Alembic Guitars Club
Alembic products => Owning an Alembic => Troubleshooting => Topic started by: 0vid on October 15, 2006, 02:50:22 AM
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seeking advice on using the F1X XLR out on stage with various bands. My rig: F1X biamped into power amps, line feed via full range out to board, or XLR to board.
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I do live work with various bands as a sessionist, so I am frequently in a situation where I don't know the people nor their PA setup well enough. I dread using the XLR out in case there is global phantom power which might fry the F1X.
Last night at a gig, I arrived later than the rest of the band I was sitting in at setup time and most of it was setup and wired. Though there were banks of channels with selectable phantom powering, I had to use one with Phan power , so I went with the full range out to board.
Does any one know a failsafe way to use the XLR out of the F1X, is there a thru' box or modification of some sort ?
(Message edited by 0vid on October 15, 2006)
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Interesting question that one and I will be interested in the answer for when I get on the road with my rig.
Can I ask you a slightly different one. I use an F1X as well in bi- amped mode, but are you saying, from your first paragraph, that you can use the full range out at the same time as using the lo and hi outputs from the F1-X ?
Cheers
Jazzyvee
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I believe that is correct, Jazzy, though I also believe the signals will be out of phase with each other. Given that there will probably also be a certain amount of distance between the rig and the PA speakers, that may not make that much difference.
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I use the crossovered outputs to feed my stage poweramps and cabs. The full range feeds the PA. Phase cancellation is not a problem as the stage monitors feeds, i.e foldback is EQed with bass cut, and the main PA does what it does. With the current PA rig, phase cancellation is not an issue unless the specific placement, AND volume of both PA and bass rig are in such positions that you experience phase cancellation.
If you mix these signals directly on your board you might get phase cancellation.
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What makes you think the output will fry if phantom power is applied? From what I understand, it is a transformer DI and that should be pretty robust in the face of phantom power.
If there is something to know about that I don't I would be interested!
Edwin
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I'm not sure and would rather err on the side of caution at this point. Can you confirm the the transformer isolates the circuitry from phantom power? There have been reports of issues with this variously with different preamps on some forums.
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I thought there was some discussion of this somewhere and that the F-1X was at risk from phantom power. Looks like another thread where Mica will have to weigh in to set the record straight. This is important to me since I switched over to the Fender preamp primarily because it has a Jensen DI and the F-1X was reported to be less robust.
-Bob
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Ron says that it is transformer-coupled, so it's totally safe for phantom power.
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Thanks for the clarifiication Mica.
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R. If you want belt and braces security, I'd suggest putting an output transformer/isolator in your rack. this (http://www.wembleydrumcentre.com/index.php?fuseaction=shopping.details&pId=9329&cId=4) is the one I have.
Graeme
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Thanks G
I'll buy that and bring it with me from now on. I gig with a spare power amp, a spare bass, but never a spare preamp - well not properly anyway. I always carry an Acoustic Image Clarus, and a GK MBX112 (modded with tweeter) as my personal foldback monitor. It's my small gig bass rig, and it's lighter than a powered monitor....
So I suppose if there is a preamp failure, I could use that...But the F1X has been good to me for about 8 years now.
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Hi, brand newbiean here. Anyone have problems with dirty sound from the XLR DI out? Mine sounds like baked ass and I had it checked out not too long ago with no apparent problems. Now crud sound and I already paid for the checkup. Thanks
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Hi John, welcome to the board.
Have you tried different cables?
To what kind of equipment are you running the signal?
Was it previously working properly in the same setup?
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Hi John,
I don't see your name in my service records (maybe you had a dealer or someone else send it for you?). I'll need an actual description of the sound you're experiencing to troubleshoot.
There is no charge to test your preamp. You are responsible for return shipping charges.
If you decide to send it to us, please do the following:
1. Enclose a note in the box with your name, return shipping address, contact numbers/email, and a description of the problem (crackling, high frequency hiss, etc.). Include if the problem was always present, came on suddenly or came on gradually. It will also be useful if you could test with the other outputs on the preamp to see if it's isolated to the XLR. If you have a chance to try with more than one type of equipment connected to the XLR that will further isolate the problem.
2. Pack the F-1X well. If you don't have the original packaging, make sure you ship in a large enough box with lots of bubble wrap so the ears do not get bent. Use an even bigger box than you think you need to be safe. Insure it for the current replacement value in case it's damaged or lost in transit ($1150).
3. Send a note to the Helpdesk (http://www.alembic.com/cgi-bin/service-form.pl) when you ship so that we can be on the lookout for it. We'll let you know when it arrives.
You can also email me at the Helpdesk (http://www.alembic.com/cgi-bin/service-form.pl) to discuss the specific issue you're having with the preamp. There's a chance we can help you troubleshoot the problem without having you ship it in.
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Thanks Mica, unfo did not send it to Alembic cuz I did not get it from Alembic (shame on me). It was second-hand, and I brought it for a check-up to a guy that repairs hi-fis. He was suitably impressed with its design and construction, natch! It is the best pre I've ever laid eyes on. Anyway so far I have just run the DI to a mixer, normal XLR cable. Every other output works perfectly.
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Is it making the same noise in other channels of the mixer?
Did you try a different XLR cable?
Does the mixer channel have an impedance pad switch?
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Yes on point 1 and 2. I don't know on 3, don't have access to that mixer. It's happened on a couple of mixers though, some of which def don't have an imp pad switch. I also switched between pre/post and gnd/lift, no diff.
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I believe the XLR out has its own transformer. You may want to have your tech guy check the transformer. In Mica's response to your original post, she suggests emailing her at the helpdesk. She also mentions that they can test it for you.
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Thanks davehouck, I'll do that.
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I have had the same experience as boombats. I had run the XLR out to my PS-1 XLR in (thinking it would give better clarity for some reason) and all through the first set it sounded like baked ass to quote. As soon as I switched back to the full range out the sweetness was back.
The sound was like a low grade distortion, but not a good musical kind of sound. It was just an experiment, since I'm mis-using the F1-X for the Further I assumed that was the reason, and didn't give it another thought until I read this thread.
To note, if I run the XLR out to my mixing board in the studio (headphones only) this ass sound is not present, but its still not as nice as the 1/4 full range out.