Has anyone used one of these things with a mandolin? #If so, please tell me about it.
Has anyone used one of these things with a mandolin? #If so, please tell me about it.
"I'm a farmer with a mandolin and a high tenor voice."
I haven't heard of these before, but thanks for sharing this Jeff, it sounds like a nice product if it translates well to the mandolin's sound range, frequencies, etc.
Richard Russell
I'm having a hard time deciding what to do. #I was about ready to upgrade my dying Baggs Gigpro to the Para Acoustic DI, when a friend suggested I try the Acoustic Xciter thingy. #He sez he used to have one which worked wonders for his acoustic guitars but never heard it with a mando. #Someone else also recommended the Tech 21 Sansamp Para Driver, but I've heard those before and I don't think they're any better sounding than the Baggs. #And Baggs is cheaper. #
I also wish someone made one of these things (acoustic DI/preamp) in a stomp box with a boost switch built in. #A Para Acoustic DI with a 4-24dB boost switch would solve all of my problems. #(Yes, I know there are boost pedals and volume pedals on the market, but I like to keep things simple. #The less junk I have in my chain, the cleaner the sound. #Also less to carry/set up/plug in).
"I'm a farmer with a mandolin and a high tenor voice."
"Exciters" first showed up in the '70's and one of the best ways to hear them is on the Rod Stewart records of the time.
They're all over 'em, on the voice, the acoustic guitars, even the bass. It's a slightly edgy sound, a little treble boost,
a little bit of harmonic distortion.
I've never liked using them, but I did use them a couple of times in the studio when I was mixing tracks (recorded on analog
tape) that were just really lifeless.
I can understand how one would make an acoustic guitar pop out nicely in a live mix, used like a boost pedal.
There are several of them out on the market, I think most of them are in single-rack-space boxes for PA or studio use.
Aphex was one of the very first companies to make them, and Aphex is a really good company who make really good stuff.
So among exciters, this is a good one (in that stompbox form). Aphex and a number of companies make compressors that
have an exciter after the compression to make up for loss of highs from compression.
For your needs as you describe them, I think you're on the right track with a nice preamp with some EQ. The PADI is a pretty darn good item, as can be confirmed by a lot of players who use them. In my opinion, the exciters are a sort of remedial device that does a very specific thing, while a PADI-type preamplifier/EQ is a much more versatile tool.
I also think that the device you describe, a nice preamp/EQ with a boost function, is made, tho I can't say "Here, look at this one." I'm pretty sure that if you scan the virtual shelves of the online retail music shops there will be one there. The SansAmp products are good, too, I have a couple and they are very good.
I hope this helps...
stv
steve V. johnson
Culchies
http://cdbaby.com/Culchies
The Lopers
Ghosts Like Me
http://cdbaby.com/Lopers1
There Was A Time
http://cdbaby.com/Lopers2
There was a thread recently on a Tone Bone pre amp box, but I cannot find it. It had what you want I think. http://www.tonebone.com/tb-pzpre.htm Has anyone tried this on Mandolin?
Bookmarks