Heads-up: SpaceStation keyboard amp is apparently back

[rockinredeye]

Just a heads-up for anyone interested. My apologies if this post is against forum rules. A retailer on Reverb (not me) had 7 SpaceStation Mkll amps for sale at "about half-price." I bought one, got it a couple of days ago and it works fine. New in box AFAICT.

 

I bought one 6-7 years ago and loved it. I probably injured it by storing without air conditioning or heat. So, this new one sounds the same: all keyboard sounds and even CDs sound fine. The only sound I don't like through it is, of course, acoustic piano. Have not yet tried my keyboard's built in EQ to un-tubby the sound but will let you know if successful. I am keeping it no matter what, though.

 

Sorry Aspen, budget.

[Bill Spencer]

Current version is MK III. Significant differences.

[rockinredeye]

Absolutely correct. These are the old GT Mkll amps.

[MathOfInsects]

photo hosting

 

http://i850.photobucket.com/albums/ab67/mathofinsects/SS3_Wall_E_zpsuo5onu1m.jpg

[Gatorjohn50]

Johnny 5?

[MotiDave]

Eva? Eva are you there?

[hardware]

That's even better than hummingbird head I saw somewhere else.

 

 

[HiTekTodd]

Been reading this thread and it helped me make to decision to pull the trigger on this amp. Thank you all for the great tips and advice. I think I dialed in the SSv3 very quickly because of all the reading I did here.

 

I received it today, tried it with two boards: Yamaha CP4, and Nord Stage 2

 

Yamaha CP4 has very boxy sounding patches right off the bat. But these are patches that I have setup specifically for the EV12P. I heard a slight stereo image in the samples but not a lot. I knew that if I could get the Acoustic Piano sounding good I'd be on the right track for all the sounds I use. The EQ sounded a bit small amp boxy but I could hear the potential. Messed around with all the amp settings. Found that a slight decrease of mids (sounds more like 900hz-1k to me) adds a bit of warmth. The side 6" speaker ads some harsh high mids to the sound of the acoustic piano. I dialled it back to 11 o'clock. The sound was playable but still not as natural as on my EV12. Now the amp is set, I messed around with some gentle internal EQ on the CP4. (I don't want to drastically EQ what I'm sending to FOH). That's when I remember that the CP4 has sample sets with different degrees of stereo imaging. Tried abunch and found one where the EQ sounded full and the stereo image was noticeable. Now I have a totally playable Acoustic Piano with a nice bright air around the top end. That super tweeter really ads a nice top air. Bottom octave doesn't have a huge initial harmonic but I think the overal sound is warm enough to compensate for this.

From here I went through my Rhodes patches. Everything sounded fine, totally playable and again nice detail on the tine sound and nice growl bark detail in the mid range. Obviously a pure Rhodes patch has no stereo imaging. Time for FX! The stereo tremolo sounds nice. Just a bit of motion and colour shift to the sound. I assigned it to fx button a. Can't wait to throw this on live. Next Chorus, this is my first wow moment. The CP4 chorus has strong stereo content because the sound instantly started swirling around my head. Awesome. I get what all the fuss is about now. I EQd the chorus to sound a little less brittle. Again, I am very impressed with the top end of this amp. Nice air and the Rhodes mechanic sounds are noticeable.

 

I tried the SSv2 at different distances from me in my practise room. (Small room). Taking the advise of this thread I tried some experimental positions and found the best position for stereo effectiveness was with the amp facing away from me on its side tilted upwards. This made sence to me because if you followed the reflection points the front speaker had 2 surfaces to bounce off before reaching my ears and the side speaker had 1. In such a small room I was surprised that the effect was so strong.

 

Next up Nord Stage 2 - , this is where things started getting very exciting for me. I heard via this thread that the Nord Leslie simulation works particularly well with the SSv3. You were all soooo right. The B3 instantly danced around the room. I never noticed the amount of detail in the Nord Leslie until now. Have any of you tried stopping the Nord Leslie at different times? It actually sounds like the rotar is stopping in its different positions, hit the stop(unstop) button again and the swirling instantly hits you again. I've never utilized the Leslie stop live before but I'm going to start now. The organ is clear!! All the drawbars sound really effective when you pulled them out. I'm going to have to rethink some of my drawbar settings. Some searing squabbling highs, to be used responsibly for sure. Very impressed now. On to Rhodes. sounds very clear. Add autopan, just as effective as on the CP4. Piano sounds great! Not a lot of stereo width but I don't want that on piano anyways. Using the Yamaha bright grand. Even better sounding piano than on the CP4 piano. This surprised me a lot.

