Markbass TA 503 - Manual (Page 6)

06
3. tA501 Product oVerVIeW
The Markbass TA501 is a high-quality bass amplifier with a tube compressor, a solid state preamp and an analog power amp, which delivers 500W of power into a 4 ohm cabinet (or two 8 ohm cabinets), or 300W
into an 8 ohm cabinet.
3.1 tA501 front PAnel
InPut
The input jack can be used for both passive and active basses.
gAIn and mAster
There are two knobs on the front panel of the TA501 that control the volume of your bass. The GAIN (2) control determines how much signal is passed through the preamp stage of the unit, which includes the
compressor, equalization and the effects loop. The MASTER (18) volume regulates how much output comes out of the power amp into your cabinet. If playing through the amp causes the blue “CLIP” (3) light to turn
on at all, you should turn down the GAIN (2) control to avoid distortion. When you first plug into the amp, start with the GAIN (2) and MASTER (18) controls set at their lowest levels, in other words turned all the way
counter-clockwise. Then, turn your instrument’s volume up to its full level and play as hard as you do in your most aggressive moments, and turn up the GAIN (2) control until the blue light starts illuminating. Next,
back off on the GAIN (2) just enough so that the light stays off as you play. This method will result in the optimal gain setting for the bass you’re playing. Different basses have different output levels, mostly depending
on their pickups-and in the case of active basses, the instrument’s onboard preamp and EQ settings. Once you’ve set the GAIN (2) level, use your MASTER (18) knob to control the volume of your bass.
comPressor
The TA501 features a tube compressor equipped with one ECC81 tube, made by JJ Electronics in the Slovak Republic. The COMP RATIO knob controls the ratio of gain reduction applied to the signal. When this knob
is turned all the way to the left, the compression ratio is 1:1-in other words, the compressor is off. When turned all the way up (clockwise), the compression ratio is infinity to one (1). At this setting the compressor is
acting as a limiter. The attack and release variables have been carefully preset to the optimal settings for bass guitar. Compression evens out the sound of your playing by reducing its dynamic range. The more you
compress, the more the loudest peaks of your playing are brought down in volume and prevented from “jumping out” too much. In combination with boosting volume, this allows you to “sound louder” overall. But
if overused, compression can make your playing sound unnatural, choked and less expressive. As with EQ, the best policy is to add it gradually and sparingly, listening carefully to the effect it’s having. Most players
will find that they rarely need to turn the compressor knob past 9 or 10 o’clock.
lIne out
This LINE OUT (5) knob controls the volume level of the rear LINE OUT XLR (28), which is connected to the mixing console in live or studio situations.