REDDI Tube DI Mega-thread-II

[gillento]

Jimmy, just get another REDDI So you can use either the one with the stock tube or the NOS one.

 

[chadds]

Jimmy, just get another REDDI So you can use either the one with the stock tube or the NOS one.

Put staps on them and wear them as slipons.

Red shoes are cool!

 

[JimmyM]

You guys is funn-E!

 

[Gab124]

Hey, may I ask this. I have no home recording experience whatsoever. When my reddi comes in I would love to be able to do some. Right now I have an IMAC with garage band. What do I need to connect the reddi into it? I do have a small mackie mixer, will that work? Where do I take the outs? Again, really a novice at this new fangled computer recording stuff. All the recording I have done was through dedicated equipment or a studio. So this home thing is new ground.

 

[JimmyM]

I'd probably use the Mackie, although you could use the correct adapter and go directly into your computer as well.

 

[roadkill2309]

Hey, may I ask this. I have no home recording experience whatsoever. When my reddi comes in I would love to be able to do some. Right now I have an IMAC with garage band. What do I need to connect the reddi into it? I do have a small mackie mixer, will that work? Where do I take the outs? Again, really a novice at this new fangled computer recording stuff. All the recording I have done was through dedicated equipment or a studio. So this home thing is new ground.

I'm using a Focusrite Scarlett as the interface to my iMac. Works well and didn't cost a kidney. I'd been using a Presonus Firebox before that, but it suddenly popped and died in a shower of sparks.

I flipped it over and saw a 'B Stock' sticker on it, though. I don't think that Presonus's stuff is bad; the reason I switched to the Focusrite is just that the store was out of the comparable Presonus box.

 

[nouroog]

I'm using a Focusrite Scarlett as the interface to my iMac. Works well and didn't cost a kidney. I'd been using a Presonus Firebox before that, but it suddenly popped and died in a shower of sparks.

I flipped it over and saw a 'B Stock' sticker on it, though. I don't think that Presonus's stuff is bad; the reason I switched to the Focusrite is just that the store was out of the comparable Presonus box.

I'm actually using a Presonus Firestudio mobile as interface between the Reddi and the mac, and it works pretty well.
I guess any correct interface can capture the tone of the Reddi, as the signal provided by the Reddi is hot enough, that you don't have to use the built-in preamplifiers of the interface.
I compared the tone of the Reddi vs the tone of the preamp circuit of the Firestudio mobile, well no surprise, the Reddi won.

 

[Gab124]

I'd probably use the Mackie, although you could use the correct adapter and go directly into your computer as well.

Okay - so REDDI users. I see here that Jimmy has just an adapter to the mac. And others using the Presonus Firestudio as an example. What is this adaptor and can it give me just as good a reddi tone as using the other boxes mentioned? Eventurally I want to do practice recordings for the band but we can all plug into a larger board and go to the mac; our drummer uses electronic drums for practice and guitarist uses the line 6 stuff so should be easy i am guessing for just good practice recording. Maybe I should research this in other threads but thought I was using the REDDI so what the heck.

 

[JimmyM]

I don't use a Mac. I use a PC with an M-Audio 2496 PCI card. I just take the XLR out and put an XLR/1'4" transformer on it, then put a 1/4"/RCA adapter on it and into the sound card.

Or at least I did...got a new comp and apparently PCI is being phased out, so looks like I'm going USB.

 

[beans-on-toast]

Right now I have an IMAC with garage band. What do I need to connect the reddi into it? I do have a small mackie mixer, will that work? Where do I take the outs?

You can plug the REDDI into the balanced XLR of the mixer. You can connect a line output of the mixer to the analog audio input (1/8" stereo jack) on the iMac.

Using this, your signal is digitized using the internal A/D converter of the computer. Here are the specs of the iMac audio line input:

The analog line input operates independently from all other audio input ports and is always available. The line input supports recording at bit depths of 16, 20, or 24 bits per sample and at sample rates of 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, or 96 kHz. Audio recorded from the line input is presented as a stereo data stream. You can adjust the line input gain from -16 dB to +30 dB.

