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  #16  
Old 09-20-2016, 05:36 PM
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El Conquistador El Conquistador is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DesertTwang View Post
I find it very hard to imagine, though, that a few adjustments on the mixer's EQ could mean the difference between a plasticky, piezo-sound and a nice, natural guitar sound... Or could they?
In the words of Eric Sky, "Amplification is where the fun begins with electric guitars, and where the fun ends with an acoustic guitar"

Oh, yes they could.

Steve
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  #17  
Old 09-20-2016, 05:50 PM
lschwart lschwart is offline
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The bottom line here is pretty simple. DesertTwang should use the Red Eye into a mixer in the ways in which the two pieces of equipment are designed to be used. Then he or she will be able to judge whether or not the K&K/Red Eye combination is one that works to his or her satisfaction.

In this case, the key is to use each channel of a mixer for just one signal unless before the input some other small mixer is used to properly combine and adjust the signals.

Louis
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  #18  
Old 09-20-2016, 05:57 PM
Woodstock School Of Music Woodstock School Of Music is offline
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I have 3 different K&K guitars and each one sounds noticeably better going through my Redeye twin but I still have to eq them. I'd go back and hook up the Redeye XLR straight to the mixer XLR and take all the variables out of the equation and then judge from there. Also I would plug your guitar straight into the mixer and listen to it and then into the Redeye/mixer and listen to the difference.
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  #19  
Old 09-20-2016, 06:29 PM
Paultergeist Paultergeist is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lschwart View Post
The bottom line here is pretty simple. DesertTwang should use the Red Eye into a mixer in the ways in which the two pieces of equipment are designed to be used. Then he or she will be able to judge whether or not the K&K/Red Eye combination is one that works to his or her satisfaction.

In this case, the key is to use each channel of a mixer for just one signal unless before the input some other small mixer is used to properly combine and adjust the signals.

Louis
+1. What he said.....

I have been burned (by my own actions) every time I scrambled to *get* a piece of equipment to use it -- un-tested -- for a gig. In the case of this particular scenario, amplifying an acoustic guitar via a tried-and-tested pre-amp into a PA (often the "house" PA) is usually a pretty safe/solid option as long as one uses the XLR out into a dedicated channel of the PA board. The way this event described by the OP unfolded, it was a recipe for trouble.
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  #20  
Old 09-20-2016, 06:56 PM
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Desert twang, lots of good suggestions here. I would go: guitar - input on red eye- out via XLR to mixing board. Gain set on red eye will depend. A good starting point would be 1/2 way to 3/4. Treble on red at at 1/2 and add or subtract from there.

Set channel on board EQ flat at midpoint. Turn up gain on mixing board to where signal is clipping and back it off so that it slightly peaks into clipping.

I use the redeye for every acoustic gig and I always get a great tone with KK and Fisman under saddle pick ups. The 1/4 out on the redeye is good to send a feed to your stage amp for monitoring while you should also send the XLR to the board. Yes the 1/4 feed will not sound as good as the XLR feed IMO but still should sound ok. Good luck with experimenting before thinking about returning.
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  #21  
Old 09-20-2016, 09:30 PM
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The effects loop output has a different impedance than the XLR output. Using the XLR output and the line input simultaneously on one channel is a bad idea.
Use the XLR out of the Red Eye into its own channel on the board and you will have a lot better results
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  #22  
Old 09-21-2016, 11:14 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DesertTwang View Post
Based on the countless glowing reviews, I recently bought a Fire-Eye Red-Eye preamp for my Martin dreadnaught, which is equipped with a K&K Pure Mini. I played the guitar through the Red-Eye and a PA this past weekend at a wedding, and the sound was, quite frankly, horrid. Piezo-like and quacky. Exactly the kind of sound I didn't want when I decided to go with the K&K and the Red-Eye. Played directly into my Fender Acoustasonic on the other hand, the guitar sounds fantastic, and way, way, way better than through the Red-Eye/PA combo.

