The Voiceprint DI from LR Baggs is the latest in Acoustic IR pedals. I'm taking it for a spin and discussing what I like and what I think could be improved.
I recently had K&K pickup put in. And I just created a voiceprint on my Android S22 of an 2012 HD28V. Grabbed 5 samples. Phone pointed at the guitar 6ish inches from soundhole (neck side).1st was open tuning G-run, 2nd repeated picking pattern except picking right by the bridge. The 3rd sample was noted 5 frets up the neck and picked above the sound hole. Then I added a sample from capo in 2nd fret doing runs in D position (E) and repeated the process with the capo in 5th fret, runs in G position(C)... The voiceprint is outstanding!! Possibly identical to the natural guitar.. Its super close that most people may not notice that it isn't mic'd up!
Thanks so much. My whole goal is to help people find what will work best for them while I figure out what works best for me. Glad to hear you like the NuX.
Great review, agree with the boomy voice. The anti feedback actually completely remove the boominess without need of additional eq. I am now able to do great voice/guitar recording without any spill using dynamic mics and the pedal: with any other solutions there was always not perfect separation among the 2 mics. And it’s a great pedal if you have several high end guitars, now the difference when amplified vs low cost ones is much more evident
Everything I’ve read about version 2 sounds like really smart and useful improvements. I still haven’t tried one, but glad to see innovation still happening.
Good review, agree with the low end in the voiceprint, I have got around that by a 70% voiceprint and 30% pickup blend and then EQ. As you say a seperate EQ for VP and pick up would be a better option.
I'm eagerly awaiting an update with some more features, and crossing my fingers that the EQ on the VP itself is one of them. It's a great pedal already, and I can only imagine it will continue to get better.
@@redhatreview I spoke with LR bags yesterday and they told me that they are going to add the ability to EQ though Voiceprint separately he said it’s a feature they always intended to have but they didn’t want it initially because they thought it would cause some confusion
I've been considering one of these, and your review brought out some good points for me (both positive and negative). I have multiple acoustic guitars with different pickups, and in a live setting when changing guitars I either have to spend extra time resetting levels and EQs or bring my larger mixer with each guitar on a separate channel (and a bunch of other gear for each guitar - separate DIs, pedals, etc.). I'll check out your review of the Audio Sprockets Tonedexter next!
Kurt - I am glad this was helpful. The ability to save several presets is huge. It makes transitioning from one guitar to another simple and fast. I tried using an external mic, and it might have solved any of my issues with the low end. Stay tuned for a video on that!
Hi Red Hat - excellent review. My understanding is that the Voiceprint signal chain can be EQed separately in the VP module, and then further EQ can be applied to the combined signal in the EQ module. Is that your understanding too?
Yes, that's correct. With an update to the software, Baggs now allows you to EQ the voiceprint itself in addition to being able to the EQ for each preset you have. It makes a big difference in my opinion.
@@redhatreview Thanks. Credit to you for flagging this to Baggs. I've suggested to Baggs that they incorprate some compression on the Voiceprint signal. When I get some time (still busy with the day job at the age of 68), I'll test out the Session VTC (which I have on one of my guitars) on the Voiceprint. Keep up the good work.
Nice review! It's interesting to hear that the Voiceprint can be boomy. My biggest worry was that the tone would be thin. I hope to get one soon and want to try it with my Shure MV88 condenser mic attachment. I totally agree with you about eq options though. Fishman almost had it right with the Aura. You have either the pickup eq option or global which is applied to both the pickup and image. However, the image or IR is what most of us want to eq so hopefully Baggs jumps on including this feature. I am also glad that you brought up the different approach that Baggs seems to have taken to creating IR's. I have mentioned this over at AGF and have been shot down, but it really sounds as though they wanted to make the IR part of the pickup vs. the IR dominating the tone. I like my Tonedexter but I always feel a disconnect with the pickup when the wavemap is applied.
