Gamechanger Audio Plasma Rack

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INFO FROM GAMECHANGER:

• Unique Drum and Beat sound shaping through xenon tube distortion, gating and compression
• A versatile exciter/deconstructor for any source you’re likely to encounter in a studio setting
• A lamp-driving tri-mode tremolo circuit with classic, dynamic, and out-of-phase modes
• And more unique analog features and controls that cannot be replicated digitally…

By using a High voltage step-up flyback transformer, PLASMA RACK turns your instrument’s signal into a rapid series of electric discharges in a Xenon-filled tube. These powerful discharges (up to 5500 Volts) then get picked up by a specially designed electromagnetic receiver and turned back into audio-level signal.  This process results in a large amount of punishingly heavy distortion, and also saturates the sound with a wide range of harmonics and overtones.

The harmonic artefacts, created as a byproduct of the high-voltage discharge are uncommon in traditional signal amplification, and therefore PLASMA distortion is unlike anything you have heard before.

The way PLASMA Rack reacts with different instruments and sound sources simply cannot be recreated with any other analog machine, plugin or by digital sound modelling.

 

Product Details:

User’s manual: https://www.gamechangeraudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Plasma_Rack_User_Manual.pdf

Simplified Signal Chain:
Input -> (EQ if on) -> Transformer to High Voltage -> Xenon Tube -> Antenna that picks up the electromagnetic vibrations surrounding the Tube -> (EQ if off) -> Blend with Clean -> Output

The expected life of the xenon tube is 10,000 to 70,000 hours of active playing. The xenon tube is replaceable.

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Extended Description

The PLASMA RACK is a 1U sized high-end audio effects unit designed for professional and studio use.

At its heart is the unique High Voltage Distortion concept – a brand new way of analog signal processing developed in 2018 by Gamechanger Audio.

By using a High voltage step-up flyback transformer, PLASMA RACK turns your instrument’s signal into a rapid series of electric discharges in a Xenon-filled tube. These powerful discharges (up to 5500 Volts) then get picked up by a specially designed electromagnetic receiver and turned back into audio-level signal. This process results in a large amount of punishingly heavy distortion, and also saturates the sound with a wide range of harmonics and overtones.

The harmonic artefacts, created as a byproduct of the high-voltage discharge are uncommon in traditional signal amplification, and therefore PLASMA distortion is unlike anything you have heard before.

The way PLASMA Rack reacts with different instruments and sound sources simply cannot be recreated with any other analog machine, plugin or by digital sound modelling.

 

Key Features:

Unique Harmonic Saturation

PLASMA pedal converts your instrument’s signal into a rapid series of electric discharges, which results in a large amount of non-linear harmonic saturation that causes extremely rich and responsive attacks, and brings out screeching sharp overtones and harmonics. These harmonic artefacts, produced as a by-product of the high voltage discharge are uncommon in traditional signal amplification, and therefore PLASMA distortion is unlike anything you have heard before.\

Natural Noise Gate, Clean Gate

As soon as you stop playing the electrical discharge within the gas-filled tube is interrupted, and the pedal will not produce any output signal at all. This feature allows you to achieve extreme contrasts between individual notes, by eliminating all in-between noises created by the instrument’s pick-ups or by humming strings. This is noise gate can be set to affect the clean signal without added distortion.

Extremely Wide 3-Band EQ

The PLASMA distortion loses the original dry input signal and creates a new signal from fluctuations in the electromagnetic field surrounding the gas-discharge tube. This allows for a very wide range of frequencies. The EQ can be switched to affect only the wet sound or dry sound.

Additional Features

• Input Gain control to fine-tune the Plasma Rack for any type of input signal.
• Sustain Mode lets you achieve long sustained notes even at Low Voltage settings.
• Oversaturate Mode overpowers the Plasma tube to achieve an Octave Up / Overtone effect.
• Built-in Plasma Tremolo is a unique Tremolo and Rig Mod effect with adjustable Depth and Dynamic response.
• Built-in Distortion Channel that lets you add some High-Class Op Amp dirt to you Dry Signal.
• 3 Effects loops are located and different parts of the signal chain and work with line and instrument levels.
• Connectivity of two inputs (unbalanced and balanced with PAD), Two outputs and MIDI
• Full MIDI control lets you control all parameters and values via CC Messages and Program Change Messages with 8 Preset slots.
• Expression input allows you to assign an expression pedal to any parameter of the PLASMA Rack.
• Default Boot-Up Settings are saveable to make the Rack gig-ready.

