REDDI - Really Worth It?

[Stone Soup]

Thinking that you need to sound better on a "big" gig than you do in a bar is shortsighted. If that's the attitude you take for bar gigs why would anyone hearing you in that bar think they should hire you for their session or tour? I'm not saying a REDDI or U5 will buy you more gigs than a JDI or Type 85. Being lazy or a chickenpoopie will cost you them though. Use the best gear you can.

Thinking you need to buy a REDDI to play in a weekend club band doesn't make you a pro either, Chumley. You don't need a REDDI to sound good. Trust me. I was once hired for a tour, using the DI built into a Hartke head. Wake up.

Also, I've never had to take a DI to a session. Not once.

 

[Jeff Bonny]

Thinking you need to buy a REDDI to play in a weekend club band doesn't make you a pro either, Chumley. You don't need a REDDI to sound good. Trust me. I was once hired for a tour, using the DI built into a Hartke head. Wake up.

Also, I've never had to take a DI to a session. Not once.

I'm wide awake to the fact that no particular pieces of gear will make you a great player or a "pro" and if you actually read what I wrote you'll see that I did not say it would. What I did say is that you should use the best gear you can every gig "big" or otherwise. If your best DI is the one built into your amp that's perfectly fine but don't leave your REDDI or U5 at home because the gig isn't "big" enough. I also said not caring would cost you gigs not that you need a bunch of expensive boutique crap to get gigs.

I'm also wide awake to the fact that this non-specific somewhat abstract philosophical concept you have in your head doesn't address the original question which was very specific: Is a REDDI worth what it costs? The vast majority of people that have used a REDDI are saying yes it is. So, Soup Stone have you ever used a REDDI in a situation where you could make an accurate assessment of how it sounds vs. any other DI? If not you don't have much that speaks experientially to the original question and are certainly in no position to poo-poo the thing.

Now if you'd used a REDDI for a bunch of gigs and hated it and it broke down all the time and every soundman liked the DI in your famous Hartke way better and consistently told you so THAT would be interesting....but that's not the case is it?

 

[georgestrings]

Thinking that you need to sound better on a "big" gig than you do in a bar is shortsighted. If that's the attitude you take for bar gigs why would anyone hearing you in that bar think they should hire you for their session or tour? I'm not saying a REDDI or U5 will buy you more gigs than a JDI or Type 85. Being lazy or a chickenpoopie will cost you them though. Use the best gear you can.

Agreed 100% - I want whatever band I happen to be playing in at the moment - and myself - to sound our best every single time out... I could never be happy accepting anything less than that sort of effort...


- georgestrings

 

[LightGroove]

I'm wide awake to the fact that no particular pieces of gear will make you a great player or a "pro" and if you actually read what I wrote you'll see that I did not say it would. What I did say is that you should use the best gear you can every gig "big" or otherwise. If your best DI is the one built into your amp that's perfectly fine but don't leave your REDDI or U5 at home because the gig isn't "big" enough. I also said not caring would cost you gigs not that you need a bunch of expensive boutique crap to get gigs.

I'm also wide awake to the fact that this non-specific somewhat abstract philosophical concept you have in your head doesn't address the original question which was very specific: Is a REDDI worth what it costs? The vast majority of people that have used a REDDI are saying yes it is. So, Soup Stone have you ever used a REDDI in a situation where you could make an accurate assessment of how it sounds vs. any other DI? If not you don't have much that speaks experientially to the original question and are certainly in no position to poo-poo the thing.

Now if you'd used a REDDI for a bunch of gigs and hated it and it broke down all the time and every soundman liked the DI in your famous Hartke way better and consistently told you so THAT would be interesting....but that's not the case is it?

With that being said why is this unit considered to be the best? I think I put this in the category of boutiques. Totally rational if you can afford one, absolutely crazy if you cant.

Im not convinced an $800 unit will do things that a $200 wont. Ive found 99% of my problems are the soundmen. Sure send them a boutique signal..see if they can tell. Same goes for ina recording..you are at the mercy of their equipment/console and style..

