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Audio Kitchen - The Root and Branch Thread

#61
@One Two I still have the Big Trees with DI. It's good in setting the bass in the mix but there is a bit of a low end rolloff which is evident when you switch from Dirt to Clean channels. I mentioned to Steve that the FPT seemed to have more low end extension and he confirmed this. On the flip side, I can't get the FPT + TSTDI to sit in the mix as easily as with TBT so maybe I use too much bass when I play 😬. Whatever the case may be, the FPT is more fun for me to play through on bass but it seems TBT gives me a quick studio tone that is well-suited for genres that don't require a lot of low end, such as reggae. I think the EL84 is the limiting factor on the low end but I could be mistaken. Anyway, that's my quick take that you didn't ask for. 😆

I've run the FPT at the end and it works well there except when I used it at the end of a synth chain. I haven't experimented as much with it like that so there may be some settings where it does just fine. I just felt it interacted/sounded a lot differently than what I expected. I had a similar thing occur with the OE Bassrig '64. The Broughton Studio One seemed to fare better in the end position of the synth chain. With fuzz FPT is nice. If you try it at the end let us know what you think or any tips you come up with. 🤝

[EDIT]: in an Octave/Fuzz/Env. Filter (OFF) synth chain I found the FPT works best after the octave. The EQ works great there to beef up the signal if desired whether before or after the fuzz and it seems to retain the original flavor of the synth chain. When I put the FPT after the Envelope Filter the sound was altered more and the dynamics seemed to suffer a little. It seemed to be more nasally and less full sounding.
 
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#62
Charlie Tuna said:
@One Two I still have the Big Trees with DI. It's good in setting the bass in the mix but there is a bit of a low end rolloff which is evident when you switch from Dirt to Clean channels. I mentioned to Steve that the FPT seemed to have more low end extension and he confirmed this. On the flip side, I can't get the FPT + TSTDI to sit in the mix as easily as with TBT so maybe I use too much bass when I play 😬. Whatever the case may be, the FPT is more fun for me to play through on bass but it seems TBT gives me a quick studio tone that is well-suited for genres that don't require a lot of low end, such as reggae. I think the EL84 is the limiting factor on the low end but I could be mistaken. Anyway, that's my quick take that you didn't ask for. 😆

I've run the FPT at the end and it works well there except when I used it at the end of a synth chain. I haven't experimented as much with it like that so there may be some settings where it does just fine. I just felt it interacted/sounded a lot differently than what I expected. I had a similar thing occur with the OE Bassrig '64. The Broughton Studio One seemed to fare better in the end position of the synth chain. With fuzz FPT is nice. If you try it at the end let us know what you think or any tips you come up with. 🤝
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@Charlie Tuna that's interesting! Thank you!
At the moment I'm trying for as simple paths as possible, while still being able to split between FOH and stage plus tuner etc.. I've also just bought a true bypass looper by GigRig so I can try and simplify things even more.
Out of interest, did you try
FPT >
TSTDI with no power
?

I ask, because when I had a TSTDI, doing it that way was the best DI and Thru tone i felt I got... (at that time I was mainly using a EUNA by 29 pedals > (unpowered) TSTDI)
 
#63
One Two said:
@Charlie Tuna that's interesting! Thank you!
At the moment I'm trying for as simple paths as possible, while still being able to split between FOH and stage plus tuner etc.. I've also just bought a true bypass looper by GigRig so I can try and simplify things even more.
Out of interest, did you try
FPT >
TSTDI with no power
?

I ask, because when I had a TSTDI, doing it that way was the best DI and Thru tone i felt I got... (at that time I was mainly using a EUNA by 29 pedals > (unpowered) TSTDI)
Click to expand...
I'll have to try the FPT>TSTDI w/o power. So you aren't even plugging it in, is that correct? I've probably done it by accident but not intentionally. I'll give it a go.
[EDIT]: I just gave it a go without power, that's a great little trick to know it can work effectively as a passive DI. It sounds like it may have a little less highs without power but matching exact levels is always tricky so don't quote me on it. It feels nice and speaks to the importance of a good (great) transformer. I think each "mode" may have its merits depending on EQ and other factors. At unity level the tube engaged doesn't sound much different versus bypassed IMO. Utilizing the tube and boosting makes things sound better but so does a little more volume on anything really.
 
