Hello --
Recalling a few threads over past few years on reactive load boxes. Particularly when UA's Ox arrived hopes were it'd finally fulfill, but if memory serves reviews were ambivalent at best and much worse at worst.
Would anyone offer a positive endorsement of one or more of the available options in application to absorb 100% power from large amps and generate a "DI" signal that'd go straight into a DAW?
Asking for a friend.
Best .. Ian
impressions/reactions
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pompeiisneaks
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Re: impressions/reactions
I think Marcus said he loved his UA DI thingy? But I could be remembering wrong. hopefully he'll chime in.
I've never used one or created one or anything so I'm useless
Edit: fixed 'what marcus loved'
~Phil
I've never used one or created one or anything so I'm useless
Edit: fixed 'what marcus loved'
~Phil
tUber Nerd!
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Re: impressions/reactions
I have had the.. pleasure.. unfortunate chance.. absolute torture.. umm..
WAZA lasted my friend about 3 gigs. Smoked. Tryng to RMA it for almost two years now but it seems tech support at Boss is busy bookign WAZA RMAs? I guess so.
UA engineered by ipod playing monkeys. It attenuates in all modes. It sounds soggy. Effects that require other devices to play through. I'm am not at all sure why this thing was brought to market.
I suggest a big resistor, a metal box, and a mic level transformer tapped off a simple line out at the input jack to the fire eating monster resistor box.
It's a real bummer. I get angry that they get $1200+ for things that Youtube can rave about for money. The whole industry has become a marketing scam.
WAZA lasted my friend about 3 gigs. Smoked. Tryng to RMA it for almost two years now but it seems tech support at Boss is busy bookign WAZA RMAs? I guess so.
UA engineered by ipod playing monkeys. It attenuates in all modes. It sounds soggy. Effects that require other devices to play through. I'm am not at all sure why this thing was brought to market.
I suggest a big resistor, a metal box, and a mic level transformer tapped off a simple line out at the input jack to the fire eating monster resistor box.
It's a real bummer. I get angry that they get $1200+ for things that Youtube can rave about for money. The whole industry has become a marketing scam.
Signatures have a 255 character limit that I could abuse, but I am not Cecil B. DeMille.
Re: impressions/reactions
I have a Tone king IronMan II Mini which I like but it's only good for 30W, It's big brother is rated at 100W though.
Craig
Craig
Thinking about my second build.
Re: impressions/reactions
The JohnH attenuator https://www.marshallforum.com/threads/s ... ing.98285/ mostly delivers on the reactive load promise. You can build one for a 100 watt load for the price of a dinner out if you are careful about sourcing parts. The biggest investment is reading through the 100 page thread at the Marshall forum. There are instructions/experience in there for adding a line-out for DI recording. Without the influence of a cab in the signal chain the raw output sounds terrible. You have to add a software cab sim/IR to the mix which means it will never sound exactly like "your amp." One big draw to the UA etc stuff is that the cab sim comes as part of the package and is a part of the sound, for better or worse.
Even though I love my JohnH (built mine with an LPad nestled between a couple of the "special ratio" attenuation stages for infinite variability), and pretty much use it all the time, it definitely changes the tone and feel of the amp when you play at low volume. Heavily attenuated amps compress more, the artifacts of tube amplification stand out without all the pieces of the amp/cab/speaker vibrating and distorting, treble/bass relationships change at lower volume. It's just a fact. Heavily attenuated amps just don't sound the same as they do when pushing 80+ db.
I think the amp in a box DI pedals up through a Kemper are the way to go if you want silent recording into a DAW. Feel is better than a heavily attenuated amp, they sound great, they integrate easily into the signal chain and they are predictable. If you can make some noise, you can find a sweet spot with attenuation where you can still get all the tube amp intangibles we love and have enough volume to mic and gain stage out the noise. It's definitely not happening at silent or very quiet volumes though.
Even though I love my JohnH (built mine with an LPad nestled between a couple of the "special ratio" attenuation stages for infinite variability), and pretty much use it all the time, it definitely changes the tone and feel of the amp when you play at low volume. Heavily attenuated amps compress more, the artifacts of tube amplification stand out without all the pieces of the amp/cab/speaker vibrating and distorting, treble/bass relationships change at lower volume. It's just a fact. Heavily attenuated amps just don't sound the same as they do when pushing 80+ db.
I think the amp in a box DI pedals up through a Kemper are the way to go if you want silent recording into a DAW. Feel is better than a heavily attenuated amp, they sound great, they integrate easily into the signal chain and they are predictable. If you can make some noise, you can find a sweet spot with attenuation where you can still get all the tube amp intangibles we love and have enough volume to mic and gain stage out the noise. It's definitely not happening at silent or very quiet volumes though.
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Re: impressions/reactions
The best way to attenuate (the practice, not the hardware) is to get the sound you like without anything added, then install the attenuator and give up.
Do not touch a knob.
The biggest problem with attenuation is the loss of volume
Do not touch a knob.
The biggest problem with attenuation is the loss of volume
Signatures have a 255 character limit that I could abuse, but I am not Cecil B. DeMille.
Re: impressions/detractions on reactive load gizmos
Hello --
Thanks all for your input. Passed it along, and now going to study established DIY resistive design with perhaps passive reactive elements -- particularly that JohnH. Lower power Tone King Ironman may get a trial for the smaller amps. Avoidance guidance on OX and WAZA wise both sonically and financially. Miles' set it and forget recommendation makes huge sense.
Best .. Ian
Thanks all for your input. Passed it along, and now going to study established DIY resistive design with perhaps passive reactive elements -- particularly that JohnH. Lower power Tone King Ironman may get a trial for the smaller amps. Avoidance guidance on OX and WAZA wise both sonically and financially. Miles' set it and forget recommendation makes huge sense.
Best .. Ian
Re: impressions/reactions
If this is not too late...
I use and really like the Rivera Rockcrusher for attenuation down to practice levels on a DC30 with its volume way up and the master vol. disengaged. To record, I've hooked up the two notes torpedo C.A.B. with excellent results. There really are two separate problem areas here: a.) attenuation to a real speaker and b.) DI with a simulated reactive load or cab. If you use a cab simulator like the UA Ox for silent recording - i.e. attenuate down to 0, you can use the cheapest resistive dummy load just to get rid of the heat...
I use and really like the Rivera Rockcrusher for attenuation down to practice levels on a DC30 with its volume way up and the master vol. disengaged. To record, I've hooked up the two notes torpedo C.A.B. with excellent results. There really are two separate problem areas here: a.) attenuation to a real speaker and b.) DI with a simulated reactive load or cab. If you use a cab simulator like the UA Ox for silent recording - i.e. attenuate down to 0, you can use the cheapest resistive dummy load just to get rid of the heat...