A-Designs REDDI Tube Direct Box

[RocketMusic]

Originally Posted by dDaddybass

Is the thru output on this pre or post tube?

It is "pre" tube. It's really just a direct pass through. I use that to feed my stage amp, while the "REDDI'd" signal goes to the PA system or recording interface.

Next week, I'll be receiving an EM-Gold preamp that I hope to try out quickly. Assuming that also does lovely things for my recorded tone, I'll be adding the entire line of A-Designs 500 series preamps to our ever expanding inventory. I'll eventually get into stuff like the Pacifica, The Hammer and The Nail, too. So many cool products to carry, so little money.

[RocketMusic]

NPD = New Preamp Day!! Yee-haw!!

I recently decided to try a couple of the "500 series" preamps that are made by Peter Montessi @ A-Designs. Assuming they are the shizzle, I'll eventually start stocking all of these preamps for sale. For now, I've got the P1 and the EM-Gold to use in some experiments. The P1 is basically half of a Pacifica (which is A-Designs' primo dual channel solid state mic preamp). I'm thinking that'll be great for vocals and acousic guitars. The EM-Gold is supposedly fantastic for bass, so I'll stick that after my REDDI and see what happens.

Anyway, here's how everything arrived:


And here it is all assembled with the two preamps mounted in the "2-slot" rack that is also made by A Designs.


I'm itching to plug these into my studio signal chain and see what happens... but I'm waiting on delivery of a few more items. Most important among these missing items is an XLR-to-TRS cable that will let me plug these preamps into my USB interface in such a way that the USB interface's internal preamps are bypassed. Sigh. Come on UPS!!!

My studio's electronics have now outgrown my 5-space "studio" rack. I've got a cheapo (think IKEA) 16 space slanted rack coming that I'll eventually replace with something nicer that I'll make out of hardwood. There's also a patch panel on the way that'll let me bring the USB interfaces inputs & outputs to the front of the rack.

So NPD is pretty cool...but it'd be a lot cooler if I could actually hear these things!!! I REALLY want to fast forward about a week...

[VroomVroom]

[Tangent]

Nice bokeh in the last shot. I remember that location from a visit earlier this year...



[/Tangent]

Very curious on the EM-Gold.

[RocketMusic]

Jerry - check here for a comparison involving the P-1 and the EM-Gold preamps.

[RocketMusic]

Alright! My recent little spending splurge on the studio is nearly complete! I received a slanted 18-space rack today. That has let me mount everything I want hardware-wise now and for the forseeable future. Here's the new rack all setup and waiting to get used:



Current occupants include:
- Swithcraft PT8FX8MXDB25 Patch Panel
- M-Audio FastTrack Ultra 8R USB Interface
- A-Designs P-1 and EM-Gold preamps mounted in a TH-500 rack
- Alembic F-1X preamp
- Shure PSM-200 Wireless Personal Monitoring System
- Shure PG88 wireless receiver for two lavaler mics

Future Occupants will likely include:
- more of the A-Designs EM-500 series preamps
- an A-Designs Pacifica preamp
- "The Hammer" and "The Nail" are also talking to me... sigh.

So that's the hardware stuff all done for now. On the software side, I'm also in the middle of an upgrade from Sonar X1 Extended to Sonar X2 Producer. I should finish that tomorrow, and then the studio will be back up and running!

[dDaddybass]

Originally Posted by RocketMusic

It is "pre" tube. It's really just a direct pass through. I use that to feed my stage amp, while the "REDDI'd" signal goes to the PA system or recording interface.

Next week, I'll be receiving an EM-Gold preamp that I hope to try out quickly. Assuming that also does lovely things for my recorded tone, I'll be adding the entire line of A-Designs 500 series preamps to our ever expanding inventory. I'll eventually get into stuff like the Pacifica, The Hammer and The Nail, too. So many cool products to carry, so little money.

Just curious, have tried running out of the Reddi (XLR output) into the effects return of your head > NV610 ???

[RocketMusic]

Originally Posted by dDaddybass

Just curious, have tried running out of the Reddi (XLR output) into the effects return of your head > NV610 ???

I have not, but that could be an interesting experiement. Unfortunately, I don't have the cables or adapters handy to do it (convert XLR to 1/4").

I suspect it might be too much of a good thing, but who knows?

[JimmyM]

I've done it on a Micro VR. Improved the tone of the Micro VR (which has killer tone for a $300 amp IMHO), but it degraded the tone of the REDDI so I abandoned that idea.

[english4bw]

Hey has anyone thought of starting a "REDDI Owners Group" thread on here? Or is there an existing one?

[dDaddybass]

REDDI Tube DI Mega-thread-II
Try this one

[dDaddybass]

Hey Greg, I was checking out your recording of a Christmas song in another thread and had a question. The signal chain, I noticed you were running into the Reddi then into the P1. I'm ignorant to signal chain order, but this seems backward. Help me out here.

[RocketMusic]

Hey, Dave! The REDDI takes the instrument level signal from the bass and shapes it and amplifies it a bit. The P1 preamp takes that modified instrument level signal and shapes it and amplifies it even more to get it up to line level.

[kph24]

Hey Guys,

Just ordered one of these from Greg, should arrive this Wednesday. I'll try and get some recordings up after.

[kph24]

Here is my REDDI in it's case going to a session today.



Thanks Greg

[RocketMusic]

Nice! Break a leg on the session, and please share some tracks later (if you can).