Synths, I wasn't fully prepared for How awesome this would be. When you stack voices on the Nord synth, it also automatically pans them out for width. Whoa. So thick and good. The biggest synth I've ever heard through a keyboard monitor.

Bottom line.

If you have a Nord, you need this amp!!

 

I do wish that the clarity of the bass end of the keyboard was a bit clearer but we are talking about a 8" speaker here.

It is very efficient and good at what it does. And what it does is clear. For solo piano I will miss being able to hit a low octave and FEEL those low strings resonate below 100hz. But this would only be noticeable to me during solo piano/duo play. Is that something the audience will really miss? Even if you're playing a 9' Fazioli there will be places in the room where people won't here a lot of bottom end do to the acoustics of the room. This is not the end of the world for me and I am pretty picky about Piano through amps. If I'm playing solo I will compensate for this by boosting the 100-200hz range for warmth. The amp has plenty of warmth to make up for the below 100hz drop off if you want to dial it in on your board.

I think that the clarity on the top end makes up for the lack of bottom sub range. This amp cuts.

 

Going to try my SK2 with it at a rehearsal tomorrow. I'm playing Left Hand Bass and will run sub out to the rehearsal space bass amp.

Playing the Nord on Thursday at a 300 person club with a loud band. Keys will get a bit of help from the mains so I'm interested to see how it holds up there. I think it will. I generally monitor lower in the mix in loud band situations (I don't take part in the volume wars).

 

Very pleased so far from today's testing. Now I have to actually practice music!! Have to take my mind off my new toy.

[cphollis]

Nice to see that all the commentary here helped you get to a positive experience with the amp in a minimum of time. Let us know how it does in a live situation!

[drawback]

So just curious, which AP on the CP4 did you settle on?

[Al Quinn]

That's when I remember that the CP4 has sample sets with different degrees of stereo imaging. Tried abunch and found one where the EQ sounded full and the stereo image was noticeable.

Great review! Thank you.

 

Please elaborate on CP4 sample sets with different degrees of stereo imaging.

[Mjazz]

That's when I remember that the CP4 has sample sets with different degrees of stereo imaging.

 

I'm very interested to hear more about this too. I've spent a some time messing around "under the hood" with the CP4 AP voices, but haven't been aware of differences in stereo imaging in the various base samples of the same voice (other than the obvious stereo vs. mono versions).

[cedar]

I would love to hear a really detailed description of how to improve the CP4 sounds through the SS. I mentioned a few pages ago that I was struggling to come up with a sound I liked when using one of the Rhodes patches. Since then, I did one gig where I had to use AP sounds. Both times I thought the higher registers were too shrill.

 

I should also add that I've spent very little time "under the hood" with the CP4, because I'm somewhat phobic about editing. My adjustments have been limited to anything I can achieve with the EQ knobs and SS knobs.

[Mjazz]

I would love to hear a really detailed description of how to improve the CP4 sounds through the SS. I mentioned a few pages ago that I was struggling to come up with a sound I liked when using one of the Rhodes patches. Since then, I did one gig where I had to use AP sounds. Both times I thought the higher registers were too shrill.

 

Leaving aside adjusting EQ, either with the surface EQ controls or by editing within a Performance (and in the case of Rhodes voices, tweaking the Rhodes preamp sim treble setting as mentioned previously), sometimes shrillness is a result of the velocity curve setting not being a good match for your particular playing style.

 

Try this, which doesn't involve editing a Performance, but is a general setting that affects all Performances:

 

- Press the UTILITY button. The display should read "01:General".

- Press ENTER.

- Down arrow once, and the display should show "VelCurve". It's probably set to "normal" if you haven't changed it already.

- Change VelCurve to "wide1" (using the dial or the +/- buttons).

- EXIT back out.

