I have no idea how so many people are getting confused about what I've said in this video, but to clarify...The 'EMULATED OUTPUT' is designed to be used direct to a PA, or a recording device. The 'LINE OUTPUT' is designed to run in to an Impulse Response, as I have done here. The 'LINE VOLUME', unsurprisingly controls the 'LINE OUTPUT'. I clearly indicate on the screen that this is what you are hearing when I move this control. On my device however, turning the 'MASTER VOLUME' up and down also affects the signal coming from the 'LINE OUTPUT', again as indicated in big block capitals on the screen. This should not happen, since I need to turn the 'MASTER VOLUME' up a small way in order to have a significant signal present at the 'LINE OUTPUT' enough to drive an Impulse Response. Having to have any amount of the 'MASTER VOLUME' up to enable recording off the 'LINE OUTPUT', means that it's no longer silent recording! Also my 'LINE VOLUME' actually has very little effect on the 'LINE OUTPUT' as I show you here, whilst telling you in big block capitals. That's why I've titled the video as I have. It is justified and is not user error. You can get solid results with this device as I have done here, but if your unit functions as mine does, it may not be practical for some users who require silent recording. Not clickbait, not sensational, not user error on a unit with only two controls, just a heads up for those looking at options. Ben.
Hi Ben, it's clear and thanks for the advice. The point is to understand if your attenuator is faulty or if the engineer behind the project is an idiot. Because of course it does not make any sense that to have some line output volume you have to rise attenuator volume 1) because speaker would not be silent anymore 2) because to use it as a loadbox, so disconnecting the speaker cable from the bugera, master volume have to be set at zero. So no speaker and no lineout...weird So to everybody else owning a bugera PS1, your attenuators too are behaving like that?
Anyway, I want to share another experience, about 'user manuals'. I bought a Marshall Origin 20 head, the manual and the back of the head both say "always connect speakers". Well, on the forums people was saying that it has an internal load so you can safely disconnect the cab. I wrote to marshall team, they answered "yes, it has an internal dummy load so you can safely run it without cabinet". Wow, that's cool. And when I asked twice "OK very good news, but WHY the manual and the back of the head say something different (always connect speakers)??" They never gave me an answer, anymore. SO..not hard to believe to me that PS1 can work disconnected from cab, even if the manual do not say that
And Ben, one last thing. I also have a weber mini mass 50w reactive attenuator, it's great and of course can be used as a dummy load BUT master volume have to be set to 2. And another PS1 user is saying the same thing. So, when you set master to 2..you still have low line out level and the "1 to 10 almost nothing changes" behaviour??
THAT would be the key. Because if with master volume at 2 the lineout level control behaves normally... than we understand that silent recording is possible, but only disconnecting the cabinet of course. An that the manual is crap. In the weber anyway, attenuation volume must be set to 2 to safely disconnect the cabinet, as I said..but is independent from the lineout (it is always full, and no line volume pot)
1. MicSim - this is a low-impedance, mic-level output. Connect directly to the mixing console at a live venue or recording environement. 2. OUT SPEAKER - connect to your speaker cabinet to hear your am- plifier as normal.Burgers is a full-load device, so it is not necessary to use this connector in all applications. Note a reduction in output level of approximately -3dB even with the level set at 9 is inherent to the design ofBugera. If a speaker is not connected, set thePS1 control at 2 to provide the proper ohm load on your amplier’s output. 3. OUT LINE - this output runs at LINE or Effects level. Unlike the Mic- Sim, the LINE LEVEL out is not speaker-compensated. You can send this output to your effects processors and/or power amp for monitoring. 4. INPUT FROM AMPLIFIER - connect the output of your amp to the input of PS1 here. Choose 4 ohm, 8 ohm, or 16 ohm amplifier outputs, but do NOT use more than one of these input simultaneously.
To dispel some confusion with the manual. PS1 is not a dummy load, always use a speaker with a tube amp.. HOWEVER, most solid state amps can operate without a speaker attached. So the PS1 can be used as a speaker-less Di with a solid state amp.
Thanks Michael. Just to add to that, some class D amps apparently require a load, so please check your manual before anybody runs their amp without load. It's always best to do it on a case by case basis just to be sure. (Not disagreeing with Mr Whitten here, just don't want to be responsible for a broken amp). Cheers man, Ben.
Also, this is a fantastic power attenuator and definitely the best bang for the buck. There is no better one you can get for 100$ and if you just need a powersoak for home practice or recording, this one is great and has the bonus of the emulated out. Its a win win win...
Exactly!! And only an idiot would buy this for recording!!! It’s so easy to buy a DI box and record with a mic! This is an affordable power soak! As a power soak, it’s awesome!!!! Buy it if you need a power soak! If you need something for recording and your looking at this, do yourself a favor and educate yourself on recording first! Way better options!
