoustic Attack Introduction And Features 2

Introduction 2
Acoustic Attack Features 2
Acoustic Attack Front Panel Layout 3
Acoustic Attack Side Panel Layout 4
Operating The Acoustic Attack 5
Setting Up The Acoustic Attack 5
Power The Acoustic Attack 5
Phantom On - Off / Ground Connect / Lift Switch 5
Using Phantom Power 5
Installing The Battery 6
Using An Ac/dc Power Adapter 6
Control Knobs And Switches 6
Using The Equalizer 6
Acoustic Attack System Diagrams 8
Acoustic Attack Typical Set-ups 8
Direct Insertion Of An Instrument Into A Pa System 8
Using An External Effects Processor For Recording 9
Acoustic Attack Introduction and Features
Introduction
Congratulations on your purchase of the Acoustic Attack acoustic pre-amp/ direct box by Hartke!
The Acoustic Attack is a high quality preamplifier designed specifically for acoustic instruments.
The Acoustic Attack is a perfect solution for applications where you need to amplify or record
an acoustic guitar, mandolin or even violin. Of course, you players of electric guitars with on-
board piezo acoustic pick-ups can really enhance your set up by adding the Acoustic Attack to
your arsenal of stomp boxes. The active three band equalizer with tube pre emulation will warm
up any amplifier or recording. Plus with the MIX control you can dial-up just the right amount
of tone enhancement that matches the personality of your sound. The convenient PAD switch
makes the Acoustic Attack compatible with just about any PA system. The Acoustic Attack has
extensive input and output connectors including 1/4-inch inputs, balanced XLR Direct Output
and 1/4-inch Parallel outputs, providing maximum flexibility for patching in to amps, mixer and
recorders. Rest assured, the Acoustic Attack will provide high quality and reliable performance
thanks to its solid Hartke build construction. That's why the Acoustic Attack is perfectly at home
in the studio or on the road. In fact, the aluminum extrusion and steel chassis ensure solid per‑
formance from night-to-night and venue-to venue. Whether you are recording or playing live,
the Acoustic Attack by Hartke will give you the sound you’ve been looking for.

Acoustic Attack Features

• Acoustic Guitar Pre-amp / Direct Box.

• Tube Pre Emulation Circuit warms up any amp or recording.
• Active 3-Band Equalizer.
• Sweepable Mid-Range frequency control with "notch" cut helps reduce feedback.
• PAD switch provides clean input for acoustics with Active or Passive pick-ups.
• Convenient 1/4-inch and XLR Outputs.
• Rugged aluminum extrusion construction.
• Three year extended warranty.

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 Acoustic Attack Front Panel Layout
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1 OUTPUT - Control knob used to adjust 6 ON/OFF - Footswitch used to engage

the overall Output volume. the effects.
2 BASS - Control knob used to boost or cut 7 ON/OFF LED – RED LED, which illumi-
the low frequencies. nates to indicate that the OUTPUT, BASS,
MID, TREBLE and MIX, plus the Tube Pre
3 MID – Used to boost or cut the midrange
Emulation functions are engaged.
frequencies.
8 MIX – Control knob used to adjust
4 TREBLE - Control knob used to boost or
the blend between the dry signal and
cut the high frequencies.
effected signal.
5 FREQ – Used to adjust the center fre-
quency of the MID control.

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Acoustic Attack Side Panel Layout

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A Power Inlet – Power inlet for connect- F DIRECT INPUT - Standard 1/4-inch input
ing the optional AD006 9 Volt power jack for connecting an additional signal,
adapter. like from another effect, that bypasses
the processing, but can be mixed with
B PHANTOM ON / GROUND LIFT switch - the signal connected to the Acoustic
Used to switch between phantom power Attack's INPUT.
or battery operation, and/or Ground Lift/
Connect. G INPUT – Standard 1/4-inch input jack for
connecting a passive or active Acoustic.
C OUTPUT - 1/4-inch jack carrying the
line-level output signal, either affected or
un-affected, depending on the ON/OFF
switch.

D PAD switch – Push switch used to cut

the level sent to the Direct Output by 20
dB.

E DIRECT OUTPUT - XLR balanced output

connector carrying the mic-level output
signal, either affected or un-affected,
depending on the ON/OFF switch.

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 Operating the Acoustic Attack
Setting Up the Acoustic Attack
The basic procedure for setting up and using your Acoustic Attack is simple and takes only a few
minutes. Remove all packing materials (save them in case of need for future service).
Power the Acoustic Attack
You can power the Acoustic Attack with a standard 9-volt battery, a standard DC power adapter,
or by applying standard 48-volt phantom power. You can use which ever power source is most
convenient, however, you should keep in mind that there are, from time-to-time, trade-offs. You
may have a well grounded live sound or studio set-up that will not exhibit ground loop prob‑
lems, but when you are on the road or in other studios you can have ground loops. Because of
possible ground loops, which are just a part of live sound and recording, you may want to con‑
sider using a battery to keep the grounds from the Acoustic Attack isolated from the grounds of
the rest of your gear. You can check the phantom or AC operation with a quick sound check to
listen for any buzzing. If there is no buzz you have a well-grounded system. If your hear buzzing,
go to battery operation. Hey, life’s a trade off, so is powering your audio gear.
Phantom On - Off / Ground Connect / Lift Switch
The PHANTOM ON -OFF / GROUND CONNECT / LIFT SWITCH is a latching switch that provides
two functions at the same time. In the up position, the switch connects Ground on the XLR
cable, and by doing that, the switch also allows the unit to be powered by a phantom power
supply. When the switch is set to the down position, the Acoustic Attack is set to operate on
phantom power. When the switch is in the up or out position, the ground is disconnected, and
the phantom power operation is disabled, therefore the Acoustic Attack must be operated by
battery.
Using Phantom Power
If you are connecting to a mixer that has phantom power, the Acoustic Attack can be powered
by connecting a standard mic cable to the Direct Output. Be sure to check that the mixer’s
phantom power switch is set to the “on” position. Then, make sure that the PHANTOM ON - OFF
/GROUND CONNECT / LIFT SWITCH is out so that phantom power is enabled.

