ProAudio Review - March 2008 - (Page 16)

UpSAMPLER Capsule Reviews and Product Review Updates although I haven’t tested their specs, as the pedal was tested with power from the T-Rex Engineering Fueltank, two 9-volt outputs used in tandem to a single plug to make the required 18 volts. My only gripe is that I wished the company had spent a bit more time on the pedal’s looks. Perhaps as they introduce more products to their guitar pedal line they will refine the aesthetic, making their pedals look as good as they sound. At the end of the day, though, it’s no big deal. The Ass Bite is still the best-sounding overdrive I’ve tested in years. For those of you in the market for a combination overdrive/clean boost, this is your pedal. — Jackson Boudreaux Talos Ass Bite OD/Sustainer Processor Pedal Talos Instruments | 703-764-7005 | www.talosinstruments.com Ass Bite ($230 list) is Talos Instruments’ initial foray into the guitar pedal market. So, I was a bit skeptical when I first received the Talos Instruments Ass Bite Overdrive prototype. Nevertheless, I dug in. I tested the Ass Bite with a Tommy Rodriguez semi-hollow telecaster and a point-to-point handwired Mojotone ’57 Twin amplifier loaded with Electro-Voice EVM-12L Classic loudspeakers. All connections from the guitar to the pedal and from the pedal to the amplifier were George L’s cable. As this is my main rig in the studio and onstage, I know its characteristics intimately. When used as a clean boost, the Ass Bite is incredibly transparent. Its overdrive is nicely uncolored — in other words, it doesn’t sound like you’re playing the pedal. The Ass Bite keeps the integrity of the guitar and the amplifier’s signature tone intact, an important consideration. In terms of controls, the pedal is user-friendly and intuitively laid out. It simply features a “volume” knob, “gain” knob, “Ass” knob, and a “bite” control. The “Ass” control adds gain to the guitar’s low frequencies beyond cutting or boosting other frequencies. This feature alone is worth the price of admission. And its response in the low end — from 80 Hz to a 100 Hz — was tight and defined leaving the actual pitch of whatever is played completely recognizable and intact, unlike other pedals that simply increase the noise floor at those frequencies. Another one of the Ass Bite’s merits — seldom found in other overdrives — is the unique way it creates oodles of sustain, which made dialing in a Robben Ford and Eric Johnson sound possible with just a few tweaks of the controls. The pedal runs on 18 volts, so as a clean boost it can put out three and a half volts to overdrive the front of your amplifier. The Talos website states that the pedal can run up to 40 hours on a set of batteries; Heil Sound Handi Mic Pro Plus Heil Sound | 618-257-3000 | www.heilsound.com Since being introduced to the pro audio market just a few years ago, Heil Sound microphones and their larger-than-life sonic footprints have become industry staples. While only four inches long, the Heil Handi Mic Pro Plus has that same massive sound as other Heil microphones, yet its size makes it extremely easy to maneuver in the tightest situations. Originally, the Handi was developed by Bob Heil to be a hand microphone without the typical hollow, cavernous sound characteristic of some other hand microphones. Instead of encasing the Handi's element in a shell, Heil's design places it in an open Sorbothane shock mount, resulting in a clean, eloquent, and outstanding-sounding mic. Between the microphone's cardioid pattern, low handling noise, and convenient size, it is ideal for mobile use. The Handi has a list price of $110 and is available in five different variations. The HM-Pro Plus (the model I reviewed) uses a standard 3pin XLR connector and is directed towards studio, sound reinforcement, and broadcast use. All of the Handi Mics include the Heil dash/wall mount, a mic clip, and a foam windscreen. The optional Heil CH-1 accessory is a shielded coil cord with a 14-inch straight section and a 15-inch coil section. I've become a regular user of the Handi since I first encountered it a couple of years ago. Its small size makes it extremely easy to position making it the perfect microphone for hard to reach places. It immediately became my staple bottom snare mic, perfectly complementing the Heil PR-20 that I typically use on snare top. I've also had good results using the mic on congas and toms. I used a pair of the Handi's to capture a Leslie and had fantastic results. The mic's small size allowed me to slide the mics well into the Leslie cabinet obtaining an extreme Doppler effect. Perfectly sized, versatile as hell and affordable beyond belief, the Heil Handi should be a part of every studio's mic vault. — Russ Long 16 | ProAudio Review | March 2008 Subscribe to the Digital Edition of Pro Audio Review http://www.proaudioreview.com/subscribe www.proaudioreview.com http://www.talosinstruments.com http://www.heilsound.com http://www.sae.edu http://www.sae.edu http://www.proaudioreview.com http://www.proaudioreview.com/subscribe

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of ProAudio Review - March 2008

ProAudio Review - March 2008 Contents Publisher's Page Studio News and New Products Sennheiser MKH 8040 Microphone Digidesign Mbox 2 Micro Studio Spotlight Upsampler X/Audio Live News and New Products Touring Gear From the Road Broadcast News and New Products ION Audio Tape2PC Cassette Archiving System Brauner VMA Large-Diaphragm Microphone Audio Ltd. RMS 2040 Series Post News and New Products First Look NAB Showcase Buyers Guide Single Slice

ProAudio Review - March 2008

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