@@ZYGTropicals Why "only an idiot"? I'm here researching loadboxes so I can silently record the output of my tube poweramps (through an IR), plus use them at low sound pressure levels. You don't get the full picture of your tube amp when recording just the preamp through the loop send.
@@gastonpossel Actually it might work very well for recording thru its integrated Line Out jack but there is some hardware issue in the Volume adjustment since the dedicated pot is not working at all ....i got during my recording tests some very good tones from my ENGL Tube Stack (in 4CM with a Gt100 N other rack gears) thru the line Out ....but i cannot figure out what's going on with the Line level pot so it's very awkward to setup levels thru your A/I or such N get some steady results
@@lushkordz6643 I got one since posting my last comment. The Line Level adjustment is just a potentiometer that comes AFTER the attenuator, so if you roll the attenuator all the way down, it won't be any significant signal on the Line Out despite the position of the Volume knob. It works fine as an attenuator, you can even safely use it without a speaker (I've measure the resistance w/o speaker from the 16-ohm input, it ranges from 16 ohm fully attenuated to 23 ohm with the knob all the way up). So, it doubles as a load box. As it is a resistive load, it lacks the resonance peak of a speaker, thus it darkens the signal a bit in high attenuation setting or w/o speaker.
@@gastonpossel good to know it could be used as a load box as well :) actually i have 2 of them since my tube amp is stereo ^^ but how to use this god damn line level knob ?! Does it work only when a speaker is not plugged in ? ( i read such comments somewhere) or WTF ?! one very good thing with this device is that the resistor circuit is made with all ceramic bars inside the box on the top of the board N it stays very cool when working .....i've never felt any warmth on mines during my daily use of a couple of hours at night !!! A really Kickass PS so far N the tone is amazing !!! it sounds a lot better than without coz you can push your preamp N your amp ways further than normal room usage ....on my amp i have a Presence control to add just a bit of highs in the signal if needed !!! (not really in fact)
I know this video is old, but I have to ask. Did you experience the cab cutting out completely when you used the emulated mic out? I did, but haven’t found any material or reference that states that that should happen… thanks!
I haven't experienced any drop outs no, could be a faulty unit you have there? I'm still using this by the way, just not the line/emulated outputs. It's purely there to drop the volume in the room. The attenuation volume on mine is certainly faulty, given that in the all the way off position, it's actually slightly louder than if I turn it up a bit! Still functional though and I've had some years use out of it at this point. Cheers, Ben.
You CAN use the Bugera Ps1 without a speaker. I used a multimeter to test the resistance at the 8ohm in and it indeed had about 8 ohm resistance. With the master all the way at 0 the resistance was about 8ohm and at 10 it was about 9. Either way safe to use with a valve amp. Therefore for silent recording setting the master at 10, the line level would work the best and the amp will have plenty of load no problems at all. I have tried with several tube amps using no speaker attached. No problems at all.
Thanks man. If anyone wants to try this, this guy says it's safe ^ It's a pity that line out isn't fully independent of the volume knob though, that would make a whole bunch more sense to me.
A year late, but it would make sense to only have the soak knob at 10 for line/XLR out since it's a clone of the Jettenuator and those are the same instructions.
@@BenFletcherGuitar There is an easy mod to run both volume and line knob independently, did it to mine and ir works perfectly - th-cam.com/video/YoVqZlKkXvo/w-d-xo.html
@@BenFletcherGuitar Just to clarify, the Harley Benton it's sort of a clone of the Bugera and the Jettenuator. You can jump directly to 9:10 to see the explanation.
Let's say I DON'T want to use this for silent recording, but just to pull down the volume of my amp, while still making it sound like it's being pushed... Would that work?
for $70 used - you can use it for a dry signal to use as you want to in your DAW, and for that it sounds as good as any of the expensive options. Is the UA OX worth over 10x's the price? It all depends on what you want to use it for. For just a load box - buy the Bugera.
In the manual, it actually says that if you were going to use the head without a cabinet, keep the big knob at 2 or higher to make sure there’s a load on the head. It’s designed to be able to be used without a cab
For the price this product is amazing! Just bought one today and it has completely fixed all of my tone issues..I never knew how amazing my Steve Vai Legacy 100 Watt amp sounded until I bought this product. Now when I hook up my pedal chain and my amp is cranked up I am able to get the tone I have always dreamed up. Not trying to be a dick but this PS1 just saved me chasing tone as I have been for a decade. I just needed something like this and my amp does the rest. Never tried the DI though, I am sure it does probably disappoint.
Absolutely, for knocking down the volume of an amp it works great. Your amp is a beast. I played through a 100 watt 2 x 12 combo Legacy amp years ago and it was seriously frickin loud! The Bugera will really help you get some better sounds out of it, cos that amp didn't sound so hot when it was running barely on, but sweet when you could give it the beans. The gripes with the Bugera are the points I outlined, when used as a tool to record silently. Next time I make a video with something negative I will remember to do a shit sandwich! Thanks for your comment, Ben.
