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Avalon U5 Signal Path Questions

banjo5

banjo5

Dec 8, 2009
145
4
Cincinnati
#1
So I decided to try a rack setup. I bought a U5 and a DBX compressor and I'm going to run it into a CS800s power amp. The guy I bought the Avalon from just ran it to the house so I'm not sure about the signal routing. So, I have 2 questions.
1) Should I send the compressed signal to the house? There is only 1 balanced and 1 unbalanced out of the DBX. If I run the compressor out to the house, do I need a Y cable to send it to the amp and the to the house?
2) There are 2 outputs on the U5. If I send the FOH the output of the U5, which one goes to FOH and which one goes to the DBX? Or, do I need a Y cable here to send the FOH the same signal I'm sending to the DBX?
 
#2
you can use the thru jack on the front of the U5 to send the signal from the U5 to the dbx and then into your amp (you need to set the switch on the front to affect the thru)

then you send a line or mic level signal to FOH via the xlr jacks on the back.

if you want to send the compressed signal to FOH you need to go from the Avalon into the dbx then send to FPH from the XLR out of the dbx, although I'm not sure if you can run a 1/4" jack from the dbx to your amp as well while there is an xlr attached...
 
#3
Son of Bovril said:
you can use the thru jack on the front of the U5 to send the signal from the U5 to the dbx and then into your amp (you need to set the switch on the front to affect the thru)

then you send a line or mic level signal to FOH via the xlr jacks on the back.

If I send the thru signal to my amp isn't that basically straight from my bass and not affected by the position of the "tone" selector switch? That's not really what I want. I want the U5 tone to end up at my amp.
Click to expand...
 
#6
If you want the tone shaping....high cut...features to appear at the thru / out jack on the front panel(front end) of the unit, press the "Active to thru" button.

Other wise, assuming you have the tone button on, you will get uneffected (by the U5) signal at the thru jack and effected signal at the xlr outs (back end)

Avalon does a really lousy job of explaining the function of that unit.
 
#7
Steve said:
If you want the tone shaping....high cut...features to appear at the thru / out jack on the front panel(front end) of the unit, press the "Active to thru" button.

Other wise, assuming you have the tone button on, you will get uneffected (by the U5) signal at the thru jack and effected signal at the xlr outs (back end)

Avalon does a really lousy job of explaining the function of that unit.
Click to expand...

Ah Ha! Thanks. That makes much more sense. So, with the active to thru button pushed, the signal at the thru jack (on the front) and the signal to the XLR on the back, is the same.
 
#8
banjo5 said:
Ah Ha! Thanks. That makes much more sense. So, with the active to thru button pushed, the signal at the thru jack (on the front) and the signal to the XLR on the back, is the same.
Click to expand...

By George, I think he's got it! :D

I'll tell you something else about that unit that's hard information to come across:
There is a "signal" light on the front panel that you would think is the input clip indicator and make you want to back off when it starts flashing.

It's not.

That thing indicates when the output hits (I think) +4db. which is the level you want to be at to drive a lot of recording equipment. It has nothing at all to do with too much input signal or too much boost. So, when you see that start to flash...meh!
 
#9
Hey Banjo5

There is one other thing you may want to know about the switches on front of the U5. Kind of silly that the U5 doesn't have an on/off switch or more importantly a mute switch. Luckily you can use the "Speaker Signal to Input" button on the front panel as a mute switch. Normally you only engage this switch if you are running a feed from your amp or speaker to the Speaker Input on the back of the U5 (lets you send the tone of the amp out through the DI). If you press it in with nothing connected to the Speaker Input it works as a mute switch by turning off the Hi Z Input that your bass is connected to. Since there is no signal coming in via the Speaker Input nothing can go out to the FOH or to your amp. Helpful if you are switching instruments or don't run an in-line tuner and need to unplug to tune.
 
#10
Great, that's good to know.

Now, should I run a Y cable out of the line level XLR out to send it to the house and to the compressor? The "Thru" on the front is an instrument level signal and isn't enough to send to the house or the power amp.

Last question... Do I send a compressed signal to the FOH or the signal straight out of the U5.
 
#11
Glad I found this thread. This is all very helpful, but I wanted to confirm that my ideal setup may not be doable. Here's what I want to do with my signal:

Guitar>pedals>Amp>U5>Cabs, while simultaneously sending the signal from the U5 to the FOH. But i can't seem to find a way to get the signal from the U5 to my cabs without running it in front of the Amp. Am I right?
 
#13
Chadwickw said:
Glad I found this thread. This is all very helpful, but I wanted to confirm that my ideal setup may not be doable. Here's what I want to do with my signal:

Guitar>pedals>Amp>U5>Cabs, while simultaneously sending the signal from the U5 to the FOH. But i can't seem to find a way to get the signal from the U5 to my cabs without running it in front of the Amp. Am I right?
Click to expand...
Is your amp all-tube, hybrid, solid state? What specific quality from the amp do you want to go through the PA (e.g. EQ, preamp clipping, crank whole thing to 11)?

Also, while the U5 does shape tone in subtle ways, I strongly doubt you would get any benefit from its own tone by running it in series with your amp. It would be like wearing two pairs of prescription glasses at the same time. :)
 
#14
Chadwick: I am not a U5 expert, but it looks like the U5 can act as a DI from a power amp output. I don't know if it will let you through the full power amp output on to a speaker or not.

You might check out this: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

I have heard people on this board say you can do that with a regular Radial JDI as well.
 
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#16
bongomania said:
Is your amp all-tube, hybrid, solid state? What specific quality from the amp do you want to go through the PA (e.g. EQ, preamp clipping, crank whole thing to 11)?

Also, while the U5 does shape tone in subtle ways, I strongly doubt you would get any benefit from its own tone by running it in series with your amp. It would be like wearing two pairs of prescription glasses at the same time. :)
Click to expand...

Thanks! Amp is the Eden WT550. What I'm looking to do is emulate the Phil Lesh/Mike Gordon technique of cranking the Enhance knob (and sucking out mids) only to push them back in down the the line via the U5. I don't really know why this seems to work, but it has lots of advocates.
 
#18
Chadwickw said:
Thanks! Amp is the Eden WT550. What I'm looking to do is emulate the Phil Lesh/Mike Gordon technique of cranking the Enhance knob (and sucking out mids) only to push them back in down the the line via the U5. I don't really know why this seems to work, but it has lots of advocates.
Click to expand...

I'll be frank: its only advocates are people who have done vast amounts of drugs, and who happen to have a team of roadies.
 
#20
Chadwickw said:
Thanks! Amp is the Eden WT550. What I'm looking to do is emulate the Phil Lesh/Mike Gordon technique of cranking the Enhance knob (and sucking out mids) only to push them back in down the the line via the U5. I don't really know why this seems to work, but it has lots of advocates.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure how you will be able to push them back in with the U5 as all the bass relevant tone settings are passive, subtractive and centered on sucking out 900hz.

YMMV
 

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