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Jule Amps Monique part 5

#201
mothra2 said:
...I was referring to the lack of an optimal setting answer from the maker...
:>)

...but thanks!
Click to expand...


I hear you because sometimes I get too technical at analyzing things as well. It's nice to know that "optimal" setting, but in the end, it's really all about what sounds good to us. We are all using different basses, fx, etc, that will give us different results.

In the end, what I think is great about Monique is that it is a very forgiving preamp. In another words, no matter how you twist and turn the knobs, you always get a good sound out of it. That's what makes it special to me and sets it apart from other preamps.
 
#202
mothra2 said:
...I was referring to the lack of an optimal setting answer from the maker...
:>)

...but thanks!
Click to expand...

+1 From all our email conversations, I know that you know all this stuff:)... more for other readers.

Also, +1 in that there should be (might be wrong) a simple answer to the question I posed above regarding the gain setting on the stand-alone Minnie that most closely matches the 'fixed optimum' in the DeMonique (for use as kind of a starting point.
 
#205
So after all the talk of the big differences between running passive basses vs. active and the interaction with the front end of Monique, I brought out my passive Dingwall Afterburner 1 to rehearsal last night. After I fielded the shock from band members who have never seen that bass or knew that I had two of Sheldon's instruments, what I found was this...any differences in the highs are completely negligible to me. I Roll off most of the stuff above about probably 1.2khz and the 'hearable' range of my bass is probably only up to about 1.5khz. The change in clarity, compression and over all feel of the unit is consistent.
 
#208
BurningSkies said:
So after all the talk of the big differences between running passive basses vs. active and the interaction with the front end of Monique, I brought out my passive Dingwall Afterburner 1 to rehearsal last night. After I fielded the shock from band members who have never seen that bass or knew that I had two of Sheldon's instruments, what I found was this...any differences in the highs are completely negligible to me. I Roll off most of the stuff above about probably 1.2khz and the 'hearable' range of my bass is probably only up to about 1.5khz. The change in clarity, compression and over all feel of the unit is consistent.
Click to expand...

Yes, the primary difference is up top. If you roll it off that low, you wouldn't notice much for a difference for sure.
 
#212
I spent more time with Minnie and Monique today. I really like what I have heard so far from Minnie and can't wait to try it out on a gig.

A small negative is that I really do not like the noise I mentioned earlier when the VOLUME control is dimed. Maybe I am used to other poweramps where I dimed the poweramp volume and adjusted my level with the pre, but it bugs me. Enough said on that.

I get Ken's thoughts on the "Master" not really being a good representation of output, volume, etc.... but don't call the damned knob "Volume" then!:p

The other negative is that my Minnie didn't come with a power cord, manual (ok, not needed!), a sticker, a thank you note, cookie crumbs.... Nothing but Minnie and shipping peanuts (which I hate :spit:).

Ok, there are my earth-shattering negatives out of the way and the positives outweigh the negatives IMO.....

As I mentioned in a previous post, this thing gets loud. With my 2 AE210s and Minnie/Monique, I don't see a need for a bigger setup ever. Any big rooms and outdoor gigs I play, I have FOH support and for smaller bars, a single AE210 and Monique/Minnie is more than enough.

It does sound great with Monique. Better than all other power amps I own/have owned? Who cares? It is the perfect size, matches perfectly with Monique (input sensitivity, etc), doesn't require banana plugs, rewired speakons or other weird cables, no complicated DSP and isn't 20lbs. I think this poweramp sounds as good as any other poweramp I have run with Monique. I will A/B it with my Crest and Crown when I get time, but I do expect they will sound pretty close. I don't expect Minnie to sound incredibly better than my other poweramps.

One weird thing I noticed is that I am playing around with my sensitivity more since I got Minnie. It actually seems that the Sensitivity control gives me a broader range of tones with Minnie than it did with my Crown or Crest. Might be in my head, but don't think so. THAT is pretty cool to me.

Lastly, I have been running Minnie between 9:00 and 12:00. Much quieter and still gets crazy loud.

This is an expensive piece of gear relative to like-powered poweramps on the market but is super powerful, under 4lbs, looks to be built like a brick $&@#house and seems to match perfectly with Monique.

