ToneDexter Thread (continuation of original thread)

[midwinter]

Originally Posted by Cuki79

It sounds like a professional advertisement video!!

Here's your video, Cuki. ToneDexter visible at 2:23ish. I just need to get my partner to put "This video brought to you by AudioSprockets, purveyors of fine ToneDexters everywhere."

[SpruceTop]

Today, for the first time, I played around with my ToneDexter for about an hour. I plugged-in my Shure SM81 and did a couple of training sessions using my Taylor 322ce ES2. Auditioning was done through AKG K240 Studio Headphones. My first session was with the mic aimed above the soundhole from about 8-inches, and straight out from the guitar. The second was using one of ToneDexter's recommendations, the “Neck joint” method: 10” – 15” away in the front, pointing straight at the place where the body meets the neck. Of the two WaveMaps I created, the second one, using ToneDexter's recommended positioning, yielded a very mic-like result! I'm certain that experimenting with a few more mic positions and distances will yield even better training results.

Frankly, I'm very pleased with the ToneDexter's ability to dramatically improve the tone of a pickup, and the ES2 works very well with the ToneDexter! My best WaveMap was very mic-like in tone, and better than what I've heard using Aura/UST technology. To verify the results after training, and while playing something on the guitar, I toggled the ToneDexter and listened to the guitar signal through the Shure SM81, the direct ES2 signal, and the newly created WaveMap. It's dramatically evident that the WaveMap is quite an accurate capture of the guitar as heard when mic'ed. Over the next week or so, I'm going to play around with the ToneDexter and try to post some results.

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by midwinter

Here's your video, Cuki. ToneDexter visible at 2:23ish. I just need to get my partner to put "This video brought to you by AudioSprockets, purveyors of fine ToneDexters everywhere."

Nice 'Dexterized Tone & Great Video!

[midwinter]

Originally Posted by SpruceTop

Nice 'Dexterized Tone & Great Video!

Thanks! I wish we'd recorded one with the banjo. It sounds as good as the mandolin. The guitar sounds good, but I'm having issues with volume on it; it's a little quieter than the other instruments.

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by midwinter

Thanks! I wish we'd recorded one with the banjo. It sounds as good as the mandolin. The guitar sounds good, but I'm having issues with volume on it; it's a little quieter than the other instruments.

What pickup is in your banjo? Thanks!

[midwinter]

Originally Posted by SpruceTop

What pickup is in your banjo? Thanks!

JJB in everything.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Petty1818]

Originally Posted by SpruceTop

I installed a B-Band A1.2N-1470 AST in my Martin D Junior and, as you're inferring, I think removing an AST from the soundboard would likely ruin it as it seemed kind of delicate and something that's likely meant to be a one-time installation.

I guess the nice thing is, it does seem fairly easy to buy a new AST if I ever had to remove the A2.2 XOM. That's what I like about B-Band, there's no soldering, it's just all plug and play type of equipment. I am intrigued by a tonedexter/A2.2 pairing. I feel as though the UST would work well with the tonedexter for creating a wave map while the AST would provide percussive tones that might be lost with just a straight forward UST. I just need to find a way to get a tonedexter now. Maybe I will get a friend in the US to buy one and ship it to me!

[Cuki79]

Originally Posted by midwinter

Here's your video, Cuki. ToneDexter visible at 2:23ish. I just need to get my partner to put "This video brought to you by AudioSprockets, purveyors of fine ToneDexters everywhere."

Thanks! Great video (I've arrange the link in the quote, it's now embedded).

Now SpruceTop is Tonedexterized too!!! I love this thread.

Cuki

[guitaniac]

Originally Posted by Petty1818

I guess the nice thing is, it does seem fairly easy to buy a new AST if I ever had to remove the A2.2 XOM. That's what I like about B-Band, there's no soldering, it's just all plug and play type of equipment. I am intrigued by a tonedexter/A2.2 pairing. I feel as though the UST would work well with the tonedexter for creating a wave map while the AST would provide percussive tones that might be lost with just a straight forward UST. I just need to find a way to get a tonedexter now. Maybe I will get a friend in the US to buy one and ship it to me!