- Experiment.

 

If you don't like it, just go back in the same way and change it back to "normal" (or try some of the other VelCurve settings).

 

This setting affects all Performances and remains as set when the unit is turned off and back on, until you change it.

[cedar]

Thanks, Mike, I'll try that first chance I get.

 

 

[timwat]

Since then, I did one gig where I had to use AP sounds. Both times I thought the higher registers were too shrill.

 

I find AP on the CP4 into the SS to also be too shrill at close range to be usable. I have a monthly jazz gig with a sextet - all standards. The only ways AP work for me is 1) bring the twin DXR8s, or 2) bring the GK bass amp to mate with the SS.

 

I think (casual conclusion, not researched) that the lack of LF inherent to the SS really screws up AP, when AP is under the microscope (as it is on an acoustic level jazz gig). On a loud funk gig where AP is only an occasional choice, and has to cut through a loud band, not so much an issue.

 

That being said, when I stand the SS on the GK, I'm good using that combination for solo AP on the CP4 - I've done many a hotel lobby gig with that exact combination.

 

Tim

[HiTekTodd]

Please elaborate on CP4 sample sets with different degrees of stereo imaging.

 

I had to look this up myself because it seemed like the stereo field and EQ were shifting drastically with each sample set. My ears were right but my information was wrong.

It's the key shift sample sets. So when you are selecting the sampled piano you'll see versions that say: st , st+, st- , mn , etc... The + means that the sample set is shifted up from where they were originally recorded. The - shifted down. This has very interesting characteristic effects on the sound, some really interesting variation happens. Especially using the SSv3 the difference between these are pretty drastic. The EQ is changed quite aggressively and the Stereo image of the piano seems to shift with difference emphasis on different frequencies. Definitely worth experimenting with. I ended up playing the SF st- sample set quite a bit yesterday as it gave me a darker/warmer EQ starting point with (bit more warmth presence) and the top end wasn't so brittle. Again, that side firing speaker is where you're harsh frequencies (I think they are 800hz-2k) are coming from so dial it back to 11 o'clock or less when using with CP4. I still had to dial back the highs quite a bit. The bitey harshness was around 2.5k. I think I pulled it down both using the master EQ and the internal effect EQ.

 

I would love to hear a really detailed description of how to improve the CP4 sounds through the SS

I agree with you, and Tim Wat. The CP4/SSv3 is not as seemlessly integrated as the Nord Stage2/SSv3 pairing right off the bat. Every patch I played on the Nord sounded just about right! Thankfully, the CP4 sounds are way more adjustable than the Stage 2.

 

Big tip #1. Always work in Performance mode. Saving sounds to your performance slots. If you're directly loading the sample sets within a performance you're at the mercy of whatever effects were already loaded. Those FX may not be appropriate for the sound. For example you wouldn't want your Piano FX on a Rhodes sound set. Performance mode is clearly explained here: https://yamahasynth.com/blog/editing-and-creating-performances-in-the-cp4/428-editing-and-creating-performances-in-the-cp4

 

Big tip #2. Click and Hold. Once you are saving your own performances, the things you will want to change the most for adjusting your sounds are you're 2 effects slots that load simultaneously with your saved performance sound.

Notice the little white dot next to FX slot A. Button? That means that you can click and hold it and you will be transported straight to that panel with no menu diving (you can still get here via menu diving if you want). I like to assign the damper resonance effect to slot A on my piano performances. Gives a nice ambience which translates to the SSv3. SCROLL DOWN on these FX to see all the fun parameters. Adjust the EQ boosts and cuts to taste, where they have it set is pretty nice. Adjust the Dry/wet mix to taste (check it with the damper depressed).

Then click and hold FX slot B button. Load in the 501EQ. Experiment with each of the EQ bands and hear what frequencies sound shrill to you. I like to boost first and augment the bad harness as much as possible to really hone in on where the frequencies are not working. Then I reduce the gain on those frequencies. I found that setting the 4th band EQ to around 2.5k was where a lot of the harshness was coming from. (Again reducing the side firing width volume a bit will help a lot here).

 

Hope that helps! This thread has helped me a lot, so I'd like to offer whatever I've learned in return.