 

[Jeff Bonny]

With that being said why is this unit considered to be the best?

It's not the "best" it just sounds really good...and there are people who have tried it and prefer other DIs. New my main bass cost a few bucks less than a REDDI so it's not like my opinion is based on needing expensive gear to feel good about myself. I'll bug outta this thread saying simply don't judge it much less knock it till you've tried it.

 

[Stone Soup]

have you ever used a REDDI in a situation where you could make an accurate assessment of how it sounds vs. any other DI? If not you don't have much that speaks experientially to the original question and are certainly in no position to poo-poo the thing.

Where exactly did I "poo-poo" the REDDI? I just said it was unnecessary for low level gigs.

Carrying a $800.00 DI to a $100.00 bar gig is just plain silly. I don't care who you are. No one in the audience is going to notice the difference in sound. No one will ever ask if that was a REDDI they heard unless, like so many players do, it has been put on display somewhere on top or in front of the rig (like a big red beacon that says "look what I have!").

I don't care what anyone uses. I just think there is a line between practical and silly. Many of us opt toward the side of silly, for whatever reason. It's a different issue altogether, when we're talking about instruments. But still there is a limit, to me.

Agreed 100% - I want whatever band I happen to be playing in at the moment - and myself - to sound our best every single time out... I could never be happy accepting anything less than that sort of effort...

Would you hire a lesser player with a REDDI over a better player without one?

 

[ronlitz]

Asking the talkbass community if an extremely expensive, boutiquey piece of gear is "worth it" is going to have predictable results.

 

[Jeff Bonny]

Asking the talkbass community if an extremely expensive, boutiquey piece of gear is "worth it" is going to have predictable results.

Too true. Let YOUR ears be the judge.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6kx71g7wtrckujg/lF9PfeGh5P

 

[EastCoastThump]

Carrying a $800.00 DI to a $100.00 bar gig is just plain silly.

Let's try a thought experiment. Where do you draw the line?: For DI above, substitute "cabinet," "bass," "mixer," "Monster instrument cable," and "IEC cable."

For me, what I bring to a gig doesn't depend at all on what the gig pays.

Would you hire a lesser player with a REDDI over a better player without one?

Would you hire a lesser player with a Sadowsky over a great player with a MIM Fender Jazz? Lesser player through an SSL console over a great player through a Mackie?

Again, I don't think the question gives us a generally useful litmus test for deciding whether any particular piece of gear is worth gigging.

 

[Dave W]

No one in the audience is going to notice the difference in sound

I don't understand this line of thinking. I don't care if the audience notices or likes my tone, I care. Musicians spend years crafting out their tone and it's not usually to impress the audience.

It has nothing to do with a REDDI, just a generalization. If I hear that my tone is better using any piece of equipment, that is enough justification.

 

[lowstrung5]

I say always use the best gear you can afford........period.
With that said, I also believe your D.I. is just one variable in your signal chain that can have an effect on your sound. I've used a Reddi in both recorded and live situations. It's a great D.I. I will also say that probably the best tone I ever heard from my rig was through a Radial JDI at a live show. Why? Probably had way more to do with the sound guys and the great PA I was playing through in a great sounding venue. Would the Reddi have sounded better? Maybe. But I'm just trying to say there are so many things that effect your sound at every gig. If you can afford it, a Reddi is a great D.I. Will you sound better in a live situation?...............Maybe.

 

[SteveC]

Too true. Let YOUR ears be the judge.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6kx71g7wtrckujg/lF9PfeGh5P

I listened to the REDDI and the JDI and could barely hear a difference. To my ear, listening on my speakers, I didn't hear a $500 difference. That's just me.

Plenty of others hear a difference and would use nothing else. They play bigger gigs, do studio work, etc. Things I don't do.

While I agree that you should use the best gear you can afford, I also think there's a point of diminishing return. I guess for me, as much as I love gear, and have terrible G.A.S. for everything, I think my JDI is my point of diminishing return. It's a great DI, ranked right up there with anything, and I seem to sound pretty good so I think as much as I'd love to try/have a REDDI, I have to stick with my Radial.

