EBS HD350 (01) PDF DOCUMENT

Follow these steps to get started with your EBS HD350:

1. Carefully unpack the bass head.

2. Set all controls fully counter-clockwise. Then, turn the three filter knobs (BASS, MIDDLE, TREBLE) to the middle position. Set the filter switch to BYPASS and ensure the ‘Character’ switch is in its outer position. The settings are now “zeroed”.

3. Plug in your bass guitar.

4. While plucking the strings as hard as you would during your loudest playing, gradually increase the GAIN knob until the PEAK LED starts to flash at peaks. You will not hear sound yet, but the signal level is now set correctly.

5. Move over to the VOLUME knob and adjust it for the desired output volume.

The EBS HD350 features an enhanced tone-shaping circuit. To start shaping your sound:

1. Toggle the BYPASS switch to its outer position to enable the sound shaping filters.

2. Play your bass. The filters are a boost/cut design, meaning the level controls marked with ‘+’ and ‘-‘ signs will either boost or cut the selected frequency band. The MIDDLE section also has a frequency control for precise midrange adjustment.

3. Gradually increase or decrease the level and vary the frequency of the various filter sections (BASS, MIDDLE, TREBLE) to hear how the sound is affected. You can make an A/B comparison by switching the filter switch back to BYPASS to hear the unprocessed sound.

4. Try the preshape ‘Character’ filter. Note that the BYPASS switch does not affect this control.

5. Proceed to the BRIGHT filter. Turn it up to enhance ambiance and presence by working on the highest frequencies of the bass.

The INPUT on the EBS HD350 is a low-noise, high-impedance instrument input that can also power active pickups and circuitry using phantom power.

To use the phantom power feature:

1. Use a standard stereo (TRS) jack plug.

2. Remove the 9-volt battery from your bass and strap the ‘+’ and ‘-‘ poles on the battery holder.

To disable phantom power, if you do not wish to use it or have a passive instrument, set the DIP switch No. 1 to the OFF (upper) position.

IMPORTANT: If you are using the phantom powering, make sure the GAIN or the VOLUME knob is set to zero while plugging in or unplugging the instrument cable.

The GAIN control adjusts the instrument’s signal strength to the correct operating level within the EBS HD350.

For the optimum basic signal level, turn up the GAIN knob while playing your instrument. Continue to turn it up until the PEAK LED starts flashing from the strongest signal from your instrument. A correctly set GAIN is vital for the signal processing to work properly in the EBS HD350.

The COMP/LIMIT is a low-noise compressor/limiter that works fast and effectively to tighten up the sound and prevent the bass head from saturating at peaks when approaching the headroom limit. A string can be plucked very hard and fast without a significant difference in level or side effects.

The COMP/LIMIT knob sets the compression ratio (the signal strength relation between the input and output). The higher the ratio, the more compression is applied. The LED intensity dynamically indicates the amount of compression during play.

To use it, proceed to the COMP/LIMIT knob. Turn it up to the mid and max position. You will notice how the peaks in volume will straighten out as you play harder and harder.

The EBS HD350 has an effects loop for external units, which can be operated in two modes set by DIP switch No. 3. The loop is positioned after the filter and compressor sections.

Serial Loop:

When DIP switch No. 3 is in the lower position, the loop is serial. When effects are connected, the internal line is bypassed, and all signal passes through the external unit and back to the amp.

Parallel Loop:

When DIP switch No. 3 is in the upper position, the loop is parallel. When an effect is connected, the signal is equally mixed between the send signal and the signal present on the effect return.

Phantom Power:

The effects loop can also provide phantom power to external units. To activate this, set DIP switch No. 2 to the lower position.

The EBS HD350 features four enhanced performance filters plus a Character preshape filter:

CHARACTER: This is a preshaping filter that operates independently from the filter section and BYPASS switch. When pressed to its inner position, it achieves a boost in both the bass and treble ranges, while slightly cutting the midrange.

BASS: This is a ‘shelving’ type, 12dB/oct slope, phase-compensated bass filter with a wide gain range.

MIDDLE: This filter has an extended frequency range of 50-3k Hz, providing total control over the mids with a wide bandwidth for a natural result. At its minimum setting, this filter facilitates a notch function for cutting a specific frequency.

TREBLE: This is a ‘bell’ type filter peaking at 5 kHz, controlling the higher mids and treble registers to give presence and ambiance to the sound.

BRIGHT: This is an advanced high pass filter that produces a bright high treble timbre without adding practically any noise.

