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Ampeg SVT-CL and thru speaker DI question

#21
For those still unsure.......the JDI needs to be connected to the cabinets' parallel jack NOT the head.
Both the pad and the speaker switch MUST be on.
This set-up works very well without any worries - really, it does :) - as long as you follow the instructions carefully.
 
#22
JimmyM said:
It'll work and it won't put strain on the tubes whatsoever. Always remember to have a cab hooked up, though. And Corey does make a point about the speaker sim. You may like it and you may not. I never tried it. From the description it sounds like it's made for guitar to me, though, so it may cut too much low end. If I were you, I'd get the Whirlwind Director instead. Pretty much a JDI but without the speaker sim.
Click to expand...

^

As long as it's a speaker-level DI being taken from the parallel out of the cab, it won't hurt the tubes one bit. This way, your cab is still loading on the power section. Only downside is, the volume through the cab dictates what's going through the DI.

I hardly ever like speaker sim in a solution like that, because there's no knowing what it's modelled after, if it's really modeled after a cab at all, or just lops off some highs and lows.

I use the ART Passive Dual Direct Box. I believe there is a single version of it. Cheap and effective and can do speaker, line level, or instrument level. For cab sim, I'll use Amplitube or Guitar Rig. Or another VST.
 
#23
isher1992 said:
^

As long as it's a speaker-level DI being taken from the parallel out of the cab, it won't hurt the tubes one bit. This way, your cab is still loading on the power section. Only downside is, the volume through the cab dictates what's going through the DI.
Click to expand...
Honestly, I don't know what the difference is. I've done both with my Countryman and the amps still sound and behave the same either way.
 
#26
JimmyM said:
Ah, OK. This is about the cab sim in the JDI. I get it now.
Click to expand...

Oh! That! Sorry, re-read the part you quoted.

No, I was referring to the master volume affecting the DI's output level. In the case of the ART, it makes things frustrating because I have to crank the bejeezus out of the channel to get a good level while playing at practice level. That's the one downside of the Speaker DI I've found.
 
#27
isher1992 said:
Oh! That! Sorry, re-read the part you quoted.

No, I was referring to the master volume affecting the DI's output level. In the case of the ART, it makes things frustrating because I have to crank the bejeezus out of the channel to get a good level while playing at practice level. That's the one downside of the Speaker DI I've found.
Click to expand...
Well it does that anyway. Not a bother for me, though...not like I do constant volume changing :D
 
#28
jmon said:
View attachment 3250167

Neve Designs RNDI DI looks about as straight forward as I can get. The reviews are outstanding as well. We have a killer PA and I'm just trying to get my tone into that board as close and as clean as I can.
Thanks again for the help. I didn't know a speaker level DI was even an option till a week ago.
Click to expand...

^ Don't wire it like this picture though. I recommend that you connect your head directly to the cab, and use the parallel jack *on the speaker cab* to connect to the JDI's input. That way, there's one less wire that can come unplugged and disconnect your head from the cab. In other words:

Head => Cab => JDI Speaker In

That way if someone yanks on the XLR and pulls the JDI across the floor and it comes unplugged, the risk is a short circuit while the plug comes out, whereas with the recommended config you have two wires and a potential open circuit, which is your worst case scenario if you're playing loud at the time. Ampegs are unreliable enough without additional provocation. ; >

[edit] In other words, "what Mushroo said".

Read the max-power specs that came with the JDI: it can probably handle it but bass rigs can put out some massive peak voltage. If in doubt, buy a Countryman, I haven't been able to blow mine up, and that's not for lack of trying. (Thanks TB!)
 
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#29
Yes it's perfectly fine to do this with a Radial JDI and a tube head. I've done it with my Verellen Meatsmoke more than once.

The first time I tried it, the soundguy, who is also an experienced recording engineer, was gushing about the tone after the gig. His exact words were "All I had to do was turn the volume fader up. I didn't have to EQ your channel at all. I wish we'd recorded your album that way."
 
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#31
tekhedd said:
Read the max-power specs that came with the JDI: it can probably handle it but bass rigs can put out some massive peak voltage. If in doubt, buy a Countryman, I haven't been able to blow mine up, and that's not for lack of trying.
Click to expand...

Yes I totally agree...the problem is the JDI manual and Smart Sheet list +21dBu as the max input level. I wish they would rewrite their material as the sections on speaker level DI application are confusing at best. One section infers you must push both the 15dB pad and the Speaker emulator button to activate a special input protection circuit.

Contrast with the The Countryman Type 85 specs.... "Speaker mode: 300 Vpp (Equal to 2,800 Watts into 4 Ohms)"

IMHO there is no doubt that the Countryman Type 85 will handle an SVT in speaker mode.
 
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#32
Wasnex said:
Yes I totally agree...the problem is the JDI manual and Smart Sheet list +21dBu as the max input level. I wish they would rewrite there material as the sections on speaker level DI application are confusing at best. One section infers you must push both the 15dB pad and the Speaker emulator button to activate a special input protection circuit.
Click to expand...

This is what I've always done. The Speaker button brings in an extra pad (on top of the -15dB pad) to the signal, and engages the speaker emulation filter.
 
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#33
robd said:
From jdi faq.... JDI FAQ - Radial Engineering

Can I connect the JDI between the head and cabinet instead of using the speaker parallel jack?
No. This is not advised as the signal traces in the JDI are not suitable for high levels. You can however use the parallel speaker output from the amp so long as a speaker is connected.
Click to expand...

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: IMHO Critical info that should be included in the manual and Smart Sheet, but it's not.
 
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#34
Roland GR 88 said:
I haven't found that the 12" speaker emulation affects the tone much at all. YRMV...
Click to expand...

That's what I would expect. The manual mentions a (passive) bandpass filter, it's probably tuned to something in the vicinity of 80Hz-8kHz (the exact value is not in the spec table). Which would be similar to the response of an SVT speaker cab. You would want the high end rolloff in any event.
 
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#36
Here's a weird one.

My Ampeg 610 has 1 speakon input and two 1/4" jacks. What if I run a speaking cable from the head to the Speakon input on the cab, and then run from a 1/4" jack to the DI? Will that work?
 

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