WARNING: To avoid a possible loud pop that can damage speakers, be sure to mute your speak‑
er system and Acoustic amp before un-plugging any mic cable with phantom power.

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Operating the Acoustic Attack
Power the Acoustic Attack - continued
Installing the Battery
Install a standard 9-volt battery by removing the battery door and attaching the battery to the
terminal connector. Fit the battery into the compartment and reinstall the battery door.
Using an AC/DC Power Adapter
You can power the Acoustic Attack using the optional AC006 power supply available from your
local Hartke dealer. Simply plug the power adapter into the DC inlet and then, plug the power
adapter into a standard 110-volt power outlet.
Control Knobs and Switches
Before you get started you should get familiar with the various control knobs and switches on
the Acoustic Attack and how they operate. The BASS, MID and TREBLE, as well as the MIX con‑
trols, are activated by the ON/OFF switch and are engaged when the red LED is illuminated.
Using the Equalizer
The BASS, MID and TREBLE knobs are used to adjust the overall tone of your acoustic guitar.
These equalizer controls are active when the footswitch is set to "ON" indicated by the illumi‑
nated red LED. When the equalizer controls are set to the “5” position they are set flat and have
no effect on the sound. If you want to add more lows or highs to your sound, move the BASS
or TREBLE control knobs up, and if you want less low or highs move the respective knob down.
The MID control works in conjunction
with the FREQ control, which selects
the mid-range center frequency. You
can sweep the mid range control from
170 Hz to 4 kHz. Use your ears and
experiment with these knobs to get
the sound that’s best for your music.
A good place to start is with the BASS,
MID and TREBLE control set to “5” and
then make small changes and listen to
the difference.

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 Operating the Acoustic Attack
Using the MID control to Reduce Feedback
A good use of the MID control is to help reduce feedback.
To do this, turn the MID control all the way down, (fully
counter clock wise), raise the OUTPUT control or the
volume on your amp right to right at the feedback level,
then use the FREQ control and slowly sweep through the
frequencies until the feedback goes way.

Using the MIX control

The Acoustic Attack incorporates a sweet sounding Tube Pre
Emulation circuit designed to add the richness and overtones
of a classic studio tube mic preamplifier. The MIX control is
used to set the balance between your original clean signal
with the Active Equalizer applied, and the signal that is
effected by the Tube Pre Emulation circuit. If you set the MIX
control all the way to the left or counter clockwise the signal
will be 100 percent clean , or the same as the original output signal from your guitar with any EQ
you have set. If you turn the MIX control all the way right, or fully clockwise, 100 percent of the
signal will be effected by the Tube Pre Emulation. That is, no original clean signal, just the signal
with any added Equalization and Tube Pre Emulation. Use the MIX control to add in just the right
amount of warmth to your original sound.

The key to getting the sound that's perfect for your musical style is experimenting with all the
controls since they are somewhat interactive. Start by making small changes and when you find
a sound you like, write it down.

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Acoustic Attack System Diagrams
Acoustic Attack Typical Set-ups
There are many different ways to use the Acoustic Attack, however, the basic connection is the
same in most installations and applications. The following sections detail the connections for an
acoustic guitar plugged into an Acoustic Attack which is feeding an on stage amplifier and the
main PA mixer in a live situation, and also, using the pre-amp with external effects feeding a con‑
sole in a recording situation. Follow these simple steps to get connected:

Direct Insertion of an Instrument into a PA System

One of the most common applications for using a DI, like the Acoustic Attack, is getting the sig‑
nal of an acoustic guitar into the PA system. Simply put, the full-range frequencies produced by
acoustic guitar are difficult to mic, so use of a DI box is almost always preferable. In addition, the
signal going to PA system can be tweaked by the FOH (front of house) engineer, without affect‑
ing the sound the musician dials up on stage. Follow the diagram and steps below to connect a
electric acoustic guitar to a PA mixer.
• Connect the output of the guitar or acoustic to the Acoustic Attack’s INPUT.
• Connect Acoustic Attack’s PARALLEL OUTPUT to the input of the guitar or acoustic amplifier.
• Connect Acoustic Attack’s DIRECT OUTPUT to the input of main PA mixer.

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 Acoustic Attack System Diagrams

Using an External Effects Processor for Recording

In a recording application, you can use the Acoustic Attack’s Direct Input as a second input, with
the OUTPUT to create an effects loop. This will allow you to add an additional effect like a digital
multi-effects processor for delay, chorus and reverb and have them mixed in with the Acoustic
Attack pre-amp for a killer front end for tracking your acoustic on your next recording. Follow
the diagram below to connect an external signal processor.
 Hartke
45 Gilpin Avenue
Hauppauge, New York 11788-8816
Phone: 1-800-3-SAMSON (1-800-372-6766)
Fax: 631-784-2201
www.hartke.com