LR Baggs Voiceprint (Soundscape) DI FIRST LOOK!

[AeroUSA]

[necrome]

Seems like almost an ideal all-in-one except for the fact it doesn't come with basic effects. At $399 I doubt it'll move many units considering you can achieve 80% of an ideal tone these days with a parametric EQ.

[AeroUSA]

Originally Posted by necrome

Seems like almost an ideal all-in-one except for the fact it doesn't come with basic effects. At $399 I doubt it'll move many units considering you can achieve 80% of an ideal tone these days with a parametric EQ.

I don’t think that I could get that tone with EQ alone. I do think that some acoustic guitarists are happy with what they have though. There are plenty of people rocking a basic undersaddle in their guitars. I’m not one of them :-)

[Cuki79]

Agree with Aeron, the 7-band EQ and HPF are really cool.

Can you have access to it without the phone app?

Blend +7band EQ basically would bring you anywhere.

That might be real competition for Tonedexter after all, now we know the Nux has no blend pot.

Once it is released and you would have post a Fishman vs Tonedexter vs Nux vs Baggs vs DIY IR

It would be fun to have a Anthem vs Element + Voiceprint video.

I am wondering if the Anthem « dry » would beat the Element+ Voiceprint well set.

From Maury last video Anthem is very competitive against Aura Enhanced (which is not the best from Fishman however....)

This is a never ending story!

[AeroUSA]

Originally Posted by Cuki79

Agree with Aeron, the 7-band EQ and HPF are really cool.

Can you have access to it without the phone app?

Blend +7band EQ basically would bring you anywhere.

That might be real competition for Tonedexter after all, now we know the Nux has no blend pot.

You need the app to use the 7 (14) band EQ. I always thought that EQ was the key to shaping tone, especially IR. I need to try some other pickups with it.

[rockabilly69]

I've gone on record hear saying K&Ks always have at least two mids to pull out to sound acceptable, and that's exactly what you did. I also agree that it was starting to sound good at around the 60-70% mark, although it seems when you pulled the mids with the EQ the guitar lost the drive that I like. No K&Ks for me!

I know you like the Anthem so I would have liked to see how that box shapes that pickup which I always feel, at stage volumes, has a weird sounding boxy mid that I can't ever dial out! At low volumes I like the Anthem much more.

[Marty C]

Is there a way to use the EQ without the IR? I would be interested to know how much difference the EQ is making alone.

Great review, by the way. And it does sound really good.

[AeroUSA]

Originally Posted by Marty C

Is there a way to use the EQ without the IR? I would be interested to know how much difference the EQ is making alone.

Great review, by the way. And it does sound really good.

Actually when I do the demo and start at 0% the master EQ is already engaged so yes you have have EQ with no voiceprint and then there is separate EQ for the voiceprint and the master (voiceprint and pickup).

[MaurysMusic]

Originally Posted by AeroUSA

Actually when I do the demo and start at 0% the master EQ is already engaged so yes you have have EQ with no voiceprint and then there is separate EQ for the voiceprint and the master (voiceprint and pickup).

That's KEY. I suspect I would (I will?) really like this. GREAT video!

[Marty C]

Originally Posted by AeroUSA

Actually when I do the demo and start at 0% the master EQ is already engaged so yes you have have EQ with no voiceprint and then there is separate EQ for the voiceprint and the master (voiceprint and pickup).

Thanks Aaron. Well that’s pretty cool!

My biggest challenge with IR is the difference once I :
- switch from interface/headphones to external speaker
- turn up the volume

All this seems to change. In headphones, it all sounds great. However it all changes with volume and difference PA systems.

[AeroUSA]

Originally Posted by Marty C

Thanks Aaron. Well that’s pretty cool!

My biggest challenge with IR is the difference once I :
- switch from interface/headphones to external speaker
- turn up the volume

All this seems to change. In headphones, it all sounds great. However it all changes with volume and difference PA systems.

All guitar tone changes with the room and volume. I would store a preset for playing at home and a preset for playing at gig volume.

[Petty1818]

Thanks for the demo Aaron. I have listened to the recording a few times on different speakers/using good headphones. Obviously it's only a first initial demo but here is what I hear:

Pros:
- It does sound comparable to other IR pedals which is amazing considering you use a phone to record it!
- That "room" hollowness is not present, even on the max setting.
- There was never a moment where I thought, "wow, I couldn't use that live". It definitely seems very easy to dial in.
- A nice natural tone

Cons:
- My biggest one is the fact that it seems to enhance the high end and take out some of the thickness that the K&K imparts. It's as if the strings became a bit too hi-fi, thin and bright for me. To be honest, my first thought was, "that sounds like a phone recording".

Again, this is just one demo and I bet eq can do wonders but I am still very intrigued by this pedal. I really liked the blend even at 60%. It kind of tamed the mid range of the K&K and brought in the missing high end. I think the big benefit to is that by using an iphone, it will take no time to record so I could potentially make an IR for all of my instruments in under 20-30 minutes. That part is great.

[Photojeep]

Aaron,
Great video and demo!

When you first played with the unit "on" but at 0% I was horrified by the sound, but as you said, around 70% it improved dramatically!

I admit I haven't looked anywhere beyond your video here on AGF but will you need to have your phone on while you use this pedal? Or is the phone app used to "set it" then you can "forget it"?

Update: I just went to Sweetwater and saw that the phone app is for recording then "sweetening" it. I'm guessing one records and sweetens it and there is a function for the pedal itself to store your setting (apparently there are 99 storage spots available) then one would simply select the desired voiceprint to use?

Thanks,
PJ

[AeroUSA]

Originally Posted by Petty1818

Thanks for the demo Aaron. I have listened to the recording a few times on different speakers/using good headphones. Obviously it's only a first initial demo but here is what I hear:

Pros:
- It does sound comparable to other IR pedals which is amazing considering you use a phone to record it!
- That "room" hollowness is not present, even on the max setting.
- There was never a moment where I thought, "wow, I couldn't use that live". It definitely seems very easy to dial in.
- A nice natural tone

Cons:
- My biggest one is the fact that it seems to enhance the high end and take out some of the thickness that the K&K imparts. It's as if the strings became a bit too hi-fi, thin and bright for me. To be honest, my first thought was, "that sounds like a phone recording".

Again, this is just one demo and I bet eq can do wonders but I am still very intrigued by this pedal. I really liked the blend even at 60%. It kind of tamed the mid range of the K&K and brought in the missing high end. I think the big benefit to is that by using an iphone, it will take no time to record so I could potentially make an IR for all of my instruments in under 20-30 minutes. That part is great.

Note that I had EQ'ed the sound for me (and low volume playing). Which included making it brighter than you may like.

[Petty1818]

Originally Posted by AeroUSA

Note that I had EQ'ed the sound for me (and low volume playing). Which included making it brighter than you may like.

For sure, I think it's one of those units that I will need to try myself. I do wonder though if the quality of the phone mic matters. Just some examples would be a newer Iphone vs. an older model. You would think the mic would have been upgraded. Also, I have that Shure mic that attaches to my Iphone for more professional recordings. I wonder if using that would make for a better sound or if it would just cause more room ambience to be in the IR.