The Acoustic Guitar Forum

Go Back   The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > Acoustic Amplification

Reply
 
Thread Tools
  #151  
Old 05-19-2022, 07:07 PM
anonyrat anonyrat is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2020
Posts: 8
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rafajorgetto View Post
Hi guys, I have a Fishman Aura Spectrum DI that I use with a Crafter DE7/N playing live on church.

Im moving to a Taylor 210CE, but I think that the Aura will not sound good because the ES system right?

Should I sell my fishman and go for a Nux Optima?

Thanks
I got the Nux originally to take the quack out of my ukuleles. Then got a Taylor with the ES2 system. The ES2 system is very good on its own but when I did a lot of IR's for the Nux it did sound really very good. I think for me the trick was getting very good recordings done and then tweaking the results.
I have to add that in retrospect I am very happy that I got the Nux as it has really helped the sound of a lot of my instruments.
For the cost of the Nux it is worth it.
Reply With Quote
  #152  
Old 08-13-2022, 03:24 PM
kendor kendor is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 9
Default Your Settings for Nux Optima

Just got my Optima and played it with my parlor-sized P-03. I thought that the D45/Piezo and the Taylor 814/Piezo sounded great. My little guitar sounded huge (in a good way).

I have a Nux Stageman, which sounded great by itself with my Baggs Anthem-SL, but I have a Godin solid body with a Piezo that I wanted to warm up (that guitar is the shop, and it will be interesting to hear how it sounds.

For those who are users:
1) How much IR level do you use? In my session today, I had it @ 10:00 (perhaps 40%)

2) Which preamp models are you using? I settled with the Vintage, but will experiment.

3) Is there away for it retain the last IR you used on startup? It seems to retain the last used preamp.

P.S. I played my Mandolin into it (Fishman bridge style piezo), and used the same guitar models and it also sounded really good.
Reply With Quote
  #153  
Old 08-13-2022, 07:23 PM
Petty1818 Petty1818 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 4,557
Default

I don’t own the Optima Air, but just to clarify your first point.. the IR level control is not a blend control, it’s there to adjust the level of the IR. If you make an IR and it’s kind of quiet, you can adjust that.
Reply With Quote
  #154  
Old 03-03-2023, 05:48 PM
mnatrin mnatrin is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2023
Posts: 1
Talking New Optima Air User

I've played hundreds of gigs with the BBE Acoustimax, but it's been showing its age and the mute button has started to fail, plus I hate using a 12VAC power adapter for the DI + a 9VDC adapter for tuner & reverb.

I just picked up a lightly used Optima Air on Reverb and I am totally blown away. Created a custom IR and I'm absolutely in love with this thing. So many options and fantastic sounds for the relatively affordable price point. The software is basic, but it's great to be able to save and tweak and rename things via a computer. Super excited to gig with this thing over the next few months
Reply With Quote
  #155  
Old 03-09-2023, 11:16 AM
Ricketts Ricketts is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 106
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cuki79 View Post
Exactly. Don't believe commercial adds. IRs are not meant to work with magnetic pickup.

REad that:
http://www.till.com/articles/PickupResponse/index.html

Then you'll understand why the pickup response depends on the string you play. The IR pedal can not discriminate a which string you are playing. In an ideal world there should be a different IR file for each string.
Would the Fishman Rare Earth Power Tap Magnetic Pickup work with the SB pick up dialed in with no Magnetic? I really do not want to mess with the saddle and action by installing a Piezo. Thank you!
Ricketts
Reply With Quote
  #156  
Old 03-09-2023, 01:50 PM
aschroeder aschroeder is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Des Moines, Iowa
Posts: 789
Default

I've been using an Optima Air for about a year and am very happy with it. There is a bit of a learning curve to get the best IRs, but it is a great piece of equipment for the price.

As others mentioned, occasionally you'll get unwanted noise in the IR (hiss/static). I'm not sure what causes it, but likely due to mic/pickup levels and setup. I did have one IR that sounded amazing, but had noticeable noise. I could see a spike in the Magnitude dB at the 8K frequency. So I downloaded the IR WAV file and opened it with audio editing software. I cut the EQ at the 8K frequency and when I uploaded the new WAV, the noise was gone.

