DigiTech Bass Whammy User Manual

Warranty Information

At DigiTech, we take great pride in our products and back their quality with the following warranty:

1. To validate this warranty, please register at www.digitech.com within ten days of purchase. This warranty is valid only in the United States.
2. DigiTech warrants this product, provided it is purchased new from an authorized DigiTech dealer in the USA and used solely within the country, to be free from defects in materials and workmanship under normal conditions of use. This warranty is valid only for the original purchaser and is non-transferable.
3. DigiTech's liability under this warranty is limited to the repair or replacement of defective materials showing visible defects, provided the product is returned to DigiTech WITH RETURN AUTHORIZATION, where all parts and labor will be covered for a period of one year. A DigiTech Return Authorization number can be obtained by phone. The company will not assume any liability for consequential damages arising from the use of the product in circuits or assemblies.
4. The customer is responsible for retaining the proof of purchase. A copy of the original purchase receipt must be presented to exercise warranty rights.
5. DigiTech reserves the right to make design modifications or changes or improvements to this product without incurring the obligation to install such improvements on products manufactured previously.
6. The customer forfeits the benefits of this warranty if any person other than an authorized Digitech technician opens and tampers with the main structure of the product, or if the product is used with AC voltages outside the range suggested by the manufacturer.
7. All of the foregoing supersedes any other warranty, express or implied, and DigiTech assumes no responsibility or authorizes any other person to assume on its behalf any obligation or other liability in connection with the sale of this product. Under no circumstances shall DigiTech or its distributors accept liability for incidental or consequential damages or for any delay in the performance of this warranty due to causes beyond their control.

NOTE: The information in this manual is subject to change at any time without notice. Some information contained in this manual may also be inaccurate due to undocumented changes in the product or operating system since this version of the manual was completed. The information contained in this version of the user manual supersedes all previous versions.

Introduction

Congratulations on your purchase of the Bass Whammy™ pedal. The Bass Whammy has been specifically designed for bass guitar and offers DigiTech's pioneering tonal-bending modulation technology, classic Whammy pitch-shifting effects, and true bypass modes of operation. The Classic/Chords switch alternates between single-note and Chords Whammy mode, providing powerful tonal-bending effect. The Bass Whammy pedal has the classic Bass Whammy pitch-shifting effects you already know along with additional pitch-shifting adjustments designed for bass guitar.

Features:

• Whammy pitch-shifting effects
• Classic Whammy interface
• Classic/Chords switch
• True bypass operation
• MIDI input for remote control of Whammy effects
• Power supply included

Included Items:

• Bass Whammy pedal
• Power supply
• Online warranty registration information card

Please contact DigiTech immediately if any of these items are missing.

Guided Tour & Controls

A detailed description of the Bass Whammy pedal's controls:

1. Expression Pedal: This pedal is used to control the amount of pitch inflection for the chosen Harmony, Whammy, or Detune effect. Pressing the pedal forward (toe down) increases the amount of pitch inflection, while pressing it backward (toe up) decreases that inflection.
2. Harmony LEDs: One of these LEDs will illuminate when a Harmony effect is chosen. Harmony effects add the original signal to the effect signal.
3. Classic/Chords Switch: This switch alternates between the Whammy algorithm (Classic) and the modern chord algorithm (Chords). The Classic option is ideal for single-note playing, and the Chords option is designed for multi-chord inflection.
4. Selector Wheel: This wheel is used to select the Whammy (pitch), Harmony (harmony), or Detune (detune) effect.
5. Whammy LEDs: One of these LEDs will illuminate when a Whammy effect is chosen. Whammy effects add the original signal to the effect signal.
6. Detune LEDs: One of these LEDs will illuminate when a Detune effect is chosen. The Expression Pedal controls the amount of Detune signal that is mixed with the original signal.
7. Status LED: This LED will illuminate to indicate that the effect is engaged. When the effect is in bypass, this LED will be off.
8. On/Off Footswitch: Engages or disengages the Whammy, Harmony, or Detune effect.
9. Power Input: Connect the included power adapter to this jack. Do not use a different adapter.
10. Output Jack: Connect this jack to another pedal or amplifier.
11. Instrument Input Jack: Connect your instrument to this jack.
12. MIDI Input: Connect any external MIDI device to this jack to remotely control the Bass Whammy.

Connections

The Bass Whammy pedal is very simple to set up and use. Follow these steps to get it up and running in seconds:

1. Connect your instrument to the Bass Whammy's Input jack.
2. Connect the Bass Whammy's Output jack to your favorite distortion pedal or amplifier.
3. If using an external MIDI device for control, connect the MIDI output of the device to the Bass Whammy's MIDI Input jack.
4. Connect the power supply to an AC outlet and the Bass Whammy's Power Input jack.
5. Turn on your amplifier and adjust the volume to your desired level.
6. Use the On/Off footswitch to engage the effect, turn the Selector Wheel to choose your desired effect, and press the Expression Pedal.

Effects

The Bass Whammy offers three main effect types: Whammy, Harmony, and Detune.

Whammy Effects

This group of effects will produce a pitch inflection in your input signal both up and down depending on your chosen effect setting. As you sweep the Expression Pedal forward and backward, an inflection will occur from the input tone (toe up) to the tone specified by the chosen effect setting (toe down).

