Reactive-Load-I.R.-User-Guide-2_13

User Guide

Table of Contents

Overview � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �3

Front panel overview � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �4

Rear panel overview � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �5

How to connect to a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 6

How to silently practice with headphones � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �7

Live set-up with stage volume � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �8

How to slave an amp � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �9

Impulse Response Section � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �10

Headphone Section � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 11

D�I� Section � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �12

Managing impulse responses with a computer � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �13

Impulse responses included with Reactive Load I�R� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �14

Technical Block Diagram � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �15

Technical Specications � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �16

Warranty � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �16

Overview

The new Reactive Load I�R� builds upon the legacy of what is already widely

regarded as the industry standard for accurate speaker cabinet load

replacement: the original Suhr Reactive Load� Reactive Load I�R�

incorporates exciting new features into the groundbreaking design of the

original Reactive Load – making it the ultimate all-in-one solution for

speaker cabinet replacement�

As the name suggests, Reactive Load I�R� adds impulse response

technology to the original Reactive Load, allowing you to quickly and

easily access an array of expertly mic’d speaker cabinets. It comes

preloaded with 16 Suhr speaker cabinet impulse responses captured by

Celestion� Reactive Load I�R� is an open system, so you can load 3rd party

impulse responses via the USB port�

Thank you for purchasing the Suhr Reactive Load I.R.™

Please take the time to read this User Guide to get the most out of the

Reactive Load I.R. The more you familiarize yourself with the features of this

unit, the more you will enjoy its benets and maximize its potential.

I.R. Select

Clip light

Turn to select between 4 banks of 4 Impulse Responses

for a total of 16 different CAB choices

Bank Number

Cab Number

H.P. Level

Hi-Cut

D.I. Level

Aux Input

Signal Boost

Displays selected Bank (1-4)

Turn to adjust volume of

IR output through headphones

1/8’' Stereo Headphone output

for easy monitoring or practice

H.P. Output

1/8’' Stereo Auxiliary Input for connecting

smart-phone or other audio device

Turn to control volume of

Balanced/Unbalanced Outputs

Boosts signal 6db, most

useful with low wattage amps

Adjusts impedance curve,

most useful when slaving

an amp

Push and hold to 'lock' your selected I.R.,

this prevents accidentally changing to another I.R.

even when you turn the unit on and off

I.R. Lock light

Only lights up when I.R. selection

is locked. (see page 10)

Displays selected Cab

I.R. (1-4)

Signal Light

Illuminates when signal

is present

Only lights up when I.R.

input signal begins clipping

Thru (To Speaker)

Input (From Amp)

DI/Line Out (I.R.)

USB

DI/Line Out (Un-ltered)

Power

Connect to external speaker cabinet

Using this option disables the internal load.

If a 1/4” cable is plugged in to this jack

Connect 1/4” to DAW or mixer (FOH)

This is an unltered (dry) signal

with NO impulse response

affecting the tone

Connect 1/4” to DAW or mixer (FOH)

This signal is ltered through the impulse response,

meaning you will hear the tone with your selected I.R.

Plug in 1/4” speaker cable from 8 ohms

Speaker Out of amp (Generally 4 ohms is ok,

but consult your amp manufacturer)

Connect to computer

to manage impulse

responses saved

on device

Connect to 9V DC

power adapter

(center negative)

MAKE SURE the other end is plugged in

to a load or damage may occur

(optional)

Interface

How to connect to a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation)

This guide will show the ways you can connect your Reactive Load I�R� to a

digital audio workstation�

Steps:

1� Plug in the provided 9Vdc power adapter�

2� Connect your amplier's 8Ω speaker out via 1/4" speaker cable to

Reactive Load I.R.'s INPUT – FROM AMP jack�

3� Connect the DI / LINE OUT – IR to record a signal that is affected by the

I.R. lter.

4� Adjust DI LEVEL (D�I� Section in detail, page 12)

5� Turn the IR SELECT knob to pick an I�R�

–Optional connections– (dotted lines on diagram)

6� Connect the DI / LINE OUT – UN-FILTERED to record a signal that is

NOT affected by the I.R. lter, meaning it is just your amp’s tone (with no

speaker ltration), for later processing in your DAW. If you'd still like to run

a speaker cabinet, connect the THRU – TO SPEAKERS jack using a 1/4"

speaker cable to a speaker cabinet�

(Optional)

IMPORTANT NOTE: Using the THRU – TO SPEAKERS output

disconnects the internal load of the Reactive Load I�R� To optimize

performance and avoid damage, match the impedance of your amplier

to the connected speaker cabinet�

NEVER CONNECT THIS OUTPUT TO INSTRUMENT,

MIC OR LINE LEVEL INPUTS.