Scott - I'd love to hear your findings with the MV88! I am working on a video on the voiceprint using an external mic as I type. I have been a long-time Aura user. I have bought the Tondexter 3 times. And am now trying the VPDI. They all have their strengths and weaknesses. If you want a more mic-like tone, but without that disconnected feeling, you should check out the VPDI. I am hoping to do a comparison video with all of them at some point.
@@redhatreview I will let you know for sure. I have been waiting for the VPDI to become available on Amazon Canada as they have a great return policy. That's the only thing holding me back, but I will probably break and just get it from a music store. I too really liked the Aura. My only complaint is that I found the images often created a bit of a hi-fi/thin tone, but definitely not bad. I continue to struggle with finding a nice, warm and fat pickup to start with.
@@redhatreview I have! I had it in my Taylor but always struggled with the E and B strings sounded a bit too bright/thin. I am considering re-installing it though and playing with the trim control, I just ran out of red tape so I need to get some more!
Good review and useful analysis.Parametric EQ via IOS is the way to go like theJBL EON powered speaker controls. I think good quality mics in a controlled environment would make a better IR than the IPhone mic however
The good news is that it’s possible to use whatever mic you want with a little extra equipment. Check out my video on using an external mic with the VPDI
I used a decent small diaphragm condenser mic and audio interface to create a voiceprint and it did make a noticeable difference to me. ruclips.net/video/GHhRf6AUOI0/видео.html
@@redhatreview man that is awesome. I want you to know I really do appreciate the content you have on here, even though the algorithm holds people like you and me down it seems. I guess things are more favorable to people who don’t know how to tune or play lol. Thanks for such great content.
Hi I really appreciate your reviews! I am at a crossroad. #1 I mostly play classical guitar. #2 I hate!!! the sound of a piezo pickup especially with a classical guitar. I tried a specialized mic for live performances, and I wasnt't happy both in the sound and because of feedback. Is there any hope using a piezo and one of these pedal, whether LR braggs or Fishman or any other out there? I appreciate you feedback! Jake
I don’t have personal experience with amplifying classical guitars, but in general these pedals do help to improve on the sound of a piezo pickup. They aren’t perfect and each come with their quirks. Another option might be to try a different kind of pickup like the or Baggs anthem which is largely a microphone sound or the lyric which is a mic only.
Would a solution to the too much low end problem be to not EQ out so much low end from the voiceprint and then when you blend it in it will take some of that out and the sound won’t get too thin? Essentials using the blend to take out some of that low end.
The best way to do this is to save multiple presets at different blend settings that you might use. Eq each blend setting individually and save. Then rather than turning the blend on the fly, you just change presets to get to a blend setting that works best in whatever context you are playing in.
Are you using an acoustic amp? Which one? What if the amp has effects? Will the VPDI work through the amp with effects? Thank you for any info you can provide. Also, the wiring of the VPDI with a pedal on an acoustic amp like the Boss singer Pro 120.
I don’t typically use an amp, but there’s no reason you couldn’t use one with the VPDI. Signal chain should be guitar -> VPDI -> Amp. You can use whatever effects you want on the amp. The key is having the VPDI first.
I find the VPDI to work better for me in the way that I like to use IR, but I don’t know that I’d say it’s more realistic sounding. I use it blended in with my pickup. Sort of like you would with a dual source pickup that has a mic. The VPDI seems to do that better. The Tonedexter might actually have a more mic like sound at 100%. It really is so dependent on your context and style. I’m hoping to do a comparison video to highlight what I like about each as I don’t think it’s an obvious A is better then B situation. Sorry for the long answer. It’s just not simple.
@@redhatreview Thanks. I'm actually looking for something that will enable me to record directly to a DAW through the DI input on my interface so I can get something that sounds like a miked guitar without actually having to use a mic, both for convenience and also because my room is untreated. Which might work better for this purpose, in your view?
