Jule Amps Monique part 4

[N. Kentucky Bass]

My $0.02. Ignore the eq. Just mess with the sensitivity knob. That is where the magic mostly resides. I find the eq to be subtle seasoning, while the sensitivity is more towards the emotional mood swing control.

+1. I've been using Monique for less than a week and this has been my experience. I would add a second major tonal factor as the amount of drive that is weighted to Monique vs. the power amp. In the case of a de-Monique, I believe this relationship is fixed. My preference has been to drive Monique's line out at about the 3-4 o'clock position to maximize the effect of the preamp, and bring the external power section up gradually as needed.

 

[maisbass]

+3!

I basically leave my Monique flat as well and play with just the sensitivity knob. Occasionally I make a minor tweak on the EQ depending on the room, but honestly this rarely happens.

I run my sensitivity knob anywhere from 10 O'clock to about 1 O'clock. I run my line output knob from 330 to 430.

 

[maisbass]

Err that would be + 2! Fat thumbs! LOL!

 

[dmrogers]

+3!

I basically leave my Monique flat as well and play with just the sensitivity knob. Occasionally I make a minor tweak on the EQ depending on the room, but honestly this rarely happens.

I run my sensitivity knob anywhere from 10 O'clock to about 1 O'clock. I run my line output knob from 330 to 430.

That's the general area I stay in as well (although I still like to experiment too).

What is so cool is, you can add a little bass and it doesn't get muddy. Add a little mid and it doesn't get shrill. Same deal with subtracting EQ too. It just adds another dimension of "good" to your sound.

Also, +1 to Ukiah Bass remark about the relationship between the Monique pre line out and the power amp setting. Another element to factor in.

Well, fixin' to go practice. Later......

 

[monsterthompson]

Jule should make a Monique with just a Sensitivity control, just like Tecamp should make a Puma with just a Taste control.

 

[monsterthompson]

dang, my Mesa new Buster has some crackles when DI recording. guess i need to keep Mo around to record. terrible problem.

 

[KJung]

Mine is scheduled for delivery Saturday, and I will be on the road. So, I assume they will come back on Tuesday (FedEx does not due Monday residential delivery). So, I'll post up next week!

 

[maisbass]

dang, my Mesa new Buster has some crackles when DI recording. guess i need to keep Mo around to record. terrible problem.

That is unusual. Mesa goes through rigorous testing before they release a product, well at least when I worked for them. I would definitely contact them about the problem. They have great customer service.

 

[KJung]

That is unusual. Mesa goes through rigorous testing before they release a product, well at least when I worked for them. I would definitely contact them about the problem. They have great customer service.

Most likely a preamp tube issue. Those have been off the market for quite a while if I am remembering correctly, so it has probably seen long use.

 

[BurningSkies]

Most likely a preamp tube issue. Those have been off the market for quite a while if I am remembering correctly, so it has probably seen long use.

I'd tend to agree. Crackles, rumbles and even low level distortion especially in tube driven DI's tend to be bad tubes.

Although I've owned a Mesa product that had a unusable DI that was not a tube problem.

 

[maisbass]

Also, +1 to Ukiah Bass remark about the relationship between the Monique pre line out and the power amp setting. Another element to factor in.

IME with Monique it depends. I think this really comes in to play depending upon what power amp you are pairing with her.

Now I have only tried it with 3 power amps so far and this is what I have found.

- Puma 900 fx return - this power section seems to be fairly aggressive, and I noticed I have to be careful where I set Monique's line out for my sound. As I stated earlier, this is generally from 3:30 - 4:30. If I go any further it gets too aggressive sounding for me. Theoretically I should be able to dime the line out because because the voltage matches perfectly with the fx return of the Puma (.775 v), but I do notice a difference in sound with this power section. Maybe diming the output doesn't work for me in this scenario as well because I am using my active pre on my Fodera as well which is definitely boosting the output a bit.

-Crest Pro 5200 and Crest Pro Lite 2.0 - I noticed very little difference in tone when varying the line out of Monique or the output of the crest but making sure in the end I had achieved the same output volume to give a fair comparison. This also can be due to the fact I didn't have the line out on Monique pulled out to match the voltage of what the Crest input can take. Maybe if I did that I would have noticed some tone variation. Unfortunately I did not try that.

In the end I definitely think it will depend upon the power section that is mated with the pre. Monique's output is extremely clean, even when dimed. I think if there is any variation in tone as such as a more over driven sound, edgy, etc, its due to how the input of the power section is handling the signal.

IME I definitely get a different sound when I use Monique with my Puma 900 power section as opposed to using it with the Crest pro lite. And I'm sure if I used Monique with a Mesa M180 Tube power amp it would sound different as well.

 

[KJung]

IME with Monique it depends. I think this really comes in to play depending upon what power amp you are pairing with her.

Now I have only tried it with 3 power amps so far and this is what I have found.

- Puma 900 fx return - this power section seems to be fairly aggressive, and I noticed I have to be careful where I set Monique's line out for my sound. As I stated earlier, this is generally from 3:30 - 4:30. If I go any further it gets too aggressive sounding for me. Theoretically I should be able to dime the line out because because the voltage matches perfectly with the fx return of the Puma (.775 v), but I do notice a difference in sound with this power section. Maybe diming the output doesn't work for me in this scenario as well because I am using my active pre on my Fodera as well which is definitely boosting the output a bit.

