Ceriatone Forum

Hi,
I got my C-lator yesterday and since there is no proper A/B comparison clip between Dlator/non-Dlator with exactly the same assembly of cables, knob settings, etc. I thought I'll do my own.

So here it is: Played the same lick the whole time: First 3 chords then some single note stuff. At the end I made a chord with vol pot of guitar (stratocaster) at 10, then the same chord with volume rolled back to 7.

First part is clean with C-lator.
Second clean without C-lator

Third overdriven with C-lator
Fourth overdriven without C-lator

Fifth overdriven + PAB with C-lator
Sixth overdriven + PAB without C-lator

Seventh overdriven + PAB with C-lator
Eigth overdriven + PAB without C-lator


Kept the microposition the same the whole time and had the same cable length in the loop when I played without C-lator as when I played with it. (Replaced the C-lator with a true bypass box). Pickup of guitar wasn't changed either.

I don't really hear THAT much difference, sure there is difference, but in my opinion it's not much.
I always thought when i read the comments about the C-lator (or other D-lators) here, it sounds like a whole new amp then.

Mic was a Shure beta 58a into a Edirol UA-25 audio interface.


But hear it yourself.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2994754/C-lator%20sound%20test.wav

I have know experience to comment on, but there are two types of differences I've heard commented on.

You referenced the improvement of the amp with the addition of the C-lator. I agree, not much of a difference.  I think there is a NFB switch and other settings that are supposed to have extra benefit under certain settings. Also, you recordings sound very low gain/low volume (no compression). That might impact the benefit of the unit. 

The second was the quality of the amp sounds using effects via a C-lator vs. without.  That IS IMPORTANT to those who play with effects.  What do you think there?

Amp volume was quite high, Preamp volume was on 7, master on 4 on amp. Drive at noon, input full and out at 4 (thats like the volume with the same settings without the d'lator).

The only real settings you can choose from the C-lator are 2 bright switches which are supposed to make up for high cable length. Both were switched off. It's right that I played with low gain, a little higher gain with PAB :) But that's just my style. I don't play high gain stuff :)

To the effects: The effects themselves sound exactly the same with or without C-lator, but there is a difference in volume. Without the C-lator the effects start clipping at higher volume levels, with the C-lator that is solved. That's the original purpose of that unit. And for that it works just perfectly.

What tube are you using in the C-lator? I still have a JJ that came with mine but plan on trying a few different ones as well.

Todd

You never mentioned where you had the "IN, OUT & DRIVE" set.

Tube is the standard one delivered with that unit, no changes there. IN, OUT and DRIVE were set at Noon (DRIVE), Full (IN) and 4 o'clock (OUT) like mentioned above :)

I switched mine to a 7025 (low noise 12ax7) big, big difference.