Alembic Guitars Club

Alembic products => Owning an Alembic => Troubleshooting => Topic started by: tcube on November 01, 2011, 01:54:13 PM

Title: Cabling between F1X & compressor
Post by: tcube on November 01, 2011, 01:54:13 PM
Alembicists:  I'd like to connect a compressor to my F1X.  Do I use a stereo (tip/ring/sleeve) or a mono (tip/sleeve) cable?  The Compressor is an FMR RNC1773.
 
Thanks!
Title: Cabling between F1X & compressor
Post by: mario_farufyno on November 03, 2011, 08:49:50 AM
Considering it isn't a dual compressor, you can't compress diferently 2 channels (like from Neck and Bridge's Pick Ups). This means it will squash both input equaly and there is no need or use in sending 2 inputs to it, IMHO.
 
Alembic is not a real stereo, in the way of 2 channels being panned hard left and right to recreate dimensions of a soundscape. It provides outputs for each PU to process each diferently, but this makes sense only if you can process them diferently.  
 
In a stereo compressor, both channels will be compressed equaly to keep L/R imaging consistent, so it seems that there will be no clear advantage feeding it with 2 channels. But I'm not a Series user (not even a F1 user), so it is possible that someone knows better how to use them in that fashion.
Title: Cabling between F1X & compressor
Post by: tcube on November 03, 2011, 10:43:37 AM
Hi Mario and thank you for your reply.  I wasn't trying to compress my two pickups separately.  Rather, my question had to do with using TRS (sometimes called a stereo cable) vs TS (mono).  Turns out that TS will work fine.  But thank you for your considered reply nonetheless.
 
Cheers,
Title: Cabling between F1X & compressor
Post by: gtrguy on November 09, 2011, 09:25:22 AM
I am recording with my F-1X and notice it is a lot more quiet when I use the front TRS output into my converter than the rear 1/4 jack.
Title: Cabling between F1X & compressor
Post by: tcube on November 09, 2011, 02:28:26 PM
gtrguy,  By TRS, I presume you mean the 3-prong XLR direct out.  (It's the only output on the front panel.)  That's a very useful piece of information!  In a live performance I wonder if its possible/safe to feed that direct out to a power amp.
Title: Cabling between F1X & compressor
Post by: gtrguy on November 15, 2011, 07:08:53 PM
Yes, the mic cable front output. Should be fine into a power amp! I also have better mic cables than guitar ones and that may be why it's more quiet out the front.
Title: Cabling between F1X & compressor
Post by: willie on December 14, 2011, 09:37:30 AM
TRS means Tip Ring Sleve. It is a 1/4 jack with 3 conductors. A tip Sleeve jack uses the shield as one of the conductors. TRS has 2 conductors plus the shield.
It can be used for 1/4' balanced applications.
The 3 pin direct out in the front is a low impedance output that is great for sending a signal to the front of house or sound man or going into a board for recording.
I use my DBX 160A compressor in the effects loop of the F-1X. Any time you are hooking up something that says the input or output is balanced, you should use a TRS cable. The reason the output from the front is more quiet is becauce it is a transformer isolated balanced low impedance output while the 1/4' full range and bi-amp outputs on the back are high impedance. Hope that helps.
Will