Fishman Aura Spectrum DI Demonstration and Review

Jason gives an in-depth demonstration and review of the Fishman Aura Spectrum DI and gives you a ton to listen to in regards to the tone. Guitar is a Martin 000-28ec.
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[@vrvds]

"Rubbery" is a great adjective for describing the typical acoustic guitar DI sound

[@TrlPrkViking]

It drives me nuts. It sounds terrible. Under saddle/bridge piezo pickups sound like a pissed off bee got into a fight with a rubber band

[@Millennial_Mike]

2:11 (no effect) 3:49 (full blend Neuman shape) 5:28 (full blend sm57 shape) 7:54 (full blend all models demo)

[@KutayYavuzMusic]

This is the only helpful and meaningful demo of this great preamp! Thank you!

[@worshipartistry]

Glad you like it!

[@davidgrason161]

I've owned my Fishman Aura Spectrum for a couple of years now and I do love it! The vast number of images is really very redundant but frankly, I would rather have way too many choices than too few. But this has meant that I've needed to invest quite a bit of time searching through a lot of ones that I sort of like to find those few that I really like. I have two dreadnought guitars that I use in my live show - one is a Yairi and the other a Takamine. Both guitars sound very similar and the dreadnought images on the Aura are very good. To my ears, they sound best when blended with the original guitars' sounds. I use quite a bit of compression because, in a live situation, compression just makes my guitars come alive with presence. I don't really know how to describe it but, when I'm up on stage in front of an audience, the compression is my best friend. I think it not only improves the sound, but it helps keep my out of trouble. One thing that I will say though is that, for live performances, the Aura Spectrum does not provide that 100% pure acoustic sound that you might get in a studio with a first class condenser mic. I figure I do get 90% of that sound and I'm happy with that because I also don't have to fool with aditional mics, stands and cables, not to mention the complete freedom from feedback problems. I'm glad I bought this unit.

[@fredzietal7042]

I’ve had this pedal for years and it definitely gets rid of the undesirable piezo pick up “quack.” I love it. Worth the price.

[@MRxr400]

very nice tones from it. quite natural, i'd like to hear it in a mix. i feel maybe the mids are a little too scooped, but the blend knob is key to getting the balance right for your ear.

[@worshipartistry]

I use it every week. Works great

[@StringsOfCrossroads]

I’ve had this pedal for years and I love it!

[@StringsOfCrossroads]

The aura technology is like an IR for acoustic

[@Millennial_Mike]

The technology here is outstanding. I used a 000M with built in Aura preamp a few years ago.... incredible

[@JS-nf1sn]

Sounds great. Thanks for the demo. It's "bittersweet", big todd head and the monsters uses the same progression....and I'm sure thousands of other songs.

[@arturoalvarado4030]

I just ordered a used one for my 000-28

[@robertsteinberger]

Thanks, Chris Pratt

[@geoffreymerrifield5666]

Adding the 10 o'clock blend makes it sound incredibly better. Great video Sir.

[@worshipartistry]

Thanks 👍

[@peterpigna9505]

Ottimo video, l’effetto che cercavo grazie

[@MurdaMetz]

Hello thanks for sharing , I purchased the spectrum after hearing this video and my guess is that you have a custom aura image made for your acoustic which is why it sounds realistic compared to what I’m able to achieve . I really like the concept , but was let down when I found out fishman isn’t offering their custom image service anymore . The spectrum is no comparison to using a decent mic . I think the main reason is that there isn’t any distance between the direct sound and the capture . The direct sound is to direct and causes the waveform to distort prematurely. I think the spectrum excels mostly at finger style or slow strummed passages , but again doesn’t compare at all to using a mic .

[@miguelmelo7707]

I agree if you don’t find your exact model, I have a Gibson j-45 and I use a image of a j45 and at 40 per cent sounds amazing!!!

[@MurdaMetz]

@@miguelmelo7707 I’m not saying it’s terrible , but it does suck they don’t offer the customized ir , so I bought this device in hope to send fishman my acoustic to create tone prints or whatever and then find out the quit doing that .

