REDDI Tube DI Mega-thread-II

[Jeff Bonny]

I'm not arguing they got it very right. How great it sounds confirms loud and clear they did. Why should I leave it at that though without exploring the possibilities of bending it to other uses? All I'm really hearing here is speculation as to why it won't work but no experiential evidence that it won't. Granted it sounds like pretty informed speculation but until the rubber hits the road here it's all just talk. I'll be ordering a reamper tomorrow. People successfully split all kinds of signals every day on stages worldwide. If I end up a few bucks poorer with a bunch of splitters and Lo-Z to Hi-Z converters and my tail between my legs then so be it but at least I'll know first hand.

 

[JimmyM]

I appreciate that some people would like additional features added to the REDDI but I think they got it right as it is. A simple unencumbered signal path keeps the tone pure. Additional features could affect the sound quality and drive up the cost considerably. If it costed too much and less units were sold as a result, it might become impractical to continue offering the product.

That's the conclusion I arrived at, but it ain't the kill...it's the thrill of the chase

 

[Avalon666666]

Hi guys,

Reading all the latest posts here I have to reply too;
A few months ago I received my Reddi, was and still am absolutely thrilled with its sound.
I wrote about connecting the reddi output (XLR) to the hi Z input of the Avalon. Jimmy tried to tell me that he had less desirable results but I tried to ignore him.... (he was right of course)
I really had a nice tone from the Reddi-avalon combination and it was ideal since I could send it to my power amp, Foh and in ears with those two pieces of gear.

Then after a few weeks I started experimenting again and I seem to come to the same conclusion as everyone here:
Nothing I have been using with the reddi sounds beter than the reddi alone. Even putting the diamond bass comp I loved so much in front of the reddi turned OFF makes already a significant compromise in the sweet reddi tone. I listened with headphones, amps and greenboy cab, even asked my girlfriend, but came to this conclusion all the time.

Now I have been reading a lot on splitting signals with Jenssen transformers and other ways but I think my conclusion is that if you really want to keep the signal integrity of the reddi, you are cheaper off with buying another reddi (which I am actually considering) than using a super highend splitting solution.

Another question here: I want to use the Reddi ALONE as a preamp for driving my poweramp (XTI 2000), it does drive it quiet nicely but nowhere near clipping the amp. I would like to amplify the reddi signal further and of course without compromising tone. I was thinking of the following options. What woud be your comments on this?

-A designs P1 or EM modules, pacifica (since people here using them together with a Reddi rave about them and do not mention tone loss of the reddi and since Peter has proven to build excellent gear)
-FMR-PBC 6a; I know this is a compressor. But I am already wanting to try this a long time and have read good things about using the makeup gain of a compressor to boost the reddi to line level.

Thanks Peter, I have never been thinking more of buying gear then at this moment....

Standing in front of your fearfull 15/15/6/1 cab with a 5 string connected to a Reddi/crown full open does sound soooo sweet!!! you want that sound everywhere

 

[JimmyM]

I'm mostly bumping this for you because I have no experience with Peter's other gear, but I believe Reggie Hamilton is doing something like that. And Kirk has a couple of those little preamp modules as well. But that Ventura looks totally hot, too. The compressor idea doesn't appeal to me as much since I've fallen out of love with compressors, plus you'd probably still want tone controls, but if you're into compression, might work.

 

[Jerry Ziarko]

Funny story: Tonight I did a one hr set for a benefit. I asked the sound tech, (yeah the one with the MAJOR attitude) if he would mind if I used my own DI. He rolls his eyes and give me the old "I suppose, if it's a good one." I pull out my REDDI, and tie in to the system. We do a line check and he says it has way too much gain. ( I have it set at 9:00 which usually provides a perfect amount) So we do the set, and I left the REDDI up there for my bud to use. They are getting ready to start, and the tech runs up there and switches the cord to the DI on the back of the amp. He says mines DOA. The whole while I'm thinking something went drastically wrong. At the end of their set I go up to the stage to try and figure out what could have happened to that big red box of mine. Guess who had inadvertently unplugged the AC to the REDDI? Clue: It wasn't me or my bud.

 

[JimmyM]

I swear, some soundmen are so touchy. Ridiculous. Well when people get sick of working with him and his gigs drop off, his attitude will change. Always happens.

 

[TonyP-]

Hi guys,

Another question here: I want to use the Reddi ALONE as a preamp for driving my poweramp (XTI 2000), it does drive it quiet nicely but nowhere near clipping the amp. I would like to amplify the reddi signal further and of course without compromising tone. I was thinking of the following options. What woud be your comments on this?

-A designs P1 or EM modules, pacifica (since people here using them together with a Reddi rave about them and do not mention tone loss of the reddi and since Peter has proven to build excellent gear)
-FMR-PBC 6a; I know this is a compressor. But I am already wanting to try this a long time and have read good things about using the makeup gain of a compressor to boost the reddi to line level.

