ProSoundWeb Community

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

Pages: [1] 2 3  All   Go Down

Author Topic: Direct Box for Headway The Band Violin Pickup System  (Read 10051 times)

Alan Chavis

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 12
Direct Box for Headway The Band Violin Pickup System
« on: March 20, 2015, 02:03:27 PM »

Anyone have any experience working with a violin with the Headway The Band Violin Pickup System?

http://www.headwaymusicaudio.com/product/the-band-violin/

We have a violinist in our group with this pickup and I'm thinking we need to use a direct box for it.  I'm wondering if I need to use a direct box that is designed for a piezo pickup or not.

Thanks!

Alan

Logged

Art Welter

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2201
  • Santa Fe, New Mexico
Re: Direct Box for Headway The Band Violin Pickup System
« Reply #1 on: March 21, 2015, 01:44:09 PM »

Anyone have any experience working with a violin with the Headway The Band Violin Pickup System?

http://www.headwaymusicaudio.com/product/the-band-violin/

We have a violinist in our group with this pickup and I'm thinking we need to use a direct box for it.  I'm wondering if I need to use a direct box that is designed for a piezo pickup or not.

Thanks!

Alan
Alan,

The ad copy:

"It requires no alteration of the instrument itself and generates a strong passive (no batteries required) signal which can usually be plugged straight into a mixing desk or combo amp."

would indicate it could use any ordinary direct box. An active direct may have more extended high frequency response over a passive due to the higher input impedance not loading the pickup, but given that we often cut the HF on violins, the choice of DI could be subjective.

Art

Logged

g'bye, Dick Rees

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 7424
  • Duluth
Re: Direct Box for Headway The Band Violin Pickup System
« Reply #2 on: March 21, 2015, 02:03:20 PM »

Art is not wrong.

But as usual with such products, I recommend purchasing the matching pre-amp/DI designed and engineered by the manufacturer to match the transducer part of the SYSTEM.

Here's a link to the primo model.  Two other less featured models are available for less cost.

http://www.wwbw.com/Headway-EDB-2-Direct-Preamp-J08559-i3687911.wwbw

Why instrumentalists persist in buying 1/2 a system is beyond me...
« Last Edit: March 21, 2015, 02:08:40 PM by dick rees »
Logged
Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain...

Keith Broughton

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3667
  • Toronto
Re: Direct Box for Headway The Band Violin Pickup System
« Reply #3 on: March 21, 2015, 03:58:05 PM »

Art is not wrong.

But as usual with such products, I recommend purchasing the matching pre-amp/DI designed and engineered by the manufacturer to match the transducer part of the SYSTEM.

Here's a link to the primo model.  Two other less featured models are available for less cost.

http://www.wwbw.com/Headway-EDB-2-Direct-Preamp-J08559-i3687911.wwbw

Why instrumentalists persist in buying 1/2 a system is beyond me...
Dude...too many knobs man.  8) What do they all do?  ;D
Logged
I don't care enough to be apathetic

Lyle Williams

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1558
Re: Direct Box for Headway The Band Violin Pickup System
« Reply #4 on: March 21, 2015, 04:47:40 PM »

If it is a Piezo pickup it needs an ultra high impedance active DI.

http://www.radialeng.com/pzdi.php

http://www.radialeng.com/stagebugsb4.php

Etc...

But I agree with the half a system comment too.


Logged

Alan Chavis

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 12
Re: Direct Box for Headway The Band Violin Pickup System
« Reply #5 on: March 21, 2015, 05:56:52 PM »

I ordered the StageBug SB-4 as well as a StageBug SB-1, so we'll see which one sounds better.

I'll encourage the violinist to consider buying one of the preamps designed to work with pickup.

Thanks for the help!

Alan
Logged

John Halliburton

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 866
  • Still has hair and white pointy beard...
Re: Direct Box for Headway The Band Violin Pickup System
« Reply #6 on: March 23, 2015, 09:28:54 AM »

Dude...too many knobs man.  8) What do they all do?  ;D

I agree.  I've seen enough players botch up their sound with overly complicated "direct boxes".  I've even demonstrated a couple of times that swapping theirs for a cheap tube preamp/DI like the ART Tube MP sounds better with less work.

Best regards,

John
Logged

James A. Griffin

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 832
Re: Direct Box for Headway The Band Violin Pickup System
« Reply #7 on: March 23, 2015, 11:17:32 AM »

Why instrumentalists persist in buying 1/2 a system is beyond me...

The same reason they show up at a gig without a 1/4" cable.   The sound guy has everything needed to make their stuff work.
Logged
I need to determine where in this swamp of unbalanced formulas squatteth the Toad of Truth

g'bye, Dick Rees

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 7424
  • Duluth
Re: Direct Box for Headway The Band Violin Pickup System
« Reply #8 on: March 23, 2015, 11:33:41 AM »

I agree.  I've seen enough players botch up their sound with overly complicated "direct boxes".  I've even demonstrated a couple of times that swapping theirs for a cheap tube preamp/DI like the ART Tube MP sounds better with less work.

Best regards,

John

The linked box was their most ambitious.  There are two other models, each simpler with fewer suck knobs, but designed by the engineering staff to match up with the pickup thingee itself.

Me, I'd play a full out electric fiddle if I had to work in a band with  amplified instruments.  No messing around...solid body, plenty of signal, no feedback.
Logged
Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain...

Jim McKeveny

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1454
Re: Direct Box for Headway The Band Violin Pickup System
« Reply #9 on: March 23, 2015, 11:37:18 AM »

I've seen enough players botch up their sound with overly complicated "direct boxes".

It's about a 1 in 5 shot that anyone coming to my theater with a LR Baggs acoustic DI hasn't totally bodged their sound.
Logged

ProSoundWeb Community

Re: Direct Box for Headway The Band Violin Pickup System
« Reply #9 on: March 23, 2015, 11:37:18 AM »


Pages: [1] 2 3  All   Go Up
 



Site Hosted By Ashdown Technologies, Inc.

Page created in 0.037 seconds with 25 queries.