Help me track the source of this

Halion

Halion

New member
Here's the deal:
1 Fender Jazzmaster.
1 set of new (.010) strings.
1 Spectraflex guitar cable.
1 DMP3
1 homemade XLR -> Cinch cable
1 Terratec EWX 2496

I'm using this setup to DI my guitar. For some reason, the clean DI sound is lacking highs and the transients seem a lot less sharp than I'm used to hearing from a DI. As far as I know, all my gear is at least half way decent. The only thing I can think of is the homemade XLR - Cinch cable, which unbalances the signal, but the cable is decent quality, and I don't really see how this can fuck up my sound.

And ideas?
 
Well if I were you I'd check the cable first. It really should be easy to narrow down the problem, especially if you have another bass or guitar sitting around.
 
I could always take the pre and guitar to school and see how it sounds using the cables and AD converter there.

I really don't think it's the spectraflex cable. They are extremely high quality, lifetime guaranty.
 
Halion said:
The only thing I can think of is the homemade XLR - Cinch cable, which unbalances the signal,
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As you say, it's unlikely that it's your guitar cable lacks anything but it's very likely that this cable is the culprit.

Have you got a different one that you can try?

Also, has the sound of your system changed? At one time did it sound better than it does now, or is your question based on how you think it SHOULD sound?

.
 
On this particular source (the jazzmaster), I don't know, I have no reference. It doesn't sound like my chain has degraded at any time. It just doesn't sound the way I would expect it to. I'll try tracking though a channel strip at school to see if it's any better, but school's closed right now.

I still think it's wierd. I'll swap the cable and see if that helps, but I doubt it.
 
I can't find the book...



Either cable capacitance and resistence may be the culprit.


Now the thing I can't remember off hand (as simple as it is) is which one is responsible for shaving off high end response, and which one degrades dynamic range.

I think too high a capacitance was the one responsible for high end degredation. Kind of like how capacitors act like filters in a circut. So essentially, you may have built a cable with a built-in low pass filter without even knowing it.


To put it another way, you may have a cable that's too heavy duty for your purposes.
 
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Halion said:
On this particular source (the jazzmaster), I don't know, I have no reference. It doesn't sound like my chain has degraded at any time. It just doesn't sound the way I would expect it to. I'll try tracking though a channel strip at school to see if it's any better, but school's closed right now.

I still think it's wierd. I'll swap the cable and see if that helps, but I doubt it.
Click to expand...

in saying 'school', im guessing some kind of audio production school, which one, if you dont mind me asking?

i'd love to go to college for this...

so what the demand for engineers/producers in this world?

sorry to hijack the thread.
 
$.02

FWIW LEE your right it's capcatence that kills the freq rounding things off ...
perhaps i should stay out of this one as i dont know the peices you list specihically... but naw... since the reason most people use a di is in order to balance the signal why thenare you then using an unbalanced chord for the output?? your card (terratec i assume) has unbaalanced ins? but too low of an impedence to be driven by a guitar??? hemm anyone ever try a more resistive cable??? (current requirements at the output of a device is inverse to the resistence it see's) try this ...take anold guitar cord (the one in the junk box you shoulda thrown away long time ago) and cut off the "bad end"...
now resolder it back on only add a resister to the thing between the tip and its asssociated lead (10k -100K is not too much) let me know what happens.... remeber transistors work on the smoke principle.... they work as long as you kep the smoke inside...
 
Thanks for the help guys, I'll see what I can do.

TragikRemix: Yeah I'm a Music Technology student in Enschede (city in the Netherlands). I'm learning to become a producer/composer for video games. Audio Engineering is part of the education. We have two studios at school.
 
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