First things first - i recommend recording with a mic. I think the results, even in an untreated room, will be superior. If you want to record direct, I find the Tonedexter to be a bit more mic like in terms of the depth of sound and sort of distance and air it gives to the pickup. It can have or accentuate some strange frequencies at times, but that can be eq’d out with an eq plugin. The VPDI doesn’t have any weird frequencies to my ear, and gives the tone or eq of the mic, but not as much of the air or room. I personally like the VPDI a little better, but I’m not using it to record. What pickup do you have in your guitar? I have found the VPDI compatible with a wider range of pickups, but Tonedexter can handle most. If you have a mic that you can use on guitar, the other option is to use an eq that can do matching and create a custom eq in your DAW and just apply this to your direct pickup recording. The results are pretty mind blowing. Fab Fiilter makes a killer EQ that will do this. And you can use that eq plugin on other things too.
@@redhatreview Thanks! I have a Taylor with an LR Baggs Dual Source and a Martin with a Fishman pickup. I do have some mics including a DPA 4099 but looking for possible ways to speed up the process for quick and dirty recording without having to worry about exact mic positioning etc. Will give the EQ route a try!
I’m currently using the Voiceprint with the Baggs new HiFi pickup on tour with Tim McGraw. Best acoustic sound I’ve ever had with that combo…
Fantastic. Glad it’s working well for you!
I recently had K&K pickup put in. And I just created a voiceprint on my Android S22 of an 2012 HD28V. Grabbed 5 samples.
Phone pointed at the guitar 6ish inches from soundhole (neck side).1st was open tuning G-run, 2nd repeated picking pattern except picking right by the bridge. The 3rd sample was noted 5 frets up the neck and picked above the sound hole. Then I added a sample from capo in 2nd fret doing runs in D position (E) and repeated the process with the capo in 5th fret, runs in G position(C)... The voiceprint is outstanding!! Possibly identical to the natural guitar.. Its super close that most people may not notice that it isn't mic'd up!
Your reviews are criminally underrated! You answer so many questions I had. I'm still playing with the Nux, but I like it so far. Thanks man.
Thanks so much. My whole goal is to help people find what will work best for them while I figure out what works best for me. Glad to hear you like the NuX.
Great review, agree with the boomy voice. The anti feedback actually completely remove the boominess without need of additional eq. I am now able to do great voice/guitar recording without any spill using dynamic mics and the pedal: with any other solutions there was always not perfect separation among the 2 mics. And it’s a great pedal if you have several high end guitars, now the difference when amplified vs low cost ones is much more evident
Super helpful review. Thank you!
The ToneDexter II has separate EQs for both the IR image and the unprocessed sound. This is hugely important! Great review by the way!
Everything I’ve read about version 2 sounds like really smart and useful improvements. I still haven’t tried one, but glad to see innovation still happening.
@@redhatreview …also, no problem with the Tonedexter 2 and capturing an IR that isn’t already pretty balanced.
This sounds awesome
A lot of demo's miss the mark and don't get it set up right. But this is perfect.
Awesome review thanks man👍
Good review, agree with the low end in the voiceprint, I have got around that by a 70% voiceprint and 30% pickup blend and then EQ. As you say a seperate EQ for VP and pick up would be a better option.
I have the Voice Print and I love it but the suggestion of multiple EQ's per signal is a great one.
I'm eagerly awaiting an update with some more features, and crossing my fingers that the EQ on the VP itself is one of them. It's a great pedal already, and I can only imagine it will continue to get better.
@@redhatreview I spoke with LR bags yesterday and they told me that they are going to add the ability to EQ though Voiceprint separately he said it’s a feature they always intended to have but they didn’t want it initially because they thought it would cause some confusion
I've been considering one of these, and your review brought out some good points for me (both positive and negative). I have multiple acoustic guitars with different pickups, and in a live setting when changing guitars I either have to spend extra time resetting levels and EQs or bring my larger mixer with each guitar on a separate channel (and a bunch of other gear for each guitar - separate DIs, pedals, etc.). I'll check out your review of the Audio Sprockets Tonedexter next!
