Hi! I got my PS-2A a few weeks ago and I have been really loving it as an attenuator. I’ve been using it mostly with my Fender Deluxe Reverb (reissue), both attenuation for more controllable apt levels as well as silent recordings. For the most part, it’s been awesome. For attenuation, my unit has been an absolute charm. However, when using the line out, it just doesn’t seem right. I get this sound that is kind of like the bass breaking up. It does kind of sound like a light fuzz. I can detect it at all volumes that i’ve set the amp to and on multiple amps. I’ve been kind of getting around it in recordings by just playing super light on the bass strings. but i’d definitely rather it not do this hahah
Also, up until today, I’d been running the line out of the Fryette into the input on one of my outboard preamps, but just rearranged my patch bay so I could have the line out on the fryette go into one of the lines in on my interface and I realized how quiet the line out on the Fryette actually is. I have the line out volume knob at maximum, the Fender reverb at 4, and I’m picking the low E quite hard. And the max peak I’m getting is around -19dB. This is a workable volume. However, taken with the rest of the sound issues i’ve been having, I’m starting to wonder if I have a defective unit. Hearing everyone else talk about how amazing this thing is, I really want to be in the same boat! And honestly, for attenuation, i am in the same boat! So I’m really hoping that this is just a defective unit and I can get it fixed and be fully on the boat. But I’m worried that I might just be running up against a shortcoming of attenuation for silent recording.
I included a sound sample. This is the neck pickup of my strat plugged directly into the front of the amp (Input 1 in the ‘custom channel’ of a Fender Deluxe Reverb Custom '68. volume 4, treble 7, bass 7). Line out from the Fryette (full volume) is going directly into the line in on my focusrite scarlet 18i8. I’ve boosted the recording with a gain plugin so that you’re able to hear it without cranking your headphones. However, when I was recording, the max peak I got was -19dB, so the cause of this cannot be a gain staging issue. Worth noting, that this issue does also happen at lower/higher amp volumes and in both the custom and vintage channels.
Take a look at the front panel on the PS-2A and toggle the HI/LO level control. This should give you a boost in volume on the Line Out.
How are you connecting the Line out to the audio interface? XLR? Jack? Is the audio interface on instrument mode or line mode? Do you have anything in the FX loop?
The lineout on the power station is actually pretty hot, so this point to an issue before the PS-2A or after it.
Hi Dan, thanks so much for your reply! The line out on the PS-2A is going to a line in on the back of my interface. When I send output from other pre-amps to this exact line in, there’s no issue. The line in is acting just as I would expect. As far as how I’m connecting, I’ve done it a few ways. I’ve used a TRS cable into the line out and also I’ve tried an XLR. Both behave identically.
Also, the hi/lo input level button on the front of the PS-2A doesn’t seem to make any difference as far as the line out is concerned. I have used this button when I’m using the PS-2A purely for attenuating my amp. But, yeah, that button doesn’t seem to affect the line-out sound the way that the deep and bright toggles do.
I will say, the bass splat sound I showed in the recording, I’m starting to think that this is just my amp hitting the edge of it’s breakup. When I back the volume off a lot (1-2) I do lose a lot of the bass splat. Then, when I put an IR in the signal chain, it does a lot to polish the sound further. But this does exacerbate the line out level issue It may just be that I’m not pushing the front of the PS-2A as hard as people typically do since I’m mostly trying to go for clean tones so the output of my 22watt amp might just not be giving the PS-2A a lot of signal to work with?
I didn’t mention it because I thought you’d tried it, but is the line-out volume control at max? Does it seem to be operating correctly when you rotate it?
Also, if you put the PS-2A into BYPASS this will connect your amp directly to a speaker. Hook-up a speaker and see how the volume levels are. I am starting to think there might be an issue with the level entering the PS-2A. For example, can you volume match the amp (with the PS-2A in BYPASS) level and the PS-2A (with it in OPERATE)?
Yeah! Line level knob is at max and it does seem to be working just fine when I’m rotating it around. Also, yeah bypass seems to be working fine. When the unit is bypassed, the volume coming out of the amp is identical to when I just have the speaker of my amp plugged into the amp itself with no PS-2A in the signal path. Which is to say, the level is loud and clear. If I played guitar too long with the amp volume set to 3 and the Fryette is bypassed, I’d probably get the cops called on me pretty quickly hahah. If it’s a useful datapoint, if I have the amp volume set to 3 and have the PS-2A engaged and with the volume set to 9 oclock and ‘lo’ input level setting (button out, not depressed) it is roughly the same volume level as having the PS-2A in bypass mode. But again, the line out is very quiet.
So it sounds like you get very decent volume levels with the PS-2A in OPERATE and BYPASS. This means your cables are fine. Yes, 9 o’clock on the PS-2A is more than enough for home playing too.
You have the input level on LO which is correct; this will give you max. signal at the Line Out. It is odd that toddling does not change the volume. This could indicate an issue with the unit. Yes, -19dB is very low. A 50W amp into a PS-2A should easily give you 2Vrms at the line out.
I am starting to suspect an issue with the unit. I will PM you…
It may just be that I’m not pushing the front of the PS-2A as hard as people typically do since I’m mostly trying to go for clean tones so the output of my 22watt amp might just not be giving the PS-2A a lot of signal to work with?