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361
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Ceriatone / Overtone / Re: OTS gets "evil" when I engage PAB
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on: May 14, 2009, 10:51:48 AM
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Hi all,
Is there a way to mod my OTS so that when I engage the OPAB it won't get so "trebly" ? I realle like the sound - it just needs less treble.
Yep, change the two 22m resistors for 4,7 m types. This reduces the differece between on PAB and PAB mode. |
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362
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Ceriatone / Overtone / Re: Treble bleed
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on: May 07, 2009, 12:02:53 PM
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Yes! - either way reduce the reisitor value or increasing the capacitor value gives the same result.
The treble bleed works just like the (passive) 'tone' control on your guitar. It rolls the top treble frequencies to ground, producing a mere dull sound.
The best way to trim the highs in the OD mode, is to use a trimmer. I've got a 1 meg trimmer with a 1 nf (=1000 pf) capacitor. I think mine is a third from the ground, giving a resistance of 330 Kohm (so I could just as well use a 470k trimmer). However, dont take my word for it (or anybody's word for that matter) use your ears!!!!. Also it depends on the guitar and speakers you are using.
By the way, I have read you latest posts and have followed your OTS journey and can see that your are close to Dumble heaven ;-)
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363
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Ceriatone / Overtone / Re: Robben Ford mod..?
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on: April 27, 2009, 05:19:51 AM
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The Robben Ford mod, involves installing a large resistor instead of the Choke to simulate the sag of a TUbe rectifier (like GZ34, 5U4 etc). I a misunderstanding that ordinary silicon diodes (like 1N4007) will be slow. I have never heard of a slow silicon component. A resistor of 330 Ohms 5-10watt will do the job. However, you have to turn the (master) volume quite high, in order to build the sag, since its a product of the powersupply not being able to deliver fast enough, because of resistance in the supply. You can e.g. read more about in this link: http://ampgarage.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8520Good luck experimenting. Remember you are messing with lethal high voltages! |
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364
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Ceriatone / Overtone / Re: OTS MFX Recommendations?
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on: April 24, 2009, 05:46:35 AM
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From bluesfendermanblues: So just run it in paralel via the Klein - in stead of in series mod. And it will not possible suck any tone at all. As simple as that Smiley I know already this is going to be a long post - hang in there! Strangely, the exact opposite is the advice from a guy that has researched the G-system extensively. He posts quite a bit on the S-System forum sub-forum at tc electronic forum. He admits the G-system is not a plug-and-play device. Far from it. He sent me a 30+ page PDF that he wrote to explain the G-system better than the manual. I'm only about half way through reading it, but here's a quote that he includes from Mesa about using their parallel effects loop. “Though the Recto Pre s’ EFFECTS LOOP is the best type for a guitar product to preserve the inherent attack characteristic and overall sound quality and no expense was spared in its development, our tests have resulted in some interesting findings. We have had the best sonic and tactile results by actually bypassing the EFFECTS LOOP altogether and patching outboard gear directly between the pre-amp and the power amp with short, good quality cables. Though this may seem in many ways contradictory to the very concept of - and reason behind - a parallel effects loop...in repeated test situations we found the sound to be more three dimensional and full of punch, body and life than that of the same processing used in the EFFECTS LOOP with equivalent cable lengths. Theoretically (and electronically) this does not make good sense - and in fact should actually cause greater degradation of tone due to the more sensitive impedances present at the MAIN outputs. Nonetheless, being the tone-first-theory-later design team we have come to be, this patching scheme has worked much to our favor. We have long felt this to be true and in fact included this tip in some of our other products’ owner’s manuals. To verify our findings we recently took a census of