How to silently practice with headphones

This section will explain how to use the Reactive Load I�R� to practice

silently through headphones�

Steps:

1� Plug in the provided 9Vdc power adapter�

2� Connect your amplier's 8Ω speaker out via 1/4" speaker cable to

Reactive Load I.R.'s INPUT – FROM AMP jack�

3� Connect HP OUT via 1/8" stereo cable to any headphones�

4� Adjust DI LEVEL (D�I� Section in detail, page 12)

5� Turn the IR SELECT knob to pick an I�R�

Enjoy practicing with your favorite tube amp, quietly with headphones�

-Optional connection- (dotted lines on diagram)

6� Connect a smart-phone or other audio source via 1/8" stereo cable

IMPORTANT NOTE: The signal from the AUX IN will only be sent

through the HP OUT (headphones), NOT the DI / LINE OUT�

☺

HELPFUL TIP: Use your audio source's on board volume controls to

set the levels you hear through the HP OUT� i�e� if you need to hear

more of your smart-phone, turn up the volume on the device, NOT the

HP LEVEL on the Reactive Load I�R�

(Optional)

Live set-up with stage volume

This section will explain how to use the Reactive Load I�R� in a live setting

with stage volume from a cab and a D�I� signal (with an I�R�) going to front of

house�

Steps:

1� Plug in the provided 9Vdc power adapter�

2� Connect your amplier's 8Ω speaker out via 1/4" speaker cable to Reactive

Load I.R.'s INPUT – FROM AMP jack�

3� Connect the DI / LINE OUT – I.R. jack to mixer�

4� Connect the THRU – TO SPEAKER jack via 1/4" speaker cable to a

speaker cabinet for stage volume�

5� Adjust DI LEVEL (D�I� Section in detail, page 12)

6� Turn the IR SELECT knob to pick an I�R�

7� (Optional) Push and Hold for 2 seconds to "lock" your selected I�R� to

keep it from changing inadvertently� (see page 10)

IMPORTANT NOTE: Using the THRU – TO SPEAKERS output

disconnects the internal load of the Reactive Load I�R� To optimize

performance and avoid damage, match the impedance of your

amplier to the connected speaker cabinet.

NEVER CONNECT THIS OUTPUT TO INSTRUMENT,

MIC OR LINE LEVEL INPUTS.

Interface

16Ω 8Ω 8Ω 4Ω 4Ω

SEND RETURN

Effects Loop

How to slave an amp

What is slaving? Slaving is a way of controlling the volume of a high

wattage, non-master volume amp� In addition, slaving can be used to add

effects after the preamp section in amps that lack an effects loop� This

section will explain how to crank a 100-watt amp into the Reactive Load I�R�

and send it to a slave amp for volume control� This allows you to retain the

power distortion of the primary amp, while using a secondary slave amp to

yield lower volumes�

Steps:

1� Plug in the provided 9Vdc power

adapter�

2� Connect your primary amplier's 8Ω

speaker out via 1/4" speaker cable to

Reactive Load I.R.'s INPUT – FROM

AMP jack�

3� Plug in the DI / LINE OUT –

UN-FILTERED to the Effects Loop

Return of the slave amp�

4� Connect the slave amplier's 8Ω

speaker out via 1/4" speaker cable to

your speaker cabinet�

5� (Optional) Use HI-CUT. This works

by altering the impedance curve to

reduce extra high-end that may occur

when slaving to another amp�

(Optional)

Impulse Response Section

Things to know:

1� Turn IR Select knob to select between 4 banks of 4 impulse

responses for a total of 16 different cab choices�

2� Push and Hold for 2 seconds to "lock" your selected I�R�, this will

freeze the number on the display, even when the unit is powered on

and off, protecting you from accidentally changing I�R�s� The LOCK

INDICATOR LED on the 7 segment display will illuminate when your

I�R� selection is "locked"�

3� Push and Hold again for 2 seconds to "unlock" and you can freely

change to another I�R�

4� The CLIP light provides a visual representation of when excess signal

is fed to the IR section, which will cause clipping of the IR output and HP

OUT� If this occurs, reduce the signal by turning down the DI LEVEL�

5� To see a full list of the preloaded impulse responses see page 14�

This section will explain in more detail the I�R� capabilities of the

Reactive Load I�R�

LOCK INDICATOR

Headphone Section

Things to know:

1� Turn HP LEVEL to increase the volume of the impulse response ltered

signal sent to the headphone out, meaning you will only hear the signal

that is affected by the impulse response chosen on the 7 segment display�

2� Connect a smart-phone or other audio source via 1/8" stereo cable

3� The signal from the AUX IN will only be sent through the HP OUT (head-

phones), NOT the DI / LINE OUT�

4� Use your device's on-board volume controls to set the levels you hear

through the HP OUT, i�e� if you need to hear more of your smart-phone,

turn up the volume on the device, NOT the HP LEVEL on the Reactive

Load I�R�

This section will explain in more detail the headphones section of the

Reactive Load I�R�

D.I. Section

Things to know:

1� Adjusting DI LEVEL using CLIP light - While using your loudest

desired amp setting and performance style, turn DI LEVEL knob until

CLIP light illuminates intermittently, then, back off the DI LEVEL knob

until the CLIP light no longer illuminates�

2� SIGNAL BOOST - Increases signal by +6dB passively by altering the

internal padding� This helps with low wattage amps to get a suitable level�

3� HI-CUT - Works by altering the impedance curve to reduce high end�

This is also very useful when slaving to another amp�

IMPORTANT NOTE: It is NORMAL for the Reactive Load I�R� and

amplier to make some physical noise when playing.

The Reactive Load I�R� contains an internal fan which is powered by

your amplier’s speaker output voltage and designed to

maintain the temperature of the Reactive Load I�R�s internal

components� The fan automatically turns on/off based on the amount

of power delivered to the unit’s Input.

This section will explain in more detail the D�I� section of the Reactive

Load I�R� The DI LEVEL is used to optimize the amount of

signal the Reactive Load delivers to your device�

Managing impulse responses with a computer

IMPORTANT NOTE: Save a backup of the original "SUHR_RL"

folder to a safe place on your computer in case you want to restore

Reactive Load I�R� to factory settings�

Steps:

1� Plug in the provided 9Vdc power adapter

2� Connect Reactive Load I�R� to computer via USB cable

3� The Reactive Load I.R. will appear on your computer as "SUHR_RL"

4� Click "SUHR_RL" to nd 4 folders named "Bank_1" - "Bank_4"

5� Each "Bank_x" folder will contain 4 folders named "Cabinet_1"-"Cabinet_4"

these are where you will nd the impulse responses in the form of .WAV les.

6� After doing so, you can delete any existing I.R. (.WAV le) and simply drag and

drop any 3rd party impulse response (�WAV, Mono, 24bit, 48kHz) in to its place�

Use only one I.R. le (.WAV) per cabinet folder.

7� Your Reactive Load I.R. now is lled with your own I.R.s

☺

HELPFUL TIP: Close mic impulse responses work best� I�R�s greater

than 20�5 milliseconds (ms) will be truncated to 20�5 ms�

IMPORTANT NOTE: After making ANY changes to the I�R�s loaded on the

device, the unit MUST be power cycled in the following manner

- Eject (unmount) "SUHR_RL" from your computer�

If "SUHR_RL" reappears on computer after ejecting, it IS safe to

disconnect, as long as no les are transferring at the time.

- Disconnect USB from the Reactive Load I�R� to your computer�

- Power cycle the Reactive Load I�R� (Unplug 9v power, wait for 3

seconds and plug back in)

Impulse responses included with Reactive Load I.R.

Bank 1:

(1�1) Cab 1 : Suhr G12M Greenback 4x12 C SM57 Balanced Celestion

(1�2) Cab 2 : Suhr G12M Greenback 4x12 C Hi-Gn 121+57 Celestion

(1�3) Cab 3 : Suhr G12M Greenback 4x12 C SM57 Fat Celestion

(1�4) Cab 4 : Suhr G12M Greenback 4x12 C Lo-Gn 421+121 Celestion

Bank 4:

(4�1) Cab 1 : Suhr Badger V30 1x12 C SM57 Balanced Celestion

(4�2) Cab 2 : Suhr Badger V30 1x12 C Hi-Gn 121+57 Celestion

(4�3) Cab 3 : Suhr Bella V-Type 1x12 O SM57 Dark Celestion

(4�4) Cab 4 : Suhr Bella V-Type 1x12 O Hi-Gn 121+57 Celestion

Bank 2:

