Fishman Aura Imaging Pedals

[Stackabones]

 

HC Review

 

Here's a vid for the Aura Prefix Pro Blender unit used on a nylon. I figured it was a similar process and sound result for the Imaging Pedal.

 

Every review I've read so far (HC, Acoustic Guitar or GP, and other places ... did some research over the weekend) gives good marks to the series, but the Nylon version makes all the reviewers go !

 

So, I'm back to playing more and more nylon string at my solo and duo shows ... which means that I'm searching for that tone -- the one that doesn't sound quacky and all that. This might solve it. It also appears to be a great tool for home recording.

 

Ultimately, I may go with a setup like min7b5's -- just a mic in front of his guitar and into the PA. But I thought I'd try this one out. Music123 has a great deal ... spend $250 and get $50 off. The Fishman is $199.99 ... so I got some guitar/mic cables to kick it up to the price to the bonus discount. So ... Fishman Pedal + guitar/mic cables - discount = Fishman pedal with free guitar/mic cables. Shipping's free. It'll probably be here next week.

[Stackabones]

Ok, so I got it and I've used it three or four gigs in the last week. Great results. My main gigging guitar, an Alvarez AC60SC, sounds much better and I can dial in different sounds -- almost like an electric guitar's pickup selector, but on acoustic!

 

At home, I've plugged in various other nylons I own (Yamaha AEX500N, Aria Sinsonido -- both of which have little or no acoustic presence) and again -- wonderful results. Hard to really explain, but to my ears I can get those gits to sound like mic'd acoustics, even though they are pretty much piezo instruments.

 

Just a little fiddling with the knobs -- sixteen settings plus the phase switch and you can use the blend knob ... just an amazing amount of sounds to be found.

 

I'm still messing with it and learning about it. No instructions came with it. Just plug it in and start turning dials. No clips yet, but I hope to carve out some time and lay down some tracks with it.

 

For any electro-nylon player out there, I'd recommend checking it out. Very viable option for those who don't mic at gigs.

[missedmyexit]

 

Ok, so I got it and I've used it three or four gigs in the last week. Great results. My main gigging guitar, an Alvarez AC60SC, sounds much better and I can dial in different sounds -- almost like an electric guitar's pickup selector, but on acoustic! At home, I've plugged in various other nylons I own (Yamaha AEX500N, Aria Sinsonido -- both of which have little or no acoustic presence) and again -- wonderful results. Hard to really explain, but to my ears I can get those gits to sound like mic'd acoustics, even though they are pretty much piezo instruments. Just a little fiddling with the knobs -- sixteen settings plus the phase switch and you can use the blend knob ... just an amazing amount of sounds to be found. I'm still messing with it and learning about it. No instructions came with it. Just plug it in and start turning dials. No clips yet, but I hope to carve out some time and lay down some tracks with it. For any electro-nylon player out there, I'd recommend checking it out. Very viable option for those who don't mic at gigs.

 

 

 

I don't have the petal but have the built in version in my Martin. Love it. It's a little overwhelming how many quality sounds you can get out of it at first and mine only has 6 pre stored "Images" and the blend.

[melandy]

I tried the Dread version out at a Sam Ash a while back. I wasn't very impressed with it. It definitely made it sound different, but not what I would call better. Just different.

 

Maybe I just needed to spend more time dialing it in. At $200, I was not willing to take it home to see.

 

Stack, you said that the nylon pedal stood out above the rest. I wonder if the other pedals are worth it if your git does not exactly or very closely match one of the 16 images on the pedal.

 

Doesn't really matter I guess. Don't have $200 lying around anyway.

 

-A

[melandy]

 

I don't have the petal but have the built in version in my Martin. Love it. It's a little overwhelming how many quality sounds you can get out of it at first and mine only has 6 pre stored "Images" and the blend.

 

 

I think the key to these things is getting an image that matches your git. Since yours is built in (I assume you're referring to your OMC-Aura), then all 6 images should be dead-on in terms of how it matches up the input from the pickup with the output signal it creates.

 

-A

 

EDIT: In case anyone is unaware, the way the Aura works is that Fishman records a guitar with a mic, and records the output from the pickup at the same time. Then they figure out how to transform a signal from the pickup and make it sound like the mic recording (Insert magic here). They then use this algorithm (which they call an "image") to do that in a pedal or onboard preamp form factor. There are 16 such images on each pedal, and apparently 6 if you have a git with it built in.

 

The trouble with that is that each image is specific to a certain guitar with a certain pickup and a certain microphone. If your git does not match up with the git in the image, then things go south. How far south is variable depending on your guitar (and probably some other things like eq settings). In Keith's (missedmyexit's) case, I imagine that they used an actual OMC-Aura to do the recording with, so he essentially can choose one of 6 microphones that he wants his git to sound like it is miked with. I would be surprised if any of them did not sound good.

