switch, two balanced DI outs with a pre/
post switch, a jack for connecting a tuner,
and (drum roll please) the 8-pin DIN
socket for the really big and impressive
AFC- 6 foot controller.
One knob you don’t have is a control
for the built-in compressor, which is a
soft-knee circuit with what Trace calls
adaptive attack and release times. Here’s
how it works: The TA200 has Gain knobs
on each of the channels, and by turning
up the gain you increase the amount of
compression on the signal. Compression
can add a nice flavor to acoustic guitar,
help you pop out in a mix, or help you
contain an erratic dynamic range—all
good things. The compressor has four
stages, and an LED indicator shows you
where you are. Unlit means there is no
or very low signal; green means signal is
present, below the compressor threshold
and thus uncompressed; orange means
that the signal is high enough for the
compressor to kick in; red means a
very high signal is present, and you’re
in danger of clipping and distorting.
The higher you turn the gain, the more
compression you add. Clever idea, but
I doubt I’m the only person who would
appreciate having a way to turn it off in
some situations.
For feedback busting there’s a tight-
bandwidth Notch filter and a Phase
switch. When feedback starts up, you
slowly turn up the Notch knob until it
goes away. That’s pretty darn idiot proof,
and fairly effective, but if that’s not
enough, then you can use Phase switch to
reverse the phase of either channel, and
that frequently does the trick. When phase
is reversed, a blue LED lights up. One
