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REDDI Tube DI Mega Thread . Potential megathread that is.

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#361
I understand the benefits of using the Reddi in the studio, with IEMs, and as a DI to FOH.

But, as a working bassist playing through traditional backline, how might I benefit from the Reddi if, as I understand it, the "through" signal that's fed to my on-stage rig receives none of the Reddi goodness?

Are those of you who are using the Reddi live doing something to send the effected signal to your bass amps?
 
#364
PS the thru jack is not affected by the REDDI tube or OT transformer. It is simply a "Y" to the input jack... The REDDI was originally intended as only a Studio DI.. and not to be used live.. So the early ones did not have a Through jack .. They only had an Input and XLR out.. It was originally intended as a Pro Audio input device only.. Then we got hip to how great they are and started to use them live.... At that point Peter decided to put a thru jack on the front.. My friend/ studio owner has an old one without the THRU.. They Sound the same ..
 
#365
I'll be using my REDDI through IEMs at a rehearsal tonight for a gig on Friday that is an amp-less stage setup. Normally I dread this sort of gig (love my rig!) but the REDDI sounds SOOOO good through IEMs, that for once in my life I don't completely miss my amp setup. I'll still wish I had an amp at my back, but the sound of my bass through the REDDI is pretty compelling and the load in/out can't be beat! :bassist:
 
#366
Jazzdogg said:
I understand the benefits of using the Reddi in the studio, with IEMs, and as a DI to FOH.

But, as a working bassist playing through traditional backline, how might I benefit from the Reddi if, as I understand it, the "through" signal that's fed to my on-stage rig receives none of the Reddi goodness?

Are those of you who are using the Reddi live doing something to send the effected signal to your bass amps?
Click to expand...

My band's PA has 24-track live recording capability, so I use the REDDI to go into the board (which drives both the FOH & our hard disk recorder). I use the REDDI's THRU line to feed my stage amp, so no REDDI effect there.
 
#367
No joke about an easy load in and out with just a bass a cable and the REDDI..


Limeman said:
I'll be using my REDDI through IEMs at a rehearsal tonight for a gig on Friday that is an amp-less stage setup. Normally I dread this sort of gig (love my rig!) but the REDDI sounds SOOOO good through IEMs, that for once in my life I don't completely miss my amp setup. I'll still wish I had an amp at my back, but the sound of my bass through the REDDI is pretty compelling and the load in/out can't be beat! :bassist:
Click to expand...
 
#368
Jazzdogg said:
I understand the benefits of using the Reddi in the studio, with IEMs, and as a DI to FOH.

But, as a working bassist playing through traditional backline, how might I benefit from the Reddi if, as I understand it, the "through" signal that's fed to my on-stage rig receives none of the Reddi goodness?

Are those of you who are using the Reddi live doing something to send the effected signal to your bass amps?
Click to expand...
Don't need it. I use Ampegs already ;)

It would be cool if you could pass that sound to the amp, but I think it would likely involve a buffer circuit to keep both signals at a level that would work without degrading each other, and I like that the REDDI's pure that way without any unnecessary stuff. Anything added to it could screw with it, and I don't think I want that just to get a sound out of my amps that I'm getting already. It does one thing, it does it better than anything else on the market in the DI category, and I'm cool with that.

Clips very shortly!
 
#369
JimmyM said:
Don't need it. I use Ampegs already ;)

It would be cool if you could pass that sound to the amp, but I think it would likely involve a buffer circuit to keep both signals at a level that would work without degrading each other, and I like that the REDDI's pure that way without any unnecessary stuff. Anything added to it could screw with it, and I don't think I want that just to get a sound out of my amps that I'm getting already. It does one thing, it does it better than anything else on the market in the DI category, and I'm cool with that.

Clips very shortly!
Click to expand...

Kudos to those of you who have invested in a Reddi solely for the benefit of the audience; that's a $700 act of altruism!
 
#370
Ha! How it sounds to the audience is everything to me. Sure, I could do a gig on a Whirlwind and be just fine (and I have, no doubt about it), but I always want to give the audience the best signal I have at my disposal because it matters to me. That's not altruism...that's looking out for #1.
 
#371
OK, got an insane amount of files here...some explanations are in order.

