Dummy load?

[relaxandreflect]

I want to hook a Budda Superdrive 30 head directly into a board. Jeff Bober suggested a H&K red box, but wouldn't I still need a dummy load? I haven't done this before and want to make sure I have the correct load, but don't completely understand. How can I run this directly and not have speakers playing. I want the room to be quiet, but have the guitar going into the computer. Is H&K the best option?

 

[loverocker]

I want to hook a Budda Superdrive 30 head directly into a board. Jeff Bober suggested a H&K red box, but wouldn't I still need a dummy load?

Yes - you DO need a suitable load for the amp. The Red Box has a 'Thru' socket, so plug a MASS/HotPlate/etc set to full attenuation/load into that jack socket.

 

[relaxandreflect]

So a hot plate will take the load? Do I just get a hot plate that would match the impedence of the speaker output? Would I need the H&K box, or could I just run from amp to hot plate to computer?

 

[loverocker]

Yes - choose a Hot Plate to match the amp impedance (you may have a choice with your amp - 4, 8, or 16). In this setup, it simply dissipates the amp's power output - electrical energy - as heat.

OK, you can use the Hot Plate line out to connect to PA/recorder, BUT - this will sound nasty and fizzy without extra EQ. Because it's a full-range signal. Whereas the tone we normally hear from a guitar speaker cab has almost no energy over 5kHz.

This is what the Red Box is famous for - providing a speaker-emulated line out to send to recorder/PA. Now, if your recording software has speaker emulation, you don't necessarily need a Red Box. Yu can get the software to do the same thing on the raw (full-range) signal from the Hot Plate.

Which is best? <shrug> You pays your money and takes your choice

 

[Tubevalvemaniac]

I tried many solution, Motherload is the best so far, sound can go straight to the console with very good results. Palmers are good, too.

 

[Bussman]

A poor man's Palmer: Buy a speaker motor from Weber (about $30-$45), put it in a box and wire it to a jack. plug this load box into speaker out on a H&K Red Box or TAD FANTA (about $100), voilà a Palmer type device for less than the $600 PDI-03 asking price. You'll have to decide for yourself if it sounds just as good though.

 

[relaxandreflect]

So are the Motherload and Palmer basically DI boxes with hotplates/airbrakes?

 

[PR702]

A poor man's Palmer: Buy a speaker motor from Weber (about $30-$45), put it in a box and wire it to a jack. plug this load box into speaker out on a H&K Red Box or TAD FANTA (about $100), voilà a Palmer type device for less than the $600 PDI-03 asking price. You'll have to decide for yourself if it sounds just as good though.

what else can you use besides the H&K and TAD?

 

[Bussman]

Palmer's PDI-09 or any of the other padded direct boxes with cabinet simulator (I think even Behringer makes one). Optionally you could pad the signal down with a large pot and use a regular DI and software cabinet simulation in your DAW as mentioned above. There's more than one way to do it!

 

[loverocker]

So are the Motherload and Palmer basically DI boxes with hotplates/airbrakes?

Yes - they have speaker-emulation outputs and load boxes. The Marshall SE-100 also has the same combination, as does the Groove Tubes SE-something.

I have the Palmer PDI-03, 04, 09, the H&K Red Box and an SE-100 (they all followed me home, honest!). My favourite is still the PDI-03 (although I've never tried a Motherload).

A DIY combination of Weber MASS and RedBox would be a lower cost option.