@@BenFletcherGuitar Great video Ben, and sorry I wasn't trying to hurt your video I was just so friggin excited about that unit cause I literally just tried it minutes before seeing your video. But I can definitely see the problems with using for home recording. I am going to give it a try, but I am not going for perfection so maybe it will work for me but not someone going for a pro recording. Anyways take care man.
Thanks. But would it be good to tame down the volume of a Hot Rod Deluxe and record it with a mic, on a lower db level but still preserve a good tube tone?
Yes, if you're in a position where you can still play at a reasonable volume for the mic signal, but you just don't want to deafen yourself, then it's absolutely fine. I've been using it like that for a while and it's worked well. Cheers, Ben.
I use PS1 with my Fender HRD 4 for home practicing with attenuation set to about 50% and master volume about 5-6. Recording is quite a magic with this amp, especially for some hi-gain sound. I combine Sm57 with Sennheiser e906. Its really about mic positioning when recording this amp, but you can get really nice results.
I don't mind the sound too much although it's not as good as without it. I find that it has a tendency to make things a bit boxy and fizzy, but not horribly so. It's passable for the purpose I'm using it for and it was super cheap.
Very kind! I don't have anything on Spotify and I'm not given to writing much, but if I do I just post on this channel for free. I can't imagine being able to sell music to anyone! Thanks again, Ben.
I've got a little tube 4 watt Vox combo amp. Will it work on this or do you need a head/cabinet set up? All I really want is to get the tubes cooking for a decent tone and use the Bugera to bring volume down. 4 watts is still freaking loud for home use! Any feedback (no pun intended) would be appreciated. Cheers!
Hi there, George. Yes, theoretically. As long as you can get the Bugera between the output of the amp and the input of the speaker, it'll work just fine. 4 watts can be pretty damn loud. A friend of mine had an amp that was switchable to I think 5 watts and I used it in that mode at a band gig just to see what it would be like. It kept up just fine, obviously didn't have a lot of clean headroom over the top of a drummer, but 5 watts is still gig volume if you crank up the gain!
Hi Ben. Thanks for sharing your experience. Can I use this Bugera PS1 for my Marshall 9100 poweramp. It is 2x 50watt but I only want to use it at home and in mono (1x50watt). I don't use it for recording.
Hi there, Jazz guitar Student UFC fan. You're getting all your hobbies in that name! No getting in a theory argument with this guy, ha! Yeh man, it's totally fine for that. I've been using it to reduce the volume of my amp all this time and it's worked well. Just the silent recording thing that was the let down for me. Cheers, Ben.
Hi Ben. I actually have a problem you described in the video: a kind of feedback when connecting the mic-out to an active monitor or a midas mr18. But only when using a line 6 relay G90. With cable I don't have any problems. With a different monitor I didn't get the problem as well, even though using the G90. Using a AKG SR40 I don't have this feedback. So my question would be: what was your setup as you got this feedback? I'm currently in contact with bugera/music tribe because of this behavior... Regards Oli
I have no idea what caused that fault in my setup. I can't replicate it at will, it just happened whilst filming so I caught it on camera but didn't dwell on it. I just had everything plugged in using regular cables. At the time it still did it, even when I changed out all the cables. I'm surprised you managed to contact them, I tried 3 times with no luck. Ask them whether you can run the unit without a cab! It will settle it for everyone involved! Cheers, Ben.
@@BenFletcherGuitar hi. I had to create an account, than I could get in contact. But... Ya it was really hard to do this... After that they replied quickly. Til now they couldn't help with my problem. Could it be you had some digital divide in the chain? I get this feedback with using a line 6 G90, or an MR18 at the end or with an audio interface... And: do not run the PS1 without a cab! That's what they said.
@@toscani1967 Thank you Oli, for confirming my suspicion about requiring the cab! I went through the whole thing of creating an account with their insanely long questionnaire! However, even though I tried 3 times to get a response over the course of about 6 months, they never got back to me. Thanks for the reply, Ben. P.S. I hope you got your feedback issue sorted.