TriAxis (Programmable Pre-amp) users among our phone-in customers and touring artists and found that most used their processing between pre-amp and power amp, saving their effects loops for more specific switchable applications. When asked why, in almost every case they said they liked the sound better between the pre-amp and the power amp. So try both ways for your specific application and choose the one that fits your ears and patching requirements best. There is no right or wrong way to interface processing to your Recto Pre so experiment at will.” The writer, Laird, goes on to add: [Ed. The Mesa folks demonstrate here, in spades, just how good a group of engineers they really are. Any time you swallow your pride and advise folks to not use a feature that you worked hard to put into a product - because you’ve decided that there is a better way – is the apex of engineering credibility. And they did not hide this advice in a search feature of an FAQ section either – they plunked it right into the relevant section of their manual so any intelligent person who buys, or even investigates their product will see the advice. That’s excellent, proactive customer service.] Now, both my OTS and Klein are pretty much brand-spankin' new. The last thing I want to do is ditch the Klein, which cost me good money, but, truly, the last thing I wish to ditch is tone. As I'm only half way through his PDF, I can't comment too much, but, basically, I believe what he's saying is that using the serial type connection is OK, or some parallels are OK but have to be 100% wet (supposedly you'd adjust this down at the EFX unit). On the other hand, there seems to be a problem of cross-bleed, that can make the G-system sound bad if not corrected. (I'll read the rest of the article and try to report a summation of the problem tomorrow) But, so far, it appears that the author is saying that in a parallel loop you've got 2 signals wet and dry, and the wet comes through after a minuscule delay. This minuscule delay is undetectable to our ears, but it comes up with all kinds of phasing, and artifact problems. I'll try to clarify tomorrow. Here's your chance to tell me I'm full of it! Laird asked me about the OTS configuration, I guess he's spent so much time troubleshooting the G-System that he knows questions to ask that I couldn't even imagine.I sent these questions to Nik, but he is (uncharacteristically) slow to reply. Still less than a day. Sorry for my own personal rush to resolve this, my friends have one ready to send me, and I hate to delay them while I figure this thing out. Anyhow - Laird's questions: Unfortunately, I know next to nothing about your amp. If you can get the following information about your rig from Ceriatone, it would be most useful:
1) Loop topology (parallel, serial, switchable?)
2) Loop Send Nominal Output Impedance (in ohms...)
3) Loop Send level (+4db?, -10db?, switchable?)
4) Loop Return input impedance (in ohms or k-ohms, or M-ohms)
5) Presence of a gain makeup stage at the loop return.
6) Nominal Input impedance of the main input Can any of you answer these questions? I'd certainly appreciate it. If anyone wants a copy of that PDF, please request it, and I'll try to get permission from the author. I guess I'm in OTS OverTime! Thanks, Buzzer Buzzer, you are way too analytical and intellectual about this  Try it both way (serial and parallel) and use what sounds best. I don't care what TC or Mesa writes in their manuals. I use my ears. So should you. Alternatively do as Larry Carlton and others... - take a signal from 'send' on your OTS, - run the signal to your effects - and from the effects out, you run it to another amp/speaker setup. (instead of back to the OTS), That way you don't have to worry about whether to use serial or paralel. In reallity a small and cheap transistor comboamp could be used for this application, since only 10% of the total signal is effects anyway.  Don't worry so much, play your instrument and forget the gear  |
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366
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Ceriatone / Overtone / Re: OTS MFX Recommendations?
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on: April 22, 2009, 10:13:50 PM
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My advice is to avoid the G system with the OTS- I tried one for about a month before I re-sold it! Basically it sucked the 'good' tone right out of the amp I'm afraid, nothing wrong with the G system- just it didn't work with the OTS whatever I tried- and it really didn't really work well in the amp loop, even the Kleinulator struggled to improve things.
My advice is to check everything in your signal chain- if it sounds worse plugged in- then remove it! The OTS is VERY picky with your signal chain, and you can lose all that great tone very easily if your not careful.
