banner

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Has anyone used a tube DI?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • #16
    Re: Has anyone used a tube DI?

    Originally posted by Lazarus1140 View Post
    I looked at the GT2 Vince suggested and if one can judge from the text of the ad copy alone it seems like it and the Para Driver would share the same basic tube amp/speaker emulation circuit.
    Right. The G2 offers some different options around the emulation - amp type, gain profile, mic placement - a little more tweakable. Agree with others about not testing through your effects return.


    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

    Comment


    • #17
      Re: Has anyone used a tube DI?

      I'd look more into the specifics of the festival setup itself. They may only have mics for acoustics and vocals on stage, and not allow electrics with DIs, even clipped to your hip and running into the snake.


      However, for this experiment, are you running into the DI first and then into the board channel, or into the channel with the DI fed through the board's loop? I'm assuming into the DI first, but.....


      It's my understanding the Tech21 units are much better for bass into a live console than for guitar into the same, for whatever reason, while the guitar versions serve mostly as an expensively passable method of getting a guitar signal into a DAW, so there may be some inherent design limitations with what you're trying to do?
      Originally posted by Brown Note
      I'm soooooo jealous about the WR-1. It's the perfect guitar; fantastic to play, balances well even when seated and *great* reach for the upper frets. The sound is bright tight and very articulate. In summary it could only be more awesome if it had b00bs and was on fire!
      My Blog

      Comment


      • #18
        Re: Has anyone used a tube DI?

        I like the Tech21 Sansamp Character Series, btw. I use a Liverpool and find it's sound quite nice and orgranic. Does it sound exactly like an AC30? Nah, but I like how it sounds.

        That said, there are some great options for high quality DI's. You've already mentioned my favorite, the UA 610. And someone else has mentioned the Colour Box. Both of these units are fantastic, but aren't exactly budget friendly. Most of the affordable tube gear uses starved plate design, and is more transistor than tube sound. You might be better off going with a preamp like the Electro Harmonix 12AY7 to get the full tube warmth.

        Comment


        • #19
          Re: Has anyone used a tube DI?

          Originally posted by Lazarus1140 View Post
          it is a festival stage set up to host vocal groups accompanied by acoustic guitars only. Let's just say amps are not allowed, and I don't want to play acoustic.
          I think you need to expand your musical horizons, toughen up and play an acoustic if that is what the organizers want or not take the gig.
          Last edited by Chickenwings; 03-25-2016, 07:22 AM.
          "Technique is really the elimination of the unneccessary ... it is a constant effort to avoid any personal impediment or obstacle to acheive the smooth flow of energy and intent"
          Yehudi Menuhin

          Comment


          • #20
            Re: Has anyone used a tube DI?

            Originally posted by gibson175 View Post
            I think you need to expand your musical horizons, toughen up and play an acoustic if that is what the organizers want or not take the gig.
            Careful, you're inviting a storm of biblical proportions there

            Comment


            • #21
              Re: Has anyone used a tube DI?

              Originally posted by gibson175 View Post
              I think you need to expand your musical horizons, toughen up and play an acoustic if that is what the organizers want or not take the gig.

              I am trying to expand my musical horizons and bought an acoustic last year for that very purpose. For this thing, though, I don't intend to toughen up. I told the guy I am playing for (who is in charge of coordinating 3 hours of music for one of the four stages at the festival) that if he wants me to play lead I will need to play electric.

              I mean, you play the lead on Stevie Nicks' "Landslide" note for note on acoustic and do the whole step bend on the B string starting on the 18th fret and tell me how you like it. It is a very simple lead but it sounds like crap an octave lower. Honestly, I didn't know about his decision to do this song until after I had mentioned my preference for playing lead on electric, but this is one of the two that makes it almost necessary.

              As far as amps not being allowed ... my guess is that they want to control volume and balance and mic'd amps don't really allow that. There is only 5 minutes per the schedule between acts. I want my guitar/pedals chain to be exactly the same level for the guy on the board as if I played acoustic. I am getting my PA back tomorrow so I have almost a month to get everything dialed in.

              The Breedlove I purchased last year is the first acoustic I've owned in thirty three years. I want to develop some finger picking skill so I can do the singer/songwriter thing in style. Meanwhile, though, it might as well be a banjo or tuba. I don't have time to develop stage ready skills. Even though I am not even remotely a great lead player, I am tough enough to play on my terms.
              Last edited by Lazarus1140; 03-25-2016, 12:13 PM.
              I am so close to retirement that I could play in a band full time. All I have to do is figure out what to use instead of money, improve my playing, learn some songs, and find some other musicians more talented than me who will do exactly as they're told. .

              Comment


              • #22
                Re: Has anyone used a tube DI?

