direct box

Winter NAMM Show: The Radial JDX is a direct box designed specifically for guitar amplifiers to let you capture the sound of the guitar amp and cabinet combination via a reactive load and advanced cabinet emulation.

According to Radial President, Peter Janis: “It is common practice for guitarists to place a microphone right in front of their guitar amp to capture the guitar sound and send it to the PA or recording system. The problem is that when the mic is so close to the speaker cone, a slight change in mic position will significantly alter the sound. This is further exacerbated by the room acoustics which will vary considerably from stage to stage. By providing a second, more dependable signal source, the sound engineer is better equipped to get up and running quickly. This reduces the variables and results in a better, more consistent tone for the audience.” Read more…

NAMM 2005: The SGI Studio Guitar Interface is a ’send & receive’ combo that allows a guitar signal to travel from the control room across balanced studio wiring to a distant amplifier as far as 500 feet away while retaining the natural tone of the guitar. With the Radial SGI connected, it allows the guitar player to monitor his sound in real time while recording so that he can hear what is actually going to tape without having to use headphones or be adjacent to the guitar amp.

The Radial SGI is a unity gain device that is made up with a combination ‘transmit & receive pair’ of modules. These feature 100% discreet class-A circuitry for fidelity. Class-A circuits are known for their low zero-cross distortion, which results in lower inter-modulation distortion and phase accuracy. The guitar connection is standard 1/4″. To ensure the natural tone of the instrument is transferred correctly, the Drag Control load correction circuit is provided allows the guitarist to introduce a load on the pickup to emulate the direct connection of his guitar to the amplifier.

A DC connection for the 15VDC supply is provided along with a power-on LED. To eliminate hum and buzz caused by ground loops, both the ‘transmit and receive’ modules are equipped with isolation transformers and ground lift options. A standard XLR connects the two devices allowing the signal to traverse balanced patch-bays and studio panels that are typical to most studios. The SGI receive module features an XLR input, ground lift and two outputs to allow two amps to be used at once.

As with all Radial products, the SGI is made from heavy-duty 14-gauge steel and features an internal I-beam frame that is virtually impossible to torque. A bookend outer shell provides a protective zone around the switches and connectors, thus allowing the SGI to be used in hectic environments.

For more information, visit the Radial Engineering site.

NAMM 2005: Ampeg introduced the SVTMP Microphone Preamplifier, a tube-driven mic preamp/direct box for studio and live stage applications. The 12AX7 and 12AU7 tubes provide classic Ampeg tube coloration to enhance the tone of a solid-state device.

The SVTMP also features 1 x 12AX7 and 1 x 12AU7 tubes; combination input jack (1/4″ and XLR); input pads for line and mic level signal; 48v Phantom Power; a 1/4″ Thru jack; and XLR output.

Features:

• 1 x 12AX7, 1 x 12AU7 tubes
• Combination input jack (1/4″ and XLR)
• Input pads for Line and Mic level signal
• 48v Phantom Power
• Input signal attenuation
• 1/4″ Thru jack and XLR output
• Bag included

The SVTMP should be available in spring, and lists for $529.

More information is available at the Ampeg site.

Radial Engineering has introduced the ProDI, a passive direct box that has been designed specifically for musicians and sound companies that do not have the budget to spend $200 on a direct box.

According to Radial President, Peter Janis: “Since we introduced the Radial JDI back in 1996, customers have asked us to produce a more affordable passive direct box so that home studios, small sound companies and community centers can enjoy some of the benefits of using a JDI. The Radial JDI is very special in that it employs a $100 Jensen Audio Transformer as the ‘engine’ that performs the impedance conversion and the isolation. We searched high and low to find a more affordable alternative, but no matter how hard we looked, the quality was never close. The Jensen is truly perfect! This left us with only one choice: to have a custom-made transformer built to our specifications.” Read more…

Radial Engineering has introduced the Radial JDX, a new type of direct box that connects between the guitar amplifier head and the speaker cabinet to capture the direct sound of the guitar amplifier. Designed for both live and studio use, the Radial JDX may be used alone or combined with a microphone as it is equipped with a variable 0 degree to 180 degree phase control that allows the engineer to align the mic’d and direct signals for optimum performance.

According to company president Peter Janis: “The Radial JDX is one of the boxes that should have been invented a long time ago. Just put your ear next to a 12″ speaker playing at 100 watts and listen: you will find that the tone of the amp does not come from one speaker, but from the combination of the speakers, the box and the room. This is why studios generally set up several microphones in a room and spend a ton of time moving the mics until they find the sweet spot. For live engineers, the problem is multiplied, as stage setups are never the same, the acoustics change nightly as the band moves from room to room, and simply moving the microphone by a few inches will cause a phase shift to the tone as the mic picks up sound from two adjacent speakers.” Read more…