Avalon U5 Clipping? Is my setup correct?

[Vinny554]

Hey guys. Just landed an Avalon U5 which I've been real siked about for a while now and unfortunately I'm clipping with my guitar going right into the DI. Having trouble identifying if this is an issue with either (a) my guitar pickups being THAT hot or (b) my Avalon is set up incorrectly.

Here's my exact chain:
PRS SE 7 (Bareknuckle Blackhawk Pickups..they are hot) > Avalon U5 front DI input > Balance Line Out 600ohm (XLR to 1/4" cable) > Return 1 input on Audient iD22 (bypasses preamps)

Should I be going from the Mic line output instead? Boost is all the way down on the U5. I thought the U5 had pretty godly headroom? Also, the blue "Signal" light illuminates on the front of the U5 while playing. Is this a clipping indicator? Thank you.

 

[Vinny554]

bump? sorry...dying for help on this

 

[Winspear]

Apparently the U5 LED triggers at -2dB which is pretty loud. Not sure whether you are clipping it or not, but yes I would try XLR XLR out into the Audient Mic pre instead and see if that brings you nicely below 0db in the DAW, fingers crossed.

 

[c7spheres]

I had U5's for a while and never clipped them and I used Emg707's trying direct. I also used it as a direct box taking the speaker output of my amp through them and they never clipped then either.
- It's not an overload indicator. Read the manual. It will tell you whats up. 99% postiive you're not clipping the input to the U5. They can take basically anything you throw at them in terms of pickups.

 

[Vinny554]

Apparently the U5 LED triggers at -2dB which is pretty loud. Not sure whether you are clipping it or not, but yes I would try XLR XLR out into the Audient Mic pre instead and see if that brings you nicely below 0db in the DAW, fingers crossed.

Huh, really? That is pretty loud. The annoying thing is that there is no U5 manual, so I don't know for sure. Some folks say the blue light is an indicator of a very low floor signal, others say high like you. No clue! I'm sure the Mic to Mic would be fine, however the intent of having a $600 dedicated preamp DI box is just that - to not rely on the preamp of the Audient and to avoid any dulling or coloration of the Audient preamp. Not that the Audient's is bad, but I'd rather use solely the U5.

I had U5's for a while and never clipped them and I used Emg707's trying direct. I also used it as a direct box taking the speaker output of my amp through them and they never clipped then either.
- It's not an overload indicator. Read the manual. It will tell you whats up. 99% postiive you're not clipping the input to the U5. They can take basically anything you throw at them in terms of pickups.

Can't seem to find a manual man! All that came with the U5 was that thin little 2-page packet with specs. The guy above you said the blue light indicates a -2 db signal. If that's true, then that's damn near clipping. Did your blue light indicator illuminate regardless of what guitar / bass you put in it?

 

[c7spheres]

Huh, really? That is pretty loud. The annoying thing is that there is no U5 manual, so I don't know for sure. Some folks say the blue light is an indicator of a very low floor signal, others say high like you. No clue! I'm sure the Mic to Mic would be fine, however the intent of having a $600 dedicated preamp DI box is just that - to not rely on the preamp of the Audient and to avoid any dulling or coloration of the Audient preamp. Not that the Audient's is bad, but I'd rather use solely the U5.



Can't seem to find a manual man! All that came with the U5 was that thin little 2-page packet with specs. The guy above you said the blue light indicates a -2 db signal. If that's true, then that's damn near clipping. Did your blue light indicator illuminate regardless of what guitar / bass you put in it?

The blue light only indicates signal -2db or above is present, not clipping. 0db is not clipping on this unit. It can take up to +24db input before clipping. This thing is a beast. Remember because it's responce range is 5hz to 100k (even up to 500k depending on settings) it basically picks up everytihng. Here's a link to the manual from their website. It actually says it's not a clip indicator, which is reassuring.


https://www.avalondesign.com/manuals/U5-manual.pdf


- If you're clipping it's probably something before or after the unit. I never clipped it or got it into that territory, even using speaker level signals. It's possible your actually clippiing the pickups too if they're to close to the strings.

 

[Vinny554]

The blue light only indicates signal -2db or above is present, not clipping. 0db is not clipping on this unit. It can take up to +24db input before clipping. This thing is a beast. Remember because it's responce range is 5hz to 100k (even up to 500k depending on settings) it basically picks up everytihng. Here's a link to the manual from their website. It actually says it's not a clip indicator, which is reassuring.


https://www.avalondesign.com/manuals/U5-manual.pdf


- If you're clipping it's probably something before or after the unit. I never clipped it or got it into that territory, even using speaker level signals. It's possible your actually clippiing the pickups too if they're to close to the strings.

Thank you - great info. I was almost certain that this was clipping after the avalon, but looks like I've just made a rookie mistake. I plugged my monitor headphones into the Avalon directly and, of course, the guitar is clipping going in. Have to figure out if this is a headroom issue or a pickup / electronics issue. My previous guitar tech had installed my bridge Bareknuckle pickup a little too close to the strings and I think that may be the cause. Still, I can't imagine moving the pickup away would drastically change the levels. Even on the neck pickup, it's still very close to clipping if I strummed hard or "chugged".

Have some figuring out to do. Would really be a bummer if these pickups were overall just too hot for the Avalon. I thought the Avalon's headroom would be pretty huge - is it not?

 

[c7spheres]

Thank you - great info. I was almost certain that this was clipping after the avalon, but looks like I've just made a rookie mistake. I plugged my monitor headphones into the Avalon directly and, of course, the guitar is clipping going in. Have to figure out if this is a headroom issue or a pickup / electronics issue. My previous guitar tech had installed my bridge Bareknuckle pickup a little too close to the strings and I think that may be the cause. Still, I can't imagine moving the pickup away would drastically change the levels. Even on the neck pickup, it's still very close to clipping if I strummed hard or "chugged".

Have some figuring out to do. Would really be a bummer if these pickups were overall just too hot for the Avalon. I thought the Avalon's headroom would be pretty huge - is it not?

It's got a ton of headroom. Lowering the pickups won't lower the levels by a huge amount but it will tighten and clear things up. It also can prevent clipping too, especially if you're chuggin or strumming hard and the strings are hitting the top of the pickups. Best way is to see where your pickups are now, maybe write down the measurement, and try it. Start with them all the way down and work your way up. If you put them all the way down and it goes away you know it's just fine tuning the hieght form there.