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LR Baggs Session DI Acoustic Guitar Preamp / DI

Acoustic Preamp/DI Pedal with Analog Saturation, Filtering, and Multiband Compression,
$279.00

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LR Baggs Session DI Acoustic Guitar Preamp / DI
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$279.00
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Perfect Acoustic Tone Is Just a Pedal Away!

Because we can't all have personal engineers standing by to provide the best possible acoustic guitar tone, LR Baggs offers you the next best thing: the Session Acoustic DI. Thanks to its series of simple, one-knob controls that cover complex processes including saturation, multiband compression, and selective resonance filtering, the Session Acoustic DI lets you dial in a professionally smooth and vitally warm sound in seconds. Other great benefits include a variable highpass filter, onboard VU meter, and a mute switch that's really handy when you're swapping out guitars. And with both 1/4" and balanced XLR outputs, the LR Baggs Session Acoustic DI is an ideal addition to both your live and studio recording rigs.

LR Baggs Session Acoustic DI Preamp Pedal at a Glance:
  • Ease your guitar tone into the mix with analog saturation
  • Multiband compression adds essential polish to your dynamics
  • Must-have tools help fight feedback and clean up your sound
Ease your guitar tone into the mix with analog saturation

Acoustic guitar may be about the last instrument on Earth you'd consider saturating, but many seasoned professional engineers swear by saturation as a way to make many acoustic instruments sit perfectly in the mix. Lucky for you, the LR Baggs Session Acoustic DI makes this process incredibly easy - just roll on the saturation dial and enjoy the natural, analog warmth.

Multiband compression adds essential polish to your dynamics

As a concept, multiband compression is pretty simple: you divid your signal into separate frequency bands, compress them individually, and sum them back together. The results are impressive, allowing you to seriously rein in your dynamics, without squashing the life out of your tone. In practice, multiband compression is one of processes that normally requires both software and a fair bit of understanding how to use it. The LR Baggs Session Acoustic DI's Comp/EQ knob takes all the headache and guesswork out of multiband compression. As you increase the dial, a pre-programmed 3-band compressor goes to work, smoothing out your guitar, without tarnishing your tone, allowing you to dig in with all the intensity you want, without overloading your gear.

Must-have tools help fight feedback and clean up your sound

While most of the Session Acoustic DI is devoted to making good sound better, the guitarists at Sweetwater couldn't help but take note of the handy tools onboard that let you fix less-than-ideal tone and put the kibosh on feedback. For starters, there's a variable highpass filter that lets you cut out boom and rumble that can easily build into thunderous feedback. Speaking of feedback, there's also a Garret Null notch filter onboard the Session Acoustic DI, which carves out the specific resonant frequencies that most often cause trouble, and if that's not enough, there's a phase flip switch you can kick in too. Finally, because sometimes, ground loops just happen, LR Baggs put a simple ground-lift switch on the other side from the highpass filter, letting you cut out hum and buzz.

LR Baggs Session Acoustic DI Preamp Pedal Features:
  • And all-in-one tone enhancing preamp/DI pedal for your acoustic-electric guitar
  • Optimized for guitar but works great with all of your acoustic instruments
  • Add vital warmth to your guitar's natural sound with real analog saturation
  • Multiband compressor smooths out your dynamics, without damaging your tone
  • Variable Garret Null notch filter and phase switch combat show-stopping feedback
  • Variable highpass filter lets you cut low-end boom at 40Hz, 80Hz, 120Hz, or 200Hz
  • All discrete signal path includes both 1/4" and XLR outputs and mute footswitch
  • Ground lift switch effectively eliminates ground-loop hum
  • VU meter lets you visually optimize the input gain for your instrument
  • Powered by phantom power, 9V battery, or external power supply
  • Ruggedly built from aluminum, steel, and ABS plastic
  • Custom carrying case included
Get studio-quality acoustic sound with the LR Bagg Session Acoustic DI!

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Tech Specs

  • Type: Acoustic Preamp, Direct Box
  • Height: 1.75"
  • Width: 4"
  • Depth: 6.25"
  • Analog Inputs: 1 x 1/4"
  • Analog Outputs: 1 x XLR, 1 x 1/4"
  • Manufacturer Part Number: Session DI

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Customer Reviews

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Rated 5/5

Sounds great for Acoustic or Electric (Hollow Body)

The other di pedals had review stars missing because people hated the tuners they incorporated. I decided on this one because it checked my main boxes for an acoustic instrument tool. 1. Low pass filter to cut out rumble, 2. Phase invert as a first defense for feedback, 3. notch filter for more persistent feedback issues 4. preamp with volume/gain options, 5. EQ (not exactly, but perfect for me)

For acoustic guitars, I've used this on a taylor 214e and a gibson g-bird with the standard piezo pickup and also the lr baggs lyric system. Feedback became a non-issue once I have the notch dialed in even at loud PA/monitor volumes in close range. The gain structuring with the saturation feature is so versitale, you can adjust it for whatever your guitar's output is.