Thanks Mitch! I've heard this "G System Sucks Tone" several times. If you search that on google, it appears many times. There is not doubt that this is something people are experiencing. However, there are many people out there that are saying, basically, that it's a tough box to set up right. I believe you're supposed to use balanced cables, and everything has to be just so. I've heard stories from people who took months to get it right, but finally succeeded. And the opposite is also true as in one story from a player that discovered after using it for a long time that his amp came alive when he took the G-System out. The way he put it, I don't think he spent a lot of time troubleshooting after discovering the difference, but that might have changed things. Possibly not. Similar things are said at the Jem website (an Ibanez forum), and it sounds like this box needs a lot of troubleshooting if it's not working right. This may make it unavailable for me. As I live in this unspeakably wonderful country - Thailand - unspeakable because if I say anything bad about the place they might kill me or throw me in jail, that is. Well, I got a guitar midi converter from West LA music. I paid a lot for shipping (bundled with other items, and about $100 (20%) import taxes. I didn't even have to open the box. It rattled. For grins, I checked it out, but nothing. I had the choice of paying $100 in customs fees and driving 4 times to a govt. office about a half an hour away, and getting photos and documents, and yada, yada, yada. All so they wouldn't charge me customs taxes the second time! Or paying $100 customs taxes (again) and having it sent again. I don't want to pay about $250 extra for import duties + shipping, just to find out the thing doesn't work. The thing's expensive to begin with. I live far from the jewel of the orient - Bangkok - where I can test listen to the RP1000, and GT10, but I don't want to take my amp, speaker, and guitar there to do it. I can't get the thing from Guitar Center on 30 day approval here. So the last thing you said- about checking everything in my signal chain - isn't an option. Now that Bush is out, I'm planning on leaving this paradise to go back to where I've spent most of my life - Hawaii - but even there, unless you live on Oahu (which I won't) The music shops are not full of gear options. One bottom line for me is an Editor program that works on the Mac. The Rocktron sounded like a good box until I found out no editor exists. I haven't heard much good or bad about editor software for the GT10 or RP1000. Apparently it works well for the G-System, but might not be available yet for other devices in the TC Electronic G-String series. Bottom line also is that none of these boxes do all I want them to do, with the possible exception of the G-System, but I'd hate to purchase a thoroughbred and find out it's just a dog. Thanques, Buzzer So just run it in paralel via the Klein - in stead of in series mod. And it will not possible suck any tone at all. As simple as that  |
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367
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Ceriatone / Overtone / Re: OTS MFX Recommendations?
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on: April 22, 2009, 06:42:32 AM
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I had the G Sharp as well. Very nice indeed and very cheap.
there's one thing I didn't like though. You can't programm the overall volume of each patch.
I use that quite a lot to switch from rhythm to lead sounds.
The advantage with the GSharp and other effects with volume knobs for input and output, is that you are able to make an adjustment on the fly and don't have to dwelve into menu structures in order to make a simple adjustment IMHO |
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368
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Ceriatone / Overtone / Re: How can I get Hilden's es335 + dumble tone with my OTS????
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on: April 22, 2009, 06:40:12 AM
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I haven't really tried it out at rehearsal volumes (been using my Dc-30 ) yet but it was good for quieter volumes and better for the Fralin PAF style humbuckers in my Ibanez 335.
IMO my overtone has always been weaker sounding with H/B's than with single coils, though my Warmoth strat is a very warm sounding guitar due to it having a huge neck (Superwide 47mm nut and fat back profile). Still can't get my LP custom to really sing thro it, though that has got a Harmonic Design H/B in the bridge and a Fralin P92 in the Neck. I need a Plexi for that guitar!
Perhaps, you should try the Robben Ford HB combo - Seymour D 59' in neck and JB in Bridge - works like a charm in my ol' 70' Yamaha Les Paul... |
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372
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Ceriatone / Overtone / Re: Need some tech help from you guys
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on: April 09, 2009, 06:46:05 AM
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Did you set the bias for the tubes? If it's set too high the tubes won't last long.
And if it is biased too low - the tubes are running 'cold' and the overdrive they produce at higher volumes, will be very harsh like and old transister radio, which could be what ou describe as a light static-like buzz . Anyway, the amp should be re-biased for every set of powertubes, so get that multimeter out and get biased. |
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373
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Ceriatone / Overtone / Re: Which reverb pedal for OTS???
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on: April 08, 2009, 11:52:49 PM
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How about a T-Rex Roommate?
I don't own one but from what I have seen on the net they are pretty cool
Even better, the quality of tone is on par with the best rackeffects reverbs like lexicon and TC! However, if reverb is not a key feature of your sound, perhaps you should invest all that money another place in your sound chain, where it will create more value for you and your art. |
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