A whole new world. IEM.

[Wood and Wire]

Will report back.

Ok, following up :

Just verified that cables are wired correctly.

Ran an earth continuity test on an active DI box, and verified that the Earth Lift function worked (I already knew it did, as I've needed it to remove hum a few times in the past).

Tested the active DI with a field recorder, both on mains, and battery power : the DI received Phantom Power, regardless of whether the earth was connected, or lifted (exactly the same behaviour as previously observed, with other devices supplying Phantom Power).


Ran an earth continuity test on the VT Bass Deluxe, and verified that the Earth Lift function works as it should.


Tested the VT Bass Deluxe with a field recorder, both on mains, and battery power : the VT Bass received Phantom Power ONLY when the earth was connected, NOT when the earth was lifted.


I'm happy to report that the VT Bass Deluxe operates correctly, and exactly as advertised.


Evidently there seems to be something unusual about both the other active DI box, and the other device that was previously supplying Phantom Power to the VT Bass - I will try to investigate further, but I'm not an electrical engineer, so if you have any suggestions, they'd be much appreciated (this hasn't caused any problems - in fact it's been advantageous - but I'm curious as to the causes)

Thanks!

 

[tech21nyc]

If there is a battery in the VT Bass Deluxe and the phantom power is disconnected the unit will still operate. It will automatically switch to the battery without interruption. Outside of that I can't think of anything else besides the pedal being grounded to something else that would allow it to work when the ground was lifted while running on phantom power.

 

[Wood and Wire]

If there is a battery in the VT Bass Deluxe and the phantom power is disconnected the unit will still operate. It will automatically switch to the battery without interruption. Outside of that I can't think of anything else besides the pedal being grounded to something else that would allow it to work when the ground was lifted while running on phantom power.

Just to clarify / reiterate ; the VT Bass Deluxe is operating perfectly, exactly as designed.

The fault in question lays somewhere else.

At no point, with either the active DI box, or the VT Bass Deluxe, did I have a battery installed (I'd probably never use that facility with the VT Bass, preferring Phantom Power, or a dedicated PSU - I did test the battery function, and it worked properly, though I would be hesitant to bend ribbon cables out of the way etc, to fit the battery in).

When I tested both the active DI box, and the VT Bass with just the XLR connected - nothing else, not even an instrument / any 1/4 inch leads - I got the following results :

Field recorder (battery, and mains power) = active DI Box always receives Phantom Power, even when Earth is lifted.

VT Bass Deluxe only receives Phantom Power when Earth is connected, never when Earth is lifted.


Microphone pre-amp (mains powered) = active DI Box always receives Phantom Power, even when Earth is lifted.

VT Bass Deluxe always receives Phantom Power, even when Earth is lifted.


There seems to be something not quite right (though not an issue as far as I'm concerned) with both the pre-amp, and the active DI Box, which I will try to fathom, and verify against a few other devices, when I get the chance.

One thing this has got me contemplating, is the fact that Phantom Power should continue to get supplied if, as you said using the VT Bass as an example, a 1/4 inch cable is connecting it to any other earthed device in the system...

I can see that potentially, once Phantom Power has been turned on, it might be possible for a standard gauge TRS jack, if plugged / unplugged, or accidentally half plugged, anywhere in the system, to allow Phantom Power to cause damage.

 

[jazzercountry]

I ran a preamp based rig (with powered cabs when I needed stage volume) for a few years, and loved it. Was great for IEM. I ran the Cali76-TX into Tech 21 Q/strip, then took the unaffected output of the Q/strip into a Hudson Broadcast 24v and finally the Noble. Noble was my "go-to" preamp, but it was nice to have the Tech 21 in case I needed some more precise EQ. I also could have taken the transformer output off the back of the Cali76-TX to send to FOH as another option.

 

[tech21nyc]

Just to clarify / reiterate ; the VT Bass Deluxe is operating perfectly, exactly as designed.

The fault in question lays somewhere else.

At no point, with either the active DI box, or the VT Bass Deluxe, did I have a battery installed (I'd probably never use that facility with the VT Bass, preferring Phantom Power, or a dedicated PSU - I did test the battery function, and it worked properly, though I would be hesitant to bend ribbon cables out of the way etc, to fit the battery in).

When I tested both the active DI box, and the VT Bass with just the XLR connected - nothing else, not even an instrument / any 1/4 inch leads - I got the following results :

Field recorder (battery, and mains power) = active DI Box always receives Phantom Power, even when Earth is lifted.