-Crest Pro 5200 and Crest Pro Lite 2.0 - I noticed very little difference in tone when varying the line out of Monique or the output of the crest but making sure in the end I had achieved the same output volume to give a fair comparison. This also can be due to the fact I didn't have the line out on Monique pulled out to match the voltage of what the Crest input can take. Maybe if I did that I would have noticed some tone variation. Unfortunately I did not try that.

In the end I definitely think it will depend upon the power section that is mated with the pre. Monique's output is extremely clean, even when dimed. I think if there is any variation in tone as such as a more over driven sound, edgy, etc, its due to how the input of the power section is handling the signal.

IME I definitely get a different sound when I use Monique with my Puma 900 power section as opposed to using it with the Crest pro lite. And I'm sure if I used Monique with a Mesa M180 Tube power amp it would sound different as well.

+1 An effect loop return is (in most cases) not the same as an input to a stand-alone power amp. Effects loops are at different places in the signal chain/preamp across brands, and the input gain is obviously quite different across units, along with hi passing and power management.

Users should not in any way assume they are evaluating different 'power amps' when comparing different stand alone bass heads using the effects return. Lots of other stuff going on there.

Cool that Jule and James worked closely to optimize the output/input of their respective products to work together!

 

[maisbass]

Cool that Jule and James worked closely to optimize the output/input of their respective products to work together!

Agreed. I would love to pair a Minnie with Monique someday, but I'm too busy gassing for other things at the moment!

 

[juledude]

See if Jule can turn your rack mount into a DeMonique. That would put it in a two space rack format.

Everybody likes to be needed, but in this case I'm not.

Any Rack Mount or Tardis Monique can be sent to James Demeter and he will add the 800-D amp. Just contact him directly.

 

[juledude]

Thanks for the tips guys! I am very happy with the heads I own, and am interested in the Monique for that 'something different'. So, I'm prepared to relax and mess with it for a while I have a feeling it will be glorious through my Berg CN212 (everything seems to be glorious through that cab). Should be fun.

Not sure if it will make it this week or not. I have a tracking number, but no estimated delivery date. On the road over the weekend, so if it is due Saturday, they will come back and deliver it next Tuesday (FEDEX does not do Monday residential delivery). I'm hoping for Friday though. We shall see!

A nice feature with FEDEX is that you can call them with the tracking number (if you are going to be out of town) and tell them to hold it at a local facility for you. Then pick it up when you wish. You can do it on the web too.

Kinda handy.

 

[juledude]

Time for Jule to do up a dove cage like a bus!

The yellow paint is on order.

 

[juledude]

dang, my Mesa new Buster has some crackles when DI recording. guess i need to keep Mo around to record. terrible problem.

As much as I dislike it, there will be failures that show up for a customer and never appear in testing.

Just this last week, a brand new Dove Cage Monique customer noticed that one of the ceramic tube sockets had cracked while in transit. He has already been taken care of, but it is still embarrassing.

The Mesa gang is a good bunch. They wouldn't be the successful company they are if they didn't take care of their customers. I am sure they would be anxious to get that crackle out of the DI for you.

 

[chadds]

School Bus Yellow?

This could lead to Pink.

Just sayin'.


.....then Camo.

 

[bherman]

A nice feature with FEDEX is that you can call them with the tracking number (if you are going to be out of town) and tell them to hold it at a local facility for you. Then pick it up when you wish. You can do it on the web too.

Kinda handy.

Another handy thing to know - if you set up the shipment this way from the outset (having it sent to a FedEx center) its cheaper than if delivered to your home or business.

 

[juledude]

IME with Monique it depends. I think this really comes in to play depending upon what power amp you are pairing with her.

Now I have only tried it with 3 power amps so far and this is what I have found.

- Puma 900 fx return - this power section seems to be fairly aggressive, and I noticed I have to be careful where I set Monique's line out for my sound. As I stated earlier, this is generally from 3:30 - 4:30. If I go any further it gets too aggressive sounding for me. Theoretically I should be able to dime the line out because because the voltage matches perfectly with the fx return of the Puma (.775 v), but I do notice a difference in sound with this power section. Maybe diming the output doesn't work for me in this scenario as well because I am using my active pre on my Fodera as well which is definitely boosting the output a bit.

-Crest Pro 5200 and Crest Pro Lite 2.0 - I noticed very little difference in tone when varying the line out of Monique or the output of the crest but making sure in the end I had achieved the same output volume to give a fair comparison. This also can be due to the fact I didn't have the line out on Monique pulled out to match the voltage of what the Crest input can take. Maybe if I did that I would have noticed some tone variation. Unfortunately I did not try that.

In the end I definitely think it will depend upon the power section that is mated with the pre. Monique's output is extremely clean, even when dimed. I think if there is any variation in tone as such as a more over driven sound, edgy, etc, its due to how the input of the power section is handling the signal.

IME I definitely get a different sound when I use Monique with my Puma 900 power section as opposed to using it with the Crest pro lite. And I'm sure if I used Monique with a Mesa M180 Tube power amp it would sound different as well.

I appreciate this testing and evaluation. It helps me too.

It does seem to me that we are hooking our Line Out into a variety of input impedances. An impedance mismatch can give us serious degradation of sound and playing characteristics. And to make matters difficult, not every product documents the input impedance.

An occasional standard of a 10K input impedance is what a lot of builders use for their EFX returns and Power Amp inputs. That is what Monique Line Out is optimized for.

For the studio folk, most insist on a balanced 600 ohm standard, but even this is frequently ignored by builders. That is however what the Balanced XLR output of Monique is set for.

When I am King I will force them all to do my bidding. Until then I will continue the work on the yellow bus.