My PS1 is for midnight practice on a 5watter and live to make a 100watter work in smaller venues. The PS1 is a passive load box and as such has its own pros, cons, limitations vs a powered UA OX Box, Fryette, etc. Gain staging is affected differently as well as Ben points out, although he might not fully realize why. Passive resistance power soaks [dependent on ceramic resistors] do the job in a totally different way than powered ones which almost always come with more and higher quality options and connectivity. The PS1 is a cheap yet decent design besides its limitations. In the studio it's good to limit amp output but I personally would use a separate quality D.I. plus mic the cab[s] in that situation. All that said, you may just have a faulty unit. Mine and others have not had problem. We have noticed that the line out volume works on either the XLR or 1/4" jacks. Maybe they were originally wired different. Who knows. Changes of gain staging affects everything down and up the line according to a myriad of factors. I would A/B it with another if possible.
it is a power soak so it can indeed be used without a cab, but maybe it has some sort of detection for if its using a cab or not to enable the line out volume? not sure. I will probably be grabbing one just because it indeed IS an attenuaoer and the recording options are just a bonus. I have some IRs in my PC in case it is actually just really an unemulated speaker out
if I understood correctly, Bugera Ps1 xlr and line out are both useless for recording, in this story a better option is to use a microphone to capture the amplifier attenuated volume... wonder if a bluguitar blubox speaker cabinet emulator can fix things? let's say cabinet emulator for recording and Bugera for room volume ... roughly € 300? or some other equipment?
That could be a good option, Blug make some great products. You could use the speaker through on the Blug and then go in to the Bugera to knock the volume down for quiet recording. At that price you're heading toward things like the Suhr reactive load, or Two Notes devices, but you'd still be saving money by comparison to the IR versions of those units. The Blug doesn't allow you to load custom IR's I don't think, which is a shame, but if you like the stock sounds it's a good way to go.
Very distinctive and classy guitar playing, nice! We trialled the Bugera in the studio and with a rather nice Marshall DSL40c amp. The Bugera made the amp sound marginally better with the amp cranked and the Bugera soaking than the amp at low level without the soak, but the difference was marginal. The cab-sim output was useless - a horrible gritty fizz. I would say that this item is pointless - you really do need to spend some proper money to get a power soak that really works.
Thank you! Yes, that emulated output wasn't for me either. I wanted to give the Bugera a try as it is probably the cheapest on the market right now, but you're right, without spending too much, I think I'm going to have to up the budget a little to find something right for me.
An IR of what and played by what? Yes, if you were recording to a computer, you could an IR of a room over the emulated amp tone, but then it would just sounds like a terrible amp in a realistic room! No, I'm afraid the emulated output is horrible, but what do we expect for this kind of money? Well, actually, if something can't be made effective and useful for the price point, then I firmly believe it shouldn't be made and it's just eating up earth's resources!
This was incredibly helpful. I was about to buy this because my wife doesn’t like guitar sound loud in her ears after she sustained a great head injury. She likes bass, but six string just does something to her. So, I tune to open G and play tube or tube style amps. I was going to use this on my Bugera V22. Is it even worth it? I thought the DI out was cool, but after this, I’m having second thoughts.
I'm sorry to hear that about your wife. It's absolutely fine for just dropping the volume of an amp. The only thing I had issue with on my unit, was the odd link between attenuation volume control and the line out volume, forcing you to run at a higher volume in the room to generate enough signal to drive my IR. Other than that, I've found it to be an ok unit and still use it. I think for the amount of money they go for it'll do the job nicely. If you can stretch the budget there are probably much better options, but there is a big price difference. Ben.
Hi Alessandro! I do still have it and in answer to your question...someone in another comment got in touch with Bugera themselves, which is something i was unable to do. They told me NOT to use the unit without a cab attached, although other people have claimed they have run it that way without issue. In the interest of not causing damage to your gear, I would advise you to follow Bugera's advice. Cheers, Ben.
I use a Bogner Shiva Combo, would this be ideal to use on controlling stage volume, yet using the emulated output to mixer board for soundman controlling volume on FOH on PA?
That's a really nice amp! I wouldn't say you'd be happy with the emulated output. Your best bet if you wanted to use this device is to run the line output to an IR and then to the desk. Something like the little Mooer IR loader is maybe the cheapest way to do that, or check out the Blug Blue Box, which may be an even easier option for this purpose, since you wouldn't even need the power soak. The emulated output on this device isn't going to sound as nice as your lovely amp, even though the actual power attenuation part of the Bugera is perfectly fine. Ben
Same problems. In my opinion the best way to use it is together with a torpedo cab m. Cab direct in the torpedo. Then you go to the ps1 at zero volume. Just like load box
I think it does the power soaking job quite well however it gets extremely hot sometimes and starts to smell a little wierd, even though I crank it up minimally, any suggestions on how to deal with this, I don't want any toxic fumes leaking if that's the case. My amp is the peavey 6505.
Mine also did that/does that. Early on the smell was really bad, but has since worn off and now only does it if it gets particularly hot. Maybe it's like a radiator heating up for the 1st time since the previous winter? Stinks though doesn't it?!
It is a very good review. I am planning to get one of these attenuators, mainly for home recordings but I won't if I can't get a good quality line out signal. What is your opinion about it? Can you get a good and transparent sound out of the line output? Thanks.
Thank you! It's not bad, I would say it's fairly similar to the sound coming from the pre-out of the DV Mark amp. It's definitely a usable sound if you have a good IR to run it in to. Thanks for the comment, Ben.
