REDDI Tube DI Mega Thread . Potential megathread that is.

[svtb15]

I plug mine into my Tascam Bass Trainer all the time.. I just had an XLR to 1/4" made.... Works great....
Bass> REDDI> Tascam Bass Trainer> Westone ES2 IEMs.

I agree that not having a quarter-inch output that takes the affected tone is a severe limitation in the design. There are lots of use cases where having that makes a lot of sense, and only adds flexibility to the unit. Typically in the past when I was on the verge of ordering one, it was this one omission that helped convince me to postpone buying it, simply because I'd want to use it in my home practice which is typically done through a headphone rig to keep the noise low. I don't want to have to break out a mixer just to enjoy the REDDI. It would be nice if I could plug it into something like a Tascam Bass Trainer and get the REDDI tone.

 

[svtb15]

Ouch.. I agree with you Peter.. I think that some folks are not grasping the reality of how Pro Gear truly works, sounds reacts etc... and the application and methods where and why to apply those devices.... just sayin'.

When recording, I use my REDDI into my Erikson Montessi 500 Gold preamp... Fatness up the wazooo that can drive any +4 input..... up to a mile away!

The Erikson Montessi Preamp and BAC500 .. in my portable rack i used last week to record a friends band

OUCH REALLY?

It's a Direct Box NOT an FX box.

You can plug the REDDI into your headphone amp if that's what you are thinking.

 

[Son of Bovril]

I've mentioned this in other threads, but the JDI being a passive transformer DI, can be run backwards, so you can plug the xlr out from your REDDI into the xlr of the JDI and it will convert the signal back down to an instrument signal. I assume it will keep the REDDI tone but I haven't tested it yet...

This will allow you to run it before your amp similar to a pedal

If you want to use it as a standalone preamp into a poweramp I'm afraid you will need to add something inbetween to raise the gain level for most poweramps... I have used a dbx 160a compressor with good results

Thanx Peter, it is a great product! I don't think the affected thru is a limitation, but I think there are many people wanting this feature that it might be worth considering. If I had it I would use it...

 

[beans-on-toast]

I plug mine into my Tascam Bass Trainer all the time.. I just had an XLR to 1/4" made.... Works great....
Bass> REDDI> Tascam Bass Trainer> Westone ES2 IEMs.

To add, Neutrik makes a few [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] adapters. They are built well. You can also buy adapter cables.

If you have the parts, making an adapter isn't too difficult.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

​

 

[JimmyM]

Being able to input the REDDI from the OT into your rig as well as the board would be cool, I suppose, and there was a time I thought it would have been better if it did, but then I thought, what happens if you split that signal? Is it going to affect the sound to the board in a negative way? Is it going to cause the price to go up? Is it going to improve the sound of a SS amp or will the SS amp dull its effectiveness? And do I really need it to go to my all-tube amps?

So I decided that I either had to settle for something else that wasn't as good or I had to accept the REDDI for what it is...the very best DI on the market...and not worry so much that it's not all things to everyone. The second I heard it with me playing, I knew I did the right thing. I've come to respect how it does one thing better than anything else and that's it. And quite honestly, if Peter ever decided to make a more deluxe version, I don't think I'd need it, especially considering that the price would likely go up significantly.

So that's my take on it and YMMV, but I'm happy with the REDDI as it is.

 

[svtb15]

+1,000,000

Being able to input the REDDI from the OT into your rig as well as the board would be cool, I suppose, and there was a time I thought it would have been better if it did, but then I thought, what happens if you split that signal? Is it going to affect the sound to the board in a negative way? Is it going to cause the price to go up? Is it going to improve the sound of a SS amp or will the SS amp dull its effectiveness? And do I really need it to go to my all-tube amps?

So I decided that I either had to settle for something else that wasn't as good or I had to accept the REDDI for what it is...the very best DI on the market...and not worry so much that it's not all things to everyone. The second I heard it with me playing, I knew I did the right thing. I've come to respect how it does one thing better than anything else and that's it. And quite honestly, if Peter ever decided to make a more deluxe version, I don't think I'd need it, especially considering that the price would likely go up significantly.

So that's my take on it and YMMV, but I'm happy with the REDDI as it is.

 

[Fretless5verfan]

I think the point/issue here is that people want the REDDI tone with a preamp's functionality lol. Which is what the Monique does (IMHO ). If Monique was JUST a pre w/o DI, I'd still have both and wouldn't mid lugging both around one bit. I just didn't feel it was economical to have something that was just an amazing DI, and something that was and equally amazing DI, AND a pre-amp. Though If I had cash to burn I'd still buy another REDDI just to support A-Designs. Marvelous gear, and great people making/designing it.

