With the Transducer a dream comes true: you can play loud without being loud! The D. I. solution for guitar amps is the first full alternative to cabinet miking that really rocks.
Via headphones you can play inaudible while the Transducer delivers authentic sounds even of the finest nuances of your guitar amp. Pure, high-quality analog design produces the same load like a cabinet and guarantees direct response with latency-free processing.
You want to record your fully torqued tube amp in a hotel at night You'll stay. Everything goes in studio and home sessions, everwhere, everytime - and without a sound booth.
On stage all problems with loud cabs and complex mikings are avoided. The artist can play with in-ear-monitoring at moderate levels, and a perfect signal in recording quality is provided for the live mix!
Authentic sound qualities and real time response for the guitar player - in contrast to digital simulations with latencies in processingIndependence from volume levels during performances or recording sessionsIndependence from room acoustics in recordingsProvides for a live signal in recording quality without crosstalk from mikingGreat space and weight reduction in transport
Tonehunter and SPL
The Transducer is a cooperative developmental effort between the guitar amp firm of Tonehunter and SPL. It brings together many years of experience from the professional music scene, combining specialized knowledge of electric guitarists and SPL's established international reputation in the research and development of analog studio electronics. This mutual effort of these two firms has been the basis for new ideas such as the unique Transducer concept, which has the potential to revolutionize the working life of both the electric guitarist and the recording studio engineer.
In studio and on stage the Transducer replaces the guitar speaker cabinet and microphone(s) so that the time and resource-intensive microphone processing of this loud sonic source is no longer necessary.
In addition the Transducer offers much more sonic flexibility and variety than a single mike and cabinet setup because it allows for varied speaker and mike simulations while allowing to retain accustomed features of individual setups (such as the ability to vary level-dependent loudspeaker characteristics and microphone distances).
Speaker Action
This simulates speaker cone characteristics at different levels. With a moderately driven guitar box (Speaker Action from 0%-35%), speakers ideally reproduce the signal clearly without too many side effects. As levels increase, overtones are added by the overdriven speaker, producing its characteristic "rasping" distortion effect. Speaker Action allows for the simulation of this effect.
Speaker Actions is, as with Miking Level and Output Gain, a level control. Turning it to the left allows only low levels to pass, just as with a cabinet driven at low levels. If a small Speaker Action is wanted, it must be compensated for with a comparable increase in Miking Level - in principle the same as you would need to do in working with a cabinet.
Signal LED
The signal LED indicates the presence of a signal at the Transducer's input. It is activated at a -20dBu level.
Speaker Cabinet
This switch toggles between an open and closed guitar cabinet characteristic.
"Open" sounds definitely more open, brilliant and direct, as the signal contains more transients and produces less punch as with the "Closed" setting, wherein the sound has more punch and with its added compression more closely creates the impression of the compressed air in a closed box, though with less brilliance and detail.
Speaker Voicing
This offers the choice of sound and attack characteristics from either alnico speakers (Sparky) or the British ceramic construction (Mellow). The "Sparky" setting produces a lively, more responsive sound with additional overtones, while the "Mellow" setting sounds warmer and softer.
Miking Level
A microphone produces a different sound at lower sound levels than at higher ones. With the Transducer's Miking Level one can simulate these differences. Increasing the Miking Level effect produces a stronger compression level and a denser sound canvas. This builds an effect of increasing loudness.
A lower miking level produces a more refined and at the same time, marked high frequency production with reduced mids.
Microphone Selection
This provides for selecting either condenser or dynamic microphone characteristics. Depending upon the cabinet these microphone choices will affect the sound right from the start, and clearly this will continue to contribute to the overall available guitar sound.
A condenser microphone normally sounds more open and transparent, though less punchy than a dynamic. It is also unforgiving, and, for example, can quickly single out weaknesses in loudspeaker microphoning. A dynamic microphone has more punch, though it sounds less clear than a condenser. It can be more forgiving and withstands higher sound pressure levels.
Microphone Distance
The sound dispersion characteristics of guitar speakers varies with microphone distance, with slightly distanced microphoning adding more ambience. With Microphone Distance settings it is possible to simulate these different sonic characteristics.
The Close setting provides a more direct sound and tends to sit in the front of the mix. With sharply defined corners and angles, full detailing and overtone rich, this sound is suited for soloists. In contrast, the Ambient setting is ideal for a "wall of sound" - and is sonically less direct, softer, but with more push and punch.
Output Gain
This controls the Line Output 1 and 2 output levels; the Mic Level Output is not influenced by this control.
This LED illuminates 3dB before the internal microphone preamplifier stage is overloaded. In this case, be sure to lower the Output Gain until the OVL LED goes out. The Mic Level Output is independent from the Output Gain control.
Overload LED
Line Output 1 and Line Output 2 only. This LED illuminates 3dB before the internal microphone preamplifier stage is overloaded. In this case, be sure to lower the Output Gain until the OVL LED goes out.
Leveling the Transducer
It is important to consider added power amp distortion, as it is the basis for the Transducer's concept with its ability to process up to a 200 Watt, 8 ohm cabinet-amplified signal. Avoid too much mental separation in what should be your integrated Transducer level control thinking, as just with situations that employ traditional guitar amp and cabinets, you must consider the interaction with a guitar amp - and here especially in relation to the preamp and master gain.