If you're just using it for keeping the volume down a bit, it's great no issues and the sound is fine. If you're recording off the line out and you're able to use it with some amount of volume in the room, it'll do fine too. It's very cheap and I still use mine, just not in the way I'd originally hoped. Cheers, Ben.
Hey Ben, You kinda hit the nail on the head when you said that you used a IR loader in conjunction with the PS1. I think this is the intention from any silent recording setup. On my HK tubemeister that has a built in power soak and DI straight to computer, it is impossible to use without some cab simulation. What I couldn't gather from your video, and perhaps the most important feature of this device, is does it act as a load resistor? My 50 watt amp needs a load of 8ohms, can I plug it in, then run silently from the line out (I'm guessing is +10db signal) to my DAW? Without attaching a cab to the PS1?
I looked at the Tubemeister actually, I liked the built in power soak concept. Great amp. As for the PS1 as a load box, some people in the comments have said yes you absolutely can use it as a power soak, some have said you can't, some have said you can if you turn the volume all the way down. I found nothing in the English version of the manual to suggest that you can. I feel they would have mentioned it if you could, however someone said that they did mention it in the German version of the manual. I've asked Bugera, twice through Music Tribe, with no response. As I think I mentioned in this video, with the volume all the way down on my unit, some volume still leaks through to my cab, which kinda suggests to me that it's not putting a full load on my amp. Sorry I couldn't be more help, as I said to other people with the same question, I don't want to tell you something for definite and then be responsible for breaking your amp. Ben
Absolutely and it sounds good (much better than the emulated output), but with my unit I was unable to get much of a signal level at the Line output, without running at least some volume to my cab too for some reason.
Wow impressive slide playing and Sound /feel ! How High are your strings set compared to “normal” setup? Or do you keep Them low and mostly slide on the High strings?
Thank you. I have my action set somewhere in between! I know that's not a useful statement, ha! I use 11's and the action is set to where I'm comfortable with or without a slide. The key I think is to get a slide with a thick wall, that's not too heavy. If you use a really heavy slide, the tone can be great, but you'll need a heavier setup to avoid fretting out. If it was a heavy steel slide, or if the walls of the slide are thin causing you to press harder to maintain a connection, then it can be much harder to play on a lighter action. Hope this helps. P.S, I use a ceramic slide, which has a really nice sound to it. Worth checking out. Ben
I want it for recording and practice to hear it through the speakers, seems to me it's only a problem when you use the emulated output? I'm not planning on plugging it into an interface much at all, just straight into the speakers, will it be good for me for mild-medium attenuation?
I have used the PA1 every day for 3 years on my 50 watt Plexi. I have had zero problems with it. Mind you for recording I use an ir box.It is killer for clubs and rehearsal for getting the level to match the backline. In this case you are never putting out more than 25 watts. Do not confuse watts with dB a 50 watt Marshall will on typical settings put out 80 to 100 dB.
Hi, thanks for sharing. My two questions are: - can I use the PS1 as a loadbox, so disconnecting the cable going from the attenuator to the speaker? - Ben says his PS1 does not have any volume coming from line out WHEN attenuator volume is at zero. Your PS1 was behaving the same way? Thanks
@@frankthepriest1220 It says you can. But not in a very clear way. In short I would not and do not.I only recommend it for rehearsing and gigs. I use a Shiftline A+ CabZone LE $100.00USD ir and run it as an effect thru my amp. Out front it sounds like I have a Stack instead of a single speaker. I then take a line off it to the 'house' or for recording. The results are killer!
@@Paul_Lenard_Ewing Hi Paul, I missed your comments when you posted them, sorry. I recognise your name from many live streams. As the guy above you said, if you can't run it without a cab (and people in other comments have said they've been told not to by Bugera) and you can't get volume out of the line out on mine without turning the soak volume up at least a small amount, then obviously you can't record silently. That was the main message of the video. If I can't record silently then it's not suitable for HOME recording, thus the title of the video. It functions absolutely fine in every other capacity. I used an IR with the line out which you can hear from the tone I got, it would sound like a swarm of bees if I didn't. Cheers, Ben. PS, you said something about watts and DB's in one of your comments. I'm assuming that's to someone else in the comments section, because from what I remember I never mention them in the video? Thanks again, Ben.