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#64
Charlie Tuna said:
I'll have to try the FPT>TSTDI w/o power. So you aren't even plugging it in, is that correct? I've probably done it by accident but not intentionally. I'll give it a go.
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That's right, no power. I actually felt it was a fairly big difference. Even plugging directly into TSTDI when switched off gave a lovely tone (albeit slightly quiet). Obviously having FPT in front means volume won't be an issue..

Kicked my JDI straight off the board at the time, and sounded great wherever I used it. A lovely transformer in the TSTDI for sure!
 
#65
Well, this absolutely doesn't suck. In fact, the Fake Plastic Trees is the best sounding dirt I've come across in a solid state device.... EVER!

PXL_20240824_212218574.MP.jpg
 
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#67
The thread is short on sound clips so here's a little burpy snippet using the Audio Kitchen Fake Plastic Trees and TSTDI's DI with the pedal bypassed. The "burp" feels real good to control under the fingers. I'm digging in pretty good and the FPT never got harsh. I don't remember my precise settings but probably had something like 3-3-11-10 on the o'clock scale going left to right. Signal chain was simple AmStd P-bass w/ flats->FPT->TSTDI (bypassed)->Apogee Duet

TSTDI bypassed seems just a bit darker than when it is on. Less sparkly if you will.

 
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#68
Charlie Tuna said:
The thread is short on sound clips so here's a little burpy snippet using the Audio Kitchen Fake Plastic Trees and TSTDI's DI with the pedal bypassed. The "burp" feels real good to control under the fingers. I'm digging in pretty good and the FPT never got harsh. I don't remember my precise settings but probably had something like 3-3-11-10 on the o'clock scale going left to right. Signal chain was simple AmStd P-bass w/ flats->FPT->TSTDI (bypassed)->Apogee Duet

TSTDI bypassed seems just a bit darker than when it is on. Less sparkly if you will.

Click to expand...

Did you try the DI with no power attached as well as just bypassed?
 
#72
Charlie Tuna said:
Thank you. :) I’ve hunted that tonal range for a long time and FPT got me there. I’m going to try TSTDI with my “other” guitar and see how the tube impacts the sound there. It’ll probably be easier to hear the differences with more upper end than the flats on my Pbass.
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Yes, I thought similar when I had my TSTDI - perhaps it would have benefitted me more if I had a bright sounding Bass.
 
#76
Gorilla Monsoon said:
Wow. Just discovered this thread. I have the FPT, and have wondered about some of the other stuff, gonna revisit their shop.
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Welcome to these parts, 🦍🌧️ [EDIT: To add a bit on the FPT, I saw this on the AK site and thought it is really more than just good ad copy:
"We strive to produce the most engaging, musically inspiring designs we can...
The faster and less cluttered the response of an amp, the more inspiring I find it. When every little detail of how I attack the instrument is transmitted straight back to me, I automatically modify my playing in response and the loop continues. Tightening of that response cycle is our primary motivation for making amps." -- For bass in many instances I prefer the FPT to The Big Trees because the response can be a little slower which allows me to dig in more and get a "creamier" overdrive. With The Big Trees if I dig in hard there is more immediate distortion and the faster response that Steve mentions. For some things that's great but right now I like digging in with the FPT more. And after getting the FPT I've sold most of my preamp pedals. I still have the Studio One for clean clean but have gotten rid of a slew of others without looking back.

Gorilla Monsoon said:
Im always in for a chube drive; The Small Trees looks effortlessly cool. If i were a guitarist, I’d be in trouble with Audio Kitchen; id likely own everything they ever put out.
Click to expand...
Yes, guitars are the focal point for AK and amps more specifically but most of the stuff will make us bassists pretty happy. I still need to grab The Flying Squirrel at some point. I did start playing electric a bit after getting The Big Trees DI and kind of feel like I found a cheat code with it by not having to go through the whole gear acquisition process to sound good. Now if my skills can catch up to the tone I'll be doing ok.
Gorilla Monsoon said:
Wow…this…is…CRAZY…In the last five minutes, the Small Trees went up in list price from £349 to £390….
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Are you sure you aren't looking at flights? I just lost ~$200 by waiting a half day before booking. 🤬
 
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#78
carsonchilders said:
Oh man. Lots to be intrigued with here.