FWIW, I doubt that the B-Band A2.2 system will be nearly as responsive to top tapping as a pure SBT or AST. The AST only contributes from 800 Hz and on up. According to the graph on pg. 13 of the manual, the AST only contributes half of the signal above 800Hz when at its maximum blend setting.

On the plus side, the B-Band UST itself seems a little more top-responsive than most USTs.

Here's a link to the A2.2 manual:
http://www.b-band.com/uploads/Produc...nual_bleed.pdf


As Anthem SL users know, that system isn't terribly responsive to top-tapping, despite the fact that the mic picks up most of the signal (theoretically ALL of the signal) above 250Hz. A lot of a top-tapping signal must be below 250Hz.

[AeroUSA]

Originally Posted by guitaniac

FWIW, I doubt that the B-Band A2.2 system will be nearly as responsive to top tapping as a pure SBT or AST. The AST only contributes from 800 Hz and on up. According to the graph on pg. 13 of the manual, the AST only contributes half of the signal above 800Hz when at its maximum blend setting.

On the plus side, the B-Band UST itself seems a little more top-responsive than most USTs.

Here's a link to the A2.2 manual:
http://www.b-band.com/uploads/Produc...nual_bleed.pdf


As Anthem SL users know, that system isn't terribly responsive to top-tapping, despite the fact that the mic picks up most of the signal (theoretically ALL of the signal) above 250Hz. A lot of a top-tapping signal must be below 250Hz.

I just noticed that. The full anthem seems to make the top a lot more responsive than the SL.

[guitaniac]

Originally Posted by AeroUSA

I just noticed that. The full anthem seems to make the top a lot more responsive than the SL.

The Lyric system's TruMic (which is responsive to the full frequency spectrum) is quite responsive to top tapping, so I don't think we can blame the TruMic.

The Baggs folks have claimed that the Element is fairly top responsive (for a UST), but its hard to understand why the full Anthem system would be noticeably more top responsive than the Anthem SL. That's a mystery to me.


On occasion, a poorly installed UST may not be under an even pressure from the saddle (because the saddle is binding in the saddle slot, or because of some other mechanical reason). On those occasions, a UST might behave more like an SBT.

[midwinter]

Turns out my partner made another video for mother's day.

This one catches the ToneDexter on the banjo—although it's all from camera audio.

[fiddle fever]

Nice videos!! Midwinter what are the other pedals you with your TD? I played a gig last night in the same venue where I played my TD for the first time. Last night I was using new wavemaps created from a Shure 81. I still ran into some of the same EQ problems, which was a boomy plus a mid-range honkey sound...especially on the "G" note on the second string, 8th fret (that area). I do believe part of the problem is that I have to play pretty close to my AER Compact 60 amp. It was a loud room, so I had to crank up the volume. I'm a little worried about cranking up with a tonedexter, which is why I asked Midwinter if he was using another pedal (EQ?)with his TD. I played a solo gig today and used TD, with my amp further away and didn't have those same EQ issues. But I play more duo gigs, which require more volume, so I want to figure the tonedexter with my acoustic. But I'm also wondering if one of the grace audio preamps my be a better fit for a more driving sound compared to a tonedexter? What super nice about the TD is that I play fiddle, banjo and guitar and it's really nice to have usable wavemaps for all three of these instruments. I just feel like I haven't figure out how to get a louder setting for my acoustic guitar.

[urlkonig]

I did some more mic-placement experimenting this weekend, and have finally created some wavemaps that are not overpoweringly bass-heavy.

I still hear more mids than I want present, so I put a few different parametric EQs in the loop -- that allowed me to get a giggable, feedback resistant sound that I'm pretty happy with.

Is anyone else noticing these mids in their setup, and if so, what have you done to minimize them?

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by guitaniac

FWIW, I doubt that the B-Band A2.2 system will be nearly as responsive to top tapping

you doubt wrongly, the 2.2 is very responsive to top tapping with a tighter lowend.