 

Tonight I test the SSv3/SK2 pairing using a bass cab to enhance left hand bass lines!

 

 

[Mjazz]

Always work in Performance mode. Saving sounds to your performance slots. If you're directly loading the sample sets within a performance you're at the mercy of whatever effects were already loaded. Those FX may not be appropriate for the sound. For example you wouldn't want your Piano FX on a Rhodes sound set. Performance mode is clearly explained here: https://yamahasynth.com/blog/editing-and-creating-performances-in-the-cp4/428-editing-and-creating-performances-in-the-cp4

 

It's odd that Blake used the phrase "performance mode" on that web page, to introduce the video. He doesn't use the phrase in the video itself, and it's never used in the CP4 manuals, because on the CP4 you're always in "performance mode" ... there's no other choice, e.g., no "voice mode". When you turn the CP4 on, you're in Performance #001 automatically. Any change you make - like selecting a different voice - is an edit to Performance #001 (which the display tells you with that little "E" for edit), unless you switch to another Performance. I think a lot of folks treat that initial-boot-up state as if it were a voice mode, somehow separate from a Performance, but it isn't.

 

I'm all for saving customized Performances. The CP4 defaults can almost always be improved on!

[HiTekTodd]

 

It's odd that Blake used the phrase "performance mode" on that web page, to introduce the video. He doesn't use the phrase in the video itself, and it's never used in the CP4 manuals, because on the CP4 you're always in "performance mode" ... there's no other choice, e.g., no "voice mode". When you turn the CP4 on, you're in Performance #001 automatically. Any change you make - like selecting a different voice - is an edit to Performance #001 (which the display tells you with that little "E" for edit), unless you switch to another Performance. I think a lot of folks treat that initial-boot-up state as if it were a voice mode, somehow separate from a Performance, but it isn't.

 

I'm all for saving customized Performances. The CP4 defaults can almost always be improved on!

 

Haha, wow, that's totally true. I guess there isn't much hierarchy to the CP4 other than global settings and the saved slots. Program mode is actually just whatever saved slot the CP4 boots up too. I'm so used to KORG and Roland hierarchy that I assumed this existed. I think that direct select function confused me on this too.

I guess I should rephrase my tips to just this:

Design and save you're own patches!

 

Used the SK2 on a rehearsal yesterday but realize now that I should have tested it out at home first because the stereo image wasn't as strong as I had liked it to be. I didn't have time to menu dive and adjust to taste. Still sounded nice a warm though as good as my EV in terms of clarity.

I didn't get to set up the bass cab with it yet for left hand bass but I borrowed one from the bass player. It's a mark bass amp with a 10" traynor cab. I will probably do this tomorrow. Tonight I'm super excited to play the SSv3 with the nordstage 2. It sounded so good in my practise room!!

[HiTekTodd]

Let us know how it does in a live situation!

Played my first louder (not ludicrously loud, but earplugs loud) bar gig use the SSv3 with the Nord Stage 2. I got creative with the amp positioning during the first set and it sounded great. Nice stereo image. 2nd set (as the band got louder) I pointed the corner between the two speakers at the musicians and myself across the stage sideways. Man, I am a believer. Acoustic pianos sounded fine (using bright Yamaha grand), some slightly weird mids around 300-400hz in that room. I had the width a bit higher than usual though, trying to impress my Bandmates with my new stereo amp . Organ, synths, and Rhodes with chorus or autopan are my new favourites. Synth brass had a nice image. My favourite thing about the amp was that the volume I perceived myself at was very similar to what everyone heard on stage. So normally with a directional amp I would set my volume a bit lower in the mix than I would like to help assist the overal stage volume. I did this during the first set and the bass player (on other side of stage) told me that he could hear me better than he usually does but could use a bit more. "No problem, I thought, that's where I want to play anyways."

So the next set I pushed the amp a bit more to get on top of the mix a bit. Normally when I do this with a directional amp, the singers that my EV is facing aren't into it, understandable, I'm stealing their frequencies, so I turn down. No complaints last night though. And the louder I got the more surrounding and warm the amp became. I realized the reason everyone can hear me better even though I am technically not as loud. It's because the keys are filling in all the sound directions that are empty. If you think about it. Sound on stage usually comes in two directions, from the front (monitors) and from the back on the ground (various amps). There are unused direction that sound could potentially come from above and the sides. And I think SSv3 helps to fill some of those unconventional directions on stage.