So for those hearing noise, look at peaks in the high frequencies. If you have audio editing software try cutting the EQ for the WAV file at that frequency.
__________________
Olson SJ (Cedar & Indian Rosewood)
Applegate SJ (Tunnel 14 Redwood & Madagascar Rosewood)
Lowden F50 (Sinker Redwood & Madagascar Rosewood)
McConnell MJ (Cedar & African Blackwood)
Eastman E40 OM
Taylor 816ce Builder's Edition
Taylor GS Mini Mahogany
Taylor T5 Koa


“The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time.” –James Taylor
Reply With Quote
  #157  
Old 09-05-2023, 02:11 PM
davidp158 davidp158 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 3
Default Does NUX Optima Air help reduce feedback?

I'm a bit late to this party, but I haven't noticed anyone mention if the IR implementation does anything to reduce feedback. UTS pickups are less prone to feedback than a condenser mic, so I'm wondering if the signal from a UST through the NUX Optima Air will be less prone to feedback. I loath the piezo "quack", but if that's what Optima Air responds best to, it may be a unit worth investing in.

Q: How is the noise floor of the XLR output as a DI box, or are most people only using the 1/4" output into a stage amp?
Reply With Quote
  #158  
Old 09-05-2023, 02:21 PM
davidp158 davidp158 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 3
Default unhappy Amazon shoppers?

I'm not sure if Amazon got a bad batch of NUX Optima Air units, but there are quite a few reviews complaining of high noise level from the XLR output. Repeatedly, users state that after the unit is on for a couple hours or more, the noise appears. The temporary solution is to power cycle the unit, which is risky when connected to a FOA situation.

Anyone experiencing this?

1, 2 and 3 star reviewers mentioning noise issue:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BHQSVBN...v_ov_lig_dp_it
Reply With Quote
  #159  
Old 09-06-2023, 01:05 AM
Cuki79 Cuki79 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: France
Posts: 3,005
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by davidp158 View Post
I'm a bit late to this party, but I haven't noticed anyone mention if the IR implementation does anything to reduce feedback. UTS pickups are less prone to feedback than a condenser mic, so I'm wondering if the signal from a UST through the NUX Optima Air will be less prone to feedback. I loath the piezo "quack", but if that's what Optima Air responds best to, it may be a unit worth investing in.

Q: How is the noise floor of the XLR output as a DI box, or are most people only using the 1/4" output into a stage amp?
IR does not reduce feedback resistance. I would say it would rather be the opposite... but in the end, it really depends on how the IR is produced, designed, fine tuned. For acoustic guitars, feedback usually emerge around 100 Hz.

In the short history of acoustic IR, there where different approach to handle the low end . Fishman Aura uses biquad filters (think parametric EQ) while Tonedexter 2.0 let's you tame the low end structure with a pot (see link).
https://audiosprockets.com/tonedexter-v2-update/

In the case of the Nux, this is something that have to be done "by hand" by fine tuning your IR (see link) or with EQ
__________________
Martin 00-18V Goldplus + internal mic (2003)
Martin OM-28V + HFN + internal mic (1999)
Eastman E6OM (2019) Trance Audio Amulet
Yamaha FGX-412 (1998)

Gibson Les Paul Standard 1958 Reissue (2013)
Fender Stratocaster American Vintage 1954 (2014)
http://acousticir.free.fr/
Reply With Quote
  #160  
Old 09-07-2023, 08:32 AM
aschroeder aschroeder is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Des Moines, Iowa
Posts: 789
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by davidp158 View Post
I'm not sure if Amazon got a bad batch of NUX Optima Air units, but there are quite a few reviews complaining of high noise level from the XLR output. Repeatedly, users state that after the unit is on for a couple hours or more, the noise appears. The temporary solution is to power cycle the unit, which is risky when connected to a FOA situation.

Anyone experiencing this?

1, 2 and 3 star reviewers mentioning noise issue:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BHQSVBN...v_ov_lig_dp_it
I did have a wield distortion noise that happened suddenly when using the Optima air for several hours. I cycled the power and it fixed the issue. It has only happened once, but never in a live setting. I typically play 2 hour gigs and have never had a problem.
__________________
Olson SJ (Cedar & Indian Rosewood)
Applegate SJ (Tunnel 14 Redwood & Madagascar Rosewood)
Lowden F50 (Sinker Redwood & Madagascar Rosewood)
McConnell MJ (Cedar & African Blackwood)
Eastman E40 OM
Taylor 816ce Builder's Edition
Taylor GS Mini Mahogany
Taylor T5 Koa


“The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time.” –James Taylor
Reply With Quote
  #161  
Old 10-09-2023, 01:57 PM
salomonander salomonander is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 26
Default

Hey there,
wondering if the headphone out has the reverb in stereo or mono?
Is it possible to use this as an interface for ipad?
Anything newer and better out there by now?

