I've looked at the manual, and I'm still confused. Let me know if I'm understanding this right.
The gain knob controls the modelled preamp's gain. When the preamp is turned up too loud, it starts to distort. The volume control adjusts the strength of the signal into the power-amp stage. It can be turned down so even if the preamp is distorting, the power tube won't distort it further (or turned up so that it will :D). The master volume is the poweramp gain, and turning it up will eventually start to cause distortion.
Have I got it right, or am I off?
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I think you are somewhat off.
- The power amp output is controlled by the power level knob in the back. Generally speaking, use this to control overall loudness.
- When you use different models, the loudness maybe different. The volume knob can be used to control this. You can use this knob to make sure that the two channels you save have similar volumes (or different volumes if you wish them to be different).
- I think that the "gain" control affects the modelling circuit, while the "master volume" affects the tube stage of the preamp. Since the tube used is a "dual triode", I suspect that the gain control affects the gain of the first stage triode amp as well, while the master volume affects the second stage.
Generally, I leave the "master volume" (the knob on the top, all the way at the right) always pretty much fully cranked, and adjust the other controls to get the behavior I want.
Hope this helps.
--vink
"Life is either an adventure or nothing" -- Helen Keller
I thought the preamp was solid state? I don't think it goes through the tube at all. I checked back in the manual after reading your post, and it says that master volume controls the signal strength sent from the preamp to the power amp. Turning it up would increase the distortion. Your explanation of the volume control makes sense, but I still don't understand it. Is it supposed to simulate an attenuator on the modelled amp?
Thanks
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I thought the preamp was solid state? I don't think it goes through the tube at all. I checked back in the manual after reading your post, and it says that master volume controls the signal strength sent from the preamp to the power amp. Turning it up would increase the distortion.
Well, there's probably some terminology mix up with such a hybrid amp. The final "power amp" is solid state. There is likely a solid state "modeling' preamp stage, and the stage in between is probably the tube amp. Usually, the master volume in a normal tube amp controls the amount of signal going in to the final power tube section of the amp, and these tubes drive the output transformer. In the case of the AD30VT, the MV probably controls the amount of signal going into the final stage of tube amplification. Since this is supposed to simulate a tube amp output stage, they probably did not call it a "pre-amp" in the manual.
But, this stage is not driving your speaker..it drives some sort of solid state power amp, whose output level is controlled through the control in the back of the amp.
This is my undestanding of how the thing works: the volume, treble, mid, bass, gain knobs interact with the amp modeler and are supposed to mimic those functions on the original amp. The master volume controls the tube stage, and the knob in the back controls the final solid state power amp. (That knob is totally tone neutral, it will not distort if you turn it up, except for any speaker distortion you will get). It so happens, that the volume controls may be a little redundant with three of them, except that in some cases, there is interaction between volume and gain controls on the modeler.
There is a VOX bbs smewhere..there might be more detailed information there.
[EDIT : www.valvetronix.net
--vink
"Life is either an adventure or nothing" -- Helen Keller
