K&K Pure Mini + Lyric: Why I went back!

[rschultz]

I recently bought a Boss CP-X1. I had one about a year ago and loved it. Fantastic compressor. Anyway, the one thing I haven’t loved about the helix is the compressors. I can get them to work ok, but the lack of meters really makes it hard to set. That’s one of the great things about the CP-X1, the meter helps get it dialed in some.

Anyway, adding it to the Lyric + k&k makes it even better. Love the sound I get with it.

[GuitarLuva]

Originally Posted by Doug Young

The "apparent lack of bass" is somewhat debatable. What I and some others have found is that the Lyric sounds remarkably like your guitar. But for amplified performance, many of us want more bass - not "just like my guitar", but "bigger than my guitar". Most pickups tend to give you an exaggerated bass, so we sort of miss that when you get a pickup that accurately conveys the tonal character of your guitar. So it depends on what you want. Most people will tell you they want "just like my guitar, only louder" but when you get that, you may not be quite as happy as you expect. You can certainly use EQ to add whatever you like, and again, if you read past posts, you'll see some people producing excellent sounds from the Lyric with virtually no EQ, while other report needing massive EQ. It may be a matter of taste, playing style, what other gear people have, what guitar it's in, etc, etc.

Yes, combining the Lyric and K&K requires a compromise. I installed my Lyric on the back side of the bridge plate, K&Ks in the normal place. The Lyric sounds a little less than optimal there, but combined with the K&K, it seems to be working out well. This is definitely for the adventurous, certainly not how Baggs intends the Lyric to be used. The Lyric is so easy and non-invasive to install, I'd just install it, and see how you like it. Don't start out assuming you have to do some massive tweaking and custom work, it may be exactly what you need as-is.

Doug,

Just a suggestion the next time you're feeling optimistic. Try installing the lyric on the bottom of the guitar directly below the k&k. I did this with the Anthem in one of my guitars and like the result better. I found it made the mic portion thicker which is why I like it better.

[rschultz]

Just reviewing this thread, been a lot of fun over the years. It's amazing all the trouble I went through mixing dual sources... and now it's so easy with the Helix. 1000 times better than a dual source pedal board or a really expensive mixing unit (Felix, Solstice, etc).

[gerryc123]

This is huge, this is exactly where I am at right now. I am having issues blending the two, the PURE MINI and LYRIC mic.

Do you have any preset patches on Line 6 or anywhere online with this setup. It would be such a big help... You have no idea.

I still don't feel I have the EQ for either source dialed in very well although I did back off the midrange as you suggested and that was huge.

I have been backing off the level of the LYRIC mic to about 30% for strumming. I have been putting a stereo EQ at the end of my split 'Y" and tweaking the heck out of it to get a good blend.

I am not the greatest with EQ theory but I have learned quite a bit from this forum. The frequencies I am targeting are by ear and I think I am so "off" I wouldn't be surprised if I am opening and closing all the radio controlled garage doors in the neighborhood whenever I play something. LOL.

Cheers!
Gerry C

[rschultz]

Traditional dual sources are simple, with a crossover frequency. One sources takes everything above the crossover, the other source takes everything below.

What I do with kk and mag is more complicated, HPF on the kk so only the mag covers the bass. But the rest of the frequencies are covered by both which can sound complex, or bad. Luckily I got it to work because the mag is weak in the mids, where the kk is strong; and the mag is strong in the highs where the kk is weak. They naturally compliment each other in that way.

With the lyric and kk… they both have the same strong mids… so that’s the tough part. You’ll need to cut one or both sources a LOT in the mids. The kk will cover the low end, but will be feedback prone. The lyric will add presence and clarity to the high end. It’s not easy and I don’t remember how it did it. It might be in this thread somewhere. But it’s not the easiest combo to get right. Start with each one separately, but then when you mix them, they may interfere with each other at certain frequency bands

[rschultz]

One thing you could try is to put a HPF on the Lyric at like 3k, just the highs, kk covering most of the sound. Adjust that frequency until it sounds good. That way the 2 sources won’t interfere with each other much.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but does your kk have a mic? So the Lyric would be a 2nd mic? Maybe I misunderstood.