Recording - December 2013 - 18

Radial SB-4 and SB-5
StageBug direct boxes
$69.99 and $99.99; www.radialeng.com

Back in our July 2013 issue we introduced the first models in a new budget line of
direct boxes from Canada's Radial Engineering
called the StageBugs. The SB-1 active and SB-2
passive DIs reviewed in that issue are among
Radial's smallest, most portable, and most affordable direct
boxes to date, and of course, being Radial boxes, they are
battle-ready for both studio and stage! Now, for this issue's
Gift Guide, we bring you two unique offerings in the
StageBug lineup, the SB-4 and SB-5.
Both boxes are the same size and build as the rest of the
line (8.25 x 5 x 1.75 inches), housed in a 16 gauge steel
enclosure with a baked enamel finish. But that's pretty much
where the similarity ends.
The SB-4 is a 48V phantom powered active DI made for use
with acoustic instruments fitted with piezoelectric transducer/
pickup systems; this might include classical guitar, violin,
upright bass, mandolin...
Piezo transducers are capable of a broad sonic range and
capture more of an overall natural acoustic tone than their magnetic cousins, but they have a very high impedance and said
broad range can be harder to control. Through a standard DI or
the instrument input on a mic preamp or DAW interface, they
can actually sound the opposite of what they're capable of
sounding like: cold, sterile, peaky and buzzy. The SB-4's circuitry (starting with a mindblowing 5 Megohm input impedance!) is
made to balance the signal, match the impedance, and smooth
out peaky transients for a fuller, warmer natural sound.
In true Radial fashion the SB-4 includes additional features
such as a 150 Hz 6 dB/octave highpass filter, a 180 degree
phase flip button, a recessed ground lift switch, and a buffered
auxiliary output with the same 5 Megohm load for running signal to a stage amp or even a tuner.
A 150 Hz cut may sound drastic compared to the usual
80 Hz variety on most boxes, but piezo equipped instruments are notorious in live situations for feeding back from
floor wedges and even the house PA. This cutoff and the
phase flip help eliminate these problems; they are not just
bonus features, but essential tools!
18

RECORDING December 2013

I concur that on an electric violin and a nylon-string acoustic guitar,
the sound through the SB-4 was indeed richer, more controlled and less
harsh in the top end than when running through a standard direct box.
And now for something completely different: the StageBug SB-5
Laptop DI. As its name implies, the SB-5 is used to get audio signals
from a laptop's built-in headphone output into an audio system with
the best possible sound quality.
You may be thinking that most computer musicians use an external sound
card or audio interface for their audio outputs. While that's true, many musicians use laptops, MP3 players, and tablets simply for backing tracks, walkon music and more, where a computer interface is often overkill.
Additionally those in a speaking profession, such as professors, preachers, politicians and more use computers and other portable devices to show
videos and animations or to play audio cues. In these situations, an easy,
good-sounding way to get audio from the existing headphone jack into a
pro audio system can be a boon... and that's what the SB-5 does!
While its enclosure is similar to the rest of the StageBug line, it also has
an attached 4' cable terminated into a stereo miniplug. To keep the cable
tangle-free in transport, one side of the box is fitted with a winding cleat.
The SB-5 also features a ground-lift switch and a -10 dB input pad.
The cable with miniplug is the unit's input, and it features two output
choices. First is a pair of balanced, transformer isolated 1/4" TRS outputs
for stereo use. The second is a single balanced male XLR output with an
auto-merge function that sums the signal to mono. This is handy, as I know
of many club, conference room and church PA systems that are mono only.
The SB-5 is another one of Radial's "you didn't know you needed this
until you needed it" boxes, and while I have seen one or two similar
devices on the market, none of them have had this build quality, feature
set, or transparent sound. The SB-5 is also handy in the studio. How many
times has a client asked you to play something off their iPhone, only to
have you quizzically wondering how you're going to get their device
hooked up to one of your boutique preamps? Problem solved! (Which, if
you think about it, could be the motto of the entire StageBug line!)-PV

Royer Labs RSM-SS1 Sling-Shock
$275; www.royerlabs.com

Most studio microphone kits come with an obligatory shockmount
to keep bumps, thumps, resonances and rumbles from being transmitted through the floor and the mic stand into the microphone.
We're offered a fair number of choices, some better than others.
First are the cheap "one size fits all" variants with an inner/outer
ring design held in place with elastic nylon or rubber bands... that
over time tend to lose their tension or are prone to breakage. Then
there are boutique third-party shockmounts made of space age materials and physics-defying designs. And lastly there are shockmounts
that are designed and tailor-made for specific models and series of
microphones. This last alternative is generally the most effective, as it
takes the mic's build and materials into consideration and compensates accurately for weight and mass.


http://www.radialeng.com http://www.royerlabs.com

Recording - December 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - December 2013

Contents
Recording - December 2013 - Cover1
Recording - December 2013 - Cover2
Recording - December 2013 - 1
Recording - December 2013 - 2
Recording - December 2013 - 3
Recording - December 2013 - 4
Recording - December 2013 - 5
Recording - December 2013 - Contents
Recording - December 2013 - 7
Recording - December 2013 - 8
Recording - December 2013 - 9
Recording - December 2013 - 10
Recording - December 2013 - 11
Recording - December 2013 - 12
Recording - December 2013 - 13
Recording - December 2013 - 14
Recording - December 2013 - 15
Recording - December 2013 - 16
Recording - December 2013 - 17
Recording - December 2013 - 18
Recording - December 2013 - 19
Recording - December 2013 - 20
Recording - December 2013 - 21
Recording - December 2013 - 22
Recording - December 2013 - 23
Recording - December 2013 - 24
Recording - December 2013 - 25
Recording - December 2013 - 26
Recording - December 2013 - 27
Recording - December 2013 - 28
Recording - December 2013 - 29
Recording - December 2013 - 30
Recording - December 2013 - 31
Recording - December 2013 - 32
Recording - December 2013 - 33
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Recording - December 2013 - Cover3
Recording - December 2013 - Cover4
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