I' ve always thought, if I could get away with just playing B3 with a Leslie on a cover gig then I could fill that swirling surround warmth that is often missing. This little amp does just that. I felt that my role in the band has a whole new meaning. It was my job to makes things feel good and warm. A dream come true.

 

Certain sample synth patches I have been playing for years (the dx7 chimes line, in 'treasure' for example) had a pleasant stereo image that I obviously never noticed before. They sort of jumped out at me in a way I have never experienced on stage.

Definitly, a few volume adjustments needed to be made as the patches with more stereo information I perceived to be a bit louder that usual. (I'll try turning the width Down too)

 

Guys said they could hear me better on stage, but I don't think they realized that I wasn't as loud as I usually am. This makes me very happy, to know that people are hearing what I am hearing.

 

I had a thought, what if Aspen created a new product, a pedal sized unit, just the DSP processing that is in the SSv3 amp with stereo inputs and mid-side outputs and then you could plug into any speakers you want, mix and match, adjust EQ. Stack them on top of each other at 90degrees or experiment to taste. Would that work? Wouldn't that turn any powered monitors we already own into giant SSv3 systems? Or is his exact pairing of eminence speakers what make the magic happen? Mabye the pedal could have adjustable EQ bands to be more effective with any speaker?

 

???

[whannah]

About the SS pedal idea, Aspen tried a version of this years ago, but it never took off. Probably for the best.

 

[whannah]

I finally got a SSv3! Had the first gig with it last night using a Mojo, and had mixed results. Overall, it's a great product, and most of my observations are the common ones mentioned on this thread, but two other things stood out last night. The room was in a brewery, super reflective/echo-y, huge windows, no sound treatment anywhere. So keep in mind that the room was far from ideal.

 

The first thing was that the volume of individual notes in the bottom 2 octaves were uneven. for example, Bb and Eb were the same volume, but the Db in between was almost inaudible. I noticed this even with the width at 0, so I'm confused how this could happen.

 

The second thing was that it might not be loud enough for me. I was sitting about 6 ft away, so it had "room to bloom". When the band was really loud and I started to lose myself in the mix I had to really crank the volume to 4-5 o'clock and the amp started distorting! it was a weird sounding distortion though, maybe just a weird product of the room. I tried decreasing the Mojo volume, but that didn't help much, so I don't think the preamp was distorting.

 

A related observation was that the volume of the EP sounds changed dramatically when I switched on/off a stereo effect. Not a terrible thing, but something I'm really gonna have to watch out for.

 

Has anyone else noticed their SSv3 distorting at high volume?

[Bill Spencer]

1. Sounds like the width control is set too high- that's what kicks in for stereo information

2. the side-firing speaker has no support from an enclosure so at high volume levels with the width set high, it's the first to start distorting, and it's ugly

3. the bottom octave thing might be room nodes where youre getting reinforcement and cancellations from standing waves

 

In a place where you can really hear, get it sounding good with the width OFF. This way you're tweaking the main front-firing drivers only. Then turn up the width- for me I never get it to 12:00; 10:30 - 11:00 seems to be the max.

 

The side-firing speaker is not the greatest sounding driver, to be kind. Take a look at it- not fair to expect it to be- it just "fills in" the sound that you've polished that's coming from the front, so use as little of it as you can.

 

I've also noticed that placement can make a huge difference. PA type cabinets are less sensitive to this, but the SS3 is relying on it's surroundings to get a sound. Last night's gig is an example- I had the SS3 in a corner, thinking I could use the bass reinforcement, but until I pulled it out only a foot or so, it sounded muddy and tubby.

 

Also the Mids and Highs controls are very important- tweak in small amounts while you're getting your sound.

 

Lastly I do have to say that it is a single 8" main speaker and at a certain point physics will always win. Playing in a venue like that in a loud band is certainly at the edge of it's capabilities. Many have discovered that simply adding some LF support makes a world of difference. For LH bass and loud gigs I add a GK MB 150 and that takes a good bit of the load off the small but mighty SS3. Others have described a sub, or a high quality powered PA speaker. I'm hoping to see a SpaceStation with 10 or a 12 at some point.