During input of a 1 kHz, 1 VRMS (-3 dBFS) sine wave (44.1 kHz input sample rate, 24-bit sample depth, 0.0 dB input gain, no weighting) the audio line input has the following nominal specifications:

Jack type: 3.5 mm (1/8-inch) stereo
Maximum input voltage: 3 VRMS (+11.8 dBu)
Minimum voltage input for full scale output: 63 mVRMS (-21.5 dBu) at input gain = +30 dB
Input impedance: > 20 kilohm
Frequency response: 20 Hz to 20 kHz, +0.5 dB/-3 dB
Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR): >90 dB
Total harmonic distortion + noise (THD+N): <-85 dB (0.006%)
Channel separation: > 85 dB



Depending on the model of Mackie mixer that you have, if it has a firewire connection (I use a Mackie Onyx to do this), you can connect digital-to-digital between the iMac and the mixer. The A/D in the mixer does a pretty good job.

 

[Gab124]

Hey thanks everyone. I have some research to do, but your tips have given me a direction. Can't wait to try out the REDDI with all this. I also have a date with a very high end studio in the next few months and hope the little red box does it's job! Kind of a countryish rock project.

 

[JimmyM]

That's the kind of stuff where the REDDI excels, IMHO. Of course I'd say that about any type of music but that's how it rolls.

 

[Peter Montessi]

Hi Guys,

I just wanted share this moment with you so please forgive me if I go on a rant here for a moment.

Last week Lisa and I were invited to a concert at the Honda Civic Center here in So Cal.

The event was a Marc Anthony Concert and we were lucky enough to receive back stage passes.
I have to tell you that this style of music just rocks (IMHO).
Please take into consideration that I didn't know who Marc Anthony was!
Anyway, I was treated to the kindest guys in the biz and introduced to everyone.
My reason for going was they were using our Hammer EQ and Nail Compressor for the FOH.
Well the long and short was they sent the Hammer and Nail via Fed-Ex cause they didn't want it to get messed up with the 17 tractor trailers that it takes to move this company from city to city.
Fed-Ex in it's wonderful operations messed the deadline and they didn't make it in time for Sound Check.

But the time spent there was great cause they already have REDDIs and they let me take some pics so here I am sharing them with you.
Yes, a REDDI was used for bass BUT what I didn't know was they also use it for their guitars as well.

It was a pleasure and a great day for me personally to get to hang with a pro tour team such as this one.
I can tell you this...........it has come a LONG LONG way from my old tour days that's for sure.

I'll see how many pics TB will allow me to post but I have 2 loaded and it won't let me do more.

Hope you enjoy it.

 

[Peter Montessi]

Thank you!

 

[JimmyM]

Awesome, Peter! Not too surprised they're using it for acoustic, though. I plan on running everything I can through it in my little home studio. Blows away any mic preamp I have, that's for sure, and my mics are all dynamic, so I should be good to go.

 

[svtb15]

Great Photos Peter.. Nice... i saws a video of how the Hammer EQ can really sweeten a mix... Super sweet EQ...
You must feel great being the papa and seeing your stuff out in the real world..making music!!!

 

[JimmyM]

Something I'm dying to try in the near future is to mic a guitar amp and run the mic through the REDDI. I see tons of uses for it.

 

[DJJazzV]

Something I'm dying to try in the near future is to mic a guitar amp and run the mic through the REDDI. I see tons of uses for it.

Jimmy,
I'm working on that. I picked up a Tech21 Trademark 10 guitar combo because it has a DI out. For home recording, my guitarist could use the amp direct into the REDDI>MBox3 Mini>Email Machine! Simple. We'll try it soon, but I'm too busy playing the Bass through the REDDI! What a tone!

 

[Gab124]

Mine lands today !!

 

[Gab124]

Ok then. It is here. You know, one reads TB and tries to make sense of all the tone descriptions, comments, recommendations as well as listens to recordings and tries with all his/her might to make a decision based on all of that. We try to tell ourselves that really the gear does not matter just practice all the time and play through whatever is around at the moment... its in the fingers..... Well, for me now, it is kinda in the little red box AND my fingers cause this thing sounds really cool. i have only plugged into a small relatively crappy pa head with only one speaker attached and I can already tell that it is the real deal. I am not one of those who has had lots of high end great equipment, but I have had some good things and this is most definitely one of them... I have never played through a B-15 but if it really sounds like this I might have to sell a bunch of stuff and get one to keep with this. Just saying I am pretty happy right now.