Thanks Peter, I have never been thinking more of buying gear then at this moment....

Standing in front of your fearfull 15/15/6/1 cab with a 5 string connected to a Reddi/crown full open does sound soooo sweet!!! you want that sound everywhere

Let me know if you end up going down this road...I have been thinking about this as well.

 

[svtb15]

Looks like Peter will be at the Alleva `Coppolo St Valentines Day Bassacre.. Hope to see you Peter...

 

[morebassbaby]

I swear, some soundmen are so touchy. Ridiculous. Well when people get sick of working with him and his gigs drop off, his attitude will change. Always happens.

Last night we played at Reggie's Rock Club in Chicago. I had my beautiful big red. We did sound checks with the monitor tech, then set levels for the house. They both said everything was great. 3 minutes later he comes over and sets up a beta 52 in front of my cab. I'm like "oh no you didn't!" I asked him twice what his issue was with the REDDI, and he just kept skirting around this issue. "I'd just like to see how this sounds." Sometimes it doesn't matter what you bring, if they've got something in their head, that's what has to happen. :-/

 

[JimmyM]

Last night we played at Reggie's Rock Club in Chicago. I had my beautiful big red. We did sound checks with the monitor tech, then set levels for the house. They both said everything was great. 3 minutes later he comes over and sets up a beta 52 in front of my cab. I'm like "oh no you didn't!" I asked him twice what his issue was with the REDDI, and he just kept skirting around this issue. "I'd just like to see how this sounds." Sometimes it doesn't matter what you bring, if they've got something in their head, that's what has to happen. :-/

You know, as much as I dislike soundmen second-guessing what the bass player needs, I would be much happier seeing the soundman put a mic on a cab than what used to happen to me occasionally...seeing the soundman replace the mic secretly with a crap $50 DI while I'm not looking. Whole entire reason I finally got the REDDI.

Apparently there is a whole new wave of soundmen out there way more receptive to micing bass cabs than they used to be, especially in rock. And since I think all DI's except the REDDI and maybe one or two others are crap this warms my heart. But man, it's a freaking REDDI! Dude has to use his head a little!

 

[Jeff Bonny]

If I were a soundman who didn't have much time with a REDDI I'd probably want to A/B it with a mic too. Hard to hold that against him if all he was doing was expanding his knowledge base. Beats the hell outta the guys who think they have it all figured out and aren't open to anything new.

 

[morebassbaby]

You know, as much as I dislike soundmen second-guessing what the bass player needs, I would be much happier seeing the soundman put a mic on a cab than the opposite of what used to happen to me occasionally...seeing the soundman replace the mic secretly with a crap $50 DI while I'm not looking. Whole entire reason I finally got the REDDI.

Apparently there is a whole new wave of soundmen out there way more receptive to micing bass cabs than they used to be, especially in rock. And since I think all DI's except the REDDI and maybe one or two others are crap this warms my heart. But man, it's a freaking REDDI! Dude has to use his head a little!

+1 I totally agree. Most of the places we've played, their in house set up is to mic the cab which is totally acceptable. They haven't handed me a behringer DI or anything like that yet, at which point I may cry a little if they did. It's happened at churches I've played at before so i know it's not beyond the realm of possibility. I would like to have the sound man know how to get a good sound from his venue and enjoy working with us. Sometimes it is worth it to let them do their thing. It's just when you spend 700 bones on a DI you want to use it EVERY CHANCE YOU GET!

 

[svtb15]

Got there early and parked on the floor and tweaked my basses...
I was in a session with Point Blank last week ... Paul Middleton of Bonnie Raitt engineered..
Here is my REDDI... then some pedals to run OD to the Amp in the closet mic'd with an RE20

Bass> REDDI> Neve pre> LA2A> Studer 2" then doing dump to Protools simultaneously
Then 80s SVT mic'd up in the closet.

 

[JimmyM]

Hmmm...never saw that post, Kirk. What's the deal with the guitar stand? Floor not good enough for you anymore?

Anyway, just finished up at the Mohegan Sun Arena with Bowzer and about 10 other 50's/60's acts. During a break in the action, both the FOH guys and monitor guy come up to me and say, "Whoa! What is that DI you're using?? I turned on your channel in the house and I was like, 'Wow, that can't be the DI we gave you!'" I said, "No, that's the Whirlwind Imp 2 you gave me," and laughed

Then we had a little conversation about it, and they were all gushing over how great the bass sounded in the house. They also brought up a song where I crank treble with my EMG preamp to get a muted tic tac sound, and how it freaked them out till they figured out I did it on my bass. I told them it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.

