Fishman Aura F1 Plus :Easy Mode"

[Kittoon]

I am into my 5th day with my brand new Martin OMCPA1. The first two days with the guitar were pretty bad. I did not take to the sound. Overly bright. An "over-processed sound with my set-up. But I stuck with it after some advice on this forum. Mostly the EQing. But also, I think slightly adapting my attack. I am used to Martins with KK pickups but wanted to try active just to see if I was missing out on anything!

I am glad I did because now I can't put it down! This neck is so very ..fast. The sound IS brighter with this guitar but not in a bad way. I have 3 other Martins, but they are standard. (Taylors are really not my "cup of tea)

Question: I have been only in Fishmans "Easy Mode" (Setting "1" the phase button (I think) on "+" setting (better bass) Am I missing out anything incredibly significant
tone-wise by staying in Easy Mode?


I estimate I will be ready to enter the fancy mode in a week or two, but I would think Martin would make the selections available in Easy Mode sound pretty darn good!

[Rmz76]

Originally Posted by Kittoon

I am into my 5th day with my brand new Martin OMCPA1. The first two days with the guitar were pretty bad. I did not take to the sound. Overly bright. An "over-processed sound with my set-up. But I stuck with it after some advice on this forum. Mostly the EQing. But also, I think slightly adapting my attack. I am used to Martins with KK pickups but wanted to try active just to see if I was missing out on anything!

I am glad I did because now I can't put it down! This neck is so very ..fast. The sound IS brighter with this guitar but not in a bad way. I have 3 other Martins, but they are standard. (Taylors are really not my "cup of tea)

Question: I have been only in Fishmans "Easy Mode" (Setting "1" the phase button (I think) on "+" setting (better bass) Am I missing out anything incredibly significant
tone-wise by staying in Easy Mode?


I estimate I will be ready to enter the fancy mode in a week or two, but I would think Martin would make the selections available in Easy Mode sound pretty darn good!

Outside of "easy mode" you can select which image you would like. Imagine if you were in a studio and wanted to use a Neumann SKM 185 on your guitar instead of an Sure SM57 dynamic microphone and you wanted it positioned a certain way. The various images that come with your Aura aim to give you this flexibility through emulation.

How much it sounds like the real thing is debatable. I am a fan of the sound of Aura. I started paying attention to it when I noticed artist like Brad Paisley and Jason Isbell use Aura imaging on stage. I've seen both in concert and their live sound is excellent. Also those are artist who are both guitar geeks at heart and very much not passive about what tech they use.

I think a lot of confusion comes from Martin nor Fishman providing a detailed list of what each image is based on. I think they did this so no direct comparisons would be drawn. This is one thing I like about the external units. I have an Aura Spectrum and I like how I have detailed list of what each Image is based on. I imagine if you contacted Martin and asked they could probably provide this. Then again, if you like the sound you're getting on easy mode, it may be worthwhile not to hassle with it

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by Kittoon

I am into my 5th day with my brand new Martin OMCPA1. The first two days with the guitar were pretty bad. I did not take to the sound. Overly bright. An "over-processed sound with my set-up. But I stuck with it after some advice on this forum. Mostly the EQing. But also, I think slightly adapting my attack. I am used to Martins with KK pickups but wanted to try active just to see if I was missing out on anything!

I am glad I did because now I can't put it down! This neck is so very ..fast. The sound IS brighter with this guitar but not in a bad way. I have 3 other Martins, but they are standard. (Taylors are really not my "cup of tea)

Question: I have been only in Fishmans "Easy Mode" (Setting "1" the phase button (I think) on "+" setting (better bass) Am I missing out anything incredibly significant
tone-wise by staying in Easy Mode?


I estimate I will be ready to enter the fancy mode in a week or two, but I would think Martin would make the selections available in Easy Mode sound pretty darn good!

When you enter the "fancy mode" look for a Ribbon Mic Image and give it a try. On all the Aura-equipped Martins I've owned, I always liked the Ribbon Mic the best for its warmth.

[rmyAddison]

You bought a guitar with sophisticated electronics, why wouldn't you download the manual and take the time to learn all the features/controls and get the best sound possible??

I do agree with SpruceTop, I've owned a DC-Aura, OMC-Aura and GPCPA1, the ribbon microphone image was my favorite too, it takes the sharpness/edge out of the trebles.

Seriously, get the manual, why struggle, you don't know what you don't know without it...........

Edit - http://fishman.com/documents/FSD/f1_...user_guide.pdf

[pfflyer55]

Go to the Martin website and download the manual and also you can look at you tube and see the demo video with various instructions. Your guitar should have a dvd video included in the cubby with the Martin docs.

[rmyAddison]

I added the Fishman F1 Aura + manual website to my previous response....read it..........

[Kalani]

Don't mean to hijack this thread but do any of you find that the F1 Aura eats up batteries quickly?

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by Kalani

Don't mean to hijack this thread but do any of you find that the F1 Aura eats up batteries quickly?

The F1 Aura eats up batteries much quicker than my Trance Amulet M system.

[mlebofsky]

Does anyone know what the 1-3 presets are? What they contain?

[Prof M]

The presets are images 1-3 of the 9 published images for the specific guitar model. I have a list of these, but do not know how they are blended - they are not 100% image nor 50/50 pickup/image for sure. What Guitar do you have?

[Shaneh]

Here is the break down on all images

http://onemanz.com/guitar/reviews/ac...s-aura-images/