VT Bass Deluxe only receives Phantom Power when Earth is connected, never when Earth is lifted.


Microphone pre-amp (mains powered) = active DI Box always receives Phantom Power, even when Earth is lifted.

VT Bass Deluxe always receives Phantom Power, even when Earth is lifted.


There seems to be something not quite right (though not an issue as far as I'm concerned) with both the pre-amp, and the active DI Box, which I will try to fathom, and verify against a few other devices, when I get the chance.

One thing this has got me contemplating, is the fact that Phantom Power should continue to get supplied if, as you said using the VT Bass as an example, a 1/4 inch cable is connecting it to any other earthed device in the system...

I can see that potentially, once Phantom Power has been turned on, it might be possible for a standard gauge TRS jack, if plugged / unplugged, or accidentally half plugged, anywhere in the system, to allow Phantom Power to cause damage.

Some active DI's are designed so you can lift the ground and still maintain phantom power. They have an internal transformer.

 

[Wood and Wire]

Some active DI's are designed so you can lift the ground and still maintain phantom power. They have an internal transformer.

Cheers!

That potentially eliminates that particular active DI box, as maybe having a "problem".

It does suggest that there may be a quirk with the pre-amp in question, if it is always causing the VT Bass to see Phantom Power - though none of this is actually a problem.

Thanks for all your help.

 

[tech21nyc]

When you say the unit is always "seeing" phantom power, are you rapidly turning the phantom on and off? Phantom usually needs to drain a bit. Which preamp are you referring to?

 

[Wood and Wire]

When you say the unit is always "seeing" phantom power, are you rapidly turning the phantom on and off? Phantom usually needs to drain a bit. Which preamp are you referring to?

Poor choice of words on my part.

I mean the VT Bass is always powered on (when the pre-amp is set to supply Phantom Power), regardless of whether the Earth / Phantom switch is engaged, or lifted (on the VT Bass Deluxe).

If I turn Phantom Power off at the pre-amp, then naturally the VT Bass shuts down.

No, I'm not rapidly flipping the Earth / Phantom switch - plenty of time for it to shut down between states.

The pre-amp I was using is an old Digidesign unit - haven't got round to testing it with another at home, or the studio ; though the tests with a field recorder proved that under normal circumstances, the VT Bass only draws Phantom Power when it's Earth / Phantom switch is engaged.

Cheers!

 

[tech21nyc]

It's possible the pre-amp is not wired correctly. Hard to say without testing.

 

[SteveC]

OCSD gave life to my IEM's and FOH. It's easy to set and inexpensive. My rig is a tuner, OCSD and my IEM receiver on a Nano board. The OCSD replaced a Radial JDI.

 

[Wood and Wire]

It's possible the pre-amp is not wired correctly. Hard to say without testing.

Yeah - which is probably beyond my level of safe electronic know how.


Apologies to all, for the derailment to the topic, though I can certainly endorse the VT Bass Deluxe as a great option, if you are aiming to go "amp-less".

Thanks!

 

[chadhargis]

I had a Noble and I dearly loved it. Great piece of gear. Then I did a demo of Kevin Shaw's Tube Injection. Right on par with the Noble, but more tonal options and more features. Lower cost too.

If you're not familiar with it. Check out this video of Kevin's son Ben. Ben was kind enough to personally show me the Tube Injection at their home shop. It's an awesome piece of kit:

 

[Wood and Wire]

If you need replacement feet contact our support department with your name, address and which unit you need the feet for.

Hi,

Just wanted to say a big thanks, as I have received a new set of rubber feet for my VTBD (and completely free of charge, I might add).

I really appreciate the effort you guys have made, for such a seemingly insignificant detail, for an overseas customer.

Thanks to yourself, Lidia, and Chris, for making this happen.

Cheers!

 

[JimmyM]

Hi,

Just wanted to say a big thanks, as I have received a new set of rubber feet for my VTBD (and completely free of charge, I might add).

I really appreciate the effort you guys have made, for such a seemingly insignificant detail, for an overseas customer.

Thanks to yourself, Lidia, and Chris, for making this happen.

Cheers!

Agreed. Tech 21 CS has been nothing short of phenomenal in the years I've used their products.

 

[EastCoastThump]

^ that's been my experience as well

 

[alack]

Zoom MS-60B! $100 gets decent amp models, all with cab sims and a wealth of quality effects in a small travel friendly package. Sounds great through my Shure IEMs.