Specifications:

UNBALANCED INPUT:

Connector: Tip-Sleeve ¼” Jack
Impedance: 1 MΩ
Maximum Input Level: + 11 dBu
Maximum Undistorted Input Level: 0 dBu (Gain setting at minimum)
Type: Instrument input, RF filtered, true bypass to unbalanced output

BALANCED INPUT:

Connector: Combo connector: Female XLR and Tip-Ring-Sleeve ¼” (Pin 2 and Tip hot)
Impedance: 4.38 kΩ; 1.5 kΩ (PAD switch on)
Maximum Input Level: “+17 dBu (Clamped by protection devices) +37 dBu (PAD switch on, clamped by protection devices)”
Maximum Undistorted Input Level: “+2dBu (Gain setting at minimum) +22 dBu (PAD switch on, Gain setting at minimum)”
Type: Mic/Line input, RF filtered, true bypass to balanced output

UNBALANCED OUTPUT:
Connector: Tip-Sleeve ¼” Jack
Impedance: 220Ω
Maximum Output Level: +7 dBu

BALANCED OUTPUT:
Connector: Male XLR (Pin 2 Hot)
Impedance: 200 Ω
Maximum Output Level: + 10 dBu

FX LOOP SEND (1-3):
Connector: Tip-Sleeve ¼” Jack
Impedance: 100 Ω
Maximum Output Level: “+12 dBu (Line level) -6 dBu (Instrument level)”

FX LOOP RETURN (1-3):
Connector: Tip-Sleeve ¼” Jack
Impedance: 1 MΩ
Maximum Input Level: +14 dBu

MIDI IN/OUT/THROUGH:
Connector: 5-pin DIN (180 degree)
Type: Optically isolated input, RF filtered

EXPRESSION PEDAL:
Connector: Tip-Ring-Sleeve ¼” (Wiper tip, CCW ring, CW sleeve)
Type: Designed for potentiometer-based expression pedals, RF filtered

GAIN AND SIGNAL LEVELS:
Preamp Gain Range: -26 to +12 dB
Unbalanced Input: recommended level for 0dB gain setting: -15 dBu
Balanced input (PAD switch off): recommended level for 0dB gain setting: -9 dBu
Balanced input (PAD switch on): recommended level for 0dB gain setting: +11 dBu
FX loop level (Line): +4 dBu at recommended input level
FX loop level (Instrument): -15 dBu at recommended input level
Volume Control Gain: -80 to +12 dB
PAD Attenuation: -20 dB, applies for balanced input only

EQ:
Low Frequency: 10 Hz, -20 to 20 dB Low-pass shelving filter
Mid Frequency: 600 Hz, -6 to 6 dB
High Frequency: 20 kHz, -10 to 10 dB, High-pass shelving filter
Type: Baxandall, MIDI controllable

TREMOLO:
Rate Range: 0.85 to 2600 Hz
Depth Control: 0 – 100%, in (positive range) or out (negative range) of phase between clean and distorted signals

TUBE:
Gas: Xenon
Discharge Voltage: 5.5 kV

System Performance:

Frequency Response: 30 Hz to 20 kHz (±3 dB)
Signal to Noise Ratio: “69 dB clean channel (A weighted); 78 dB drive channel (A weighted);”
Operating Temperature: 0º to 40º C

POWER SUPPLY:
Type: Universal, switch mode
Operating Voltage: 90 – 245 VAC, 50/60 Hz
Power Consumption: 60 W

PHYSICAL:
Dimensions: HDW 1.75 x 10 x 19 in / 4 x 25.5 x 48.2 cm
Shipping Box Dimensions: HDW 4 x 15 x 21.3 in / 10 x 38 x 54 cm
Weight: 9 lbs / 4.1 kg
Shipping Weight: 13.8 lbs / 6.3 kg