 

I'm so used to using powered PA cabs for my sound (QSC K8s most recently), that I'm still not used to fine tuning the amps, but this really had turned out to be important. Get as familiar as you can with those controls, and USE them. Most of your issues will be greatly reduced.

[MotiDave]

I finally got a SSv3! Had the first gig with it last night using a Mojo, and had mixed results. Overall, it's a great product, and most of my observations are the common ones mentioned on this thread, but two other things stood out last night. The room was in a brewery, super reflective/echo-y, huge windows, no sound treatment anywhere. So keep in mind that the room was far from ideal.

 

The first thing was that the volume of individual notes in the bottom 2 octaves were uneven. for example, Bb and Eb were the same volume, but the Db in between was almost inaudible. I noticed this even with the width at 0, so I'm confused how this could happen.

 

The second thing was that it might not be loud enough for me. I was sitting about 6 ft away, so it had "room to bloom". When the band was really loud and I started to lose myself in the mix I had to really crank the volume to 4-5 o'clock and the amp started distorting! it was a weird sounding distortion though, maybe just a weird product of the room. I tried decreasing the Mojo volume, but that didn't help much, so I don't think the preamp was distorting.

 

A related observation was that the volume of the EP sounds changed dramatically when I switched on/off a stereo effect. Not a terrible thing, but something I'm really gonna have to watch out for.

 

Has anyone else noticed their SSv3 distorting at high volume?

not sure how hot mojo signal is, some users have reported they much liked the overall improvement from using a small in line mixer to add gain to their signal before going into the ss3 so they could run ss3 around 12 o'clock.

[dongna]

The first thing was that the volume of individual notes in the bottom 2 octaves were uneven. for example, Bb and Eb were the same volume, but the Db in between was almost inaudible. I noticed this even with the width at 0, so I'm confused how this could happen.

Trying to figure how something like this could be a fault of the SS. Have you tested this with another amp/monitor? My first inclination would be to check the Mojo on something like this.

[whannah]

The first thing was that the volume of individual notes in the bottom 2 octaves were uneven. for example, Bb and Eb were the same volume, but the Db in between was almost inaudible. I noticed this even with the width at 0, so I'm confused how this could happen.

Trying to figure how something like this could be a fault of the SS. Have you tested this with another amp/monitor? My first inclination would be to check the Mojo on something like this.

 

I've never noticed this in my other amps. The only thing I can think of is that they all have 12" or 15" speakers, so... maybe that is causing it? I should double check with headphones.

 

Either way, it's not that big of a deal cause I'll always have my Eden bass rig to handle those frequencies at my normal gigs, but I'm still puzzled by it.

[Aspen]

I had a thought, what if Aspen created a new product, a pedal sized unit, just the DSP processing that is in the SSv3 amp with stereo inputs and mid-side outputs and then you could plug into any speakers you want, mix and match, adjust EQ. Stack them on top of each other at 90degrees or experiment to taste. Would that work? Wouldn't that turn any powered monitors we already own into giant SSv3 systems?

 

First off, thank you Todd for your thorough and excellent review...and your finally pulling the trigger on a SS3. Your support is VERY much appreciated. And I am so glad you found the CPS 3D stereo magic to your liking. I never get tired of hearing what others think on first experiencing CPS technology. It brings back some great memories for me; like the first time my partner Drew Daniels (RIP) and I built and actually heard our very first prototype...wow, were were like kids at our first Christmas!

 

As others here have also mentioned, I think with a few more gigs I am sure you will dial it in even further, but it sounds like you are off to a great start. I like the way you are adapting your patches for stereo...now that you can HEAR stereo.

 

I often thought KB designers must have been b/w a rock and a hard spot because they KNOW players will probably be using a mono amp for live performance, but also know that players would want to record big stereo patches too. So should they optimize the patches for live sound and so mono, or for the studio where stereo is king? (thankfully today, most boards offer the options to change settings for those very different applications).

 

Regarding a break out preamp with my encoding circuitry...good idea! But not the first time that has been suggested on this thread (I think it was back in Season one, Episode nine...)

