( 1 reviews )
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Posted: Apr 22 2009
This device seemed like a great idea. With so many utilities packed into one little box, it looked like the perfect solution for cleaning up microphone input. First off, my thoughs about the features: The preamp on this device sounds clean and has quite a bit of range to it. Although I have no use for the low pass filter, it proved to be effective during testing. I did not test this feature for accuracy. The noise gate is very useful, but sounds somewhat abrupt and there seems to be no way to adjust the release time. The delay feature doesn't seem to do anything. You would think you would notice a whole 2.5 seconds of delay, but nothing happens. Then again, my device seems defective. I'll get into that later. The compressor, although effective can be frustrating to adjust. When you increase the release, the attack increases too which in some applications is not ideal. Even if you get this device for the feedback destroyer and noise gate features, you may find yourself considering a dedicated compressor with a full set of adjustable parameters. The feedback destroyer feature sounded like a piece of electronic magic. It works, but it doesn't completely thwart the feedback. From my observations and what I understand is to be true from the manual, the device automatically ducks bands in its equalizer to suppress feedback, but if you have your microphone to the monitor for testing purposes, you're still going to get your ears cleaned out. It's great for live applications, but ultimately ends up deforming the sound of the audio source. You will notice this when you clear the devices memory and it flattens out the eq. In conclusion, it's not as magic as it seems but it does work, but I wouldn't use it for recording setups. The only thing this device is missing is an output limiter. The clip knob seems to scale the level of processing rather than the input or output level of the audio. And now, the story behind the rating: When I first received the device, I plugged it in and started playing with the various features using input from a computer and output to my mixer and monitors. I had read the manual before purchasing the device, so I was somewhat familiar with everything. After a half hour of playing with the settings, the device sort of had a stroke. There was a ground loop sound and the device would not respond to input from the keys. I gave it a smack and it came back to life. It also seems to generate a bit of heat. I had put my Shark away for a month or two, and just recently took it out again to give it another shot. It worked for a few minutes, but then started to distort every input signal like an 8-bit arcade game buzz regardless of any of its settings. I think it's a case of poor quality control. Give it a shot if you have $80 to gamble, but cross your fingers.
