#16
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I installed my Baggs M1 passive in my HRCJC for comparison. It had a nice
warmer synergy with the Alix rig vs a tad more detail with the Black Angel. I am leaving the M1 in for the time being. I still have the BA in the RSC. I also tried an active M1a...things just muddied up somewhat... probably due to too many gain stages. I thought I would mention this as an example of the Alix' transparency. |
#17
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i too would like to combine the felix and TD. but am curious about potential gain staging issues. |
#18
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I have used my Felix for guitar, mando and dobro. It is an excellent two channel pre (studio quality) and I blend mic and pickup sounds on the guitar for a loud but natural sound. No pickup on my mando, but a 57 or ear trumpet edwina into the Felix gives me GREAT sound. I think you will love it! |
#19
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I also purchased the session di to incorporate into my rig but I feel as though I now have a lot going on. That one might be sold off if the TD and Felix combination turn out to be great. |
#20
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The
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To really get a feel for what the LF knob does, set the HF knob roll-off to 20HZ with the dipswitch on the side set to rolloff. Set all other controls (mid range and high gain +/-n to their center positions). This way you can see exactly what your Low Frequency knob is doing!!! But if the the HPF Rolloff knob is set to anything higher higher then 125HZ you won't even hear what the Low Frequency knob is doing because it will be shaving everything off below 125HZ!!! That's why you should start with the HPF control at 20, just to see what kind of low-end the Alix is capable of reproducing. After that, set the LF knob to 0, and learn how using the HPF rolls of the lows (when the dipswitch is set to roll-off), or how it works as a frequency specific notch filter (when dipswitch is set to notch). I hope this helps clear up some things, if it didn't, my advice was free |
#21
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#22
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Rockabilly, thanks for the info. I guess I thought that it meant it started rolling things off at 250 hz instead of 125 hz. (like a low cut shelf). So it just changes the reference point on the low knob? It did seem to help when I switched it back to the factory setting of 125 hz though. I also thought the bass range sounded really nice, clear and tight, it was the mids and highs I was having problems with. I remember speaking with Bryan Sutton at a festival last year about his stellar sound.He was using a Baggs Anthem modified with a Joe Mills mic through a Grace Felix. He said he also had to turn the treble knob way back. But it sure sounded great. Anyway it's fun being a part of this discussion and learning something.
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#23
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I can see why you were confused then. But remember, if the low end is isn't dialed in right, everything else will sound thin. And when doing subtractive EQ with the mid range gain knob remember to start with a smaller Q. The big Q settings on the mid will leave holes in your tone that will sound un-natural, but the smaller settings really can be surgical in getting rid of the problematic piezo mids that honk.
To really get a feel for what frequency is the most offending. Tune your guitar to an open chord. Set your Alix to a small Q (about a 3rd of the range), set the mid +/- knob for a decent cut, and then start fingerpicking or strumming your guitar. While your playing the open chord, slowing sweep the mid frequency knob until your hear the cloud of offending midrange removed. Once you find the frequency that's the problem, adjust the Q to the point where the frequency is removed, but it's not leaving to big of a hole in your tone. As for the HF frequency knob it's effectiveness is actually going to be determined by what's coming off of your guitar pickup. Every Baggs pickup I'v ever used (and I've used the all), has had a plastic sounding top-end that required a lot of top cut, especially the Lyric and Anthem! |
#24
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#25
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Wow, so you have a Felix and an Alix now? I assume you have a stereo PU system then
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#26
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No, I’m going to use the Felix with one channel dedicated to a National resonator and the other channel dedicated to my acoustic guitar. And I would also like to use it for other gigs with one channel dedicated to a vocal mic and the other channel dedicated to an acoustic guitar. But first, I’m going to send it to Grace and they are going to modify it so the boost doesn’t work for the first channel, that way it won’t affect my vocal when I kick the boost on for guitar solos. I’ll be using it with a Keely Delay Workstation so that it has reverb and delay and it will be used as a mini mixer.
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#27
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i have the jumper set to 125 on ch 1 for guitar and 250 on ch 2 for mandolin, |
#28
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Hello, I am back. To make a long story, short, the Alix is boxed up for a
return. I spent the last couple of weeks trying different pickups in different guitars trying to find a magic combo or EQ setting. The Alix is very revealing. I definitely know the Baggs M1 and M1A are warmer than the more detailed, yet airy Black Angel. I learned the Venue errs to the warm side, whereas the Alix errs the bright/dry side. The PADI is somewhat in-between. FYI, the tests were all done thru a Bose L1 mod2 and an L1C. At the end of most every session, I would get the Alix sounding fine. But the next session, I would realize that to my ear, something was still not right, and I would start the EQ process again. I could cover up the sterility with the warmer sounding Baggs pickups at a loss of resolution. To be honest, the Alix always seemed to sound better in an A-B test, but it was just not 'fun' to my ear. It was easier to dial in good sound with the other units. Rambling notes: *I have a lot of 'respect' for what the Alix does....quiet, beautifully made, inner dynamics. *I may not have optimizing the EQ....or maybe a synergy misfit with my other gear....or maybe I am just horrible at the EQ process. * To my ear, the Alix is like a refined Fishman preamp.....a little sterile and lacking in air, but the quietness and dynamics are appealing. Thanks to all for following the thread, and following my journey and helping along the way. I am a relative newbie to AGF, but love to hear the sight and tips you find here. I this has helped others interested in preamp/DI boxes. By all means the Alix is an interesting unit and worthy of audition. YMMV, so go for it! Thanks.
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Michael Goodall MdRSC/Adirondack yr2018 + Sunrise Goodall RSC/Sitka yr2001 + Sunrise Goodall HRGCC/Italian yr2004 + Sunrise Martin D-10E Sitka/Sapele MX-T Bose L1 mod2, Pro8, S1 Pro, QSC K8.2, CP8 |
#29
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Finally received my Felix and was able to use it at a few gigs and I am extremely please with the results.
I spent much time testing various configurations and ended up using the 1M input impedance for my K&K mandolin pickup as others have previously mentioned. I have spent many years trying many different preamps and parametric eq’s to remove the unwanted sounds from my mandolins. Specifically, the boxy or honkey sound in the lower midrange, and the thump or thud sound that exists below 200hz that I hear when you pic the A or E string. Felix has solved my problem. The high pass filter is amazing. I left the jumper set at 125hz and am able to dial out the thump without impacting the tone of the instrument at all. It’s gone. The rest is easily taken care of by the midrange setting using a high q setting. The other channel is used for my dobro and is left essential flat because I am using a Fishman Jerry Douglas Aura pedal and Nashville pickup and given the nature of a resonator cone and how each room affects it differently I end up using the presets on it to get the sound I am happy with. I plan on concentrating on this in the near future to see what some adjustments on the eq might yield. Tuner output, effects loop, switches for mute, boost, channel, everything is top quality and this thing is dead quiet. I also like the input indicators on each channel that go green sensing a signal and red on clip. Thanks to all on this thread! |
#30
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I'm the person that posted earlier about my first impression of the Alix was "no meat on the bone". After reading this thread, curiosity got the best of me and I decided to try another one. I am totally wowed. I felt all along that something wasn't right about the first one I tried, but this one is impressive.
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