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Sonic Farm 2di4

#22
I wonder how the eq and tone match would be with a Darkglass B7K into the 2di4 through a 1200 ICE? The 2di4 seems like a great foundation to work with and the B7K can provide any dirt or overdrive along with a 4 band eq (100, 1000, 1800, 5000 Hz). With the 300/500 and 4000 Hz adjustments on the 2di4 you have the useful spectrum pretty well covered along with pristine tube tone, the B7K palette and a hefty power section to drive your cab.
 
#24
I've got one of these on the way from Sonic Farm, sitting in the customs office in San Francisco. It will be fronting the "inferior" ICE power amp in my Puma 900. Had Pro Cables 'n Sound make me a custom cable to go into the Puma's effects in jack. I also just grabbed a used Empress ParaEQ (a box I used to own) for front end modeling. I presume the DI will be just as good as the REDDI (I've owned two of those). But I'm especially keen to see how it works as a preamp. Hopefully better than an SIB Fatdrive I used to regularly gig with an EA Micro! :) Ditto a Jules Amps DeMonique. We'll see how it goes. (JGR, make sure I'm still high on that dang list! :)
 
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#26
Mike Arnopol said:
Just talked to Boris. They're starting to work on the amp next month. Just to clarify---the amp will be happening.
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I read all the comments on the Sonic Farm 2DI4 & the Fatboy.

The 2DID4 sounds like more my cup of tea.
Hope they come out with a dedicated bass preamp or a dedicated bass head.

Question for Mike A. - do you run the balanced line out into something like Reiner's Class-D power amp with the appropriate adapter or what?
I would think (for instance) on something like the Crest ProLite 3.0 you could run balanced XLR output to the balanced XLR input.
 
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#27
If there is a balanced input---xlr to xlr. I also have cables I've made from balanced xlr to unbalanced 1/4".

Jonathan's has a 1/4" and xlr input. I have the Ice 700 in a box withjust a 1/4" in. I don't notice a big difference.
 
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#28
I also lean toward the 2di4. I LOVE the Fatboy, though. To me, the SF is incredible nuance and detail with just enough tube warmth for a beautiful organic sound. The Fatboy is almost the opposite (within the realm of top tube preamps). It'll translate the most subtle right hand nuance into the biggest bass sound you would want before it starts to lose definition. And just enough detail up top to put it ahead of the Demeters and other tube preamps. But the Fatboy isn't at all versatile.It does one sound---one sound that happens to be one of the most desired sounds in music today. If you think of the sound that the Nashville guys need on sessions----that's what the Fatboy does.

The SonicFarm ---how can I say this? It's not very colored. But it has a nice (and more subtle than other tube pres) tube richness to the sound that is phenomenal. Almost like if you took an analytical sound that captures everything and the add just enough warmth and harmonic richness.

And then there's JGR's I can't wait to really try it. At the GTG I was extremely impressed. But it was hard to get a good enough read for me---gotta get it on a gig. I hope I have the opportunity to try one. His BOT (which this amp is based on) di/pre would sit in the middle to me. (between the SF and Fatboy) Leaning closer to the SF. A bit more "hair" on the note than the SF but much less than the Demeter.
 
#29
Mike Arnopol said:
If there is a balanced input---xlr to xlr. I also have cables I've made from balanced xlr to unbalanced 1/4".

Jonathan's has a 1/4" and xlr input. I have the Ice 700 in a box withjust a 1/4" in. I don't notice a big difference.
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Thanks!



Mike Arnopol said:
I also lean toward the 2di4. I LOVE the Fatboy, though. To me, the SF is incredible nuance and detail with just enough tube warmth for a beautiful organic sound. The Fatboy is almost the opposite (within the realm of top tube preamps). It'll translate the most subtle right hand nuance into the biggest bass sound you would want before it starts to lose definition. And just enough detail up top to put it ahead of the Demeters and other tube preamps. But the Fatboy isn't at all versatile.It does one sound---one sound that happens to be one of the most desired sounds in music today. If you think of the sound that the Nashville guys need on sessions----that's what the Fatboy does.

The SonicFarm ---how can I say this? It's not very colored. But it has a nice (and more subtle than other tube pres) tube richness to the sound that is phenomenal. Almost like if you took an analytical sound that captures everything and the add just enough warmth and harmonic richness.

And then there's JGR's I can't wait to really try it. At the GTG I was extremely impressed. But it was hard to get a good enough read for me---gotta get it on a gig. I hope I have the opportunity to try one. His BOT (which this amp is based on) di/pre would sit in the middle to me. (between the SF and Fatboy) Leaning closer to the SF. A bit more "hair" on the note than the SF but much less than the Demeter.
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Yeah, I'd really like to hear Reiner's Studio 1200; I checked out most of the youtube clips, but it's way not the same as playing it (especially, on a gig).