                Click image for larger version

Name:	t5 Custom black (2).jpg
Views:	1
Size:	21.6 KB
ID:	5792412

                Sounds like the perfect excuse to buy one of these to me

                Comment


                • #23
                  Re: Has anyone used a tube DI?

                  Originally posted by regan View Post
                  [ATTACH=CONFIG]71186[/ATTACH]

                  Sounds like the perfect excuse to buy one of these to me
                  I thought about those but most of the reviews I've read claim that they do acoustic OK and electric OK but neither extremely well. It's hard to beat the sound of a full bodied electric/acoustic whether it's plugged in or mic'd or both.

                  I did purchase a Graph-Tech Acousti-Sonic kit that I will eventually install in my Tele or in one of the guitars I am building, but again, it's just another compromise.
                  I am so close to retirement that I could play in a band full time. All I have to do is figure out what to use instead of money, improve my playing, learn some songs, and find some other musicians more talented than me who will do exactly as they're told. .

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Re: Has anyone used a tube DI?

                    Originally posted by regan View Post
                    Careful, you're inviting a storm of biblical proportions there
                    It doesn't have to be a storm. I understand his point but I don't think I'm really going to be violating the spirit of the opportunity.
                    I am so close to retirement that I could play in a band full time. All I have to do is figure out what to use instead of money, improve my playing, learn some songs, and find some other musicians more talented than me who will do exactly as they're told. .

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Re: Has anyone used a tube DI?

                      OK, I know I'm missing something here, so let me ask this before I put my .02 in: taking the iso-cab out of the equation, what amp are you normally running that you're trying to capture the sound of?

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        Re: Has anyone used a tube DI?

                        Originally posted by NotCardio View Post
                        OK, I know I'm missing something here, so let me ask this before I put my .02 in: taking the iso-cab out of the equation, what amp are you normally running that you're trying to capture the sound of?
                        To me the hardest sound to capture without a tube amp is the sound of a clean tube amp. The amp I normally play is a Peavey Prowler. Most people are unfamiliar with it because it was only made for a few years. A similar amp in the Fender line would be the Hot Rod deluxe.

                        The second hardest sound to emulate in my opinion is the slightly overdriven tone ... like a clean tube amp cranked just to the edge with a decent OD pedal driving it slightly over the egde.

                        As it stands now, I'm going to use the Sans Amp Para-Driver II I already have and just try to make it sound as good as possible. I don't want to invest much financially in what will only be a 25 minute set in April and possibly one more in May. I originally asked about a tube DI because if anyone thought it might help it would be something that would also be useful for recording at home.

                        What will help me most right now is not gear - it's practice. I appreciate everyone's input.
                        Last edited by Lazarus1140; 03-26-2016, 03:59 AM.
                        I am so close to retirement that I could play in a band full time. All I have to do is figure out what to use instead of money, improve my playing, learn some songs, and find some other musicians more talented than me who will do exactly as they're told. .

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          Re: Has anyone used a tube DI?

                          OK, so you're not necessarily trying to recreate the sound of your tube amp, just a tube amp. Gotcha.

                          I've got a tube DI/pre that I've used for bass, but I don't remember what it sounded like with a guitar. I'm pretty sure I've never tried it with a pedal, though. Don't think you'd want to spend that much anyway. I'll have to ponder this one for a while.

                          Ooh, wait a minute! I just remembered I've got a cheap tube pre/DI around here somewhere that I've never even had out of the box. I'll try it in the next couple of days and report back to you.

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Re: Has anyone used a tube DI?

                            From everything I've ever heard about Sansamp, just keep adjusting the knobs, using your ears not eyes. You should be able to find a good sound in there.

                            Sent from my MotoE2(4G-LTE) using Tapatalk

                            Comment


                            • #29
                              Re: Has anyone used a tube DI?

                              FYI, I've got a SansAmp British, which is a Marshall emulator, and I think it's pretty good for what it's supposed to do. The Character series pedals are supposed to be used as DIs, as opposed to in front of an amp like most pedals. What I think would suit you better though, is one that I have on my short list to get - a Wampler Black '65. They just stopped making them, but you can find a used one pretty easily. Clean to edge of breakup, direct to board, and able to take pedals in front of it. Really would be a handy thing to have, even without your situation. Look up some videos and see what you think.

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Re: Has anyone used a tube DI?

                                You might try one of the Joyo knockoffs of the Tech 21 Character pedals, pretty cheap - http://www.ebay.com/itm/JOYO-JF-14-A...cAAOSwnLdWqJSu

                                I've used a Tech 21 British and Leeds and they both worked really well for what you are trying to accomplish, the Joyos seem to get good reviews, they don't have a Leeds knockoff though, they do have a California knockoff (which is no longer made by T21), which seems to cover a lot of ground from clean to dirty.

                                My <$0.02 again...

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X