Streamlined simplicity makes acoustic sound sweetening a piece of cake.
Streamlined and intuitive. Nice range in controls. 18V means extra headroom. Quiet.
Busy graphics make control names hard to read.
$169
Orange Acoustic Pedal
orangeamps.com
I understand why a lot of my acoustic-playing chums avoid DI boxes. They aren't the sexiest pedals in the world, and a lot of them can look pretty intimidating—with parametric EQs, notch filters, phase switches, and other highly inorganic devices that don't do much for a focused, spontaneous performance mindset. But the fact is that even a simple DI can prevent a lot of headaches. And the very streamlined Orange Acoustic Pedal (which seems conceived for the DI-averse) makes fixing or fine-tuning a baseline amplified acoustic tone feel a lot less like a chore.
All clips are a Gibson J-45 with Trance Audio Amulet M recorded balanced XLR to Universal Apollo Twin and Universal Audio Luna.
First Segment: Treble and bass at 2:30, middle at 11.
Second Segment: Treble and bass at 4:30, middle at noon
Third Segment: Includes significant mid bumps at various levels and Q-factor settings. Bass and treble at noon.
The Orange Acoustic Pedal is super-intuitive (which is a good thing, given that the graphics render the control names a bit indecipherable). It's easy to add or subtract a touch of bass and treble to very effective ends. And small adjustments to those two controls alone can do much to eliminate problem frequencies or add body and excitement to flat-sounding piezos. The midrange, notch, and Q-factor controls (the latter two isolate specific mid frequency ranges and narrow or widen the range of the selected frequencies, respectively) take more practice to master. But doing so can make the Orange feel like a scalpel for eliminating problem peaks. The 18V Acoustic Pedal and its useful effects loop are also super-quiet and do a fantastic job of preserving signal integrity. There is no shortage of solid DI options in this price class, but Orange's quiet performance, high headroom, and satisfying, intuitive operation make it an appealing option for DI newbies and players that like keeping their DI solution simple.
Test Gear
Takamine Blue Rose with Ct4-Dx preamp, Martin 00-15 with L.R. Baggs Element
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