REDDI Tube DI Mega-thread-III

[Stranger Danger]

So it should work but not all that well. Ok that's what I needed to know. Thanks guys!

 

[Tom_RCJ]

New REDDI owner here. Damn this thing sounds good. I use it for recording straight into the board. It sounds like an amp. The blue light on the front is like a laser though. The first few time I used one on stage at this one venue, before I owned one, the sound guy had it turned on before I was plugged in (it was muted of course). All I could see was blue light, couldn't read any of the input labels to figure out where to plug in. I was surprised at how big and heavy it is, too. But the tone... oh my god...

I love how versatile it is as well. Our guitar player plugs his pedal board straight into it to record scratch tracks and with minor tweaking it sounds good enough for finished product (good luck convincing your guitar player to not use his amps though).
I put someone's acoustic guitar with a piezo through it. I've never heard a piezo I liked. It always sounds nasal and cheap to my ears. It sounded much better through the REDDI. One of these days I'm going to put a vocal mic into it just to see. I hesitate to say this because I don't know how it'll be taken, but I mean it as a compliment; this thing is a turd polisher. It compliments the "life" of an input and adds some if there is none. I smell tubes.

 

[Stranger Danger]

This guy looks like it should be a lot better then

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Scarlett2i2

Just need something basic so that when people send me tracks that need bass I can put some REDDI sauce on it.

 

[BZadlo]

Never been one for playing to the LCD I figure if I notice, others will, too. That doesn't mean I can't sound good with gear I don't like as much, nor does it mean the crowd will leave if I use it, but I totally believe that there are many who do notice.

Most people can't articulate that they notice differences like this but I believe that they do notice. Every little piece makes a difference.

 

[svtb15]

I think what makes more of a difference are the converters themselves.. I use a RME Fireface .. It will go up to 192khz.. But every session that i have done at home or other protools joints are run at 48k 24bit... Most records are done at that rate these days... remember that 41k 16bit is CD quality..
I think the RME may have the finest converters out there.. Some like the Apogee.. I dont think that i could hear the difference.

My buddy was mixing the Queen Night At The Opera in 5.1... They refused to use the Protools converters for the transfer from 24 track to Digital. They used other converters.. But they did use protools for the 5.1 remastering then used other converters to go to the digital domain again.. Engineers with ears of gold have their preferences.. I dont think that i could tell the difference from a Presonus to an Apogee in reality... So Im just saying that i think teh converters themselves may have more to do that the sample rate to a degree... because 41k 16bit CDs sound fine to me..

But if you are using a REDDI.. I may not want to use that XLR to USB cable to go into your system. Heck. you can get a Presonus or foccusrite USB or FW interface for not too much money and they sound really good..


Bass recording rig the other day on a mobile run.. REDDI to Wunder audio Pre ( Neve clone with red knobs) to LA2 clone to RME converter..

 

[JimmyM]

This guy looks like it should be a lot better then

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Scarlett2i2

Just need something basic so that when people send me tracks that need bass I can put some REDDI sauce on it.

Ya, something like that Scarlet would be better. I use an Avid Fast Track myself, but I hear good things about the Scarlet.

And Kirk, point taken about the sampling rates. It does all get bounced down to 44.1k. I don't know...call it a hunch, but while I record most of the demos I do on here in 44.1k, for some reason, the higher rates sound better to me. Maybe I'm out of my mind, though...I only started doing it because Ronan Chris Murphy said I should in one of his videos

 

[beans-on-toast]

When you pick an A/D resolution, with errors, correction, and averaging you may not be getting what you think you are. A lot of it comes down to how well your equipment works. There are always compromises in the design and nothing works perfectly. I think that it makes sense to work at the highest resolution possible so that you can to optimize accuracy while working and mixing and reduce it down to 44.1K at the end of the process.

 

[svtb15]

Yeah.. as you already know there is more than one way to skin an apple... So I understand what you are saying for sure.
Personally , I dont know if i could tell the difference.. At least On bass that is..
another friend does some Hollywood stuff and he said they were doing 192k for all the 4k video stuff..!
Some are talking about 360 or 380l now..???? i just give up. Hahaha

Ya, something like that Scarlet would be better. I use an Avid Fast Track myself, but I hear good things about the Scarlet.

And Kirk, point taken about the sampling rates. It does all get bounced down to 44.1k. I don't know...call it a hunch, but while I record most of the demos I do on here in 44.1k, for some reason, the higher rates sound better to me. Maybe I'm out of my mind, though...I only started doing it because Ronan Chris Murphy said I should in one of his videos

 

[svtb15]

Before his passing i was blessed to have done sessions with the late world renowned engineer / producer Roger Nichols.. . That man practically invented digital recording. he did invent the worlds first digital drum machine ( wende l)....
He was a man that could here different sample rates... for petes sake , he did donald fagan records, steely dan, and a huge list.. His stories were at lunch time ( he bought lunch , he was the producer ) were chuch full of info and a such a vast knowledge of recording...
He was talking about digital recording machine before the old mitsubishi digital machines came out.. Believed he work on the development of them.. He was always pushing teh limit of gear. But he dug the 41k 16bit thing..
i was recording bass parts with him when the test of donald fagans night fly came in.. we put it up and he flipped out.. It was the wrong master they used.. sounded great to us. he heard the difference.. they redid the pressings.. and there are a few out there with the wrong pressing that they released.. You can tell by the number sku on the inner part of the CD...
Just to be behind the same console as him has lessons learned.. dont know if Roger got the hear the REDDI.. but Im real sure he would have dig it.

all this talk of Sample Rates made me digress and reminisce about Roger.. RIP Roger. .
Back to REDDI

I have a photo somewhere of us after one session. I have to post it

 

[beans-on-toast]

If you know what to listen for, once you are aware of a particular digital artifact, it sticks out like a sore thumb and can drive you nuts.

 

[svtb15]

See,,sadly i have no idea what to look for in AD converters.. To me if the track sounds and feels good. thats all i notice..
maybe if i heard something bad.. i would.. But by the time i thought that i knew what i was listening to, i was able to buy gear that didn't sound bad ( at least to me) . hahah so it sounds good.. makes sense?

 

[beans-on-toast]

Yes, what you are saying makes perfect sense. Most of us fall into that category.

Usually differences between high end products are subtle. Like any other product, when you push them to extremes, limitations are revealed. Like if you had one note on your bass that buzzed. Every time you record that note, you'd notice it. John Lennon used to detune one string on his short scale Rickenbacker guitar. He used to say, listen to the out of tune note, that's me in the song. A digital artifact is like an out of tune note.

 

[M Sterling]

The Ground issue could be almost anything from a bad cable to bad AC but can you tell me more about the signal path please?
What's the connection out of the Moog going into the REDDI?
You can call and I will walk through a few things with you if you like?

Thank you,

Hi Peter,

Thanks a lot for the personal attention! I love when a product this good comes along with great customer service. Guys like you definitely reaffirm my belief in dealing with smaller businesses as much as possible.

FYI, I have had other issues with the Moog and ground noise, so the more I experiment the more I'm certain its an issue where the Moog just doesn't play well with others. In regards to the signal chain, I have reduced it to plugging the Moog straight into the REDDI and the ground noise persists. I also have taken most of the other standard ground noise elimination tricks (different cables, outlets, surge protectors, etc...). The gig doesn't start until this Friday, so I won't know how it acts in other environments until then. In the meantime, I did order one of the Whirlwind lifters. I'll let everyone know if it works.

Thanks again for the service and the product. I can't wait to get it into action!

-Marc

 

[beans-on-toast]

FYI, I have had other issues with the Moog and ground noise, so the more I experiment the more I'm certain its an issue where the Moog just doesn't play well with others. In regards to the signal chain, I have reduced it to plugging the Moog straight into the REDDI and the ground noise persists. In the meantime, I did order one of the Whirlwind lifters. I'll let everyone know if it works.

With problems like this it helps to break it down and test each unit on its own. By any chance, do you have the USB connected to your computer when you are using the Moog? It could be a ground loop in the USB circuit. If so, try just the Moog connected to the REDDI.

There is also the possibility of a power line ground loop. Plug the Moog and the REDDI into the same power outlet. A product like the Ebtech HumX on the Moog might help with power line ground issues.

 

[M Sterling]

With problems like this it helps to break it down and test each unit on its own. By any chance, do you have the USB connected to your computer when you are using the Moog? It could be a ground loop in the USB circuit. If so, try just the Moog connected to the REDDI.

There is also the possibility of a power line ground loop. Plug the Moog and the REDDI into the same power outlet. A product like the Ebtech HumX on the Moog might help with power line ground issues.

Hey, thanks for the reply!

I'm pretty familiar with grounding issues, so the first thing I did was check the USB and make sure they were in the same outlet. Do you notice any tone loss issues with the Humx? If the Whirlwind doesn't do it, this might be a good solution since the Moog is pretty problematic with the ground noise.

 

[beans-on-toast]

The HumX (http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/HumX) goes on the power plug although they sell other products for signal level hum issues. Unfortunately the HumX is a bit expensive just to try and see with the Moog.

If the problem is power ground related, you would hear a low frequency (60Hz) hum. If the hum is at a higher frequency, it could be something else, maybe even from the Moog circuits.

 

[svtb15]

A friend here on TB just got the A-Design JM3001.. The predecessor to the VENTURA.... Its a black face..
What he describes is my wish...I am rarely jealous... HAhah I asked him to com here and comment about it when he is able... It is the difference between consumer grade stuff and Pro audio..
Looking forward to hearing about it

 

[peterbright]

Quite DEVOted are we?

So I have a really important dilemma...

I was thinking the REDDI looked really cool on top of my new amp but could possibly stand a little decoration...what do you all like better...

Red:

or blue:

I'm leaning toward red. None is an unacceptable answer.

Amen! Say hi to him for us, please!

 

[JimmyM]

Of course I'm one of the DEVOted! De-evolution is real.

 

[peterbright]

It's obvious these are the best...is there a second best?