Behringer Ultrabass BVT5500H Owner's Manual

ULTRABASS BVT4500H/BVT5500H

Front panel

5

This section describes how to use the front panel of the BVT4500H 

and the BVT5500H, illustrated on the previous page and above.
{1}

  POWER switch: Use the POWER switch to turn on your 

BVT4500H/5500H. The POWER switch should always be 

in the “Off” position when you are about to connect your unit 

to the wall socket or disconnect it.
Switch-on thumps can damage your hearing and your 

+

{2}

  VTC LED: When the BVT is off, this LED is not illuminated. 

When it is on, this LED is illuminated and indicates that the 

amp is activated for use. VTC is BEHRINGER’s analog tech-

nology that emulates the warmth of vintage tube circuitry.

INPUT features
To input an audio signal to the BVT, use features {3} - {7}, as 

follows:
{3}

  0 dB jack: To connect an electric bass to the BVT, use this ¼" 

mono jack (unbalanced). Basses with active pickups create 

high-level signals.

If your bass includes an active pickup and you work with:

the BVT4500H, use the 

 

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PAD button {4} to reduce the input 

audio signal.
the BVT5500H, use the 

 

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-15 dB jack {5}instead of the 0 dB 

jack.

{4}

  PAD button (BVT4500H only): If the PEAK LED {9} con-

stantly illuminates and the GAIN control {8} is set to 0 (zero), 

the input level of the audio signal is too high. In this case, 

press this button to activate the pad. The pad reduces the 

input sensitivity by 15 dB.

{5}

  -15 dB jack (BVT5500H only): To connect an active bass to 

the BVT5500H, use this ¼" mono jack (unbalanced). Using 

this jack will give you a lower input sensitivity as compared 

with the 0 dB jack.

{6}

  MUTE button (BVT5500H only): Use this button if you want 

to tune a bass without hearing the tone. This feature mutes 

the main signal path, but not the TUNER output.

{7}

  OVERDRIVE button (BVT5500H only): Use this button to 

add  a  distorted  texture  to  the  audio  signal. This  feature 

“overdrives” the BVT5500H preamp.

{8}

  GAIN control: Use this control to boost or cut the level of the 

input signal.

{9}

  PEAK LED: At various points in the signal path, the BVT 

monitors the level of the audio signal. When the level is too 

high, the PEAK LED warns that clipping can occur.

If the LED:

occasionally illuminates, the BVT clips only some peaks in the 

 

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audio signal. Occasional clipping does not reduce the sound 

quality and shows that the signal is strong enough.
never illuminates, the BVT does not clip any signal peaks in 

 

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the audio signal. The audio signal is probably too weak to 

make use of the full dynamic range. Increase the GAIN {8} 

setting until the PEAK LED lights up only occasionally, at the 

strongest signal peaks.
constantly illuminates, the BVT clips a large part of the audio 

 

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signal and you will hear a distortion. Lower the GAIN setting 

and check for extreme fader or control settings.

TONE features
“Tone” refers to the presence and quality of these frequency bands 

of an audio signal:

bass: from 30 to 200 Hz

 

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mid-range: from 200 to 2 000 Hz

 

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treble: from 2 000 Hz to 20 kHz

 

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The BVT offers controls to effectively tailor the sounds to your 

needs by cutting or boosting specific bands. To adjust the tone, 

use features (10) - (13), as follows:
(10)

  VOICING control (BVT5500H only): To select the tone you 

want, turn this knob to one of the following presets.

The BVT5500H equalizes the audio signal for you.

1: Prominent bass and treble tones (scooped mids).

 

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2: Smooth and warm treble tones (passive tone).

 

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3: Flat, natural bass tones (no equalization).

 

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4: Bright treble tones.

 

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5: Flat, natural bass tones that are not muddy (bass rolloff).

 

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(11)

 - (13) BASS,  MID,  and  TREBLE  controls:  For  each  tone 

(bass, mid-range, and treble) that you can emphasize or 

de-emphasize, the BVT includes a single TONE control.