• 2 OCT UP: Pitch shifts the input note two octaves up.
• 1 OCT UP: Pitch shifts the input note one octave up.
• 5TH UP: Pitch shifts the input note 7 semitones (a 5th interval) up.
• 4TH UP: Pitch shifts the input note 5 semitones (a 4th interval) up.
• 2ND UP: Pitch shifts the input note 2 semitones (a 2nd interval) up.
• 2ND DN: Pitch shifts the input note 2 semitones (a 2nd interval) down.
• 4TH DN: Pitch shifts the input note 5 semitones (a 4th interval) down.
• 5TH DN: Pitch shifts the input note 7 semitones (a 5th interval) down.
• 1 OCT DN: Pitch shifts the input note one octave down.
• DIVE BOMB: Pitch shifts the input note three octaves down.

Harmony Effects

This group of effects adds a harmony to your incoming signal. Both the harmony note and the input signal are blended as if playing two guitars at once. As you sweep the pedal forward and backward, the harmony note will produce an inflection between two intervals specified by your chosen effect setting, but the input signal remains the same.

• OCT UP/2 OCT UP: Harmony shifts between one octave up (toe up) and 2 octaves up (toe down) from the input note.
• OCT UP/10TH UP: Harmony shifts between one octave up (toe up) and a tenth up (toe down) from the input note.
• OCT DN/OCT UP: Harmony shifts between one octave down (toe up) and one octave up (toe down) from the input note.
• OCT DN/4TH DN: Harmony shifts between one octave down (toe up) and a fourth down (toe down) from the input note.
• 5TH UP/OCT UP: Harmony shifts between a fifth up (toe up) and an octave up (toe down) from the input note.
• 5TH UP/6TH UP: Harmony shifts between a fifth up (toe up) and a sixth up (toe down) from the input note.
• 5TH DN/5TH UP: Harmony shifts between a fifth down (toe up) and a fifth up (toe down) from the input note.
• 4TH DN/5TH UP: Harmony shifts between a fourth down (toe up) and a fifth up (toe down) from the input note.
• 4TH DN/3RD UP: Harmony shifts between a fourth down (toe up) and a major third up (toe down) from the input note.

Detune Effects

This group of effects creates a copy of your input signal, pitch-shifts the copied signal, and blends it back with the original signal. As you sweep the Expression Pedal forward and backward, the amount of detuned signal varies. With the pedal in the toe-up position, you will only hear the original signal. As you press the pedal down, more detuned signal will be mixed with the original signal.

• SHALLOW: The copied signal is only slightly detuned from the original pitch.
• DEEP: The copied signal is heavily detuned from the original pitch.

MIDI Functions

The Bass Whammy features a MIDI input for receiving incoming MIDI data. These MIDI messages can select a Whammy effect and set whether those effects are active or in bypass. You can use MIDI CC messages to control the position of the Whammy expression pedal.

MIDI Channel

The Bass Whammy can receive MIDI messages on one or all MIDI channels. The following steps describe the process of accessing or changing the MIDI channel:

1. Disconnect the Whammy pedal from the power source.
2. Hold down the On/Off Footswitch while powering it back on. One of the effect LEDs will begin to blink, indicating the currently active MIDI channel.
3. Using the table below as a reference, turn the Selector Wheel to choose your desired MIDI channel.
4. Press the On/Off Footswitch again to exit MIDI setup and return to normal operation.

MIDI Channels: Omni, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

MIDI Program Changes

The Bass Whammy uses MIDI Program Change commands for effect selection. You can select effects in both their active and bypass modes. The illustrations below show the MIDI Program Change commands for both Classic and Chords modes.

MIDI Program Change Map - Classic Mode

This table summarizes the Program Change commands recognized by the Bass Whammy and their corresponding states in Classic mode.

MIDI Program Change Map - Chords Mode

This table summarizes the Program Change commands recognized by the Bass Whammy and their corresponding states in Chords mode.

MIDI Continuous Control

Using MIDI Continuous Control commands, you can remotely control the Whammy expression pedal. MIDI CC11 adjusts the expression pedal's position. A value of 0 for this MIDI CC corresponds to a heel-down position, while a value of 127 corresponds to a toe-down position.

Expression Pedal Calibration

In the unlikely event that the expression pedal does not respond correctly, or the pitch does not produce the proper inflection or return to the correct pitch, you may need to recalibrate the pedal. The following steps show you how to recalibrate the expression pedal:

1. Disconnect the Whammy pedal from the power source.
2. Hold down the On/Off Footswitch while powering it back on. This will activate the MIDI and Calibration setup. Wait for one of the Whammy, Detune, or Harmony LEDs to begin blinking (indicating the active MIDI channel) before releasing the footswitch.
3. Press the expression pedal all the way down (toe down) and then all the way up (toe up) at least twice. As you press the pedal, the 4 Harmony LEDs will illuminate (from OCT DN/4TH DN to OCT UP/2 OCT UP), indicating that the pedal is calibrating.
4. Once finished, press the On/Off Footswitch again to exit MIDI and Calibration setup and return to normal operation.

Technical Specifications

Product Information

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User Manual for Bass Whammy PN:5044688-B

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