@@BenFletcherGuitar I once read a reviewers positive comments that Prince's recordings always sounded like a demo. They do. LOL Then there is Dire Straits Sultans of Swing it was recorded on a Tascam 4 track. You might say I strive for imperfection :-) I have a 3 piece power trio that do my 25 original tunes. A journalist described the music as having a Sabbath vibe with a prog rock sensibility. We strive to get a single take that sounds full enough to not not need 'more' to either fill the space or beef up the dynamics. The answer if this does not work somewhere on a tune is simple. Re-write that part of the tune. In the end I have a better tune and a better recording. EVH did his first 2 LP's the same way. All they did was put a double track effect for stereo. Less is more. You avoid a lot of harmonic smearing. A simple recording set up sounds better or at least equal to for example a the UA gear. Start tracking and the seams soon start to show. I do like tech. I have 82 pedals that all get used over my 25 tunes. They are on 2 linked boards. They are wired up as 4 self contained boards. Each has a comp, dirt pedals, FX, gate, delay and verb. I simply use a switcher with 4 switches. The verse, chorus, mid 8 etc. of a tune can have what it needs to create instant Post production. The bottom line is a 'listener' myself included can listen to 50 year old music without being distracted because the tech interrupted the performance. One thing that help me was seeing Picasso's paintings. It blew my mind. I decided to take time to deconstruct it and was very surprised to easily find corrections made by painting over spots where the guy changed his mind. The point is it was all about art ...not craftsmanship.
So, just to understand: 1) it CAN be used without any cabinet connected, ONLY when the 'soak' is at 0 ? IS IT RIGHT? Is it safe for the tube head? And also: 2) when soak is 0, cabinet is NOT connect, and line out is connected to an IR (mooer radar for example), can I drive the volume using line out volume?? Or it's not going to work / make any difference between 0 an 10?? 3) Better this or the harley benton PA-100 (even cheaper) ? Please let me know, thanks!!
Those were my questions too. I asked Bugera through music Tribe twice and no answer. Opinions seem divided in the comments on my video. On my unit, even with the volume of the soak on zero, there's still some volume audible from my cabinet, so I'm loathe to unplug my cabinet. The line out volume makes very little difference on my unit regardless of where it's set 0-10, although there is enough signal present to send to an IR in any position, making it possible to record quietly, if not silently. Some people are saying that you can use it as a load box with the volume on zero. I just don't want to say that to you and break your amp. It absolutely DOES NOT say that you can use it like that anywhere in my manual, but someone said that it did say it in the manual in a different language. Sorry i can't be more helpful, Ben.
It's a simple operation to make the mic XLR out come before the volume control, make much more sense for live or recording. FWIW. The emulated out is not very good however, IRs on the line out is the way to go ;-)
I think in this simple design is not that easy, as the large knob (variable-resistor) is what is dissipating all the power of the amp to reasonable electric levels. If you put an output before it, you will blast your mixer/interface. I think this is why other loadboxes have notched attenuation settings instead (so they can tap a appropiate line output for every setting).
@@gastonpossel I'm sorry you wrong. It's been a while since I've done it so the details are a little blurry, but believe me it works and it is simple to do and there is no hazard, the level is already loaded down before it hits the lineout pot. If you want to do it i can send you pics and info ;-)
Maybe the master volume has to be up a bit in order for the line out control to have more effect?. You have the master volume way down or off in your demo. Try turning it up and then see if the line out has more effect on the line output.
Hi, sorry I missed this comment. Yes I have it all the way off, because I wanted to record silently with it. The master volume should have no effect over the line out volume, they should work independent of one another. They don't...but they should! Ben.
Haha it makes total sense. Of course the volume knob to the speaker drives the line output. Your line out knob is either broken or completely disconnected altogether. Open her up and fix it. Nice tone btw.
@Paristheband That's been my experience. I find that I get some amount of signal through my cab even with the volume on zero, which has actually worked out advantageous for the way I work. You might be right, it might be designed for running a wet/dry setup. Cheers, Ben.
These units, when connected to a speaker, can stand up to a 50w amp (marshall 1987 and similar). At high attenuation, they can easily overheat with more powerful amps, no matter what bullshit wattage the manual states (80w??). It can be used as a load box if your amp has a reasonable wattage. The Jet city jettenuator can easily handle a 30w amp cranked without the speaker. The bugera ps-1 however is a cheaper copy, with non-heatsinked resistors, so it could overheat more easily, but 30w seems reasonable. You can turn the attenuation to 2 for nominal impedance, or turn it all the way to ten if you want a higher impedance, this will make your tubes work slightly less, but could be more stressful for the L-pad inside the ps-1
ibeen using this as dummy load for the evh 5153(50w) since a LOT of time with the volume crancked ( no cab pluged ) , the only thing i got a cheap usb fan on top of the unit, not a single problem .....
@@canalblasfemo3845 I get that you use a dummy load for recording purposes. But why would you crank the volume, the 5150 series of amps are specifically designed for preamp distortion instead of power amp saturation. They have a clean power amp so that the master volume will work optimally.
My line out does nothing and spins round all the way lol. Volume coming out is -35db or some shit. This device is useless for recording but does the job for playing a tube amp quietly for sure. I wonder if I can use the fx out on my amp instead whilst using this box need to look into that. (Peavey 6505 plus 112)
I'm glad there are other people out there who've had the same experience as me. I took quite a bit of flak in the comments for saying exactly what you've said here! Yes, you can use the amps FX loop. I made a video about that around a year ago on this channel. Actually sounds pretty good. Obviously you don't have valve power stage compression, which some would argue is essential. I thought it was handy being able to just turn off the master volume but still have signal present at the IR when coming off the FX loop like that. Cheers, Ben.
