LR Baggs Para DI

eyesore · #1 02-04-2019, 04:57 PM

does anyone use this for their setup? my friend recommended i use this when we play together.he said it will enhance my sound..? i might give it a shot.

varmonter · #2 02-04-2019, 05:08 PM

what do you use for a pickup?

eyesore · #3 02-04-2019, 05:28 PM

Trance audio under the bridge plate. but last saturday night gig he said i was turned up all the way and i could not even hear my self. i DON'T want to be loud , i just thought it would change my tone a little [and give me a V boost].

MrErikJ · #4 02-04-2019, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eyesore

Trance audio under the bridge plate. but last saturday night gig he said i was turned up all the way and i could not even hear my self. i DON'T want to be loud , i just thought it would change my tone a little [and give me a V boost].

Were you plugged into the house system or an amp? Was he in the audience and couldn’t hear you or on stage? If it was stage volume, I would just check that with the sound guy and make sure you have sufficient volume in the stage monitors next time.

If the audience couldn’t bear you, that’s still in the sound guy’s court but, yes, the PADI is a tried and true preamp/DI that you can use to shape your EQ and increase volume going to the house. If the house didn’t have enough signal with your Trance alone, this could def help.

ljguitar · #5 02-04-2019, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eyesore

does anyone use this for their setup? my friend recommended i use this when we play together.he said it will enhance my sound..? i might give it a shot.

Hi eyesore

There are better choices. The two ParaDI preamps I own are nearly 20 years old. Not only is it 'old' technology compared to current preamps, but the XLR sticks straight up into the air when plugged in (and I've seen them kicked and snapped off before).

The Fishman Platinum Stage has similar/better features, is more user friendly and $40 cheaper. I own both, and the Stage is what we toss in the gear bag these days, and the ParaDI mostly lives at a local house-of-prayer where players who show up with passive pickups plug in.

Question…which version is your Trace?

eyesore · #6 02-04-2019, 06:55 PM

well there was no sound guy , just my friend adjusting the PA. all i know is , he could not get my volume any higher, but when it did go higher it sounded terrible!!

drive-south · #7 02-04-2019, 07:57 PM

The PARA DI works very well with the K&K pickup and most likely other soundboard transducers. My main complaint is the knobs are tiny and impossible to see under stage lighting. As for the XLR sticking straight up I use an angle plug with mine.

The Growler · #8 02-04-2019, 08:02 PM

I'd recommend the Para DI. I agree the knobs/dials are small and I don't like the output straight on the top either, but it's a rock solid unit that delivers. There's a reason they've been around so long. They work. Really well.

eyesore · #9 02-04-2019, 08:03 PM

Hmm i like the look of the fishman platinum stage. looks easier for my stupid brain . less knobs.

David Eastwood · #10 02-04-2019, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drive-south

The PARA DI works very well with the K&K pickup and most likely other soundboard transducers. My main complaint is the knobs are tiny and impossible to see under stage lighting. As for the XLR sticking straight up I use an angle plug with mine.

I used one for a long time with an original Baggs M1 - that was (and is) a match made in heaven. Once it was dialed in, I rarely, if ever, had to touch it. For most of this particular period, I was either playing sitting, or standing pretty motionless, so kicking out a plug would have required some extraordinary klutziness.

The Growler · #11 02-04-2019, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eatswodo

I used one for a long time with an original Baggs M1 - that was (and is) a match made in heaven. Once it was dialed in, I rarely, if ever, had to touch it. For most of this particular period, I was either playing sitting, or standing pretty motionless, so kicking out a plug would have required some extraordinary klutziness.

Agree. That's why I don't think that the small knobs or the DI sticking up is really an issue. To each his own, but I think it's a great unit.

eyesore · #12 02-04-2019, 08:09 PM

why would you be using the ELR ? can't i just use the quater inch jacks?

The Growler · #13 02-04-2019, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eyesore

why would you be using the ELR ? can't i just use the quater inch jacks?

You use the 1/4" into the DI and use the XLR out to the mixer. Basically, The XLR is a balanced signal which will send your signal further and stronger to the mixer. If you are using a passive DI, this is all it is doing. Active DI, like the Para and others have additional features like shaping the EQ, etc. XLR from the mixer may even provide "phantom" power to your DI so it doesn't need a battery or a power supply. The Para can use the phantom power from the mixer, it's own 9 volt battery or an external power supply for flexibility.

Hope this helps.

varmonter · #14 02-05-2019, 06:43 AM

So right now your plugging the guitar with
a trance audio pickup straight into the pa?
If thats the case you could benefit greatly
from using a preamp. I beleive there are several
types of trance audio products do know which
one is in your guitar. maybe your battery is dying.
if you have a battery. Like said above there
are better products out there than the para di.
I like the preamps by Grace Design. They are
of course more money than the baggs.

Nymuso · #15 02-05-2019, 06:51 AM

I plug mine into the end of the chain and set the EQs at zero, i.e., no boost or cut. I only touch it if there's a problem I need to kill quickly. I don't use it to shape the tone per se, but that doesn't mean it can't be used for that.