Question for all D-Tar Solstice Users

charmicarmicat · #1 05-23-2007, 12:07 PM

Hello all.
Have any of you used the following chain:
Upright bass w/ P.U. or mic. > Solstice > Power amp > Cabinet
Why do I ask? I've been looking around for a good amp for cheap (imagine that) and since I have a power amp (a Crown) and EA CXL 112L I thought that a Solstice might be a good choice for a preamp.
Right now I am running my bass through a pre Fender SWR California Blonde with the EA cab as an extension and that's working fine but it is a bit much to carry and I am thinking that the chain mentioned could be a great thing.
What do you think? This is strictly for upright and not for doubling.
Thanks you all for taking the time.

larry · #2 05-23-2007, 01:11 PM

That's pretty much what it's designed to do. I blend a pick up with a mic into my amp.

The Solstice also gives you some flexible options for routing the signal. For example, I can send just the mic signal to the PA, or I can send the blended signal to the PA and the mic signal to a recording device and the direct signal to the monitors, etc.

Great piece of gear.

bolo · #3 05-23-2007, 02:57 PM

Like larry said, what you've outlined sounds fine.

The only limitation might be your EQ capabilities. I'm assuming the Crown power amp has no EQ. So then all you have is the Solstice, which is not voiced strictly with DB in mind (IMO). So if you rely on EQ much to help shape your tone, you might be somewhat limited.

Other than that, (and the weight of lugging around the Crown?), sounds workable to me.

**Chris Fitzgerald** · #4 05-23-2007, 05:11 PM

How different is the Solstice EQ from the Focus EQ? I kinda like the old "3 knobs and live with it" approach for live sound, but it probably depends a lot on how the center frequencies are voiced.

larry · #5 05-23-2007, 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Fitzgerald

How different is the Solstice EQ from the Focus EQ? I kinda like the old "3 knobs and live with it" approach for live sound, but it probably depends a lot on how the center frequencies are voiced.

The Solstice manual says the mid freq. are centered around 800hz. The Focus manual says the mid controls from about 300 to 2000. Roughly the same it seems. I've used both, but I did not own the Focus at the same time as the Solstice.

My SWR has three parametric mids plus a high & low shelf, so I just use the Solstice as a blender / preamp.

I'm on the Walter Woods waiting list. We'll see how that works out when I get it, and if I still use the Solstice.

Ike Harris · #6 05-23-2007, 10:21 PM

I run my Solstice through a rented SWR rig with 4-10's on the road(most of the time). I'm happy in general with the presence and sound I'm getting on stage but with this setup I have to run a lot more bass(about 3 o'clock) and a lot less treble(about 9 o'clock) to get the sound I want. I wonder if I used the 1-15 cab instead I would be closer to flat on the EQs. Whaddya think? (Just happy not to have in-ear monitors like everyone else in town)

Ike

charmicarmicat · #7 05-24-2007, 12:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bolo

Like larry said, what you've outlined sounds fine.

The only limitation might be your EQ capabilities. I'm assuming the Crown power amp has no EQ. So then all you have is the Solstice, which is not voiced strictly with DB in mind (IMO). So if you rely on EQ much to help shape your tone, you might be somewhat limited.

Other than that, (and the weight of lugging around the Crown?), sounds workable to me.

The weight of the crown is really not that bad. It is one of the smaller ones. And yes you are correct, the Crown does not have an EQ section. On the SWR I run the eq pretty much flat and with my P.U. (RSII) and strings, changed from Dominants to Superflexibles, it sounds pretty damn good. In a previous thread I mentioned that I volume issues with the SWR (not enough of it) hence me getting an extension cabinet with high SPL but now that I have said cab which helped with the volume issue, transporting the SWR and EA cab is just a bit much for my small car. So the combination of power amp (two space rackmount), cab and Solstice seems to make sense. I'm going to take the leap and get the Solstice and will keep everyone posted.
Walter Woods... Man, I totally blew it twice last month as I could have gotten some nice models that had some cosmetic damage for under 1K. Could kick myself for it but I really couldn't afford it. I know it would have been a sound (pun intended) investment but I just didn't have the dough.
Thank you all for replying. Much appreciated.

bolo · #8 05-24-2007, 05:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Fitzgerald

How different is the Solstice EQ from the Focus EQ? I kinda like the old "3 knobs and live with it" approach for live sound, but it probably depends a lot on how the center frequencies are voiced.

