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New GK Plex Preamp

#621
NeonVomit said:
Actually yeah... the XLR on the top does sort of mess with my feng shui. Not a deal breaker, but an odd choice...
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Not really as accessibility is paramount. No fumbling around when the soundguy comes looking for your DI...just point straight down at your feet, he'll figure it out. I only make 3 connections when setting up my pedal board: power, line to amp, DI.

Riis
 
#623
dean owens said:
I too thought the XLR connection up top was odd and then I realized that's the only connection that won't be a constant. This means you can have this anywhere on your pedalboard and not have to worry about access to the XLR jack.
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This. Although DI's usually have the connection on the front, top-mount has definite advantages. No bending, no straining to see or fumbling blindly in order to figure out which way the connector is mounted...

Look at the connector box on the end of a typical analog snake, for instance. If you look at videos on the Behringer X Air stage boxes, you'll notice that a lot of demonstrators lay them on their back, for the same reason.

It also helps to make sure that the FOH connection exits well away from the 1/4" cables.
 
#625
I'm not sure whether the top mounted XLR is a good idea or not. I think it is situation dependent. I'm trying to think of any similarly configured single-purpose bass preamp/DI/muliti-fx that has its XLR located on the top, and none come to mind off the top of my head.

For years, the industry has pretty much been dealing with DI boxes and other preamps that locate the XLR on a side or rear face, so I don't know that if the Plex placed its XLR similarly (on side, not top face) it would be considered a downgrade. Likewise, I'm not so sure this top location is an upgrade. I'd also advocate for carrying my own 90 degree cable or adapter of some kind for the Plex.
 
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#626
The #1 thing I hate about new products is trying to decode the marketbabble and figure out what exactly each control does. It do appear that (according to the quick start manual) this actually has a LPF (fixed at 2.5KHz).

Very few modern amps/preamps lack some sort of HPF but many don't overtly advertise it - does anyone know one way or another about the Plex?

Why can't manufacturers publish REAL specs including response curves of the various controls? My first impression of ANY product that has a "contour" control is that the manual is gonna be a pile of manure :(.
 
#627
NoxNoctus said:
$300 isn't totally unreasonable. It's a full fledged front of a GK MB amp minus the power section.

Similarly functionable pre pedals that still don't have quite the featureset
Ampeg SCR-DI - $200
Tronograph Rusty Box Preamp - $210
Tech 21 SansAmp Para Driver V2 - $210
Aguilar Tone Hammer - $230
3Leaf Audio Enabler - $275
Radial Bassbone V2 - $290
EBS MicroBass II - $330
Darkglass Microtubes B7K ULTRA - $380
Verellen Meatsmoke Preamp Pedal ~$700
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would it make you feel better if i said "too much money for me"
 
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#629
Byron K said:
OK you guys convince me to satisfy my GAS attack so ordered my Plex on Saturday and just received it today and must say that it is an interesting piece of kit. I was playing thru a Boss Bass GE-7B EQ which sounded pretty good to me but the Plex seems to give my bass a bit more punchy low end and a bit of a growl w/ a low drive setting of 2 and a little bit of compression.

Imho this is a fair deal for a box that has the "GK" sound (I'm guessing because I've never owned any GK gear) or at least the brand name, compressor, tuner, DI, overdrive, AUX in, effects loop and USB audio are an added bonuses.

BTW, I played around w/ the USB audio. I see the GK audio card in the Widows Sound Devices but don't see the GK sound card in my Cubase DAW to directly record from the Plex's USB. It's really strange, if i select the GK sound card in the Windows Sound Devices I can play music or the bass thru the Plex but get an slap back echo.. strange. I wasn't really planning on using the Plex USB for recording but just thought I'd play around w/ it.
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That's weird. Is the USB just for firmware updates or something?
Brent
 
#632
Okay.... I'm holding it in my hand... The PLEX that is... (Sweetwater shipped it out yesterday) ...and now I'm reading the manual... ...and I think I'm going to need the manual for the first couple of gigs till I figure out how all this stuff effects other stuff...

Looking at the top panel... ugh... (It's GK, and I really want to like this) The Phone Jack, Line in Jack, and Micro USB connector are going to basically be under your foot... If your pedalboard gets as dirty as mine, I see this being a problem... That said, mine will probably always reside on a music stand next to my iPad, or on top of my rig...

And, While I'm bitching, the power cord is a 4 feet long... seems short to me if you're going to use it for desktop recording... It outputs 500mA, and the tip is negative, so hopefully a hot spot or something similar will run it...
 
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#633
Willy Franklin said:
The Phone Jack, Line in Jack, and Micro USB connector are going to basically be under your foot... If your pedalboard gets as dirty as mine, I see this being a problem...
Click to expand...

It just dawned on me that these connector holes in the top face of the Plex would be an excellent place for accidentally spilled liquids to collect - before, during and (usually mostly) after a performance (when there are leftover beverages lingering around and people pulling cables and gear around in an effort to get packed-up). You never want a floor pedal to have a head-on meeting with a full beer, but at least side-face-mounted ins-and-outs are better suited to withstand such an accident. IMHO.

Or, we could have turns doing shots out of the XLR connector hole in the Plex. LOL. A good argument to keep this pedal in a remote location off the floor.
 
#634
Willy Franklin said:
Okay.... I'm holding it in my hand... The PLEX that is... (Sweetwater shipped it out yesterday) ...and now I'm reading the manual... ...and I think I'm going to need the manual for the first couple of gigs till I figure out how all this stuff effects other stuff...

Looking at the top panel... ugh... (It's GK, and I really want to like this) The Phone Jack, Line in Jack, and Micro USB connector are going to basically be under your foot... If your pedalboard gets as dirty as mine, I see this being a problem... That said, mine will probably always reside on a music stand next to my iPad, or on top of my rig...

And, While I'm bitching, the power cord is a 4 feet long... seems short to me if you're going to use it for desktop recording... It outputs 500mA, and the tip is negative, so hopefully a hot spot or something similar will run it...
Click to expand...
It seems like the Plex is more of a recording/practice solution and not a live-use stompbox.
 
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#635
I did a little playing while I was on my lunch break through headphones... It sounds as I expected... Which is good!! :)

I forgot to adjust the trim knob at first. I went through a bunch of "this can't be right" moments and then figured that out...

I'm a bit worried about the knobs though... They're all dual-purpose push button knobs. I'm guessing it's some sort of plastic mechanism inside... Anyhoo, I'm worried that any kind of side load on those knobs will break them off... So, I guess I'll have to order a 6"x6"x3" Anvil case to put this thing in before I put it in my gig bag... :)
 
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#636
I played with it for about 5 minutes (the PLEX that is), and all the options on the front panel were pretty easy to navigate. So, I don't think I'll need to reference the manual as much as I thought... The drive (distortion) options are very usable for a person like me who will switch from a clean slap sound to a driven pick sound from song to song...

...and the different Amp models are cool too!! I like the 800RB one myself... :)

I'll be able to really kick the tires tonight, and have a much better understanding tomorrow...

Now, if nobody uses the DI out as a shot glass, I'll be in business!! ;)
 
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#637
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#639
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#640
I was just checking out the manual and was looking at the "Voice" section. I love the idea of the 800RB and the Fusion 550 and even the MB800 but the MB150 seems like an odd choice to me since they eliminated the speaker sim. I wonder why they didn't include the 1001rb or the 700rb. Oh well I'll probably still order one! ;)
Brent
 

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