 

[Eublet]

Kirk, I love you man, but this whole thing you keep saying about understanding how pro gear works is rather silly. Though I certainly don't have your experience and resume, I know how pro gear works. I use it every week. There is TONS of pro gear out there, costing WAY more money than the REDDI, that has the simple feature I'd like to see on the REDDI, which is a quarter-inch out that has the same tone as the direct out. It's not like I'm asking for it to also do rig emulation or something. I'd like to see it be versatile enough to use in the situations I described, without having to lug around additional cables, pedals, and other DI's to accomplish it.

 

[Eublet]

Jason,

You can place as many stomp boxes as you want in front of the REDDI or am I not understanding what it is you are trying to say?

No, I'm saying I will usually use a stompbox in this kind of situation because I don't want a dry, uncolored tone through a straight DI like the JDI most of the time. Since the REDDI has such a wonderful tone itself, wouldn't it be nice to have a quarter-inch unbalanced output at instrument level that could be used to feed a JDI, or an FX return on a head? I get that you didn't design it to be used in this fashion. I'm simply asking why not?

As far as the one place you played that used a certain DI then that was their choice and I can't say or do anything there. I can make a box that uses a 9v battery and never fails (?) but would you like the sound you will get from it?

It's hard to say................

I wouldn't want you to try. I have plenty of those already.

A "design limitation" ?..........I wouldn't call it that at all.
MAYBE an "After Thought" but when you are developing a new product you try and think of everything you can at the time your are doing it.
The thought of producing a great DI was the ONLY thing on our minds at that time.
You never know what people will do with your product once it's out in the world.
Sometimes it just blows me away at what people use it for other than what it was designed for.

I get this. Honestly I do. I'm simply conveying a quite simple feature that would instantly open up the REDDI for many use cases. If you don't want to call it a design limitation, then okay. But the lack of a quarter out behind the tone shaping definitely means it has functional limitations. I named a few. Workarounds are just that.

But thanks for the input and if I decide to do another tube DI I will keep your suggestion in mind.

That's all I was hoping for, and letting you know I wouldn't have had nearly the same impediment to purchasing the REDDI if it had this. If it's not something you want to include in your own product, I'm cool with it. It's not like I'm mad about it or anything. It just seems to be a very common feature on most any pro (for Kirk's benefit) piece of gear I've ever seen. The Avalon U5, the Millenia, the Firefly, etc. Having a DI and quarter inch output is very common, so I'm not sure why it's being viewed by some as being a strange request.

 

[BurningSkies]

I think the point/issue here is that people want the REDDI tone with a preamp's functionality lol. Which is what the Monique does (IMHO ). If Monique was JUST a pre w/o DI, I'd still have both and wouldn't mid lugging both around one bit. I just didn't feel it was economical to have something that was just an amazing DI, and something that was and equally amazing DI, AND a pre-amp. Though If I had cash to burn I'd still buy another REDDI just to support A-Designs. Marvelous gear, and great people making/designing it.

I've been keeping my mout' shut, but it has crossed my mind. They're definitely different machines, but if you're looking for a REDDI type unit (or one that's tonally in the same ballpark) that can be a front end with with DI and tone controls you should be seriously looking at Monique.

 

[shwashwa]

I dont know why people are acting like the affected 1/4 inch output jack is such a strange thing or like it would be using the unit for something other than what it was designed for. the Avalon U5 is a pretty nice DI, and i use the affected 1/4 inch out all the time. it sounds so good that i would never not want to use it (you can switch that feature on and off on the Avalon). i mean, if everyone agrees that the REDDI sounds amazing, then wouldnt you want to hear that sound on stage too? not just out in the house? i know some people here comment on why would i need it with my tube amps, but we dont all have tube amps. reddi to house and reddi tone to my class D micro amp for on stage monitoring sounds like a no brainer. real tube and transformer tone, class D portability. jeeze, i could load in in one trip, but even more important, i could get out in a hurry! if my sound on stage is better it definately affects my playing. i guess for now that feature is left for the Jule Monique or the Avalon (solid state).

 

[svtb15]

Eublet, A resume' however it may seem really has nothing to do with it... its just a job...

I know that you like the sound of the REDDI.. Yeah it does have greatness and uniqueness.

But the REDDI is a DI.. It was designed to be a DI and not a preamp...
Yet people are wanting it to be a preamp... It will give you 16dB of gain... If that is not enough then blame the power amp company for a design flaw of not having a lower sensitivity to be driven ..
I use an A-Design Preamp as shown above when i record to boost to +4 console inputs only when recording.
Live it is the REDDI thru 300 feet of snake to wherever it goes.. Just like you would with any other DI on the market.

It would be like asking your car to be able to sail across the Gulf Of Mexico... The car is designed for use on a highway, and not on water..
And then when the car sinks in the Gulf of Mexico, you are frustrated that it did so and blaming it that it is a design flaw.. No, it was not made for that...As you know you will need a boat to accomplish sailing, not a car... That is what makes me come back at this over and over.

The REDDI was not designed to be a preamp... So it is not a design flaw.. And by using that term so loosely "design flaw" is Not an honest representation and misleading to the unknowing public of an otherwise great sounding pro DI.