Your description of the Sonic Farm sounds spot-on for my GAS, but like you said, I have to try it.
 
#31
I received a Sonic Farm 2di4 just over a week ago. I've been having so much fun using it as a preamp through the line-in power amp section of my Puma 900 and into a Greenboy Audio Fearless 110 cab that I just got around to testing the DI function. General observations: My perceptions are similar to Mike Arnopol's and Cameron Hood's. Fantastic clarity and 3D presence to notes - especially in the upper register. In the triode mode, the 2di4 sounds similar to a REDDI (of which I've owned and gigged two, and sold both). The 2di4 is slightly clearer in tone, less colored than the REDDI. The pentode mode is a whole different animal. The sonic presence of notes seems turbocharged compared to triod mode and REDDI. The difference is startling and night-and-day. I prefer the pentode mode for bass. The ability to simultaneously use the 2di4 as a preamp and DI, coupled with its physical size and weight being about half those of a REDDI, makes the Sonic Farm 2di4 a hands down winner.

With my Rob Allen Deep 4 fretless acoustic bass & black nylon tapewounds, the REDDI colored the tone too much to my ears. That's why I sold the REDDI and repurchased a Radial JDV Super Direct Box for its crystal clear clarity. After limited play, I really like the 2di4 with the Rob Allen Deep 4. The 2di4 sounds clearer and does not intrude on the acoustic's overtones. I have not had time to systematically test the 2di4 with the RA. This write-up focuses on use with my FrankenFender P-bass.


INSTRUMENT
The P-bass has a '95 MIA maple neck with rosewood fretboard and Hipshot Ultralight tuners, a '12 MIM '50s body with Lindy Fralin passive pickup and Babciz bridge, and is strung with Status Graphite HotWire half wounds.

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TEST BED
The signal chain was P-bass -> Sonic Research Turbo Tuner ST-200 -> Sonic Farm 2di4 in Pentode mode only

The 2di4 used its three outs:
  • Line Out -> Line In on the effects loop of a Tecamp Puma 900 -> Greenboy Audio Fearless 110 (tweeter on full) -> acoustically recorded via Zoom H6 large diaphragm condenser mic in cardiod mode -> Greenboy Audio Fearless 110 solid state recorder (sorry, not Neve-quality pres but they're decent) (all via XLR)
  • DI Out -> Zoom H6 solid state recorder (via XLR)
  • Amp Out -> [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] direct box -> [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] (via 1/4" jacks between DIs and from Radial DIs -> Zoom H6 via XLRs)
DI Testbed (l to r): Radial JDV, Radial JDI, Sonic Farm 2di4
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Greenboy Audio Fearless 110 / mic'd with AKG Perception 400 (into Zoom H6 via XLR)
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RECORDING PROCESS
I tracked three takes of a 3-minute surf/rock tune called Deprivation written by Andrew Robertson and played by our band, Link Removed.

The variations were with (1) pick, (2) pick and foam mute between the pickups and bridge (see photo), and (3) fingerstyle. The bass's tone and volume knobs were on full so all recordings were full range, albeit on the E and A strings only.

The drums and guitar tracks were played and recorded by Andrew a few weeks ago. He first recorded the drums track by placing an Apogee mic 3 feet in front of the drum kit and into an iPhone with the Harmonic Dog DAW. I then tracked bass with the Apogee close-micing my cab. He used those two tracks as backing for his guitar track. For this DI test, I played the three takes against Andrew's drum track through headphones. There was no lead-in count so you might hear a microsecond delay in me starting the bassline. It's also possible there was a flub here and there. Just remember: this ain't a Grammy performance or production with racks of exotic gear, it's just a demonstration of equipment capability with what's on hand! :) For the 2di4 DI tracks, I also included "with drums" and "with drums and guitar" mixes created with the Presonus Studio One DAW so you can hear the Sonic Farm DI in a mix.


RESULTS
Solo bass tracks are are WAV 24 bit 48 kHz. All are in their raw format as recorded @ ~-6dB with no EQ or effects. Click on each track to play, or download the bass tracks from my Dropbox account and use your DAW to jump between tracks for easy comparison. All bass tracks are synched. For the mixes, I added 7:1 compression to bass to boost its presence but did not add any EQ or other effects.

With Pick
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[Invalid or Expired Link Removed] from Dropbox (105MB)

With Pick and Foam Mute
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With Fingerstyle
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#33
thumbs&fingers said:
Would love to see some video if you are so inclined. I understand recorded sound quality via video will not be the best. But I think it would be interesting to watch.
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Sorry to be so direct, but this is a silly request. Any visual would substitute the higher quality audio files that are presented in the post. Who cares what the player looks like? All that matters is the recorded sound!
 
