Radial Engineering has announced the JDX Direct-Drive, a footpedal-style unit that simulates the sound of a guitar amplifier while doubling up as a direct box.
‘We had been asking the Radial engineering team to come up with a solution that would enable a guitarist to connect directly to the PA before hitting the amp,’ says Radial Central Territory Manager, David ‘Shuu’ Guidish, who spent almost two decades on stage as a guitar tech with various bands including a ten-year stint with Nickelback. ‘This would allow a sound engineer to capture the tone right after the pedals and manage it before it hits the amps, eliminating unknowns such as room acoustics and resonance which invariably will force the musician to change the tone on stage each night.
‘It is important to clarify that the JDX Direct-Drive is not like a regular direct box. What the Radial Einsteins did was replicate the sound of a guitar amp in a pedal format by emulating various guitar amp and speaker curves, starting with the popular JDX. The JDX Direct-Drive sounds natural, like a real amp. This allows the engineer to mix and match the pre-stage-amp tone with the miked sound of the cabinet to quickly get a consistent tone night after night. For fly dates and guys who play in clubs, the JDX Direct-Drive eliminates the need to carry an amp to the gig. Today, with the high cost of airline fees, this is truly a remarkable advancement.’
The Radial JDX Direct-Drive offers a traditional quarter-inch guitar input and passive thru-put to feed a stage amp. This is then followed by a dedicated tuner output that is buffered in order to eliminate loading on the pickup or noise from the quartz clock. The guitar signal is then passed through a series of filters to create Radial’s signature JDX tone – modelled after the sound of a Shure SM57 mic in front of a Marshall 4x12 speaker cabinet.
The JDX Direct-Drive pushes the boundaries with two more settings. The first adds a typical Marshall tube head character to the signal path while the second brings in something similar to a Fender Twin combo. The two tones can be further tailored using a presence switch. The amp tone signal exits the JDX Direct-Drive via either a quarter-inch guitar level output or via a balanced XLR to feed the PA. The direct box output is fitted with a 180° polarity reverse switch to help phase-align monitors with the stage amplifier along with a ground/earth lift switch to help eliminate the hum and buzz caused by ground loops. The unit may be powered using a standard 9V supply or pedalboard power brick.
The MAP for the JDX Direct-Drive is US$199.99.
More: www.radialeng.com