It is a keeper for sure.
 
#213
maisbass said:
I hear you because sometimes I get too technical at analyzing things as well. It's nice to know that "optimal" setting, but in the end, it's really all about what sounds good to us. We are all using different basses, fx, etc, that will give us different results.

In the end, what I think is great about Monique is that it is a very forgiving preamp. In another words, no matter how you twist and turn the knobs, you always get a good sound out of it. That's what makes it special to me and sets it apart from other preamps.
Click to expand...

Much of the metrics involved in designing electronics for musicians serves to make sure the piece in question does not go up in a unfriendly cloud of smoke, or catch the attention of some probably already unhappy customs inspector. No matter how much any "engineer" tries to tell you he or she has all the answers, after that smoke avoidance is taken care of, it is a matter of listening and having enough understanding and experience of electronics and customer needs to get from one place to the other.

James and I have the same philosophy. It has to be special for our customers. Optimal is what sounds good.

I am moved by statements such as above, ". . .no matter how you twist and turn the knobs, you always get a good sound out of it." Thank you.
 
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#214
The rack-mounted Monique+Demeter 800D power amp retrofit arrived yesterday. Sounds great! Slightly more punch, heft and clarity than using the Puma 900 as a power source. Also enhances the 3D feel.

I'm digging it but the jury will be out for a while as to whether or not it stays, mainly because of the weight & bulk as I'm used to getting VERY good tone from the 3.5lb monster. :)

A big positive tradeoff for me is being able to use the "tube DI" to record direct at gigs. I was carrying a REDDI to gigs for that purpose, so if this all works out I'll be able to save that hassle but getting 2-for-1 with Monique. I had a dual-XLR adapter made that allows me to also send the DI feed to FOH if necessary.

The 800D mod included a small power switch on the external backplate of Monique, which allows you to switch an internal fan on or off on demand. I could faintly hear it in the dead quiet of my home studio so it's nice to have the option to kill the fan.

I racked it because my Greenboy F110, F210 and Crazy8 cabs are too small to set the rig on top. No biggie. It's a 10lb [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] 3U rack, which is 14.25" deep. I also added a Relay G55 wireless receiver to simplify load in / load out and setup.

Photos below show the front and back of the rack, inside Monique with the 800D power amp added, and the dual XLR adapter.

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#215
juledude said:
Much of the metrics involved in designing electronics for musicians serves to make sure the piece in question does not go up in a unfriendly cloud of smoke, or catch the attention of some probably already unhappy customs inspector. No matter how much any "engineer" tries to tell you he or she has all the answers, after that smoke avoidance is taken care of, it is a matter of listening and having enough understanding and experience of electronics and customer needs to get from one place to the other.

James and I have the same philosophy. It has to be special for our customers. Optimal is what sounds good.

I am moved by statements such as above, ". . .no matter how you twist and turn the knobs, you always get a good sound out of it." Thank you.
Click to expand...

What about friendly clouds of smoke, Jule. How does Monique do with those.
 
#216
Ukiah Bass said:
Photos below show the front and back of the rack, inside Monique with the 800D power amp added, and the dual XLR adapter.







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Click to expand...

Huh. I need to grab one of these sometime. There are times when I'd like to split my signal too. Have you found it greatly changes the send tone/level?
 
#217
BurningSkies said:
Huh. I need to grab one of these sometime. There are times when I'd like to split my signal too. Have you found it greatly changes the send tone/level?
Click to expand...

Don't know; it just arrived. I presume not and will post if I find out otherwise.

BTW, Todd Durocher made this for me at Pro Cables N Sound. Top drawer cables and services.

Here's the product info. You specify the length; 1' is the shortest they can go.
http://procablesnsound.com/items/microphone-cable/premiere-microphone-cables/XLRY-detail.htm
 
#218
#219
Ukiah Bass said:
The rack-mounted Monique+Demeter 800D power amp retrofit arrived yesterday. Sounds great! Slightly more punch, heft and clarity than using the Puma 900 as a power source. Also enhances the 3D feel.



I also added a Relay G55 wireless receiver to simplify load in / load out and setup.





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Click to expand...


Are you getting the 3D feel with the G55? Or are you plugging straight in?
 

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