 

But actually, that was a vision of mine too about 14+ years ago. Take a look here on my archives on Aspen & Associates website, and download my first GT 'Custom Shop' SFX catalog and manual, here:

 

http://aspenandassoc.com/support-documents/

 

NOTE: SFX stood for Stereo Field Expansion", the first brand name for CPS that Fender trade marked when they took out a CPS license for their 3 SFX products (and my first mailbox money!) I used 'SFX' on my first line too (with permission) for my Groove Tubes product line.

 

Notice the SFX 'E1' encoder, which was a 1 RU stereo in, Front/Side out pre amp device. Also see my weird looking Side speaakers, open 4 sides!

 

The system I detailed in the catalog applications page used a JBL powered PA speaker for the 'Front' speaker signal...a top my SFX 'S12' or S15' cabs. These were a completely open 4 sides dual driver boxes which had VERY wide dispersion, and could handle 200-300 watts...so they got loud! The worked really well, But ordinary boxed PA speakers for the side system really don't work very well, and they are nearly impossible to align. And that 'point' is VERY important; there needs to be a "Center Point"!

 

CPS is a very different speaker technology. The Side system must have VERY wide open dispersion and also be exactly and strategically placed to the Front speaker for the CPS magic to come alive.

 

But as mentioned before here, we didn't sell many 'component' CPS systems (and neither did Fender sell many of their SFX Satellite amps either...more on that later). But not because it didn't work well (IT DID!). I just think it was a bit ahead of the times (my curse!). CPS has only really been seriously accepted by musicians with my release of the SS3, the first 'High Def' CPS audio system I have made.

 

A 'CPS' break out box might catch on today, who knows. But that would be another $50K 'new product' gamble, and right now I must focus on maintaining SS3 supplies...I do not want to run out like I did so often in my first 7 months! We are currently in the middle of our 9th and by far largest run ever. So this is taking all my energy and assets to just keep up with current demand. I am STILL a one man company (albeit with some large and powerful Vendor and Dealer Partners).

 

But IF I were to bring out such a product, it would have to be integrated with a special design Side speaker... the Side speaker is the key! Using a typical powered speaker, highly directional (one way) cabs, just do not work very well.

 

So I would also have to introduce a CPS encoding powered side speaker...oh wait...we DID have one of those in the 1st Fender SFX product line! They called the SFX Satellite! But it also died an early death as it was targeted toward guitar players and deemed too 'klugie', hard to set up and dial in. I am pretty sure the KB players could handle that issue better. But most my SS3 fans tell me what they like the most is the simpler (and smaller) setup, and foot print.

 

But I always liked he idea of it; a player could KEEP his favorite powered PA Cab for the Front system and use a special powered Side cab as the platform with the CPS encoder builtin....but now were back to lugging 2 cabs and twice the space and weight. And what if nobody buys it? I'm in the dog house w/ the boss lady!

 

They say 'burned once' is 'twice shy'. I am not sure folks would embrace a component system these days, everyone seems to want the convenience of a one box, plug in and play solution.

 

So don't hold your breath on that one Todd, but it was a great conversation....

[junkcar]

A few days ago I posted here about how something went wrong with my SSv3...it made a "pop" upon starting up, and then sounded terrible...very tinny. (drum roll for Math to chime in Very cool pic BTW).

 

Anyhow, Aspen once again proved he is the "do the right thing" champion...he immediately sent me a replacement electronic unit, return postage paid, which upon installation works like new.

 

Thanks very much Aspen for your help.

[cphollis]

I have had zero problems with my two SSv3 units, despite them having a very hard life. I hope never to have to call on Aspen's services, but it's nice to know that -- if I have to -- I can.

 

-- Chuck

[ChrisDespo]

I gotta chime in here as well about Aspen and his customer support - I had something rattling inside mine and contacted Aspen about it (it ended up being something very simple to fix that was loose inside) ... Aspen was very quick to respond and he had even given me his cell # so that I could contact him to get everything squared away ... who else does that?

 

He gets my highest recommendation for his product and support!

 

Thanks Aspen! I can think of quite a few other companies that would do well to follow your lead!