I recorded 3 different basses:

76 Precision with 62 Custom Shop P and dead Chrome flats
SX PJ with stock pickups and new XL rounds
Guitar Factory 4-string neck-thru with EMG PJ's and new XL rounds

Into four different DI's:

Countryman Type 85
A-Designs REDDI
1964 Ampeg B-15N with the Countryman taking a speaker level out
Tech 21 VT Bass Deluxe

I recorded the B-15 twice with each bass, once with an EQ that sounded similar to the REDDI (or so I thought...could be wrong), and once with the bass and treble knobs at noon. Each device went directly to my M-Audio 2496 soundcard, and the only alterations I did were trying to even out the levels. No compression or any other processing was used, and I tried to keep my playing as consistent as possible. Got three samples of songs in each one, two with fingers, one with pick. Didn't record with a click so they don't line up exactly, but I did line them up sort of for easy comparison if you want to lay them out in a DAW and switch between them quickly. And I don't want to hear about how I didn't do it scientifically enough for your tastes, you double blind testing whiners!!!

Here's the files for the 76 Precision:

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The SX PJ:

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The Guitar Factory:

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The VT got a little different treatment. I did a track with each bass with the VT alone, then the VT into the REDDI. I did all the clean tracks, then added a couple clips of old rock favorites that use distortion. Fingers on the first, pick on the second.

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Going to post comments in another post because my computer tends to reboot on me and it's about due.
 
#373
OK, so first off, I think we need to have a big hand for all the competitors ;)

But really, I thought all of them give you a quality DI signal that can be used to record or play bass live. But I'm sorry, you listen to the Countryman and the VT and you think that sounds pretty good until you hear the B-15 or the REDDI. The notes just sound more alive and they pop out at you. It's especially apparent when you play higher notes. A lot of times the higher notes get too plinky and banjo-like with SS DI's, but the ones with the REDDI and the B-15 have girth. Same with the VT's clean sound...the VT does a little better but that tubey push over the cliff is missing with both of them to my ears. And when you add the REDDI after the VT's distortion, it gives the top end a really nice sheen that makes it come to life in a way that always just missed when I'd run the VT by itself.

Comparing the REDDI and the B-15, it's hard for me to choose a clear favorite. Obviously, the B-15 has more tonal control, power tubes, and much more massive transformers. But the closer I got the B-15's EQ to what comes out of the REDDI, the closer they sounded to me. Again, I don't think I had it perfect, but I think I got it close, and I'm hearing pretty much equal amounts of tubey punch out of both. Also, I've heard folks talk about the "colored" sound of the REDDI, but compared to the Countryman, which has flat response up to 10k and tapers off gradually up the scale, the REDDI's voicing doesn't sound far off of that to my ears. Has way more balls and the high end is prettier, but the voicing sounds pretty neutral and usable for any situation.

The B-15 has some faint noise in the background, which I figure was because I had the volume at about 10:00, which is the point that it's toying with the idea of overdrive, or maybe some other reason caused it, don't know, don't care. You'd never notice it in a mix. I used the B-15's volume knob to set gain, and it was still kind of quiet into the computer and I had to boost it even further with my DAW's knobs. But it's all totally worth it. Listen to that tone, willya? Even with me playing it ;) Anyone who doesn't like that just doesn't know bass tone, sorry.

But the REDDI's copping that vibe for me in a big way, plus it's quieter and easier to work with. It's a very simple to use DI that does one thing and does it incredibly well as far as I'm concerned.

BTW, none of these pieces of gear are going away anytime soon. Even the Countryman ;)
 
#374
Jimmy, great clips....thanks for sharing!

God I love that B15 tone, pretty much perfection for me, but the REDDI is right behind it IMO. You described it perfectly....it has balls (like the B15) that the 85 or VTD just can't match. Not that they're bad by any means, but it's just a different level. I have to get my hands on one of these to try for myself!

I do have to say though, you have the VTD sounding really nice. Can I ask what settings you used on that for the non-OD clips?
 
#375
Thx Jed, I tried to match the VTD's bypassed tone so it wasn't too much of a shock to soundmen when I kicked it on. I think it's bass at 12:30, character at 12:15, mids 12:15, treble 9:30, maybe 10:00. EDIT: Also turned the drive up to about 8:30....forgot about that. Gotta say I think the VT is a cool little box, and that emulation stuff has come a long way since the early days of Sansamp, but I think this proves that transformers and tubes do still make quite a difference.
 
