Gain clipping with Trace Elliot TE-1200

[Poacher]

Hi. I am awaiting delivery of a new TE-1200 by Trace Elliot but from the user manual on the web, and videos of the amp head, the amp doesn't appear to have an LED to indicate if the input gain is too high and the amp is continually trying to handle clipping.  My current TE AH500-7 and Ashdown ABM EVO III amp heads, and a previous TE 12SMX combo, all have LED indicators so I'm used to the simple life in setting up the input GAIN signal.

 

I like a clean sound and so don't want to introduce any distortion into the input signal, and I use active bass guitars so the input signal is that bit higher than passive guitars.

 

Can anyone provide some easy to follow suggestions on how to set the optimal input gain on a TE-1200?

 

Thanks

 

[stevie]

@Merton is one of the few people on here with one of these. No doubt he'll be along to advise soon.

[Merton]

You just have to use your ears I’m afraid. I discovered early on that getting the gain set right really made a difference to the compressor, and you can crank it a hell of a lot more than you may expect. I tend to err on the side of caution and keep it around 11-12 o’clock because I tend to run an HX Effects in front of it, with some overdrive, so don’t want to mistake amp/cab distortion for something I actually want there at war volume.

 

Of you’ve got an Elf, I expect it has a similar gain structure to that as I can run that input gain very high before clipping, and feel I get similar results with the TE1200

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

For the cleanest sound set the output at full, the gain as high as necessary for the desired level.

[Russ]

I’ve got a TE-1200, and yes, this is a thing. Just dial in your gain until it sounds bad.  

 

However, this is something that has been brought up with the Trace team at Peavey, and will probably be addressed in the next iteration of the head. They’ve actually been very good in soliciting feedback on their products, and seem to very much be open to suggestions. 

 

Some smaller, lighter cabs would be nice too - updated versions of the 1153/1210H cabs would be ideal - something that would fit in the back of the average hatchback rather than the back of a big American SUV!

[Downunderwonder]

You may find that a little hair on your tone is actually what you wanted all along. I know I did and it only took me twenty years to discover. Still clean but definitely hairy.

 

To try that on for size indeed turn up the gain until it sounds bad and then turn it back down a little. Add volume with the master output. @Russ knows what I am talking about.

[itu]

23 hours ago, Poacher said:

...and I use active bass guitars so the input signal is that bit higher than passive guitars.

You sure? Have you dialled a smiley eq from your bass (B&T @11)? If not, the output can be higher or lower than a hi-Z output bass ("passive").

[Lfalex v1.1]

On 29/11/2023 at 19:02, Bill Fitzmaurice said:

For the cleanest sound set the output at full, the gain as high as necessary for the desired level.

 

Doesn't that allow the potential for noise* to creep in at lower levels?

 

*hiss, noise caused by fan motors, RFI, anything else that wants to sneak in with the signal...

[Lfalex v1.1]

23 hours ago, Russ said:

I’ve got a TE-1200, and yes, this is a thing. Just dial in your gain until it sounds bad.  

 

Hope it sounds better than my Markbass Head when the input/gain stage clips.

 

Note the use of "clips" not "starts to clip"

It goes from clean to loud piezo- electric buzzer straight away!

[Russ]

45 minutes ago, Lfalex v1.1 said:

 

Hope it sounds better than my Markbass Head when the input/gain stage clips.

 

Note the use of "clips" not "starts to clip"

It goes from clean to loud piezo- electric buzzer straight away!

It goes 'boxy', a little bit hairy, and compressed in a less-than-pleasant way (pretty much standard for solid-state amps), but not noisy. I play active basses, and have to get the gain up to around 2-3-o'clock for it to get to that point. I usually have it around 11-12-o'clock, and there's almost endless gobs of power from the power section, so you'll pretty much never be in a situation where you'll have to dial up the input gain to be heard. 

 

The built-in compressor does lower the volume somewhat, but, as Merton said, playing with the input gain and compressor controls yields some interesting results, anything from a hyper-compressed, Tony Levin-style tone to singing sustain (my preferred setting).