@Charlie Tuna I may have missed it, but how did the small trees sound on its own to you? Were you all saying that it's just a passive transformer DI with an active boost? If you raise the gain does it overdrive?
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The Small Trees DI doesn't do overdrive on its own, although I haven't tried it with a 12AX7. I'll have to ask Steve at Audio Kitchen on that one.

@One Two made a nice discovery about differences in sound depending on how you power (or don't power) The Small Trees DI. With it powered, TSTDI is a bit more sparkly, bringing out the top end. Unplug it and you get the passive transformer doing its thing without the tube imparting any of its characteristics. With gee-tar I would be plugging it it. --

A more experienced producer wrote this to me elsewhere, "The Sowter transformer inside STDI is very vintage sounding, and soft feeling under the fingers. It sounds very unique and open/wide sounding indeed. I've tried it both powered and unpowered passively, and liked both of them equal. Obviously when powered, it just gets more upfront In comparison to when it's unpowered. Initially I was experiencing noise when I was using both line out and DI out at the same time; but then the ground lift switch quickly got rid of noise completely.

In comparison to the JDI's Jensen transformer, the STDI's Sowter transformer sounds a bit more glassy and a touch more soft/compressed. It feels amazing under the fingers. JDI sounds more balanced, modern, with a bit more low mids and very rich sounding in a way that it feels very tight and articulate and yet velvety if you know what I mean."

"Overall, and even though STDI was a freakin' expensive pedal for what it is, but I must say that it does what it says perfectly. It sounds phenomenal, and feels great."

Hope this helps!
 
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#79
Charlie Tuna said:
The Small Trees DI doesn't do overdrive on its own, although I haven't tried it with a 12AX7. I'll have to ask Steve at Audio Kitchen on that one.

@One Two made a nice discovery about differences in sound depending on how you power (or don't power) The Small Trees DI. With it powered, TSTDI is a bit more sparkly, bringing out the top end. Unplug it and you get the passive transformer doing its thing without the tube imparting any of its characteristics. With gee-tar I would be plugging it it. --

A more experienced producer wrote this to me elsewhere, "The Sowter transformer inside STDI is very vintage sounding, and soft feeling under the fingers. It sounds very unique and open/wide sounding indeed. I've tried it both powered and unpowered passively, and liked both of them equal. Obviously when powered, it just gets more upfront In comparison to when it's unpowered. Initially I was experiencing noise when I was using both line out and DI out at the same time; but then the ground lift switch quickly got rid of noise completely.

In comparison to the JDI's Jensen transformer, the STDI's Sowter transformer sounds a bit more glassy and a touch more soft/compressed. It feels amazing under the fingers. JDI sounds more balanced, modern, with a bit more low mids and very rich sounding in a way that it feels very tight and articulate and yet velvety if you know what I mean."

"Overall, and even though STDI was a freakin' expensive pedal for what it is, but I must say that it does what it says perfectly. It sounds phenomenal, and feels great."

Hope this helps!
Click to expand...
Ahhhh! You're tempting me to buy one again!!!
I'm currently using a Grace M101 mic pre > GR Pure 800 for live gigs...but now you've got me wondering what this would sound like?!

Bass > TSTDI > M101 mic input >
M101 1/4" out > GR Pure 800

GAS. Never ends hahahaha
 
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#80
I'll add, when I had TSTDI, I AB'd it a lot at home with a JDI on my P Bass and found the JDI had a bit more bottom end content, BUT TSTDI had a lovely even and sweet balanced response all the way up the Bass that felt nicer than the JDI.

In terms of recording I remember doing an album for a group where I had a very simple chain:

Bass > EUNA 29 pedals > TSTDI (passive)

Although it sounded great in the control room, when I heard a couple of yet to be released tracks, the Bass felt quite muffled and buried....But that could obviously be down to many other things...
 

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