Recording - June 2021 - 42

REVIEW

Active and fit

Radial Engineering
EXTC-Stereo

Stereo Guitar Effects Interface
& Reamper
Want stereo stompboxes in your mix? You need this!

The EXTC-Stereo is an active device
powered by the included Radial 15v power supply. I don't typically obsess about
power supplies, but rather than the bulbous
'wall-wart' variety that usually eats up two
spaces on most power strips, this one takes
up only a single outlet space-nice!

Connections and controls

On the backside of the box we have balanced stereo XLR I/O, and an additional
pair of stereo outputs on 1/4 " TRS. On the
front, stereo 1/4 " TS ins and outs labeled
SEND and RECV go to the ins and outs of
your stompboxes. A green LED-equipped
push-button takes the pedal effect in and
out of the chain. The send is transformer isolated to eliminate ground loops and hum.

Send, receive, and blend

REVIEW BY PAUL VNUK JR.

adial Engineering is very highly respected for its robust and quiet
direct boxes and reamping devices (Radial owns the Reamp brand).
Radial designs and builds devices that you didn't know you needed-
until now! This month we look at the ins and outs of the new EXTC-Stereo.

Ecstasy in orange

The EXTC-Stereo is a stereo stompbox
reamper, following the 500 Series-format
EXTC 500 reviewed in October 2011,
and the standalone, direct box-style
EXTC-SA. All three models allow you to very
effectively insert instrument-level stompbox
pedals into balanced signal paths for use
as audio effects in your mixes alongside
your favorite rackmount processors and
plugins. Why is this level thing important?
For starters, making sure your stompboxes
receive the proper type of input signal is
crucial if you want them to sound great!

What's reamping?

Reamping allows an engineer to take
any recording out there (most often electric bass guitar, followed by direct recorded electric guitars in general) and send it,
usually bone-dry, back through a mikedup instrument amplifier (think Ampeg
8X10 or a Marshall stack-i.e., loud).
The sound coming out of the amp is (re-)
42 RECORDING June 2021

recorded with mics-and this is reamping.
There are many practical (the bass player can record direct; no amp needed, no
bleed produced) and creative (it sounds
killer!) reasons for reamping. The goal is
pretty simple-convert the recorded signal
to the correct Hi-Z load and volume level,
so the amp or stompbox reacts properly
and sounds good. The reamping box is a
vital part of the process.

EXTC in true stereo

The EXTC-Stereo is a 1.98 " x 4.81 "
x 5.84 " , 2.71 lb. device made of
14-gauge steel and finished in a durable glossy orange baked enamel finish.
Its form factor is the same as many other
Radial devices, including the singlechannel EXTC-SA, and it can be racked
with an optional kit. Like all Radial stage
boxes, it uses a bookend-style design
with a slight protective overhang above
and below the front controls. There's a
thick rubber non-slip pad on the bottom.

Once your connections are made, a
pair of send and receive knobs allow you
to fine-tune the levels going to and coming
from your stompboxes; there's a phase
switch here as well (not all pedals are
wired in phase). The final control on the
EXTC-Stereo is a wet/dry blend knob.
For comparison, the single-channel
EXTC-SA functions the same as its Stereo
partner, with similar controls. However, it adds a second FX loop, allowing
two-pedal chains to be selected individually or in series with a pair of front located LED-equipped buttons.

Stompbox EXTC

Setup is relatively straightforward-
designate two outputs on your audio
interface as sends from your DAW, and
two inputs as returns, connect your pedals, and you should be good to roll. Of
course, the EXTC-Stereo can work with
mono pedals and pedals with a mono
input and stereo out. It cannot, however,
offer individual control of a pair of pedals operating in dual mono.

Pedals in the Mix

In our July 2018 issue, I wrote an article with a corresponding video on the
RECORDING YouTube page called Pedals
in the Mix. I detailed my personal setup of
pull-out pedal shelves, patch bays, reamping devices and stompboxes, and how I
use them as the secret sauce in many of
my mixes. In that setup, I used individual
(i.e., not integrated) required devices and
returned the signals from the pedals into

Recording - June 2021

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