[missedmyexit]

 

I think the key to these things is getting an image that matches your git. Since yours is built in (I assume you're referring to your OMC-Aura), then all 6 images should be dead-on in terms of how it matches up the input from the pickup with the output signal it creates. -A EDIT: In case anyone is unaware, the way the Aura works is that Fishman records a guitar with a mic, and records the output from the pickup at the same time. Then they figure out how to transform a signal from the pickup and make it sound like the mic recording (Insert magic here). They then use this algorithm (which they call an "image") to do that in a pedal or onboard preamp form factor. There are 16 such images on each pedal, and apparently 6 if you have a git with it built in. The trouble with that is that each image is specific to a certain guitar with a certain pickup and a certain microphone. If your git does not match up with the git in the image, then things go south. How far south is variable depending on your guitar (and probably some other things like eq settings). In Keith's (missedmyexit's) case, I imagine that they used an actual OMC-Aura to do the recording with, so he essentially can choose one of 6 microphones that he wants his git to sound like it is miked with. I would be surprised if any of them did not sound good.

 

 

I believe I read somewhere that if you have the external petal you can download "images" off fishman's website to match your guitar. They don't have all of them but being able to update the images is a cool feature.

[Stackabones]

 

I tried the Dread version out at a Sam Ash a while back. I wasn't very impressed with it.

 

 

I keep hearing that about the other pedals in the series ... except for the nylon!

 

Thanks for the post about how it works ... very intriguing.

[melandy]

 

Thanks for the post about how it works ... very intriguing.

 

 

No problem. I had been eyeballing them for a while now (back when it was just the larger, update-able pedal), and did some looking into what made them tick. The "Insert magic here" part is definitely the sticky wicket.

 

-A

[Terry Allan Hall]

My problem w/ those is that there is one Fishman Aura Imaging Pedal that sounds great for my Guild 6-string, one that sounds great for my Taylor 12-string, one that sounds decent enough for both my Oahu hawaiian and my open-back 5-string banjo...but none that sound as good for all 4 as my Baggs PADI...

 

I'm waiting for someone to come out with a preamp/DI where you can custom-store the "sound images" for several different instruments in one pedal...that would be too cool!

[melandy]

 

I believe I read somewhere that if you have the external petal you can download "images" off fishman's website to match your guitar. They don't have all of them but being able to update the images is a cool feature.

 

 

There are two kinds of pedals. The $200 ones are specific to a kind of guitar (there's a nylon pedal, a dread pedal, etc.). They have 16 images and are not updateable.

 

The other (older) version of the aura is not specific to a type of git, and can hold more images (I forget how many). I think it goes for $350. This is the one that you can update. And you're right about them not having an image for every guitar. That would not be feasible. FWIW, I think I recall geek_usa using this one with good results. Maybe I'm thinking of someone else.

 

-A

[melandy]

 

My problem w/ those is that there is one Fishman Aura Imaging Pedal that sounds great for my Guild 6-string, one that sounds great for my Taylor 12-string, one that sounds decent enough for both my Oahu hawaiian and my open-back 5-string banjo...but none that sound as good for all 4 as my Baggs PADI... I'm waiting for someone to come out with a preamp/DI where you can custom-store the "sound images" for several different instruments in one pedal...that would be too cool!

 

 

Check out the plain Aura (see my above post with the quote from missedmyexit). If you can find the images that they are using in the separate pedals that you like, you can download them to the updateable (expensiver) version of the Aura, assuming they are not already there.

 

-A

[guit30]

They have come out with 3 other effects pedals,delay ,reverb and chorus for about $239, a bit pricey for me

Jim

[Terry Allan Hall]

Check out the plain Aura (see my above post with the quote from missedmyexit). If you can find the images that they are using in the separate pedals that you like, you can download them to the updateable (expensiver) version of the Aura, assuming they are not already there. -A

 

Checked out the original (programmmable) Aura when they 1st came out some years ago...after downloading "images" as close I could get to my preferred instruments, I found I liked the sound of my PADI much better...haven't checked out the latest version, so maybe it's been improved, though.

 

The guy who owns this unit cusses it a lot, as it develops strange noises that seem to disappear at the repair guy's work desk...no idea what that's all about.

 

The one thing I did find kinda cool was that the "image" of a Guild F-50M (maple jumbo) makes my Guild JF-4 (mahogany jumbo) sound amazingly like a National Trioleum...no idea why, but it's great for blues numbers, and I borrowed it for that purpose for a tune on my currently-in-the-making CD.

[Terry Allan Hall]

They have come out with 3 other effects pedals,delay ,reverb and chorus for about $239, a bit pricey for me Jim

 

 

If you want a great sounding (but dirt-cheap) digital delay, check out the Danolectro "PB & J"...about $60 and amazingly good sounding.

 

The "Milkshake" chorus is very nice, too...not sure if they still make this model, but it sounds great for acoustic guitar and were about $45, I think.

 

No idea about a reverb, 'cause my PA and amp both have a decent reverb, so I've never looked it those...