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Fishman Ellipse Aura system


struma6

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My CJ165EC has one of the Fishman Ellipse Aura systems from the factory. I've had it a while and have yet to fiddle around with the imaging feature. Has a great library of "sound images", I'm going to try out the SJ200 through a Neuman M147 mic. Probably try a bunch of others as well. Have any of youse guys used this system? Suggestions for it's use, settings, good models etc?

 

Figures I'd have this thing for over 3 years and have yet to mess around with it!!!! Haven't even set the anti-feedback. I'm going to use it out at the end of the month so I have a bot of time to get it figured out and dialed in....

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Dont have the Elipse on any of my guitars but use extensively the Aura Spectrum DI which is same thing except in a DI box. Its the most important tool in my live set up and like you I have experimented with imaged for all my guitars and found the ones I love.

 

Its the secret to getting a natural, rich, piezo quck free tone in my liver performances. Well worth investing and experimenting.

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Just as a follow-up, Fishman replied to an email from me and explained that the Aura ISN'T a modeling unit. I can't load up other guitars images and use them, doesn't work that way. Gibson loaded the 165 images at the factory, I can't add to them. Not a bad thing at all, I just was totally wrong as to what this system was.

 

Cool system though, now that I know how to use it!! lol

 

 

I'm not all that bright sometimes.....

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I tried to send this earlier, Struma6, but the forum was having a loopy moment. I hope Ren is not the only one who knows how to run the forum.

 

 

I saved what I wrote for you to an email:

 

 

Must be a fine line between a 'modelling' unit and an 'imaging' unit! I think an image is mostly a very, very complicated digital EQ.

 

 

Anyway I don't have the Ellipse, but I have the Aura Spectrum DI like EA - same thing but I have images of hundreds of guitars while your Ellipse is tailored just for your guitar. I have passive Fishman pickups installed in most of my acoustic guitars, and I have a little list of where there appropriate settings are. (But if push comes to shove, my Gibson Blues King sounds just fine with A Gibson LG-0 setting. I also found a nice image for my Gibson 12 string and some nice ones for some Martins I have.

 

 

As a rule, if you are playing through an amp, turn the image % to nothing, strum a few lines, increase % a very small amount until the 'nasty quack' is replaced by a very, very small amount of image that you can hear. If you go above about 30% you get a nasty 'microphonic' sound and with increased volume of the amp at a gig will sound 's$%$#'!

 

 

Now, once you have this 'live' sound sorted - (keep all the other controls flat to begin with) - try playing into a recording unit with headphones only - turn 'live' sound off for now. You will notice that through your headphones it will sound nothing like the 'live' sound through your speaker. Now increase the % of image to 75, try 90, 100% full image. Record to a computer like this and play it back - that is the aura sound on the playback with no acoustic guitar spill from your lap. Try playing along, record more tracks - turn the % down.

 

So the Aura sound at a gig is an easy way to get a sound similar to an expensive miced guitar in a recording studio live!

 

 

Hope this helps - I would not turn up at a gig without lots of experimenting first, but once you got a few 'fave' settings in an acoustic amp, you need to try it straight in to a P.A. With the image % on about 33! you may never hear that guitar sound so sweet and all the person at the mixing desk can do is turn it up to squeal!

 

It is much better if you have an acoustic amp of your own to face towards you quietly (?) as a monitor, and run an XLR lead to the mixing desk.

 

 

It is hard to hear all this while you are playing your favourite riffs! Admit defeat and get a friend to strum your baby a bit while you listen out the front, then make a few adjustments.

 

 

Good luck - you should be able to fly to, say, Prague and get up and play with EA with only your guitar, after a bit of experimentation!

 

 

BluesKing777.

 

 

 

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Fully agree with all comments about the images. Important to experiment and find the one or two which you like the most. Ive identified about two that I like per guitar, one a bit chunkier and one a bit softer and sometimes switch between songs and definitely according to venue. I actually use a J-50 imate that I really like for my SJ and an OM-18v for my Furch OM. Also agree, around 33% is the optimum setting, then comibined with EQ which is availabe on the spectrum.

 

Its the most important item in my live set up, would be cranky as hell without it and cringe at the pieze quack which it almost totally removed with applying the Spectrum. The best invetion ever when it comes to live tone process IMO.

 

I tried to send this earlier, Struma6, but the forum was having a loopy moment. I hope Ren is not the only one who knows how to run the forum.

 

 

I saved what I wrote for you to an email:

 

 

Must be a fine line between a 'modelling' unit and an 'imaging' unit! I think an image is mostly a very, very complicated digital EQ.

