http://www.adesignsaudio.com/reddi.htm



[ August 11, 2005: The published REDDI review is at http://www.studioreviews.com/reddi.htm ]

A little info on my REDDI experience so far:

I've used two REDDI's. An early version in a session in the Fall of '03 on the Jazzooo project. I honestly wasn't that impressed with it, and I don't even know if it was functioning correctly. I was also busy engineering a project and didn't have time to fool with anything that wasn't immediately giving me what I wanted – in terms of sonics and performance.

Another final-production REDDI came in the Fall of last year for review. With all the gear I have around here from manufacturers for The Listening Sessions and also testing for Sound Pure – the last thing I thought I needed was another DI. The REDDI sat around for awhile before I got a chance to use it. I figured it wasn't that much different than what was going on with the MP-2 – or at least I thought there wasn't going to be much improvement over the MP DI, which took top honors in a bass DI shoot-out for The Listening Sessions. More info on the MP-1 review at http://www.studioreviews.com/mp-1.htm

So I fired up the REDDI finally a few months ago. I used my Lakland Bob Glaub P&J; bass. The sound was very different than I expected. And much better. Tone for days on this thing. The sound is right out of the late 60's and early 70's when a lot of classic tones were established. The bass wasn't as big as with the MP DI. The REDDI's tone is more round, very well defined and right in the pocket. A bit like a fuller version of what you might get out of an API DI with even-order harmonics added in.

I ran some Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer, B3 and other classic sounds out of some of my keyboards and the REDDI was a perfect fit. Whereas the MP series does a great job of warming up sounds, the REDDI excels in giving classic sounds a classic presentation.

The REDDI I had for review had to go back to A Designs. I've had well over 200 products here for review in the last couple of years. I'd already bought an A Designs MP-2 and have one here, so I didn't think another offering from them [ and certainly not a DI ] was going to widen my pallet. I was wrong. The REDDI is the second product [ other was a pair of Gefell M295's ] that I sent back and then realized how much I missed when I didn't have it. I've ponied up and am pulling my own greenbacks out of my wallet and have put in an order for one.

I still just sort of feel I'm on the first leg with the REDDI. And maybe I got stuck in this "classic" thing with it. When the REDDI I've ordered comes in I'm gonna put it in one of my partners' studios who does more modern heavy music and we'll see how it does there. I've also heard a few cool reports about it being used with dynamic mics. Wanna try that myself.

I think the REDDI's easily worth $800+. When word starts to get around about what the REDDI does – and does well – the price will seem more than reasonable. After all, it's a tube DI designed and built in the US. The quality is tops.

Yeah... What he said.

The REDDI rules... I've been using it like crazy. At first I thought it was a 1 trick pony, but then I tried different gain staging techniques with different pre's. What can't this thing do?

Crank the bass, crank the REDDI so it overdrives the input of the preamp, crank my 1073 clone all the way and bring down the output gain sounds like a full on rock tone coming out of a real amp.

Backing off the bass' output a bit, putting the REDDI's output attenuator at about half and plugging it in to a Focusrite pre and getting most of my gain there sounds fairly modern/clean while still sitting back in the mix.

I generally pick somewhere between those extremes for a great "vintage" tone.

-Dusty

Brad Lunde of TransAudio Group recently started a topic over at Gear Slutz on the REDDI and asking for input. A lot of thumbs up were posted by folks about the REDDI. Brad announced he was working on price structure. He came back in the thread and announced that the REDDI would be carried direct through his company at Las Vegas Pro Audio. The bottom line is that the REDDI is now going to be even more accessible at a price of $575.

From the topic:

quote:

This week we'll move the REDDI (only) over to the Las Vegas Pro Audio side of the business and sell it direct for $575, (list is $725). Dealers will be able to special it order it for you through their shop at the same price as we sell it for.

Brad

http://lasvegasproaudio.com
Factory Direct sales of
ATC, Brauner, Daking, Pauly, SoundField, Weiss and now REDDI

At the new price, I couldn't resist trying the Reddi. Haven't put it through recording paces yet (the studio's been down for construction and other wonderful things like an Audio Upgrades mod to an HD24 (thanks Jim)). I did run it through comparisons with the pres in a Mix Wiz. On an Alvarez acoustic/electric and an Ibanez hollow body, there is a big difference. Much richer tone in the Reddi. Top and bottom are much more alive. So far, I wouldn't describe it as very mid-forward, but neither of these guitars are a good test for that. The Reddi is also very, very quiet. Can't wait to record bass through it.

Oh yeah, my other favorite feature is the bright blue light. I may gig with this baby for the added tone and my own personal spotlight!

The published REDDI review is at http://www.studioreviews.com/reddi.htm

Any word on a 1/4" through jack?

trans, there's no room in that box for a 1/4" thru. And if someone wants to splits a signal, a splitter box or a Y cable is a pretty inexpensive and effective solution.

Why'd you want one?

I am interested in the REDDI. As it didn't have a 1/4" through, I went with an AMI Tab-Funkenwerk V71DI . .. . as it did have a 1/4" through to feed an amplifier.