If the amp that people use is not what you like, try another amp that is more to your liking ... But to say that the DI is not made correctly because it does not have every bell and whistle is silly...

 

[JimmyM]

The U5, Millenia, and Firefly don't have big iron output transformers like the REDDI, and their tones can be routed several different ways without degradation to the original signal. Now anyone who knows me knows I'm by far not an expert at this stuff, but considering that neither the REDDI nor the Monique send their XLR signal to the amp through the 1/4" jack (the Monique's line out is driven by a 12AU7 while its XLR uses the OT), I have to think that there are implications to routing the OT output to two outs. Certainly each signal will be cut in half at the very least. With the other DI's you mentioned, just buffering up/boosting the signal a little will take care of it. I don't know that you can do that with the REDDI or Monique, and I dont know that I would want a buffer circuit in front of it anyway. I use pedals and a couple have buffered bypass so I guess I'm sticking a buffer in front of it anyway, but I don't think I'd want that built into the REDDI. It's OK if I choose to degrade it, but not if they choose for me

 

[svtb15]

I hear ya.. right before i had my REDDI... maybe 6 years or so.. I had a UA Solo610 as my DI... It too had a preamp...
Nice unit.. But the second i brought both to a session, the engineer said to leave the UA at home.. Happened a second time at another studio.... The engineer has done everyone from Kirk Franklin to Metallica , Pantera and London Philharmonic, and a stint at Abbey Road Studios.
He knows his stuff.

I sold the UA and still use the REDDI... The Reddi just sits in the mix better than anything that i have used. People can get the Monique which i hear is nice but it will not sound like the iron of a reddi...

I think the point/issue here is that people want the REDDI tone with a preamp's functionality lol. Which is what the Monique does (IMHO ). If Monique was JUST a pre w/o DI, I'd still have both and wouldn't mid lugging both around one bit. I just didn't feel it was economical to have something that was just an amazing DI, and something that was and equally amazing DI, AND a pre-amp. Though If I had cash to burn I'd still buy another REDDI just to support A-Designs. Marvelous gear, and great people making/designing it.

 

[Fretless5verfan]

I sold the UA and still use the REDDI... The Reddi just sits in the mix better than anything that i have used. People can get the Monique which i hear is nice but it will not sound like the iron of a reddi...

Yes, two different pieces of equipment will sound different

To my ears, the UA solo 610, (along with a lot of other things) isn't even close to the Monique or the REDDI for bass tone. It shouldn't even be mentioned in the same sentence lol.

 

[BurningSkies]

The U5, Millenia, and Firefly don't have big iron output transformers like the REDDI, and their tones can be routed several different ways without degradation to the original signal. Now anyone who knows me knows I'm by far not an expert at this stuff, but considering that neither the REDDI nor the Monique send their XLR signal to the amp through the 1/4" jack (the Monique's line out is driven by a 12AU7 while its XLR uses the OT), I have to think that there are implications to routing the OT output to two outs. Certainly each signal will be cut in half at the very least. With the other DI's you mentioned, just buffering up/boosting the signal a little will take care of it. I don't know that you can do that with the REDDI or Monique, and I dont know that I would want a buffer circuit in front of it anyway. I use pedals and a couple have buffered bypass so I guess I'm sticking a buffer in front of it anyway, but I don't think I'd want that built into the REDDI. It's OK if I choose to degrade it, but not if they choose for me

Just a clarification, Jimmy.

The rack mount Monique now has both the DI and the Line driven by the AU7. The difference being that the DI also has the cinemag transformer too.

 

[svtb15]

+1

To my ears, the UA solo 610, (along with a lot of other things) isn't even close to the Monique or the REDDI for bass tone. It shouldn't even be mentioned in the same sentence lol.

 

[JimmyM]

So for a little fun, I just tried the REDDI's XLR out into the input of my Ampeg PF350 using an XLR/1/4" transformer and listened to it through the headphone out. Made a very significant improvement to the tone of the headphone out. So that makes me think that if you did that on a gig and went through your head's XLR out to the board, you could actually end up getting the REDDI through your amp AND the board. Of course it would go through your head's preamp before it goes through the board, so any EQ change you make on the head would also get sent to FOH, but if it works that well with the headphone out, certainly it would work that well with the XLR out of your head. Next gig I do, I'm going to try it. Nobody loves tube heads more than me, but hey, I AM 51

 

[Eublet]

So if I use the REDDI as is, it's a DI. If I use it with a quarter inch output (which it doesn't have), it's a preamp. Okay.....

The REDDI is, by definition, a preamp. All we're debating are the output options. Just sayin'.

 

[JimmyM]

Boy is my face red! I have said before that when I plugged the REDDI into the effect return, all I got was a hum. Apparently I should always wear my glasses because I was plugging into the send, not the return! Through the return it seems to work pretty well.

Sometimes I am one dopey bitch