Solstice -

Bass is centered at 155 Hz
Mid-range 796 Hz
Treble 10KHz

AI Focus -

Bass centered @ 60 Hz
Mid 650 Hz
Treble 10KHz

On the Solstice, I think the bass EQ knob is voiced considerably higher than what we are typically accustomed to for DB and slab. 155 Hz is ~ the E on the G string, 2 octaves above the open E string. It is not a shelving control either, so its Q might not even span down into the lowest register of the DB. I think that's the rub.

In contrast, the bass EQ on the Focus is centered at 60 Hz, and it is a shelving type. 60 Hz is like around our low Bb or B.

**bass dan** · #9 05-27-2007, 09:31 AM

i have been looking around on the different threads about blending a mic and a pickup and seems as if the solstice is a very nice option. i have a contra 2 with one channel, but 2 inputs and a effects loop. is it possible to run the pickup to the low z input and mic with a xlr to a 1/4 inch plug into the high z input or the effects loop and run both on the same channel. may not be the best way to do it since you couldnt eq them seperatly, but wondered if any one has tried this with success. looks like the solstice would solve this problem,but would rather not keep getting more gear if i dont need to. thanks.

flatback · #10 05-27-2007, 10:21 AM

I had the Solstice for 2 years and ran it thru a bunch of different rigs. I liked it but like Bolo is saying it, its a shoe that blisters your heal. At 3 bills plus an amp plus all the hook up, the Focus is just so much cleaner and more suited to URB. I sold my Solstice and WW and put it all into the Focus.
Everybody is into the idea of the Micro 300 at the moment, but the Focus with 2 (totally functional and well voiced) channels at 6 pounds, has it all and in a package so small, it takes a minute to figure out which side pocket to store it in.
I went thru a whole bunch of preamps from the Fishman stuff (pre blender etc) to Gigpro, Solstice, presonus and a bunch of others, and one thing I can say is that the preamp really counts. I use an Avalon U5 now and while it is a monster in its hugantic ginormousness the sound is so killing that it is worth it for me. It is really amazing how the U5 for example affects the response of the full Circle...

bolo · #11 05-27-2007, 02:34 PM

I agree w/ flatback and many others that the Focus 2R is a very, very cool and excellent sounding solution for blending a mic and a pickup for DB w/out dealing with any external units, tote bags, power supplies, et al. I have only owned mine for a few months, but I dig it more each time I use it. The clean headroom from that 5 lb. box is almost staggering. Plus the dual purpose inputs, and HPF on each channel.

I run the EQ flat so that was never really that big of an issue for me with the Solstice - although I did find that the Mid EQ was good at suppressing feedback from my mics. But even though I have the Focus 2R now, I am holding on to my Solstice because it is such a nice hi-fi unit, and it has a wider variety of output routing options than the AI. Adds a certain sweetness or very slight oomph to the tone too IMO, depending on how you set the Volume knob relative to the Master. Before I had the Focus, I was happy w/ the Solstice, and still am.

Sold my GigPro recently too. Sounded too much like a compressor to me. I have yet to try the U5. Actually thinkin' bout a Zoom H4 Handy Recorder now as a practice aid. I know, that's not a preamp.

Andy Allen · #12 05-27-2007, 03:29 PM

I don't use my Solstice very often these days, many of my gigs are acoustic, and I have an EUB for the louder Latin gigs, where the Solstice was particularly useful.

Like bolo, I have held onto it because it's such a good piece of gear, and my usual use for it now is when I'm using someone else's (usually venue-supplied) gear. Whatever amp it is I can set it flat, and the Solstice provides proper loading for the pickup (Realist) and I can usually get a good sound with very little EQ.

I usually use little or no bass EQ and just modify the mids a little to reduce the 'peizo-honk.' Since I rarely use it, it sure would be nice to re-engineer the Solstice's bass control to be a high-pass filter. I wonder if that's an easy mod? I'll get around to talking to D-Tar about it one of these days.

Andy

bolo · #13 05-27-2007, 04:25 PM

Like Ike and Andy both said, the Solstice would be real nice and portable if you travel a lot and use house equipment or rented back line gear.

I also can't help but think about the history of the Raven Labs PMB blender. It was the cat's pajamas as a blender for a while, but was later discontinued. So you had to go to the used market to get one. Don't know if the Solstice will ever be phased out, but I guess that's one more reason I don't wanna let mine go. A two-channel mixer / blender with high impedance inputs, 1/4" and XLR inputs and outputs, and with phase reversal on each channel ... it is a rather specialized piece of gear.