I’ve been going through all the review videos and this PS1 seems to be the perfect solution for live gigs, especially with that XLR out to the board. Especially being passive. The price point is perfect to have a backup too (if needed). Have you used this live?
I have used it live and continue to use it here at home for basic volume reduction and it's great for that. Live, I ran an IR off the 'line out' and didn't use the XLR. I would say the emulated output of the XLR just sounds bad, very bad! It's basically like those old emulated outputs you find on the back of amps from the mid 90's/early 2000's, very fizzy/grainy sort of sound. I did a video of the Sonicake Impulse response Loader. It's a very inexpensive way of getting a good cab sound. Paired with this device I think you'd be on a winner without having to lay out too much money. I think the IR loader is about 30 odd quid and runs off standard 9v. Cheers, Ben.
Hi Mister. I have a cheap and great solution for you (was testing that not later than yesterday and a coincidence I stumble on your video because was looking some links about the Bugera PS1). 1- Buy the Nux Solid Studio. 2- Plug the output of your amp to the input of the Solid Studio. 3- Plug the Thru from Solid Studio to the attenuator (I am using a Marshall Power Brake). 4- Plug the output of the attenuator to the speaker cabinet. 5- Plug the output (TS or balanced) of the Solid Studio to the amplified speaker, mixer or your recording interface. 6- Put the (Spk-Line) switch to Spk (speaker) 7- Activate the Cab/Mic footswitch to use the impulse response (choosing your cab and mic + mic position). You also have a Power Amp simulation (with another footswitch chosing between EL34, EL84 or 6V6) but you don't need it since you are already using your real amp. In this way, you have total control over the volume of your amp with your attenuator from full to none without affecting the line volume coming out from the Solid Studio to your interface and you can record completely silently if your attenuator goes to zero (witch is the case for the Marshall Power Brake). The only thing is that you don't have a line level control from the Solid Studio to your interface when you only activate the Cab/Mic and the level can vary depending on the Cab-Mic combination you are using. This is not a problem and just adjust the level with your interface and DAW. In the other hand, if you decide to also use the Power Amp simulator in the Solid Studio, you have a Master that control that output level going to your interface. Did not record yet with this setup and was plugged in a power amplified speaker and it sounds great and very usable for live concerts.
Thank you for your comment. I'll check out the NUX, I haven't heard of the particular product you're referring to, so that's cool. I've been using my Atomic Amplifirebox as the IR loader, which works fine and is what I used in this video. The only difference between my normal setup and this video, is that I come out of the amp's pre-amp send on route to the IR, so my sound never goes through the Bugera as it does here. The Bugera is there purely as a mute for the speaker, which side-steps the issue of the bizarre link in output between the the 'soak' volume and the 'line' volume that was the main issue I refer to in this video. The setup works though, I'm happy with the sound I'm getting and most importantly I can achieve it with no volume form the cab in the room unlike in this video which would be impractical for me on a regular basis. Thanks again, Ben
that was unexpectedly KILLER slide playing. Jeff Beck all the way :). Do you mind sharing what tuning you were using here? As I'd like to use the vid to learn a few of these phrases!
That's very flattering, thanks mate! Standard tuning in this video. I fret some notes behind the slide to allow access to other things that might otherwise require more jumping around. Hope that helps, Ben.
So, I finally gave in and tried it without the cab connected, and nothing exploded after about 30 minutes of playing. I tried a 20w amp at full volume, the bugera ps1 device didn't even get hot . I understand that at 100w is maybe a different story. After extensive reading : First of all the manual is not that ambiguous about it being a load box. It says an amp should be used with a load, that comes from a cab and/or the ps1. So either a cab alone, a cab and the ps1, or the ps1 alone. It isn't super clear, but it's hard to understand anything else. Two, this is a copy of the jettenuator, so according to that manual, once you use it without a cab, have the power soak knob at around 10, and not at 0. At the "10" position the load is at around 8ohm. When it is at 10 also, there is volume coming through and the line out is, and it's own level works fine. So the only issue is that the device can overheat (especially at 100w amps) since it has no fan inside (the harley benton copy of the jettenuator does btw) . It does have an overheating protection fuse or whatever so atleast the amp won't explode before that one does. If you read that far, I may add that the line out is working fine, but it does cut some high treble, comparing with a regular DI. I think the best results are with AMP out --> DI, the DI through to a load box, DI out to sound interface. Aside from the regular expensive choices for DI, i tried a cheap palmer as well and works like a charm (-30db)
Hi there Paris, thanks for your comment. The way my manual was worded was definitely somewhat ambiguous and as it turns out if you read the comments in this thread, one of the users managed to contact Bugera through music tribe (which I was unable to do on 3 occasions) and they told him DO NOT run it without a cab connected under any circumstances. If I can't be certain of something that could lead to potential damage, I certainly couldn't suggest that people do it, as I'd be responsible. As to your situation, I'm going to attach something from the Carvin website that says what happens when you run an amp without load. It doesn't break straight away apparently..."Now, if you do not connect a load, the transformer can not reflect a load and the tubes will only see the wire in the transformer and a big coil as a load. This is basically shorting the tubes to the high voltage and it will cause damage to the amplifier eventually. Another way to think of it is the power tubes pull on the transformer which magnetizes the output transformer; this in turn creates a voltage on the output of the transformer to drive the speaker load. If there is no load, all that energy has nowhere to go, so instead it will be fed back to the power tubes causing damage. Usually the tubes will go into a growing oscillation that eventually burns them. Most of the time the output transformer is ok, but if left on long enough it can also be damaged. And playing through an unloaded tube amp will only speed up the road to damaging the amp." - Carvin Website.