 

 

Anyway I don't have the Ellipse, but I have the Aura Spectrum DI like EA - same thing but I have images of hundreds of guitars while your Ellipse is tailored just for your guitar. I have passive Fishman pickups installed in most of my acoustic guitars, and I have a little list of where there appropriate settings are. (But if push comes to shove, my Gibson Blues King sounds just fine with A Gibson LG-0 setting. I also found a nice image for my Gibson 12 string and some nice ones for some Martins I have.

 

 

As a rule, if you are playing through an amp, turn the image % to nothing, strum a few lines, increase % a very small amount until the 'nasty quack' is replaced by a very, very small amount of image that you can hear. If you go above about 30% you get a nasty 'microphonic' sound and with increased volume of the amp at a gig will sound 's$%$#'!

 

 

Now, once you have this 'live' sound sorted - (keep all the other controls flat to begin with) - try playing into a recording unit with headphones only - turn 'live' sound off for now. You will notice that through your headphones it will sound nothing like the 'live' sound through your speaker. Now increase the % of image to 75, try 90, 100% full image. Record to a computer like this and play it back - that is the aura sound on the playback with no acoustic guitar spill from your lap. Try playing along, record more tracks - turn the % down.

 

So the Aura sound at a gig is an easy way to get a sound similar to an expensive miced guitar in a recording studio live!

 

 

Hope this helps - I would not turn up at a gig without lots of experimenting first, but once you got a few 'fave' settings in an acoustic amp, you need to try it straight in to a P.A. With the image % on about 33! you may never hear that guitar sound so sweet and all the person at the mixing desk can do is turn it up to squeal!

 

It is much better if you have an acoustic amp of your own to face towards you quietly (?) as a monitor, and run an XLR lead to the mixing desk.

 

 

It is hard to hear all this while you are playing your favourite riffs! Admit defeat and get a friend to strum your baby a bit while you listen out the front, then make a few adjustments.

 

 

Good luck - you should be able to fly to, say, Prague and get up and play with EA with only your guitar, after a bit of experimentation!

 

 

BluesKing777.

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I have the Aura in my J200. So far I've not been overly impressed with the sound through my Fender Acoustasonic. I guess I have been spoiled my the iBeam in my SWD. I don't think any under saddle system can sound better than a sound board transducer system. Just my opinion. Your mileage may vary. I haven't played the J200 out in a club yet though. Soon I hope.

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  • 2 years later...

Dont have the Elipse on any of my guitars but use extensively the Aura Spectrum DI which is same thing except in a DI box. Its the most important tool in my live set up and like you I have experimented with imaged for all my guitars and found the ones I love.

 

Its the secret to getting a natural, rich, piezo quck free tone in my liver performances. Well worth investing and experimenting.

 

I have the Aura Spectrum DI too and I agree with EuroAussie 100%.

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Here's my 2€...I use several Fishman pickups and to my ear they were the best under saddles pups for me. I have 2 Auras 1 is the Aura Pro the same Gibson installs into the Super Dove model... it's like the ellipse but bout mounted and smaller unit .The other one I put thru a matrix infinity ust into a AFX Aura sweet 16 " peddle " which has 16 "slots" all with the ability to be downloaded and changed thru the Aura Gallery which has hundreds of images.

 

The Fullers Vintage J45 that was custom built in Bozeman with the Aura pro has 4 images preinstalled so far as I know these at present can not be changed. I put my SJ200 with the infinity thru the 16 both were then played thru the Fishman SA 220 solo until I just recently sold the solo and got a Bose Model II with the B2 Bass module, awesome is the word.

 

UST's have always suffered from the dreaded quack but I found the Aura blend setup gave the user the best ability to get an honest true accoustic sound and work around that problem area.

 

I have since added to the "stable" 3 guitars with the Trance Amulet system . The Sheryl Crow SJ with the same stereo Amulet as the Jackson Browne model and a Gibson J45 Pure Voice ( thanks Bonecrusher) and I installed a Amulet MVT into my J45 Mystic RW Custom that came with a Baggs which I removed .

 

The comparison to my ears is with the Trance systems the quack is gone its as close to a mic with out the issues they bring that's out there presently.

I still love the Aura too as that Fullers J45 is still the best unpluged sound maker in my stable. I have another as yet uninstalled Trance MVT pickup and I have been holding off installing it into the Fullers just because this one sounds so good as is .........weither I use it plugged in or not ......That said every one of'em sound outstanding when pumped thru the Bose.

 

Jmho and your mileage may vary .

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