(2�1) Cab 1 : Suhr V30 4x12 C SM57 Balanced Celestion

(2�2) Cab 2 : Suhr V30 4x12 C Hi-Gn 121+57 Celestion

(2�3) Cab 3 : Suhr V30 4x12 C SM57 Fat Celestion

(2�4) Cab 4 : Suhr V30 4x12 C Lo-Gn 421+121 Celestion

Bank 3:

(3�1) Cab 1 : Suhr PT G12-75H Creamback 2x12 C SM57 Fat Celestion

(3�2) Cab 2 : Suhr PT G12-75H Creamback 2x12 C Hi-Gn 121+57 Celestion

(3�3) Cab 3 : Suhr Hedgehog G12-65 2x12 O SM57 Fat Celestion

(3�4) Cab 4 : Suhr Hedgehog G12-65 2x12 O Hi-Gn 121+57 Celestion

MIXER

HEADPHONE OUTPUT

HEADPHONE LEVEL

IR OUTPUT

SIGNAL LEVEL

CLIP LED

IR SELECT

SIGNAL LED

AMP IN

AMP THRU

REACTIVE

LOAD

AUX IN (STEREO)

DI LEVEL

IR DSP

UNFILTERED

BALANCED/UNBALANCED

OUT

BALANCED/UNBALANCED

OUT

HIGH CUT

(STEREO)

Technical Block Diagram

Technical Specications

Warranty

Impedance: 8Ω

Balanced Line Output Impedance: 600Ω (Maximum)

Unbalanced Line Output Impedance: 600Ω (Maximum)

Maximum recommended input power: 100 Watts RMS

I.R. Format: .WAV, Mono, 24bit, 48kHz, 20.5 ms

(I.R.s greater than 20.5 ms will be truncated to 20.5 ms)

I.R. Output Latency: 1.2 milliseconds

Power Connector: 9Vdc, center negative, 2.1mm x 5.5mm

Operating Voltage: 9Vdc

Maximum Voltage: 12Vdc

Reverse Battery Protection: Yes

Over Voltage Protection: Yes

Current Consumption: <200mA

Dimensions: 8.8" Width x 8.9" Depth x 3.6" Height

Weight: 6.7 lbs.

ROHS Compliant: Yes

*All specications subject to change without prior notice

JS Technologies, Inc� (JST) warrants for lifetime from date of purchase by the

initial retail purchaser that this product shall be free from defects in workman-

ship. Electronic components such as capacitors, resistors, lters, transformers,

jacks, and pots are covered for 5 years� Any parts determined defective by JST

within the ve (5) year term shall be repaired or replaced by JST without charge

for parts and labor provided the unit is returned, transportation costs prepaid, to

JS Technologies, Inc�, 601 Crane Street, Unit A, Lake Elsinore, CA 92530, or to

such facility authorized by JST� JST will pay shipping costs to return the unit to

its owner� Defects in workmanship will be determined by JST for limited lifetime

coverage�

This warranty does not cover damage caused by accident, misuse, abuse, ne-

glect, unauthorized or improperly performed repairs, alterations, and/or wear

and tear occasioned by use of the product, and does not include any expense

for inconvenience or loss of use while the product is being repaired or replaced�

JST expressly disclaims any liability for consequential damages arising from the

sale, use, or inability to use the product� Any warranty implied by law, includ-

ing any warranty of merchantability or tness, is expressly limited to the one (5)

year warranty term for the parts on our ampliers and electronic products. The

foregoing statements of warranty are exclusive and in lieu of all other remedies�

Workmanship lifetime warranty is limited strictly to the original retailer purchaser

of the instrument registered with JST within 10 days of purchase from an autho-

rized JST dealer or distributor� JST will pay shipping costs to return the unit to its

owner within the mainland U�S�

The above warranty policy only applies to customers in USA� If you are an in-

ternational customer, please check with your distributor and the dealer in your

country for warranty matters� Warranty issues must be handled through your

dealer or distributor� If you are an international customer who purchased (or

plan to purchase) from a US dealer, we can handle warranty matters direct but

you will be responsible for shipping both ways� We encourage international cus-

tomers to purchase through your local distributor or dealer for this reason� Our

international distributors are set up to handle warranty issues in their respective

countries� If you do not have an authorized Suhr dealer in your country, please

NOTE: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules� These limits are de-

signed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation� This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency

energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications� However, there is no guarantee

that interference will not occur in a particular installation� If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be deter-

mined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures: - Reorient or relo-

cate the receiving antenna� - Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver� - Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to

which the receiver is connected� - Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/ TV technician for help�

Changes or modications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.

This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules� Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and

(2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation