Avalon U5 with Eden Navigator

[StephenR]

I recently started using an Eden Navigator for my pre-amp. The 2 stereo DI sends each go to separate channel of a Crest CA6 so I can use the blend control to balance the two cabinets I run. I prefer to use my Avalon U5 to send my bass signal to the FOH for a couple of reasons one of them being that the second balanced DI send on the U5 goes to a separate console for recording. Even though I do not use the tone shaping presets on the U5 I like using the "through out" set to "active to through" to route the signal from my bass to my preamp. Feel the buffers in the U5 send a nice fat and even signal from my bass to the pre.

I would like to be able to take advantage of the tuner mute switch on the Navigator but putting the U5 in front of the Navigator does not allow this (only mutes the Navigator not the signal to the FOH and the U5 has no mute switch of its own unless you engage the "speaker to input" switch). In order to be able use only the tuner mute to mute the entire rig and not have to unplug my bass to tune I was hoping to use one of the sends on back of the Navigator to run a straight signal from my bass to the U5.

Best send for this seems to be the sidechain loop with the front panel knob set to zero so none of the EQ or anything on the Navigator goes out through the loop. The signal the U5 is seeing seems a bit hotter than the signal it sees from my bass alone but I also realized that I no longer will have my bass signal buffered by the U5 before it is amplified by the Navigator this way.

So...

Does anyone know how, or if, there is any way I can send a dry instrument level signal to the U5 from the Navigator and use the tuner mute on the Navigator to mute the entire system for tuning yet still keep the buffered signal from the U5 going into the Navigator? At this point I get the feeling it is impossible.

Thanks!

 

[M Sterling]

It doesnt sound like its possible, but I could be wrong. If I were you I would just invest in an inline tuner pedal like the korg pitchblack or boss tu3.

 

[Son of Bovril]

the tuner out on the navigator sends a signal that is after the tube but before anything else as far as I know, this would pretty much send a straight signal to the U5 but the problem is that the mute switch doesn't affect the tuner out... also, your tuner is probably plugged into the tuner out right?

You could get a pedal tuner that would run inline and mute the signal before the amp

 

[Son of Bovril]

Does running the U5 before the Eden make a significant difference to the tone?

 

[StephenR]

Does running the U5 before the Eden make a significant difference to the tone?

Thanks to everyone for the responses so far. When I bought my Peterson strobe tuner I opted for the Strobo-Flip instead of the floor pedal model. Don't use any pedals and prefer to keep it that way.

I haven't had the Eden long enough to do an A/B test. I do like the fact that the gain coming out of the U5 is adjustable and can send a hotter signal to the preamp than my bass pickups alone. I don't seem to be the only one who has to really crank the gain control on the Eden before the LED starts to flash on the lowest notes. I back it off so the light doesn't flash but the gain knob is still cranked pretty high.

May patch the U5 into the sidechain send at the show I am doing tonight to facilitate tuning and see how I like the sound of the Eden without the Avalon in front. It may be that if I send the through out on the Avalon to the sidechain return some of the character of the Avalon will be maintained but don't think it will have the same effect as putting it before the pre since the return re-enters the signal chain at a different point.

My reluctance to try sending the through out on the Avalon to the sidechain return is the possibility of it causing some type of unexpected feedback loop by having the signal from the bass enter the amp at two different points in the signal chain. I am going to ask our soundman about this tonight and see if he has any thoughts.

 

[Shegmaface]

Does running the U5 before the Eden make a significant difference to the tone?

The U5 will probably make ANY amp sound better. I run my U5 before an Aguilar tone hammer 500 with Epifani cabs and it sounds amazing. The Tone hammer sounds great on it's own but the U5 adds a lushness to the sound.

 

[thebandcircle]

I notice you don't prefer to use any pedals, but perhaps a loop switching system? I used a product called the (d loop) from (Lehle). You could switch the U5 in and out of your path, and still mute your stage rig. The newer versions have adjustable buffer-amps. Should at least check them out...interesting company!