Bob Watson - Posted - 08/26/2024:  00:23:50

I am new to owning the Fishman JD Aura Pedal and Nashville p/u and I played a gig with it in a venue that was packed with a very loud audience and found it challenging to keep up with the rest of the band’s volume. I had the JD Aura pedal volume and trim up all the way and I was up all the way in the P.A. and I was still barely able to keep up with the volume of the rest of the band. I have a Baggs Para DI preamp that I want to add to my signal chain to get more volume and I am wondering if other Squareneck Dobro players have used the Baggs with their JD Aura Pedals and hear how you set the trim on both pedals and any other tips you might be able to give me. I’m assuming that the Dobro goes into the JD Aura pedal and that the Para DI is next, and then from it into the PA or amplifier. I don’t want the Baggs to effect the tone so I am thinking that if I have all the eq set flat I’ll be ok, but still have the option to color the tone if I need to.

hlpdobro - Posted - 08/26/2024:  07:21:28

Something is not correct. That's really not the primary job of the DI. There should have been plenty of output from the Aura, assuming that the PA input and all gain stages were set correctly.



What was your complete (PA) setup?



h

Edited by - hlpdobro on 08/26/2024 07:22:12

hlpdobro - Posted - 08/26/2024:  07:48:16

Let me add. The output of the Aura delivers an "instrument level" signal, the same as an electric guitar so there SHOULD be enough signal to drive an instrument level input.

That being said the DI does have its place, possibly converting your signal to balanced XLR. Some DI do provide additional gain and other attributes. The DI typically is the last device in your signal chain so any adjustment (gain/eq/etc) effects everything.

yetilumber - Posted - 08/27/2024:  10:23:19

Bob,

I realize this is not what you are asking, and you probably do not want to spend $, but I use a Fishman ToneDeq after the JD Aura and run XLR to the mixer from the ToneDeq. It has a volume control on it and also a boost switch. I got mine used, in good condition.

That said, I have not played in the noisy situation you are describing, and have only used the boost switch a handful of times on breaks/leads.

reverb.com/marketplace?query=F...20ToneDeq

Jman

JC Dobro - Posted - 08/27/2024:  13:45:10

Assuming a capable PA system, your gear (JD Aura, Fishman Pup, Baggs Para DI...) should be sufficient for your needs. I gigged plenty of loud venues w/ this same setup. (Have since switched to Baggs Venue DI, but same idea).

Sequence Resonator => JD Aura => Baggs Para DI => Mixer => PA

Use XLR out w/ Phantom on your Baggs.

JD Aura trim at 100% should work, unless you are a very hard picker. I use 90% trim/gain just to give myself a bit of headroom. When I do a moderate chop, the JD Aura will clip red, but not at regular picking strength. Try that to see where it clips red for you.

For starting point of JD Aura volume, try about 60% (1 o'clock). Later on, we may be able to ooch this higher. But 1'o clock works for me.

Now, on your Baggs, put volume about 9 o'clock as starting point while you do your trim/gain adjustments on your gain dial. Try picking hard and adjust your Baggs gain knob clockwise until you start to hear distortion in the PA or amp. Back it down counter-clockwise until you no longer hear distortion. In general, you want your trim level (gain) as high as possible while still maintaining a clean tone.

Now that you have a clean tone, adjust your Baggs volume dial up from 9'oclock and see how it sounds in the PA. Depending on your PA, you may be able to set it up quite a bit before you start hearing hiss or distortion. And check signal strength on mixer board compared to other instruments. If you're on par, you are likely OK and it can be managed from the board via faders.

You may eventually need to tweak your EQs on the Baggs. It's not so much about coloring your tone, as it is fine tuning your sound for the venue you're in. Some rooms are boomy, some as reverb-y, etc. EQ can compensate or mitigate for poor room acoustics, to some degree.

Anyhow, YMMV, but maybe this helps. There's definitely some trial and error involved. Good luck!

Bob Watson - Posted - 08/28/2024:  00:58:31

Thanks for all of your replies fellas, I really appreciate it! I believe that the pa is a couple of powered speakers with a compact Mackie 8 channel board. I was pretty loud, but not as loud as the guitars, who were both using Baggs Venue DI’s. We also had a String Bass player. It was an acoustic version of a full band that I play pedal steel with. I have to admit that the guitar player who was running the pa isn’t very experienced functioning as a sound man, but he gets the job done. I tried the Dobro and the JD Aura pedal on a band gig using a Fender Acoustasonic 90 and it was plenty loud enough for that situation, but I have to admit that I was surprised that it barely covered the “acoustic” gig that I mentioned earlier. I figure that the Para DI will give me the boost in volume that I am looking for. I appreciate all of the input and details that you guys have given me, especially the information about setting the Trim on the JD Aura pedal and the Gain on the Para DI.

Bob Watson - Posted - 08/28/2024:  01:22:27

One more thing I should mention is the Nashville Pickup in the Beard Dobro wasn’t installed by the techs at Beard and it’s probably the first version of that pickup, but I was assured that it was installed by an experienced technician and had been working well when used with Bluegrass bands. When I got the JD Aura Pedal I notices that even when the Trim was all the way up, it would not effect the clipping light. I called Fishman and their tech told me that what I was describing was not unheard of and that when people send them back, most of the time they are ok, but he was ok with me sending it back and replacing it if it was faulty. I decided not to send it back. All and all it sounds really good and if using the Para DI works well I will be happy, but if not I am thinking that perhaps I should get the JDAura pedal checked out, or look into a new pickup from Beard that is already mounted on the Beard adjustable spider. I’m not giggling with this rig for a few weeks but I’ll follow up on this thread after I play a gig with the Para DI. It’s very cool to have a resource like Reso Hangout to be able to communicate with experienced Dobro players, thanks again fellas!