Granted, we used a rental PA system (consisting of a mixer and a couple of active speakers), and we didn't have a sound person, but based on what I read about the Red-Eye, I expected to have "magical" sound (or something close to it) simply by having the Red-Eye in the mix. I'm at a loss, because I wonder if I'm doing something wrong?

The only potential explanation I could imagine is that I used the effects loop output on the Red-Eye to go into the mixer instead of the XLR output, because we were short on XLR cables and I had to share a channel with the acoustic bass. Would that really make a difference, though?

Deleted. No need to pile on.

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  #23  
Old 09-21-2016, 11:27 AM
DesertTwang DesertTwang is offline
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All, thank you so very much for all the great suggestions! They're all very helpful and I will try out these configurations as soon as I'm able.
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  #24  
Old 09-22-2016, 12:19 AM
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I really hope that you realize that the MOST important part of all these replies is the fact that you CAN NOT "share" a channel with another instrument without suffering the consequences...

Truth is, if all you know of that Red-Eye is what happened at this gig, then you know NOTHING about the unit... it was used in a fashion for which it was never intended... whoever you "think" actually knows about sound and PA gear in your group, obviously doesn't know enough...

I would suggest that YOU take charge of your own sound; learn about the gear you have and how to get the best out of it; learn about signal chains and "gain staging"; learn how to interface your gear with a PA/Mixer to best effect. Don't leave YOUR sound for someone else to sort out, or you will largely be disappointed, and quite often...
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  #25  
Old 09-22-2016, 02:48 PM
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"I would suggest that YOU take charge of your own sound; learn about the gear you have and how to get the best out of it; learn about signal chains and "gain staging"; learn how to interface your gear with a PA/Mixer to best effect. Don't leave YOUR sound for someone else to sort out, or you will largely be disappointed, and quite often..."

Good piece of advice !
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  #26  
Old 09-22-2016, 04:03 PM
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Take charge!!!

In other words, find a competent sound technician to help you understand how to catch it in the ratchet and knock it in the sprocket. Learn from a pro and you'll save yourself years...
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  #27  
Old 09-24-2016, 12:30 AM
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Daniel, one note of consolation.....

Most people don't know the difference between a good sounding amplified acoustic and a bad one. Unless the happy couple was a pair of audiophile, chances are no one knew the difference.

Small consolation, yes; but some.

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  #28  
Old 09-24-2016, 08:15 AM
fedexnman fedexnman is offline
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I bought the Red Eye fire eye recently , but I also already own the Orchid audio muting DI too . Both require EQing ..... The Orchid is a clean signal , the Red Eye is little bit colored , I prefer the Orchid but it doesn't have effects loop , boost , or treble knob , but it does mute and have an amp and tuner out , you could mute the red eye with a tuner pedal in the effects loop .... I find with the K&K that its bass and mids need cutting and treble boosted a tad , a smiley face eq setting won't work . Smiley face eq works on vocal mics .. but not for acoustic guitar pickups
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  #29  
Old 09-24-2016, 10:19 PM
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The quality of the PA system matters.

What matters more is having an experienced sound mixer to make you sound good.

There's no such thing as a "magic box"

-Mike
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  #30  
Old 09-28-2016, 01:00 PM
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Update: First off, thanks again to each and everyone of you who offered advice on this topic. I read every post with great interest and took a lot away from it.

In the meantime, I took my guitar and the Red-Eye to a Guitar Center and plugged into a PA there (Bose L1), either with the Red-Eye using XLR or going directly from guitar into the PA with a 1/4 inch cable.

The difference was night and day. MUCH better sound with the Red-Eye.

I then repeated this at home with my own mixer and a pair of studio monitors.

Same result, and definitive proof that the way we did it at the wedding was the problem, potentially coupled with a subpar PA system.

Now I feel much better and ready to take on the huge learning curve about all this stuff, most of which still is a mystery to me.

My biggest take-away from this thread is to take charge of my own sound, keep learning about how this all works, and try out different configurations.
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