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Double Bass Motown D.I.

#61
James Simonson said:
As far as upright goes, I like this one. Just put the impedance switch to High+ and blam-o! Matches the impedance perfectly. Huge difference from all the rest.

The Headway EDB-2

Invalid Link Removed
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Precisely, but I never use my EDB-2 on High+ setting, (20 Meg Ohm load), with the Ehrlund EAP my bass, sounds far better at either of the lower settings, Active (1 Meg Ohm) or High (5 Meg Ohm load). Just my take


Seems like I've heard somewhere, that anything above 10 Meg Ohms is redundant. Durb/Les help me out here. :whistle: :bookworm: :rolleyes:

Ric
 
#62
Ric Vice said:
Precisely, but I never use my EDB-2 on High+ setting, (20 Meg Ohm load), with the Ehrlund EAP my bass, sounds far better at either of the lower settings, Active (1 Meg Ohm) or High (5 Meg Ohm load). Just my take


Seems like I've heard somewhere, that anything above 10 Meg Ohms is redundant. Durb/Les help me out here. :whistle: :bookworm: :rolleyes:

Ric
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There are certainly diminishing returns. One you get the load impedance high enough so as not to filter the low end, then further increases invite noise. I seem to recall that some here posted that, with some pups, they actually preferred impedances above 10 Mohm.
 
#64
James Simonson said:
My pickup is the old Realist copper deal. Doesn't sound like a mic (how could it? It's not) but with the High+ switch, the low end opens way up. It adds the "mic feel". The mids dip and it loses that constipated resistance feeling.
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Glad that setting works for you, it wasn't at all kind to my sound, when I tried it with my Realist (copper foil), or the Revolution Solo. I quit using the Realist (copper foil) when I found the Ehrlund EAP, which sounds very much like a microphone. Different results from different signal chains. The EDB-2 does really help

with the "CPR". :thumbsup: For Double Bass it's one of the best D.I.'s on the market. It has a great feature set, with all the bells and whistles, needed to EQ a Double Bass. So as a D.I. for Upright I'd choose it every time.

Ric
 
#65
ddnidd1 said:
While it 'looks' the same, it apparently isn't the same. The reason the originals (Wolf Box III $750) are no longer available is they were built around 50 NOS transformers that the original designer located. These transformers can no longer be manufactured.

Here's the quote from the Gearslutz link I posted above --- "And you are right, they cannot recreate the transformers! (The EPA put a stop to that years ago). Had this discussion with Tom Reichenbach a few times before he passed away (RIP Tom) and also with Anthony DeMaria when he was trying to recreated the Invalid Link Removed (he gets his iron from outside the US)"

Also from that Gearslutz thread --- "Just an FYI, that Ed Wolfrum DI you have is really the last. Treasure it. Acme now started bootlegging the circuit/box/design as the "Motown D.I." (without Ed's knowledge and participation) with a false claim it had recreated the original transformers. With is a physical impossibility since that metal can't be obtained today (OSHA regulations and molybdenum differences). I informed Ed and he was disappointed to say the least...buyer beware."
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Al Sutton of Acme just responded to these allegations over on Gearslutz, here's what he said:

"As the owner of Acme Audio, I feel I must address mvmaltese's claims regarding
the Acme Audio Motown D.I., which are absolutely false. To begin with, there is no OSHA/EPA ban on Molybdenum in place that I can find any record of. You can check the EPA and OSHA web sites and find this out for yourself. Molybdenum is a readily available metal for purchase on the web. Secondly, this metal is not now - and was not ever - a factor in the original wolfbox's transformer sound and character. This fact comes directly from engineers of the manufacturer that made the original transformer and who also make the new Motown D.I. transformer. The new transformer is sonicly and mechanically identical to the original ones made in the 60's and 70's. The manufacturer would not sell a product that didn't meet their strict tolerances and engineering guidelines, and Acme Audio wouldn't claim it did or try to sell the product if it didn't either. As for Ed Wolfram, he left under his own accord during the two year long R&D phase and never even had a chance to see the final results or the work. He willingly chose to disassociate himself form the project that was almost to completion. His reasons are his own. So once again I'd like to state that mvmaltese's claims are without no truth and have no research to substantiate them."

Full disclosure: I have been both a close friend and professional collaborator of Al's for more than 25 years. I've talked at length on the phone with Al about the conjecture that is happening in at least three threads over the past few days on TB about the Motown D.I. Al is very concerned that the false comments made by mvmaltese on gearslutz will spread and otherwise throw undeserved shade on the release of his D.I. early next year. If you read the whole thread over at gearslutz, mvmaltese was actually told to give it a rest because he was posting rumor and talking smack without any true knowledge of the facts, basically he was trolling.

Al has invited me to his studio later this week to A/B the D.I. against some others and cut some sound files. If he's cool with it, I will post them up in a new thread over on the BG side of TB.
 
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#66
James Simonson said:
Jamo's bass didn't need compression. It went in flat, with strings that dead and high action, you wouldn't need it. The strings were big and dead. There was no mute.. Not on HIS bass. Jamerson was just trying to sound like Ray Brown with his portable electric upright bass (called the Fender Precision). Ed mixes bass loud and they just turned him up, rightly so, and there was not a thunderous kick drum to compete with.
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Hey James. Great tracks and comments!
I have to disagree with you about the mute though. It's obvious from the tones on his isolated tracks that there was a mute underneath the bridge cover plate. I've even loaded the "What's Going On" multi track into pro tools and figured out how much mute is necessary to imitate the instantaneous sharp decay on each note. The answer is quite a lot!