Kurt - I am glad this was helpful. The ability to save several presets is huge. It makes transitioning from one guitar to another simple and fast. I tried using an external mic, and it might have solved any of my issues with the low end. Stay tuned for a video on that!
Hi Red Hat - excellent review. My understanding is that the Voiceprint signal chain can be EQed separately in the VP module, and then further EQ can be applied to the combined signal in the EQ module. Is that your understanding too?
Yes, that's correct. With an update to the software, Baggs now allows you to EQ the voiceprint itself in addition to being able to the EQ for each preset you have. It makes a big difference in my opinion.
@@redhatreview Thanks. Credit to you for flagging this to Baggs. I've suggested to Baggs that they incorprate some compression on the Voiceprint signal. When I get some time (still busy with the day job at the age of 68), I'll test out the Session VTC (which I have on one of my guitars) on the Voiceprint. Keep up the good work.
I agree with you about being disconnected when using IR’s for acoustic guitar. I’ve tried the best options out there and I am not really impressed.
I've installed the latest software. Seems like they may have listened to you. Power to the person!
Not sure I had any influence, but I do love that they made that change.
@@redhatreview that you can have eq for each signal?
Nice review! It's interesting to hear that the Voiceprint can be boomy. My biggest worry was that the tone would be thin. I hope to get one soon and want to try it with my Shure MV88 condenser mic attachment. I totally agree with you about eq options though. Fishman almost had it right with the Aura. You have either the pickup eq option or global which is applied to both the pickup and image. However, the image or IR is what most of us want to eq so hopefully Baggs jumps on including this feature. I am also glad that you brought up the different approach that Baggs seems to have taken to creating IR's. I have mentioned this over at AGF and have been shot down, but it really sounds as though they wanted to make the IR part of the pickup vs. the IR dominating the tone. I like my Tonedexter but I always feel a disconnect with the pickup when the wavemap is applied.
Scott - I'd love to hear your findings with the MV88! I am working on a video on the voiceprint using an external mic as I type. I have been a long-time Aura user. I have bought the Tondexter 3 times. And am now trying the VPDI. They all have their strengths and weaknesses. If you want a more mic-like tone, but without that disconnected feeling, you should check out the VPDI. I am hoping to do a comparison video with all of them at some point.
@@redhatreview I will let you know for sure. I have been waiting for the VPDI to become available on Amazon Canada as they have a great return policy. That's the only thing holding me back, but I will probably break and just get it from a music store. I too really liked the Aura. My only complaint is that I found the images often created a bit of a hi-fi/thin tone, but definitely not bad. I continue to struggle with finding a nice, warm and fat pickup to start with.
I like the aura blended in at 30-40% at most. More than that can get pretty thin. As for a pickup, have you tried the trance audio amulet?
@@redhatreview I have! I had it in my Taylor but always struggled with the E and B strings sounded a bit too bright/thin. I am considering re-installing it though and playing with the trim control, I just ran out of red tape so I need to get some more!
Definitely try adjusting the trim if you get around to trying it again.
Good review and useful analysis.Parametric EQ via IOS is the way to go like theJBL EON powered speaker controls.
I think good quality mics in a controlled environment would make a better IR than the IPhone mic however
The good news is that it’s possible to use whatever mic you want with a little extra equipment. Check out my video on using an external mic with the VPDI
Man I wonder how the tone print would sound if you use something like the iRig with microphones to go directly into the phone?
I used a decent small diaphragm condenser mic and audio interface to create a voiceprint and it did make a noticeable difference to me.
ruclips.net/video/GHhRf6AUOI0/видео.html
@@redhatreview man that is awesome. I want you to know I really do appreciate the content you have on here, even though the algorithm holds people like you and me down it seems. I guess things are more favorable to people who don’t know how to tune or play lol. Thanks for such great content.