DRIVE: The DRIVE knob controls the amount of gain in the tube emulation stage, providing up to 30 dB of extra gain. It produces a warm overdrive while the output level remains relatively constant. This control also compresses the sound when turned up, producing a pure tube-like limitation. Frequencies below 350 Hz are bypassed in the Drive stage, allowing for warmer distortion without saturation and letting the player add more low bass.

VOLUME: The VOLUME knob controls all volume in the unit, controlling the poweramp and LINE output. The balanced output (XLR) is not affected by the setting of this knob.

The BALANCED OUTPUT is a high-quality, electronically floating output that functions as a line box for connecting to PA mixing consoles or recording units.

Gnd Lift: To eliminate ground hum, set the ‘Gnd Lift’ switch on the front panel to its inner position to disconnect the ground from the output.

Post Eq: This switch selects the signal source for the balanced output.

– In the inner position (Post), it selects the overall sound including all effects.

– In the lower position (Pre), an uncolored sound is taken immediately after the input and gain sections.

Speaker Simulator: This feature, for the balanced output only, is tuned to emulate a speaker cabinet. To activate it, put DIP switch No. 4 into the upper position. This sends the same sound image from the head as heard on stage to the mixing console.

LINE OUT: This is a full-range output that can be used to drive multiple poweramps, extending the power of your system.

TUNER OUT: This low-impedance output is suitable for driving tuners. The signal from this output is identical to the instrument’s signal.

The internal accelerated poweramp is a MOSFET design that provides natural sound reproduction and high power output with exceptional clarity.

It includes a soft clip system that provides tube-like distortion characteristics, protects the power amp from saturation, and increases its output performance and sound quality.

The poweramp also features a temperature-controlled active cooling system to allow for maximum continuous power output while reducing the maximum temperature of the unit.

IMPORTANT: Make sure not to cover the ventilation cutouts on the rear panel.

The signal flows through the EBS HD350 in the following order:

1. INPUT

2. INPUT GAIN

3. PRESHAPE FILTER (Character)

4. COMPRESSOR / LIMITER

5. EFFECTS LOOP (Send/Return)

6. FILTER SECTION (BASS, MIDDLE, TREBLE) and BRIGHT filter

7. DRIVE

8. VOLUME

9. POWER AMPLIFIER

10. SPEAKER OUTPUT

Signal Taps:

• TUNER OUT is tapped directly after the INPUT stage.

• BALANCED OUTPUT can be tapped either after the INPUT GAIN (Pre-EQ) or after the DRIVE stage (Post-EQ).

• LINE OUT is tapped after the VOLUME control.

The DIP switches on the back of the EBS HD350 allow you to configure several features. Here are the factory and optional settings:

Here are some suggested starting points for different sounds on your EBS HD350. Adjust to your taste.

ALLROUND:

• Character: Out (off)

• Filter Bypass: Out (off)

• Comp/Limit: 9 o’clock

• Bass: +3 (1 o’clock)

• Middle Freq: 800 Hz

• Middle Level: -3 (11 o’clock)

• Treble: +3 (1 o’clock)

• Bright: 12 o’clock (mid)

• Drive: 9 o’clock

HEAVY:

• Character: In (on)

• Filter Bypass: Out (off)

• Comp/Limit: 12 o’clock (mid)

• Bass: +9 (3 o’clock)

• Middle Freq: 400 Hz

• Middle Level: -12 (7 o’clock)

• Treble: +9 (3 o’clock)

• Bright: 2 o’clock

• Drive: 3 o’clock

FUNKY:

• Character: In (on)

• Filter Bypass: Out (off)

• Comp/Limit: 11 o’clock

• Bass: +6 (2 o’clock)

• Middle Freq: 800 Hz

• Middle Level: -9 (9 o’clock)

• Treble: +6 (2 o’clock)

• Bright: 3 o’clock

• Drive: 1 o’clock

SLAP:

• Character: In (on)

• Filter Bypass: Out (off)

• Comp/Limit: 1 o’clock

• Bass: +9 (3 o’clock)

• Middle Freq: 800 Hz

• Middle Level: -15 (Notch)

• Treble: +9 (3 o’clock)

• Bright: Max

• Drive: 11 o’clock

FRETLESS:

• Character: Out (off)

• Filter Bypass: Out (off)

• Comp/Limit: 10 o’clock

• Bass: +6 (2 o’clock)

• Middle Freq: 800 Hz

• Middle Level: +9 (3 o’clock)

• Treble: -6 (10 o’clock)

• Bright: 9 o’clock

• Drive: 12 o’clock (mid)

Yes. EBS will not take responsibility for eventual hearing damages caused by the powerful EBS HD350.