Best quote I've received on the REDDI thus far is for $541.48

Best, chris

Any thoughts on how the Reddi compares to a GT Brick?

i have to admit.... i didnt like the REDDI at first. i exchanged emails with DOT and Peter [who is an incredibly nice guy far beyond what i expect]. i tried the REDDI on bass on a project and i really wasnt getting that ROCK bass tone [pretty much an overdriven SVT sound] and my API beat it out... so it sat there for that part of the session. plus, not pass thru jack [but i did take it apart, and there isnt any room for it in the current casing so...] and i wasnt sure about loading with a splitter in the time frame i had to deal with, plus the sound just wasnt happening so i wasnt goign to force the piece into production for the sake of using it.... we ended up taking the DI from the ampeg svt4pro>api312.

now to be fair, it fully might of been the wrong choice for this bassist. he is VERY hard to record and really bears down on the strings with his fingers which creates a "chirping" sound on the high frets from contact of the string against them. timing wise he is fine and i really didnt feel like altering his style moving him closer to the bridge and take him out of his comfort level. i just dont think that is how engineers should behave.... record what you are given and make the best out of it.... sometimes give some pointers that could help etc, though i did try to put tape across the top frets [that doesnt work either]... blah blah blah [tangent]

back on topic. so i am laying down some synth tracks and bound and determined to understand this unit, and w/o the band present and i could focus on the sound, it is just nice big and round.... but VERY clean and detailed [which is why i wasnt getting my usualy overdriven sound i was looking for... although thanks for that post above about playing with gainstaging to the preamps, i think i was running it straight into ADC... i will haveto try that into my TG2 i think or the GR2nv]

anyway. this is quite an interesting piece.... and i like the lower price.... cause for what it did to my synth sounds, i might have to get two of them.

my one other design "complain" is the location of et jacks/switches, although arranged like they are for sonic reasons over convenience... i would like the output to be on the backside rather than the front... again, with the size of those xformers... i cant believe there is much room for anything else really.

oh i forgot.... anyone tried to run a powered tube condensor mic into it? the sound i heard it create with my synth i would LOVE to add on to the sound i get from my U99.... and that mic is so hot on the output no preamp i use needs gain and im always padding them.

well, i did it today on vocals. enough gain that i had to attenuate a bit at one point in tracking. so a U99>REDDI actually works.... of course since i got signal, i didnt A/B it against any of the other preamps i have....

which right now are:
cranesong flamingo
api 3124
chandler tg2
great river mp2nv
a designs pacifica

but every pre i have ever used with the mic, i have had to pad them... i have actually been contemplating bypassing the preamps altogether with that mic and hooking direct into the ADC.... but the 16db of gain was just right tracking vox today for the one song we did.

the next song, being a giant departure from the singers normal style i needed to switch up to a higher gain preamp....

AJ,

Have you tried other tubes in your U99? I just put a Mullard in it and it really smoothed out the mids considerably.

Maybe I'll try your idea with my Groove Tubes Ditto. I think that it has up to 30db of gain.

no its still the stock tube... what tube is in there? oh wait... EF86.

man, thats $100 for a single mullard EF86... genelex gold lion is $150. im guessing its a sovtek in there?

im trying to figure out this imput impedance.... i was speaking with peter about doing this. his thought i might blow something up possibly with impedance mismatching. i cant find our conversation about it... but the manual states two figures for input impedance:
min1.4k oHm [which is in the right ballpark, the mic is 150 oHm output] but then says also Min>100k oHm.

in the email conversation, it was the 100kOhm figure i think.

i went and googled impedance matching on electronic circuts and came up with opposing views, misinformation, disinformation, and gibberish i do not understand. i have always gone by the try it and see method. i was talking with dan kennedy from great river about his loading and impedance buttons on his preamp, and the loading feature certainly changes the tone of the signal [smoothing out the highs and dipping the mids a TAD]

im curious as to what loading issues this causes. i did read a part about the amplifier controlling the mechanism, but it was more related to 0 oHm resistance rather than high ratios.

either way i had PLENTY of gain for his vox levels.... except when he did another song in a different style and was singing lower in volume, which i am going to have to switch out a preamp for.

as far as switching the tube, i have always kind of liked the bit of bite that [and the U95s] has. quite distinct and can always pick it out as the mic used on a recording. i have always thought of it as the character of the mic. those prices are pretty steep for a tube.... but i think i would have to get both just to see if i decided to do that.

i got the pacifica yesterday via fedex so today that will go in the rack and see how that fares.

Actually I paid 19.50 british pounds (about $35.00 USD) for the Mullard. Some guy on evil bay is selling off his grandfather's tv repair stock a piece at a time. He's in the UK. The scary part is he just stuck the tube in its box into an airmail envelope and sent it Royal Air. I was shocked when I got it and twice as shocked that the tube worked fine.

i probably could of used that today... the "screaming" vox were a bit too much for the U99, far too edgy... i went to a nady ribbon [man, those things sound pretty good] feeding a great river mp2nv for the loud parts, and the U99>pacifica for the singing parts [which sounded killer]

I've actually had real luck with the NTK for screamo stuff. About 8" off through a 1272 preamp worked well, if you can describe those kind of performances as working well.

It's kind of like saying, for the best results crash testing your car, drive at 55 instead of 60.

I've been wondering about how the Reddi would sound as a Mic amp.

Has anybody tried the reddi with a ribbon mic? I'm thinking of using it to record a saxaphone.
I'm recording at a rehearsal studio, so the reddi would be convenient since it's so easily transportable.

I made a thread about it on our band forum:
http://corrientesmusic.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=29#29

evt