[@miguelmelo7707]

@@MurdaMetz yes I understand ! Probably they will release a new aura in the near future! I ve seen people saying that if you find your model of guitar , the custom ir doesn’t make a lot of difference but I live in Europe so I don’t know. What I can say it’s the Martin or Gibson image is very representative of the sound , I found 2 images that sound very close but again I don’t blend more that 50 per cent in a live setting. Still You have lr baggs voice print and tone Dexter that let you customise your IR!

[@joereynamusicast6875]

I have to get one

[@worshipartistry]

They are pretty great

[@thatmg]

Great review!

[@justinaskins2156]

My pickup pooped out on my Taylor 214ce so I need one of these

[@claytoncreative]

Can you put this in front of a Fishman ToneDeq? Would be nice to use those FX too… and still have the blend of the Spectrum voicing… but then I guess you are running two DIs???

[@floppyhat1]

Agreed. Had it for years and love it. First and foremost, the Aura system corrects that yucky rubbery sound. What is interesting is that, chances are, your guitar model is not one of the ones that has been mic'ed/EQ'ed, though. (ex: my particular Alvarez model is not one of the plethora of selections offered.....) So after a lot of experimentation, I ended up using a Martin model when going "dark and moody" and a Taylor model when my needs were "brighter". Big Surprise. My Alvarez, on it's own, shades "brighter", but either way, the Aura system polishes and refines that sound for going out over our speaker system. So lot's of options for those of us with "other" guitar brands, too. But, it's hard not to think that you're making your own guitar "sound" like another one. Especially when the "Blend" is set beyond 4 o'clock.

[@worshipartistry]

Yeah I can see that but I find setting it past 2:00 outside of recording isn't too valuable in a live setting anyway. The blend is where the magic happens but it definitely takes time to dial in.

[@brendonleary]

Thankfully you have the Aura convolution pedal with all those state-of-the-art image responses [IR] to disguise the quackiness of your pickup. It does an amazing job. I do think you should consider upgrading your pickup though, the 000-28 is too fine an instrument to be ruined with a quacky peizo pickup. The LR Baggs Lyric works perfectly in 000 size body. Or at least put in an Anthem, if you are dedicated to have some peizo options.

[@worshipartistry]

I've got a few friends with those pickups and while they shine in some ways they struggle in others.

[@anthonylynchmusic]

the result is night and day, I'm buying this magic pedal tomorrow😂

[@worshipartistry]

Do it!

[@mr.yellowstrat3352]

Serious question: what is worship music? As a music/gear nerd I watch a lot of gear demos. Over the last few years I've noticed a lot more "worship" channels doing gear videos. Is it just ambient music for speaking over in church? No tritones etc? Or is there more to it? Not trolling, just learning

[@worshipartistry]

"Worship" can be any expression of praise, adoration or service to God. In the musical context it is typically associated with congregational worship. That is, the songs people sing together in church. Worship music can be any style or genre and isn't bound by a specific format. That being said, many of the popular "modern worship" bands employ a style that leans heavily on effects which is probably why you see so many channels cropping up that focus on gear. Hope that helps!

[@mr.yellowstrat3352]

@@worshipartistry Yeah I've noticed that worship guitarists love stereo effects. Lol that's cool though I love effects even for my regular band gigs but I imagine they certainly add to the feeling in that context. Just got the Wampler Terraform for my electric setup 🤘

[@2inthecorner]

Great demo. Is the pickup on the guitar active or passive?

[@worshipartistry]

My pickups are active but the DI works well with passive.

[@62dan57]

Great demo. I've just bought a Martin dreadnought junior with a sonitone installed. Do you think the Aura would improve the sound? Thanks

[@anthonylynchmusic]

did you buy the pedal? I'm buying the same guitar now😂

[@62dan57]

@@anthonylynchmusic That's an old post. I sold it to buy the same without electronics. I added a Seymour Duncan woody through a K&K preamp. Sounds great. I might fit it with the K&K pure mini soon

[@anthonylynchmusic]

@@62dan57 you didn't try the aura then? I have the k&k pure mini on my gs mini, great pickup but it needs several eq in order to sound great. would you suggest to buy the martin without the fishman? is it that bad?

[@62dan57]

@@anthonylynchmusic No, I didn't buy the aura. Too expensive for the entry level Martin I thought. And sonitone is quite bad imo. But my Martin had another issue. Its neck was quite thick. The new one has a much better neck profile. That was the main reason to change. I go for short scale ( getting older), and there is not much choice.

