|
Post by Cams on Apr 24, 2016 20:40:32 GMT
I recently got a D-Tar Solstice off eBay to blend my Pick-up-the-World Dynamic Trio and tried it out at a ceilidh band gig last night. I struggled to get good tone with it and got rather frustrated, so I spent a large chunk of today with a PA in my living room and studio headphones to try and dial it in. This is the third variant of that particular pick-up that I've had and it's been installed and moved numerous times, so I'm pretty confident that I've found its sweet spots and installed it properly. But still I couldn't get decent tone with the Solstice. Then I thought about trying my Baggs Venue DI as I've had good results with it and the Lyric in another guitar. I can't use it on its own with the PUTW because I need to preamp and blend two sources first, so I put the Venue DI on the FX channel of the Solstice and think I might just have got something. It sounded good through the headphones and my studio monitors. I'll give it a go on Friday next week with the bluegrass band and take the Santa Cruz as a backup just in case. Mixing sound is hard. I'm still pondering selling my DIs and buying a Grace Felix, but they're just so expensive. I do feel like it might be the one DI to rule them all that I'm looking for though. Here's a recording I did tonight through the Solstice/Venue rig into Audacity. https%3A//soundcloud.com/cams-campbell/ye-banks-braes-1
|
|
|
Post by jackorion on Apr 25, 2016 6:13:21 GMT
Sounds pretty good to me - what did you not like about it without the venue?
I guess the solstice only has fixed EQ so maybe your particular setup needs a more specific eq so the parametric mid of the the Venue help out...
|
|
|
Post by Cams on Apr 25, 2016 8:30:31 GMT
Sounds pretty good to me - what did you not like about it without the venue? I guess the solstice only has fixed EQ so maybe your particular setup needs a more specific eq so the parametric mid of the the Venue help out... It was too brash without the Venue – usable, but not particularly nice. The Venue mellowed it all out, smoothed the curve. I'm wondering about the background hiss on the Solstice though. Noisy preamps?
|
|
|
Post by andyhowell on Apr 25, 2016 11:51:08 GMT
I found the background hiss a bit disturbing as well! I guess you've tried the Solstice with a simpler pickup system? I notice Pick up The World suggest you email them about preamp compatibility but I can't imagine there would be a problem with the Solstice?
I know you are not keen on the Headway but I've never had any problem with it getting a good sound out of a passive pickup. The Felix looks fabulous but as you say costs rather a lot.
I wonder if there is something wrong with that Solstice?
|
|
|
Post by Cams on Apr 25, 2016 12:31:56 GMT
Yes, the hiss is there with the Lyric and the K&K.
I have a long history of correspondence with David Enke at PUTW to the point where he stopped responding to me after I returned a preamp to him for repair. The Solstice has the right ohm rating so I know I'm good there. As does the Felix.
I'm not ruling out the Headway, but its having EQ on the blend rather than individual channels is a bit of a head scratcher. I've read a lot about the whys and wherefores on that, and accept that that's just how it is. I'd like to try one. Maybe used off eBay and move it on as I will might do with the Solstice.
|
|
|
Post by andyhowell on Apr 25, 2016 15:56:58 GMT
To be honest I've never found the Headway eq on the blend to be a problem.
|
|
|
Post by Cams on Apr 26, 2016 8:28:31 GMT
To be honest I've never found the Headway eq on the blend to be a problem. What pick-up / mic combo are you feeding into it?
|
|
|
Post by andyhowell on Apr 26, 2016 8:51:06 GMT
My guitars have Headway and Fishman pickups in them. But it is also regularly used by K&K users - easy to switch can from active to passive impedence.
I've always use external mics including a Beyerdynamic 995 ( great sound but a little feedback prone, K 194 (?) and best of all - weirdly - the AKG C1000.
The mic is EQ-ed easily through position. Mine is attached to a mic stand bracket and aimed at 12th fret. In reality with thei blend you are EQ-Ing the pickup.
I have used it with a DPA 4099 which was easy enough to set up but a little feedback prone when using the Bose L system.
In the real world the C1000 has proved to be pretty feedback proof and its main role has been to give air to the signal. Playing solo I have managed a 75/25 mic to pickup blend which was rather nice.
On pickup alone this is nice. The Headway pickup I appreciate more and more. With the K & K the Headway preamp naturally seems to take any harshness out of the system.
The 5 band EQ is very versatile. With an UST I tend to just roll off a little bass and lower mids. With the K&K - on nylon strings - a touch of presence and maybe treble helps. The notch filter works very well.
Pretty easy to dial in a nice sound.
I don't worry about the technicals much. I just know the sound is lovely. Ask RobbieJ - he has similar thoughts!
|
|