#34
Not disagreeing, perhaps you missed the acknowledgement of the reduction in sound quality. I don't think the request was silly because I don't have a sonic farm, yet. There are several other things I am interested in seeing in a video such as how you ran connections how you adjust controls as you play. I also accept that you are unable or unwilling to do a video, but lest ye not forget it was a polite request. Therefore, this is my polite response.
 
#35
thumbs&fingers said:
Not disagreeing, perhaps you missed the acknowledgement of the reduction in sound quality. I don't think the request was silly because I don't have a sonic farm, yet. There are several other things I am interested in seeing in a video such as how you ran connections how you adjust controls as you play. I also accept that you are unable or unwilling to do a video, but lest ye not forget it was a polite request. Therefore, this is my polite response.
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Sorry man, didn't mean to offend you. The photo shows how connections were run, and this was explained in depth in the text. There was no "adjusting controls" while I played. As mentioned, tone and volume were full on. That's it. You would have seen a old dude playing the bass, which I assure you would have looked quite boring. There really was nothing "visual" about this test. It's an exercise in listening to results that matters.
 
#36
All good. No hard feelings. I'm am really excited about the sonic farm. Got to play it very briefly at Mike Arnopol's one day a while back. I was there trying out several cabs, prototypes, and had brought several basses. I was so overwhelmed at the different things Mike had showed me with cabs and amps, I didn't spend enough time with the sonic farm. I wasn't ready to even consider how it worked or how it could be incorporated into a live rig. I also at that time wasn't ready to realize that Mike was opening my eyes and mind up about better tone. Since then I have started from scratch and shuffled some gear and have better understanding of how some of this stuff sounds so sweet.
 
#37
This morning I've been using the 2di4 with my Rob Allen Deep 4 fretless acoustic bass. I'm so excited by this clear tube tone! I'm preferring the triode mode with the bass boost in the #1 position, which adds some sweet "body" to the tone. I've also put an Empress Para EQ into the chain between the bass and 2di4. With the black nylon tapewounds, there is a mild "clack" against the fretboard that is easily dialed out with a slight cut at 1.5K with the Q set to mid-size. All this has been with the Puma 900's power section. In a week I'll be plugging into a QSC PLX 3602 to see what "big iron" does to change the tone.

Here's what the Empress Para EQ looks like. Very flexible. Compact: dimensions are 4.75"(w) x 3.75" (d) x 2.0" (high incl. knobs and switches). Weight = 1lb. True bypass if you want to take it out of the chain by tapping the foot switch.

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#38
radbass said:
Mike A. and I had the pre-amp shootout from hell yesterday. We tried the Sonic Farm, JGR's Box-O-Tone, and a Monique birdcage through JGR's stand alone 1200 watt ICE based amp through a MAS 6x6. The Monique sounded very lush and warm, a little too much for my taste. The Box-O-Tone sounded like the best tube amp I've heard turn up just before it got soft and slow. The Sonic Farm has just one of the best sounds ever. Sounds like to me like playing through real high dollar studio equipment, but with richer tube harmonics, like playing through an old Telefunken tube pre-amp into a Neve board. The best of both. I know this wasn't intended to be a bass pre-amp, but it sounds wonderful. I can't help thinking what this would be like with easier access to the eq, and possibly more range, or better yet, a compete bass amp!
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As a follow-up to this experience, I have used the Empress Para EQ to inject different feels of "fatness" to the 2di4. I did this with various settings of the low EQ near, below and above the 100hz setting and with mid, narrow and wide bands of Q. These variables changed the degree of fatness from the 2di4's stock setting. It would be interesting for those of you who have access to all 3 preamps to use a similar EQ device to confirm whether this sculpting erases the differences. My personal preference is to have a preamp with a more neutral sonic value that can be sculpted however I want it to be. That's one reason why I like the Fearless 110 and Fearless 210 cabs I'm using. Let me control the tone instead of having it baked into a one-trick pony device.
 
#40
Still enjoying the heck out the 2di4! I just picked up a used QSC PLX3602. I used to own one and had forgotten how satisfying it is to have uber headroom. I'm using the 725watt/8ohm single stereo channel for my Fearless 110 - super nice with the 2di4! Ultra smooth, plush, fat and girthy. Someone mentioned how there is a difference with the high power Class A/H (et al.) amps compared to the (in this case) 500 watts via Puma 900's ICE power unit. Not that the Puma was any slouch. It's just different in a very pleasing way, and brings out even more pure tone in the 2di4. I can't imagine why anyone would want a REDDI. This box does the DI thing better than REDDI and it provides a preamp for amplified tube tone.
 
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