It's a fact that Fender P basses issued sometime before the 70s had mutes installed under the bridge cover plate as standard. My ears and my eyes tell me that JJ's was most definitely still in place throughout his career.
 
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#67
Matt O said:
....... I have been both a close friend and professional collaborator of Al's for more than 25 years. I've talked at length on the phone with Al about the conjecture that is happening in at least three threads over the past few days on TB about the Motown D.I. Al is very concerned that the false comments made by mvmaltese on gearslutz will spread and otherwise throw undeserved shade on the release of his D.I. early next year. If you read the whole thread over at gearslutz, mvmaltese was actually told to give it a rest because he was posting rumor and talking smack without any true knowledge of the facts, basically he was trolling.

Al has invited me to his studio later this week to A/B the D.I. against some others and cut some sound files. If he's cool with it, I will post them up in a new thread over on the BG side of TB.
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While all this is very interesting, and I'd certainly love to hear these clips, wouldn't this thread be more appropriate over on the Electric Bass side of TB? It seems as if we have "crossed threads" over a D.I. that would be great for my 58 Fender Precision Bass and my Lakland 55-94, but not one of the best tools for recording a Double Bass, which is often done with Schoeps MK41/CMC6's live or Neumann's in the studio. The Troll Microphone also comes to mind. We also mentioned the Headway EDB-2 which is a fine D.I. for Contrabass. Just my take. The days when folks ran pickups into an Avalon U5, to record an acoustic instrument are long past in most studios.

Ric
 
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#68
Ric Vice said:
While all this is very interesting, and I'd certainly love to hear these clips, wouldn't this thread be more appropriate over on the Electric Bass side of TB? It seems as if we have "crossed threads" over a D.I. that would be great for my 58 Fender Precision Bass and my Lakland 55-94, but not one of the best for best tools for recording a Double Bass, which is often done with Schoeps MK41/CMC6's live or Neumann's in the studio. The Troll Microphone also comes to mind. We also mentioned the Headway EDB-2 which is a fine D.I. for Contrabass. Just my take. The days when folks ran pickups into an Avalon U5, to record an acoustic instrument are long past in most studios.

Ric
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I agree totally. If I post any clips it will be over on the BG forum. Thanks for your / everybody's patience over here in the DB forum, this thread probably should never have happened over here.
 
#70
Ladies and Gentlemen of the forum...may I please have the floor?

My name is Edward Wolfrum. Recently I have received numerous e-mails and calls regarding my design of the “Wolfbox” and association with Acme Audio. With all the conjecture and misinformation, I'd like to clear the air a little and present some of the facts.

It can be read offsite at the following link:

Link Removed

Sincerely,

Ed
 
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#75
"In audio, the purity model works…less is is always more. More processing equals more distortion. More microphones equals more comb filtering. More tracks equals more cumulative noise. More circuitry equals more distortion. Less is is always more. Another supportable fact and UN-pleasant reality for many HYPED, high end audio manufactures is that many of the less expensive audio devices today are more accurate, lower in noise, distortion and overall performance than the vintage devices of yesterday. (However, the newer cheap stuff may be crafted poorly.) The sonic result depends on the skill of the user."

I'm going to engrave this in a big copper plaquette and hand it out to several sound guys I've met. I had a disastrous performance last sunday with an overdose of microphones, monitors and high end 'soundengeneering'stuff in a room that was small enough to do without any of it. Every A caused feedback, every F caused the room to resonate and the piano was lost in what was now "a mix" and not just us making music together.
 
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#76
Matthijs said:
"

I'm going to engrave this in a big copper plaquette and hand it out to several sound guys I've met. I had a disastrous performance last sunday with an overdose of microphones, monitors and high end 'soundengeneering'stuff in a room that was small enough to do without any of it. Every A caused feedback, every F caused the room to resonate and the piano was lost in what was now "a mix" and not just us making music together.
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+1 Isn't that the truth, I've played many a event where the venue planners just had to run us through a sound system, because they thought it was necessary. On one such occasion playing for an art event with a duo, the sound tech. wasn't even paying any attention, and the bass and piano were feeding back and distorting, so just unplugged his DI and ran the piano player into my amp. The rather loud pop when I disconnected the D.I. didn't please him. We were playing in outside under a heated tent as dinner music, no one was listening, there was no need to run us through the mains.
 
#78
Ed Wolfrum said:
Ladies and Gentlemen of the forum...may I please have the floor?

My name is Edward Wolfrum. Recently I have received numerous e-mails and calls regarding my design of the “Wolfbox” and association with Acme Audio. With all the conjecture and misinformation, I'd like to clear the air a little and present some of the facts.

It can be read offsite at the following link:

Link Removed

Sincerely,

Ed
Click to expand...

Truly a great story, but I'm still confused as to why this discussion isn't over on the BG side of Talkbass, as it seems it would be far more appropriate over there.
 

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