Q: Can I go direct from the Vetta to a recording console or PA system?
A: Yes,the Vetta II can be used with or without speakers in a studio or live performance application directly through the board. Page 4.32 of the Vetta II Pilot's Handbook it describes how to turn the outside speaker cabs off in order to use the head to run direct. The second page that comes up from the Output Setups button lets you turn both the internal and any external speaker cabs off. When you have turned the speakers off, the Master Volume Control sets the level for the direct outs.
Q: How do I hook up an external effects processor to my Vetta?
A: While we've tried to anticipate all of your effects needs, you may still want to use other effects with Vetta. That's okay, we won't be upset. Obviously, if you've got actual physical world stompboxes you want to use, run them in front of Vetta as you would do with any other amp. If you've got rack mount effects or other devices that work at line level, these can be hooked up in Vetta's effects loop. This loop is switchable (from the front panel or from the FBX foot controller), the on/off state is remembered with each channel that you save, and you can even route the loop either series or parallel. To hook something up to Vetta's loop, you'll need a pair of what are commonly referred to as 'Y' or 'insert' cables. These cables have a 1/4-inch TRS (Tip, Ring, Sleeve) plug on one end, and that splits out to a pair of 1/4-inch TS (Tip, Sleeve) plugs at the other end. You'll need one of these for Vetta's loop send, and one for the return.
An effect insert uses these cables to allow input and output signals to both be connected at the one jack. If Vetta had an effect insert (like many mixing boards do), you'd jack the TRS end of a single one of these cables in this insert, then one of the split ends of the cable would go to the effect's input and the other would go to the effect's output. But as the picture shows, we're not doing that. Once you've got your external effects hooked up, press the LOOP button as needed to get the loop turned on.
The next step is to set up the send and return levels for the loop. Press the Edit button. If the Loop page isn't showing already, press the Loop Button and it will be. You'll see something along these lines: The left most knobs, labeled Amp1/L Send and Amp 2/R Send control your signals differently depending on how your loop is routed. You'll want to check out Effect Routing on page 4.17 of your manual in order to get your loop properly set for the particular sonic madness you have in mind. When the loop is first in the chain of post effects or in any parallel routing, the loop sends are getting signals from the discrete outputs of Amp 1 and Amp 2, regardless of how the amps are panned. When it's not first in the post effects signal path, routed in series or chain, the sends are from the left/right outputs of the previous effect. When the loop is routed parallel or chain, set the mix control on the effect in the loop to 100% wet. Use the Return Mix knob on the display shown above to determine how much of the effect you want to hear. If you instead try to run your external effect at something other than 100%, you'll get a bad sonic experience known as 'comb filtering' to audio engineers if the external effect unit is digital, and you'll get your stereo signals collapsing to mono if your external effect unit sums its left/right inputs to mono (as
many effects processors do). When the loop is routed series, use the mix control on the effect in the loop to set the mix. No worries about comb filtering here, but if your effect unit sums its left/right inputs to mono (often, the 'direct' signal is summed, even when the 'effect' part of the signal is stereo) then the fancy panning you set up on Vetta may be lost when you hit a chord.
Q: What will happen if I connect a mono effect pedal to effect loop of the Vetta Combo?
A: The effect from the mono pedal will only effect the "left" side of the signal when panning the signals hard left/right. We reccomend panning the center for both channels if you plan to use a mono effect in the stereo effect loop.
Q: How can I get my Heilsound Talkbox plugged with a Vetta Combo?
A: In order to use Heil Talkbox with the Vetta, connect a speaker cable from the Vetta's Left Speaker Outputs to the input on the Talkbox. Next, you'll need to customize the speaker leads connected to Vetta's left speaker. Basically, you'll need a cable that has a 1/4" speaker jack on one end (tip +, sleeve -) and two, crimp terminal clips on the other. Connect the 1/4" speaker jack to the Talkbox output and the two, crimp terminals to Vetta's left speaker. Make sure you keep track of which clip is positive and which clip is negative and make sure they are connected to the speaker correctly. If the sound coming from the speaker seems to be strange, you may need to reverse the clips. Connect the Talkbox tube and your microphone to your P.A. (or second amp) as instructed in the Talkbox manual. When connected in this manner you will hear the Talkbox coming out of the P.A. speakers (or second amp) and the amp's normal tone coming from Vetta's right speaker. If you want to mute the amp's normal tone and just hear the Talkbox, you will need to pan the Vetta's amp models all the way to the left, in the Vetta presets that you will be using with the Talkbox. This can be done via the Amp/Cab Details menu, Page 2, Amp Only knobs.