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REDDI Tube DI Mega-thread-III

#945
N. Kentucky Bass said:
Here's another "guess the REDDI" post. I think the REDDI is a terrific DI. There are other excellent DIs, too, and each can have its place depending on recording production goals, output by particular instruments, strings, pickups, etc. I've designed this to be a "blind" test with a REDDI all-tube active DI, [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] class-A active direct box, and a [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] passive direct box. I will post what's what in a few weeks after you get a chance to audit the results. Best way to audit is to download each group of three randomly labeled files and drop them into a DAW, allowing you to switch back and forth for instant DI comparisons of the identical test. You can also play the files directly below. WAV files are hosted in my Dropbox account.

DIs & SIGNAL CHAIN

The bass was plugged directly into a REDDI ---> REDDI out jack into a Radial JDV ---> JDV out jack into a Radial JDI. This configuration enabled a simultaneous 3-channel recording through all 3 DIs.

XLRs from the 3 DIs went into a Zoom H6 solid state recorder @ 48Kbps/16 bit WAV. The recording inputs were set to -6dB for all 3 channels. Output from Presonus Studio One into 44Kbps/16 bit WAV format with no EQ or compression applied. Photo of the testbed:

Link Removed

THE EXERCISE

I played finger-style chordal scales (modes) starting at the bottom of the neck to the top using the open A string as base, then shifted to the E string and proceeded back to the bottom of the neck / open E string. Going up, I played legatto notes at different tempos. Going down, I played stacatto notes in quarter, triplet and eight-notes. The result provides different note envelope patterns at all points of the fretboard. The exercise took about 20 minutes. I repeated it twice: once for each instrument.

INSTRUMENTS

FrankenFender P-Bass -- 20-frets on a MIA neck, strung with brand new groundwounds (loosened up with two hours of play prior to the test), passive Lindy Fralin pickups & Babicz bridge & Hipshot Ultralight tuners on a MIM body, volume and tone knobs on full. Played with fingers over the pickups. WAV files for the three randomly labeled DIs are:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]


Rob Allen Deep 4 fretless -- 22-frets, black nylon tapewounds, active piezo pickup, EQ settings flat. Didn't quite make it all the way to the top of the neck as the two extra fret regions make the fretboard wider (and harder to play with my short reach). Played with fingers about an inch or so beyond end of fretboard. WAV files for the three randomly labeled DIs are:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]


Download all files in a single ZIP file:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed] (409.3MB)

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed] (377.2MB)
Click to expand...




Nice DI Smack Down. Love all the DI's... Hope you tell us which is which soon. Very Close. A good engineer can work with any of those signals. I like the JDI. Is it A or C? Although I can work with B also.
 
#954
Pimmsley said:
Don't the multiple boxes load the raw signal down ? I was always under the impression that a non buffered splitter (like the through outputs on the boxes) would impact the signal... thus changing the signal as it goes through each box ?!?
Click to expand...

I don't know. That's above my pay grade. But I deliberately chose to send the signal through the REDDI first to eliminate accusations of test design bias (from this forum! :). Personally I perceive the signals recorded from all three DIs to be strong. Different, too. All will become clear when I reveal the correctly labeled results.
 
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#955
My REDDi is out on the truck and in my rack since i got in from a gig yesterday and didnt grab it.... .Dont have a case for my studio REDDI so i went naked on a church sub gig today.. FOH guy has a Grammy or two.. and moonlights as i do when we are in town at this big church..
So instead I used the churches J48 today. Ill never do it again. Not only were my IEMs not happening compared to what im used to. but FOH said to Never show again without it. Signal level was fine but its thinner sounding than the REDDI down low and not as smooth from what he told me after the service.... Its a feel thing and not so much audible thing.. .. People only 'get it" once they use it..Im blessed and lucky to have a piece of pro audio gear. I use westone ES30 IEMS. The FOH is a Meyer system.. They dont cut corners.... FOH is putting in a Req order to buy a REDDI for them...
 
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#956
N. Kentucky Bass said:
I don't know. That's above my pay grade. But I deliberately chose to send the signal through the REDDI first to eliminate accusations of test design bias (from this forum! :). Personally I perceive the signals recorded from all three DIs to be strong. Different, too. All will become clear when I reveal the correctly labeled results.
Click to expand...

Cool UB, wasn't trying to be a party pooper, I'm just hyper paranoid about that kind stuff...
I'm saving my gig pennies for a REDDI...
Great stuff all !
 
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