For electric, I was having feedback issues with my Gretsch Hollow Body Electric guitar. It just dawned on me the other day to try the session DI with this guitar. I was running it into a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe IV. At first I was getting some interference like a higher pitched hum. But after troubleshooting, I realized the session DI is a pre-amp, then I was pre-amping the signal again with my amp. So reading the Hot Rod Amp manual, I found the there's a 2nd input jack specifically for pre-amplified guitars. So plugging the signal into this jack along with setting the gain staging correctly on the session DI got this working beautifully. The Comp/EQ and saturation work amazingly for the hollow body. I can't imagine playing it without the session DI now. The tone was like TRANSFORMED.

The option to be powered by phantom power is SO nice with acoustic/PA situations.

There's a little semi-hard case included which is a nice addition for throwing it in your gig bag or case.

The comp/eq was perfect for me. I did want some eq option and also a compressor option, but a multiband compressor was even better in my opinion. I only wanted eq and compression to control problematic frequencies that were feeding back or sticking out too much. The comp/eq does exactly that with a single knob.

I think the fact that they put a saturation feature on this is them just bragging (LR Bragg?) about how well their feedback control options are in this pedal. Saturation/gain is typically what causes feedback. So the fact that you can color your sound on here with these options and still not be defeated by feedback is astounding.
Music background: Artist, Producer
Rated 5/5

START HERE !!!

In all
honesty, if asked, I would buy default say, "START HERE" !!!

AS a general lifelong player and dedicated solely to acoustic instruments, I'll explain it this way.

I've circled the wagons like a starving buzzard for decades visiting many attempts for extreme high quality acoustic signal processing that only brings out more of the instrument I'm playing rather than alter it's natural sound by force.

I had heard many L R Baggs products in my past and had heard talk if the L R Baggs legendary quality and sound, but had not taken the personal plunge.
After sitting one day and listening to and discussing in depth with Sierra Hull about the L R Baggs "Venue DI", I was next on the phone with my Sweetwater Sales Engineer Tim Burgess ordering one.
OH MY. Instantly I knew I was well on the right path. And trust me when I say I have a rediculous boat load of acoustic preamp pedals. But the "Venue DI" rung a bell like no other.

To make a long story short. Sonetime later, Sierra Hull and I were chatting about the "Venue DI", and she asked if I had tried the new "Session DI". I responded with doubt that anything could be better than my "Venue DI". She kinda grinned and gave string suggestion I should try one. Well, you guessed. Back on the phone with SW's famed Tim Burgess.
My only thought was, "How could this be". Whether either one was stand alone or inline with the other, all I could do was be in WOW!!!
To quicken my review, I can with all confidence and honesty suggest doing the LR Baggs experience as such.
Do the "Session DI" first and foremost. No matter your configuration, life is about to come alive. I'd highly suggest the "Venue DI" next, and in line behind the "Session DI". That is LR Baggs intent here. With the "Venue DI" having effects sends and returns, now start adding effects pedals. Trust when I say you want the "Align Series Delay" pedal next purchase. Then the "Align Series Chorus" on next purchase. Then if course the next purchase would we the "Align Series Reverb".
With the "Session DI", you want spend steps and money on compression efforts. The adding to the "Venue DI behind it will save you steps and money in regard to extreme finite EQ efforts. The "Session" has a "saturation" control and the "Venue" has a "presence" control. These two functions combined along with the other amazingly combined features will blow your mind.
And if course, using your "Venue" as effects send and return pulls all this together in such a way and package you just want believe it. And you'll save hundreds and possibly thousands of dollars searching your life away and your heart out along with not draining your pocket dry in the long run.

So. Once you've acquired your pedals, here's the smartest and cleanest chain.
"Session","Venue", "Chorus", "Delay', "Reverb". Trust me when I say there is much science and theory behind this. Call LR Baggs and confirm.
No matter what you feed this into, it's just OUTSTANDING miles ahead of anything else. MILES AND MILES

Again, I'm an acoustic ONLY player. And not being the world's greatest player, I need above world class audio help and as much as I can possibly afford. Especially considering the fact that I'm 90% soloist.

Me? I use a small 8 channel "Zoom L-8" Livetrak board. And again, for two reasons. Super affordable for the working man and Zoom legendary world class preamps and on board effects for vocals. And or instruments when need be.

See photo for a peek at my rig.

"One Lick Wesley"
Music background: Professional music bum and nomad.
Rated 5/5

Perfect

Another 5-star review for a product that doesn't really need another, but deserves it. I just got this recently and just love it. The Comp/EQ is really really beautiful. I tend to use zero to very little saturation, but I love the Comp/EQ. The phantom/9v powered DI is very low noise compared to others I've used. I love how compact it is as well - fits right in the guitar case! And it's easy to forget about the phase button, notch, and the HPF, but those are really helpful items as well, especially on my baritone acoustic.
Music background: Jack of all trades.
Rated 5/5

Finally This is what my Taylor should sound like

If you have a Taylor with ES 2 and you're not happy with the sound this is your friend !!!!!!
Music background: started playing 2 days ago .......
Rated 5/5

LR Baggs Sesssion DI

If you are looking to add additional control to your existing LR Baggs chain for you acoustic guitar then this will help. I found the multiband compression most valuable. If you are looking to add a bite of grit to your sound then saturation is nice. It was good addition to the chain.
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