I think I read somewhere that you can EQ the raw pickup and TonePrint signal separately.
Baggs released an update that allows you to have a separate EQ on the voiceprint and the overall signal. This is super helpful in my opinion.
I'm hearing the Voiceprint as, in part, a compressor.
Hi I really appreciate your reviews! I am at a crossroad. #1 I mostly play classical guitar. #2 I hate!!! the sound of a piezo pickup especially with a classical guitar. I tried a specialized mic for live performances, and I wasnt't happy both in the sound and because of feedback. Is there any hope using a piezo and one of these pedal, whether LR braggs or Fishman or any other out there? I appreciate you feedback! Jake
I don’t have personal experience with amplifying classical guitars, but in general these pedals do help to improve on the sound of a piezo pickup. They aren’t perfect and each come with their quirks.
Another option might be to try a different kind of pickup like the or Baggs anthem which is largely a microphone sound or the lyric which is a mic only.
Would a solution to the too much low end problem be to not EQ out so much low end from the voiceprint and then when you blend it in it will take some of that out and the sound won’t get too thin? Essentials using the blend to take out some of that low end.
The best way to do this is to save multiple presets at different blend settings that you might use. Eq each blend setting individually and save. Then rather than turning the blend on the fly, you just change presets to get to a blend setting that works best in whatever context you are playing in.
Are you using an acoustic amp? Which one? What if the amp has effects? Will the VPDI work through the amp with effects? Thank you for any info you can provide. Also, the wiring of the VPDI with a pedal on an acoustic amp like the Boss singer Pro 120.
I don’t typically use an amp, but there’s no reason you couldn’t use one with the VPDI. Signal chain should be guitar -> VPDI -> Amp. You can use whatever effects you want on the amp. The key is having the VPDI first.
hi, friend. lr baggs voice print di is better than fishman aura?
Do you prefer the Voiceprint DI or the ToneDexter? Which is more realistic sounding?
I find the VPDI to work better for me in the way that I like to use IR, but I don’t know that I’d say it’s more realistic sounding. I use it blended in with my pickup. Sort of like you would with a dual source pickup that has a mic. The VPDI seems to do that better. The Tonedexter might actually have a more mic like sound at 100%. It really is so dependent on your context and style. I’m hoping to do a comparison video to highlight what I like about each as I don’t think it’s an obvious A is better then B situation. Sorry for the long answer. It’s just not simple.
@@redhatreview Thanks. I'm actually looking for something that will enable me to record directly to a DAW through the DI input on my interface so I can get something that sounds like a miked guitar without actually having to use a mic, both for convenience and also because my room is untreated. Which might work better for this purpose, in your view?
First things first - i recommend recording with a mic. I think the results, even in an untreated room, will be superior. If you want to record direct, I find the Tonedexter to be a bit more mic like in terms of the depth of sound and sort of distance and air it gives to the pickup. It can have or accentuate some strange frequencies at times, but that can be eq’d out with an eq plugin. The VPDI doesn’t have any weird frequencies to my ear, and gives the tone or eq of the mic, but not as much of the air or room. I personally like the VPDI a little better, but I’m not using it to record. What pickup do you have in your guitar? I have found the VPDI compatible with a wider range of pickups, but Tonedexter can handle most. If you have a mic that you can use on guitar, the other option is to use an eq that can do matching and create a custom eq in your DAW and just apply this to your direct pickup recording. The results are pretty mind blowing. Fab Fiilter makes a killer EQ that will do this. And you can use that eq plugin on other things too.
@@redhatreview Thanks! I have a Taylor with an LR Baggs Dual Source and a Martin with a Fishman pickup. I do have some mics including a DPA 4099 but looking for possible ways to speed up the process for quick and dirty recording without having to worry about exact mic positioning etc. Will give the EQ route a try!
What pickup are you using
Trance Audio Amulet M
to much work... just get a built in mic with guitar,