That conversation was confirmation that all this talk about how nuances get lost in live shows on bass is complete BS. The Mohegan holds I think 10,000, and it was darn close to sold out. Yet the soundmen said there was a total tonal difference in the house with me using the REDDI and the bassist for one of the other acts using a Countryman. Sure, the guy played great and the audience loved it anyway, but I could totally hear the difference between us in the side fills. Your playing is what makes or breaks the show, but even in adverse conditions like arenas, you will hear a difference.

Thanks to the Mohegan Sun crew, BTW. They were all superb. And they brought me a badass newish SVT-CL/810e, too!

 

[TonyP-]

Hmmm...never saw that post, Kirk. What's the deal with the guitar stand? Floor not good enough for you anymore?

Elevation is good...
Here is my local set up at Solstice Sound to cut some tracks with some of the members of Ministry.

 

[Lichtaffen]

Okay, you guys convinced me. My Reddi should be arriving Thursday and I'll be tracking with it in the studio on Saturday.

Is there an emoticon for 'bOner'?

 

[Gab124]

Is there an emoticon for 'bOner'?

Now there is a signature!

 

[svtb15]

Eh.. Im moving up in the world.. freaked everyone else out too..

They were readying to shoot video for that George Lynch gig thing that i was doing the next day and i didnt want anyone but me to step on one of my basses...
Honestly the only time i ever had a bass fall and break was when it was on a stand. And it was my sadowsky headstock...So i have a phobia... Usually leaning them up in a corner is more safe for me..

And +1 to the rest of your post.

Hmmm...never saw that post, Kirk. What's the deal with the guitar stand? Floor not good enough for you anymore?

Anyway, just finished up at the Mohegan Sun Arena with Bowzer and about 10 other 50's/60's acts. During a break in the action, both the FOH guys and monitor guy come up to me and say, "Whoa! What is that DI you're using?? I turned on your channel in the house and I was like, 'Wow, that can't be the DI we gave you!'" I said, "No, that's the Whirlwind Imp 2 you gave me," and laughed

Then we had a little conversation about it, and they were all gushing over how great the bass sounded in the house. They also brought up a song where I crank treble with my EMG preamp to get a muted tic tac sound, and how it freaked them out till they figured out I did it on my bass. I told them it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.

That conversation was confirmation that all this talk about how nuances get lost in live shows on bass is complete BS. The Mohegan holds I think 10,000, and it was darn close to sold out. Yet the soundmen said there was a total tonal difference in the house with me using the REDDI and the bassist for one of the other acts using a Countryman. Sure, the guy played great and the audience loved it anyway, but I could totally hear the difference between us in the side fills. Your playing is what makes or breaks the show, but even in adverse conditions like arenas, you will hear a difference.

Thanks to the Mohegan Sun crew, BTW. They were all superb. And they brought me a badass newish SVT-CL/810e, too!

 

[DJJazzV]

That is awesome as well as very inspiring.

Hmmm...never saw that post, Kirk. What's the deal with the guitar stand? Floor not good enough for you anymore?

Anyway, just finished up at the Mohegan Sun Arena with Bowzer and about 10 other 50's/60's acts. During a break in the action, both the FOH guys and monitor guy come up to me and say, "Whoa! What is that DI you're using?? I turned on your channel in the house and I was like, 'Wow, that can't be the DI we gave you!'" I said, "No, that's the Whirlwind Imp 2 you gave me," and laughed

Then we had a little conversation about it, and they were all gushing over how great the bass sounded in the house. They also brought up a song where I crank treble with my EMG preamp to get a muted tic tac sound, and how it freaked them out till they figured out I did it on my bass. I told them it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.

That conversation was confirmation that all this talk about how nuances get lost in live shows on bass is complete BS. The Mohegan holds I think 10,000, and it was darn close to sold out. Yet the soundmen said there was a total tonal difference in the house with me using the REDDI and the bassist for one of the other acts using a Countryman. Sure, the guy played great and the audience loved it anyway, but I could totally hear the difference between us in the side fills. Your playing is what makes or breaks the show, but even in adverse conditions like arenas, you will hear a difference.

Thanks to the Mohegan Sun crew, BTW. They were all superb. And they brought me a badass newish SVT-CL/810e, too!

 

[JimmyM]

Thx, DJ.

Lichtaffen, there are quite a few boner emoticons. Take your pick...

http://www.google.com/search?num=10....9.0.0.46.219.5.5.0...0.0...1ac.1._XmrrEtwa40

So here's what looks to be a cell phone cam vid of the song I cranked the treble a bit. Not great sound quality and I'm not exactly playing lightning fast here if you're looking for fancy schmancies (not much call for that in doo wop), but even still, you can hear that treble boost and how good the mix was (just imagine it coming out of a line array). Came across way more subtle out of the SVT than it does here, though. Guess they didn't cut everything past 5k. I'll have to watch that