Cheers
Reply With Quote
  #162  
Old 01-02-2024, 10:47 AM
justonenun justonenun is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2024
Posts: 1
Default startup IR file

Does anyone know if its possible to change the order of the preset IR files in manual mode, so the pedal powers up with the IR I want already active?

e.g. currently it powers on with slot 1 "G HBD AG MAG" active and I would like it to power on with slot 9 active.

thanks
Reply With Quote
  #163  
Old 02-10-2024, 07:12 PM
kendor kendor is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 9
Default

My Optima Air periodically freaks out, suddenly becoming very staticy and distorted. I started by troubleshooting cables, and power supply (and battery in guitars), as it is on a pedalboard, but I can confirm that it's completely intermittent and doesn't matter what combo I use. Even if I isolate it and plug directly in/out of it, it gets into this state (and it doesn't matter which instrument I have plugged in).

As others have reported, power cycling fixes the issue until it happens again. In researching this (in this forum, on FaceBook) and Reddit, it seems I'm not the only one. I updated the firmware to the latest yesterday, and also defaulted the unit back to factory. I have not played it enough yet to get it into the freakout state, assuming it does, what are my next steps? I purchased this in October 2022 (not sure what the warranty policy is).

Functionally this pedal is great, but there's likely a bit of you get what you pay for her, as it seems that Nux has quality control issues.

I'd replace it with something else, if I could figure out what else would be equivalent but have better quality (and quieter).
Reply With Quote
  #164  
Old 02-10-2024, 08:56 PM
lkingston lkingston is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Asheville North Carolina
Posts: 3,232
Default

I just got my NUX Optima Air today. I found it online imported for around $150. It took about a week to get here. Everything was shrink wrapped and brand new looking. There might be a problem getting warranty work done if I ever need it.

So far I found one model built in that sounds very good on my Yamaha NTX-5 guitar. If I never get any farther than that I would be pretty happy: but of course I’m going to experiment with importing IRs and training it with a mic.

I updated the firmware right away.

There is a tiny bit of noise if you turn the guitar way down, but nothing I can hear with the guitar at a healthy level. There is such a wide variation of acoustic guitar output levels and impedances, I kind of wonder if that isn’t at least part of the problem that some people are complaining about. If the noise stays as quiet as it is right now I’ll be fine.

I personally like the reverb sound. It is about what you would expect on an acoustic amp like a Fishman Loudbox. I would have no problem using it live.
Reply With Quote
  #165  
Old 02-10-2024, 10:41 PM
lkingston lkingston is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Asheville North Carolina
Posts: 3,232
Default

OK, I just did my own IR. Wow that sounds way better than any of the built-in IRs! Actually better sounding than any of the Optima Air demos I’ve heard online.

It was quick and the first attempt seems to sound as good as I think it can get. I used an AudioTechnica AE5100 which I really love on acoustic guitar. I powered it with a Xvive rechargeable phantom power supply that I happened to have handy and converted it to TS with an Audix T50K that I use to plug microphones into my digital piano. There was no way to set the level, but it seemed to be about where it should be. I just moved the mic to where I normally would mic the guitar and slowly played up a scale on the first five frets area. I was just experimenting and I didn’t expect it to work so well on the first go.

The program works well for renaming the IR and the programs. It lets you match the level of the IRs which is really important. I didn’t use any high or low pass. It didn’t seem to need it. I just made two simple programs with flat EQ and almost full level IR: one dry and one with reverb.

Time will tell if my Optima Air develops the dreaded noise problem, and I’ve only played it through the headphone outs (with Austrian Audio X65 headphones), but I am over the moon right now! It sounds really good! Very much like my guitar. I don’t hear the weird stuff in the high end that I normally hear on YouTube demos. It sounds very present and real.

I’ll try to get something online soon. We are in the midst of a remodeling project, so I’m not sure when I’ll be able to.

Last edited by lkingston; 02-10-2024 at 11:22 PM.
Reply With Quote
Reply

  The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > Acoustic Amplification

Thread Tools





All times are GMT -6. The time now is 10:51 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright ©2000 - 2022, The Acoustic Guitar Forum
vB Ad Management by =RedTyger=