Pre/Power-amp solution

[Whoolie]

I only have one (big ass) cab, the now discontinued EBS Proline 412. Wonder why it's discontinued, as it's the best cab I've ever played. I'll run the amp mono bridged into 4 Ohms to get full power. The EBS Fafner is ~500 watts into 4 Ohms IIRC, and it's already loud enough.

The amp I'll get is with Speak-On connectors. I just have to modify the cable in one end to use bridged mode as far as I can tell from the manual. And mark that end AMP and the other end CAB. Could lead to some frustration

I also ordered a Radial passive DI to patch in before or after the compressor/EQ for FOH support. I will have to test what works best for our sound guy before deciding where it should be in the chain. I probably don't want the output level control on the Pro Channel II to affect the DI for FOH.

 

[Jim Carr]

...I also ordered a Radial passive DI to patch in before or after the compressor/EQ for FOH support. I will have to test what works best for our sound guy before deciding where it should be in the chain. I probably don't want the output level control on the Pro Channel II to affect the DI for FOH.

Yes. Radial JDI? If your A R T is like mine, the output does affect both the balanced and unbalanced output—as it is conceived as a channel strip that can also be used as a DI—with output control.

My solution, and this was a country band on several different month long tours, was to run the A R T with the EQ defeated, and put a Countryman type-85 DI between my Sadowsky and the A R T pre. I ran all of my EQ from the Sadowsky, with the exception of the FOH, which generally was pretty neutral.

That way I could have the sound of my amp as stage monitor be essentially what I was giving the FOH. Of course, as an alternative, there are microphones, hateful as I find them to be for bass.

BTW, I usually play Reggae, but country has paid the bills at times. When using a GK MB800 I run my VT Bass and compressor -> amp.

 

[JACink]

Terralec are the UK distributor for Synq amps, they're currently priced at £248, which is in the same ballpark as the Crown 1000 XLS...some UK dealers want another £100 on top of that price for the Crown but I don't know how many they sell when Thomann can ship you one in a few days for £249.

It's on a flip of a coin whether I get a Synq or another Crown (it'll be for the PA), but I already have a Crown and although it does the job I'm not overwhelmed by it, so trying something different has it's attractions as well as saving some rack space...having said that, it's hard to be too overwhelmed by a power amp, they just do what they do.

Thanks for the info. I like the fact that it is 1U and very light. My aim is to run a Big Baby 2 with it, so as long as it can cover 800W at 8Ohms it should be fine.

 

[Whoolie]

The ART has Pre-amp out, Comp In, Comp out and EQ in on the back of the unit, so I could patch in the Radial DI either before or after the compressor.

It is correct that both the balanced and unbalanced outputs are controlled by the output level of the preamp.

I will try out all possibilities when I get all the gear and I'll get back with my findings. I'm really looking forward to trying out some new gear! Might end up selling my EBS Fafner, and it'll probably end up actually giving me some money or even out in the end.

 

[Jools4001]

The ART has Pre-amp out, Comp In, Comp out and EQ in on the back of the unit, so I could patch in the Radial DI either before or after the compressor.

It is correct that both the balanced and unbalanced outputs are controlled by the output level of the preamp.

I will try out all possibilities when I get all the gear and I'll get back with my findings. I'm really looking forward to trying out some new gear! Might end up selling my EBS Fafner, and it'll probably end up actually giving me some money or even out in the end.

I have the previous version of the ART ProChannel and it's fantastic. Really nice compressor, fabulous EQ section and the tube pre warms everything up nicely. It also has enough output to drive any power amp.

I use mine with a Zoom B3 because I like to have patches for different basses and I also enjoy having different amps to model and get me in the right tonal ballpark for songs my covers band plays (helps if you can model a GK rig for Chilli Peppers stuff or whatever amp the original bassist used right?). I tried using the Zoom in the various loop positions but in the end I just use it plugged into the balanced input because that way I can adjust the patches I have set up for each bass to even out the signal I'm sending, so when I change basses mid gig the relative volume is the same regardless of whether it's my 18volt active GB or my passive Ric.

In your case, I guess it depends on how much control you want to have before sending your signal to the desk.

Either way, you are going to love the ART...it's a channel strip designed for recording of course, but it works great on bass and is a seriously overlooked piece of kit. You're also going to love your Big Baby 2. I've been using my first generation Barefaced Big One as my main gig rig for a few years and it's a great cab...and the Big Baby 2 is a new improved version so it's going to make a killer rig.

 

[Jim Carr]

The ART has Pre-amp out, Comp In, Comp out and EQ in on the back of the unit, so I could patch in the Radial DI either before or after the compressor...

I wonder, are these outs line-level and independent of the gain/pre/master? Here is a random front panel pic of the model of tube channel I have.

 

[Whoolie]

The pre-amp out is after the gain, so you might call that line-level Look at it as a way to patch stuff in between the different stages on the channel strip. Whatever you did to the signal in the previous stage, i.e. the comp, will affect the signal on the comp out, including gain and stuff.
That tube channel looks cool Looks like it has got a lot of the same features as the Pro Channel II.