#376
Wow, nice to see two people listened to the clips in the last 6 hours.

;)

Anyway, I had to hear what happens with the REDDI and the VTD with the rounds and/or the EMG's, so I added a few more VTD-centric clips. The VTD is an Ampeg emulating pedal, and it forces a speaker simulation that takes off lows below like 55hz and highs above 4.5k, so it does cut down on the dramatic effect of the REDDI, but not by a whole lot IMHO. To me, the tracks with the VT through the REDDI have a little prettier high end and a wider presence, more subtle a change but definitely noticeable, especially when playing higher notes.

I'll give the VT a lot of respect. It was the first totally SS device that I ever thought copped similar sounds to an Ampeg tube amp. I give a lot of these second generation micros respect as well. They're getting better with emulation. But compare the clean tones of the VT by itself vs. the clean tones of the REDDI by itself, and it's not even close. It's plainly a richer and fuller overall sound in the REDDI and B-15.

Anyway, I'll quit going on about it for tonight, but come on, have a listen to a couple clips...I worked so hard ;)
 
#378
JimmyM said:
Wow, nice to see two people listened to the clips in the last 6 hours.

;)

Anyway, I had to hear what happens with the REDDI and the VTD with the rounds and/or the EMG's, so I added a few more VTD-centric clips. The VTD is an Ampeg emulating pedal, and it forces a speaker simulation that takes off lows below like 55hz and highs above 4.5k, so it does cut down on the dramatic effect of the REDDI, but not by a whole lot IMHO. To me, the tracks with the VT through the REDDI have a little prettier high end and a wider presence, more subtle a change but definitely noticeable, especially when playing higher notes.

I'll give the VT a lot of respect. It was the first totally SS device that I ever thought copped similar sounds to an Ampeg tube amp. I give a lot of these second generation micros respect as well. They're getting better with emulation. But compare the clean tones of the VT by itself vs. the clean tones of the REDDI by itself, and it's not even close. It's plainly a richer and fuller overall sound in the REDDI and B-15.

Anyway, I'll quit going on about it for tonight, but come on, have a listen to a couple clips...I worked so hard ;)
Click to expand...

I listened to your clips shortly after you put them up, and again just a few minutes ago. Perhaps the sound card on my Macbook is responsible, or my Sennheiser HD590s, or my ears, but I didn't hear differences among the several recordings that I found remarkable.

Sorry. :hiding:
 
#379
Passinwind said:
I listened to the first group, and dug the B15 by far the most. I'll check out the rest tomorrow when I can use speakers, not just cans.
Click to expand...
Thx for listening, Charlie. Yeah, what's not to love about the B-15, eh? Sounds awesome to my ears, and it has the size and preamp advantage, too. I think even Peter Montessi would agree with that. The nooned B-15 tracks were just to give everyone an idea of what a nooned B-15 sounds like, though, while the other B-15 track I tried to EQ it closer to the voicing of the REDDI, so forget the nooned tracks other than for fun.

Unfortunately, on the EQ'd B-15 tracks it sounds more scooped than the REDDI. I tried to get them close but I don't have a very good monitoring system with my crap recording setup, so it's hard to judge as the stuff's going down to tape, especially lows. Might play around with an EQ plugin tomorrow and see what happens when I get them dialed in closer to each other, but I think the REDDI hangs quite admirably and is clearly more in the B-15's league than the VT, no disrespect intended to the folks at Tech 21. Whatever that little something special about the B-15 is, I hear it in the REDDI. I really think if they had the exact same EQ's that the REDDI would hang.
 
#380
Jazzdogg said:
I listened to your clips shortly after you put them up, and again just a few minutes ago. Perhaps the sound card on my Macbook is responsible, or my Sennheiser HD590s, or my ears, but I didn't hear differences among the several recordings that I found remarkable.

Sorry. :hiding:
Click to expand...
That's OK. I consider it a testament to my consistently mad awesome skillz :bassist: Or your Macbook has a crap soundcard. Or maybe you took one too many Tylenol PM's ;) Tried very hard not to give any of them an unfair advantage with playing and EQ and volume tricks, even the B-15. But I definitely hear a difference, even in my crap computer speakers I can hear it. It's all going to sound like me playing because it's me playing, but I hear the REDDI and B-15 as being miles above.
 
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