Genz Compak Questions/Observations

[will33]

Right, using two separate master volumes would be messy, but I worked around that. Here's my signal chain for this arrangement (Compak A on top, Compak B on bottom)

Instrument --> Sansamp
Sansamp Unaffected TS --> Compak A input 1
Sansamp Send TS (EQ'd) affected) --> Compak A input 2
Compak A Send --> Sansamp return (100% wet)
Sansamp Sans TS out --> Compak A Return
GA Summed out --> Compak B input 1

Compak B 8 ohm spkr out 1 --> Compak B cab
Compak B 8 ohm spkr out 2 --> Compak A cab (using custom 3' TS Male to TS Female cable)

Compak A master left at zero. I leave the Compak A EQ nearly flat and handle room EQ using Compak B. The Sansamp EQ brings its 80 Hz and para mid to help with managing the low end (The Shen 300 head shelves bass as low as 120 Hz, I believe).

The HPFs and Compak cab tuning are the real limits with bass. Still, it's light, is flexible, and sounds nice outside a rock context.

The job's way simpler though using a single Compak atop a 210av extension for sure!

This ^^ has me really confused.

You must have lots of patch cords.

 

[ImTheOnlyOne]

^^ Yeah, that took a few patches. Since you mentioned it, allow me to re-iterate...

The instrument jacks into the Sansamp RPM's front Hi-Z input. Next, the signal goes out from the RPM, two (actually three) ways.
1) unaffected signal via TS cable into the Compak's channel 1 from the RPM's unaffected TS out, 2) a "sansamp affected" signal via TS cable into the Compak's channel 2 from the RPM's send, and 3) unaffected signal via XLR cable to the house/mix from the RPM's unaffected XLR out.
I'll just ignore that last unaffected out now. I next adjust gain, EQ, and effects on the two Compak channels to taste. Only Channel 2 carries all the sansamp goodness - EQ, drive, emulation, etc. As for the emulation I usually leave the RPM's blend fairly static at around 80% - 100% and the drive around 9 o'clock and EQ near their manual's SVT sound-alike settings. OK, so the Compak then nicely blends the two channels together via its single rear efx send out. That, I route back to the RPM's efx return at 100% (it's an RPM thing, there being a 50/50 or 100% button on the back of that unit). My whole signal is now feeding into the RPM's return. The RPM now has two outputs having independent level controls; a Sansamp TS out and a Sansamp XLR out. The sansamp TS I route to the Compak efx return and the sansamp XLR goes out to house/mix if wanted (though doing so skips the entire second Compak). Oh, yeah... the second Compak. I route the summed output of the first Compak into a channel input on the second Compak. That channel's gain I can then set around 2 o'clock. I power both 8 ohm cabs from just the second Compak, taking that to its 4 ohm limit. If I'm not using the other channel on the second Compak for a Mic for anything else I can sum out the second Compak to record/house/mix if wanted.

Besides having about 30 points of failure, it sounds beautiful. It can't go low at high volume and would likely not handle ERB (5 or 6 string) well at all. It records very nicely.

I'd just used a single Compak with electric bass and guitar at a small restaurant/bar gig tonight. Instrument --> polytune --> Channel 1 and DI summed out to the venue's PA. Simplicity.