[@anthonylynchmusic]

@@62dan57 I have thr aura 16 which is the same pedal without the eq and tuner, But this pedal only works with piezo systems (like the sonitone), so maybe It will improve dramaticaly the sound. I'm buying the martin djr soon, I listened to many sample and it really seems impressive for the price, it sounds like a small d28, maybe because its cheap but all solid i don't know. I was thinking about buying it with no electronics and install a lrbaggs anthem on it

[@johnpower2018]

Will that override the preamp installed in my Cordoba?

[@worshipartistry]

It will not override what you already have but you can choose how much blend you want there to be.

[@danwhite8200]

Why does everyone skip the 12 string option?

[@scottmoreau3478]

Because most people probably don’t have a 12 string to test it out with.

[@worshipartistry]

@@scottmoreau3478 This exactly :)

[@jkhkjhj]

If you put it on 12 string or bluegrass? Does it really sound like it? I doubt it

[@worshipartistry]

It's not meant to be a modeler. So it won't make a 6 string sound like a 12 string but it will make your 12 string sound more natural. That being said, the resonator settings at full mix actually sound really good.

[@tomkirchhoff4672]

Dude, get a zager 900 ce with the aura pro pick up and download some images easy peasy

[@willieguitars]

I almost purchased a Zager, then I found out they were truly made in Indonesia

[@riptidesurf]

That might be 15 too many options for me! But it sounds nice!

[@a-mb9373]

what are you thoughts on the bodyrez?

[@worshipartistry]

TC Helicon? I've not been impressed.

[@davejive1]

How would this work on a 12 string acoustic?

[@worshipartistry]

I don't have a 12 string guitar but there are models specifically for 12 strings

[@luisgerardoaquinocristales]

Wich pick up system does your guitar comes with?

[@worshipartistry]

I installed a fisherman matrix

[@mundodavih282]

THE BEST BOSS AD2 ACOUSTIC RESSONÂNCIA . HOUSE BRASIL .

[@marcospintor1333]

Dang it sounds just like you put a mic in front of it.

[@lezionidichitarraelettrica]

👍

[@redstonerzett7580]

He sounds like john mayer

[@icarocosta4302]

i prefer the fishman sixteen. easier to build a good sound

[@scottmoreau3478]

How exactly? The Spectrum has far more images to choose from, compression, Eq (global vs pickup only), a tuner etc. The sixteen was meant more for people who wanted just the images. It’s totally fine but I wouldn’t say it’s easier.

[@icarocosta4302]

@@scottmoreau3478 you Just choose and can EQ It from your preamp easly. Too more pratical...Very easy to Deal :)

[@antonio.lovric]

@@icarocosta4302 is it possible to make user images on 16 or change the images same as it is possible on Spectrum?

[@icarocosta4302]

@@antonio.lovric yes It is

[@antonio.lovric]

@@icarocosta4302 thats cool! Some owners told me that is not possible 🤔

[@tammanaq]

In stead of spending money on this pedal - buy a K&K Pure Mini-transducer instead. The Fishman Matrix is an awful pickup.

[@scottmoreau3478]

tammanaq The K&K is a good pickup but it takes work to make it sound good. This option is more plug and play and will work better on a lot of band situations.

[@JohnShalamskas]

@@scottmoreau3478 I'm looking at getting the Aura for use with an Epiphone Alex Lifeson Les Paul which has Graphtech Ghost piezo pickups under the saddles. You can add that to your list of use cases. Also have a Taylor 814CE and 756CE, which would benefit from being routed through this preamp/DI.

[@broerymarantika853]

DONT BUY ! I Had one, bought in Denmark street London. Loved it for a while, seldom using it. Mostly kept in my guitar bag. Suddenly 5 years later, wanter to try it again, it just went kaputz, checked the battery, connections all good. Send to 2 repair shops, both said the same, Motherboard Dead....Cannot Repair.

[@almirantenelson1469]

For what I've listened it doesn't seem a worthly price.

[@FastRedPonyCar]

Buy one used. That's what I did. It works magic on my Godin Multiac Steel. It does take some time fiddling with the different IR's (I setup a looper and just clicked through them all until I found a few I liked)