It does look very cool though.

 

[seamonkey]

Sometimes just a little change in EQ or Gain can save you hundreds of $$$

Careful with the recorded examples
Recording engineers are aware of this and know anything just a little louder sounds better.
Play with EQ and gain and see if they don't end up sounding identical

 

[odin70]

Im was really interested in the Reddi, but after listening to the Tony Levin tapes im not that sure anymore. I could not really hear the difference between the Reddi and some of the others. Mayby i should do a blindfold test and let that decide.

 

[Passinwind]

Im was really interested in the Reddi, but after listening to the Tony Levin tapes im not that sure anymore. I could not really hear the difference between the Reddi and some of the others. Maybe i should do a blindfold test and let that decide.

Be sure to double check the relative levels of the clips. The two that I downloaded were not normalized all that well.

 

[Stone Soup]

Okay. I dig what all of you are saying.

The thing is, the REDDI is a great piece of gear I think isn't worth carrying to a weekend warrior bar date. Having said that, I could be playing gigs with a 1980 TNT 150, but I'm not. I could be playing SX basses, but I'm not. The point of diminishing returns was brought up earlier in this thread. Where do you draw the line? Wherever YOU want to. I'm drawing the line at the REDDI. I don't need one. I'm not ever buying one.

I've played some pretty big shows using a Type 85, and sounded GREAT out front, when the soundman actually cared what the bass sounded like. I've also been at shows where the bassist was using a U5 or a tube DI and they sounded like complete mud out front.

Play what makes you happy.

 

[taurus1]

for recording it might be, but for live, I highly doubt it.

 

[JimmyM]

for recording it might be, but for live, I highly doubt it.

I have used it for a year now on PA's ranging from state of the art PA's in arenas to cobbled together PA's in small joints and everything in between. The REDDI has always made a huge difference on any of those gigs (and yes, I have done occasional ABing in these PA's, and yes, I go out into the audience to listen), and I won't do a gig without it, even if I'm flying, and I HATE bringing stuff on fly dates that I don't need.

As for Tony's stuff, listen to the high notes if you truly want to hear the REDDI shine.

 

[AMJBASS]

Okay. I dig what all of you are saying.

The thing is, the REDDI is a great piece of gear I think isn't worth carrying to a weekend warrior bar date. Having said that, I could be playing gigs with a 1980 TNT 150, but I'm not. I could be playing SX basses, but I'm not. The point of diminishing returns was brought up earlier in this thread. Where do you draw the line? Wherever YOU want to. I'm drawing the line at the REDDI. I don't need one. I'm not ever buying one.

I've played some pretty big shows using a Type 85, and sounded GREAT out front, when the soundman actually cared what the bass sounded like. I've also been at shows where the bassist was using a U5 or a tube DI and they sounded like complete mud out front.

Play what makes you happy.

That is true to a point. But the odds are that a $100 bar gig is going to warrant using a DI at all is in question too The big point that everyone is making about the REDDI is how it sits in the mix, and how the notes have "weight" to them that you aren't going to find in a passive DI. IMO its worth the cost. If you drop $3000 on a bass, then the price of the REDDI is inconsequential.

 

[Zoomie]

Interesting conversation.

First, crappy roadhouse gig or no, I want to sound the very best that I can based on my perception of tone and my disposable income or lack thereof.

The other thing that caught my eye was that Jimmy M is hauling one around on a plane to gigs. I have a number of friends that fly in and out to gigs. In all cases, they are freaks about taking only what is absolutely necessary. Point being is that I suspect that Jimmy (or any other bass player carting one of these around) would happily move to something much smaller if they felt that could get the same tone out of the smaller box.

We all have our idiosyncracies in what we belive is important to tone. The gentleman absolve is playing a couple of Roscoes but is uncomfortable paying 800.00 for a DI. I play pretty expensive basses or expensive to me at least, and I refuse to pay 100.00 for a flippin cord, because I can't hear a difference.

I am really happy with the Jensen DI in my tube pre. That said, I still may take one of these for a spin for a few months and make up my own mind.