@@BenFletcherGuitar oh wow, thanks for sharing that one, I won't be using it anymore then! I was thinking to order a proper load box (torpedo captor) and thought maybe to actually give it a go before I get it, but this changes everything. I ve been following those comments for almost a year and actually tried it yesterday. They're so many it's hard to follow them all
@@pariskatsafados1581 No worries, mate. I've been looking at the Captor X and the Suhr reactive load IR. I like the idea of combining the Impulse Response with the reactive load. If you end up getting one of them, let me know how you get on with it. Ben
I have had no problems with my PS1 used on my 50 watt Plexi. I have used it every day for over a year. The original was made in Germany and although it is now made in China it is made at the Behringer factory. A massive factory run all high tech. The place is not a sweatshop but run like a German factory with time every year designated to upgrading and training the workers. The design from the German box has not been change one bit and the design has been the same for a decade plus. An 'ir' is the only way to go. The best I found is the Shiftline A+ Cab zone LE. It's A serious piece of well made high tech gear made in Russia. Do not let the only $100.00 USD price fool you. It is smaller than a Hammond B box ...the one most pedals MXR pedals are in.
Far too kind, thank you! I think I probably used a loop loft pattern, although I sometimes duplicate the snare and bass drum hits with additional samples. Cheers, Ben.
I bought the Bugera mostly to stop my 50W Victory blowing the windows out, and for that it's great. However, it is a shame it doesn't appear to do silent recording, which is doubly a shame as a cab sim on the end of the line out sounds pretty decent. I guess it's cheap for a reason. There is no way I'm disconnecting my cab to see if this works (I agree the manual is ambiguous), so will contact Bugera first.
Nice amp you have there! I agree with your hesitation, let me know if they come back to you. I tried twice to contact them but to no avail. I'm still using the unit, so if you get word back it would be useful to know what they say. Cheers, Ben.
i have the evh 5153 50w pluged on the unit with no cab , i been using this setup since a lot of time, it gets hot so im using a very cheap usb fan on top , never had a problem .
I've had a look, but I can't find it sorry. I do make a lot of my backing tracks available to download for free, but unfortunately I don't know where this one is! I have a habit of saving project files as comedy names, which is hilarious at the time, but not great for long term storage!
In 1981, Tom Scholz personally handed me my Scholz R&D Power Soak, from the first shipment (I pre-ordered it). I used an 80w Orange with it, and it sounded incredible. His Power Soak could be used without a cabinet and had an output jack for a low-level signal (had the word "Phones" over it as I recall). I used it until it broke, and he replaced it for free. Those were the days.
Thanks, man! I've been using the Dunlop ceramic moonshine slide for about 15 years now. I really like it. The only other one I use, as of just recently, is an actual top of a bottle that I cut, myself. I think that's just the rustic nostalgia that I'm enjoying though!
@@BenFletcherGuitar I understand the nostalgia part. I've used bottles myself. I didn't know anybody made ceramic slides though. All I've ever seen is glass, brass, and PVC. I super enjoyed your demo piece. I wouldn't mind hearing a full version. It's also a shame that the Bugera Power Soak doesn't cut all the volume off. I've toyed off and on with the idea of getting one but haven't heard anybody bring up what you did. I've never owned any of their products so I don't know if any others or all of them are half baked like that.
No piece of gear in line with an amp is going to faithfully preserve the true integrity of the amp sound. That doesn't mean the resulting sound isn't useful in the right context. If you want to record your amp and have it sound EXACTLY like the amp, then you can't cut corners and put stuff in the signal path. I have a Bugera, but it's a tool like any other. Every tool has its limits and advantages.
I totally agree, though that's not what I'm looking to do and not what I was really driving at in the video. I use an impulse response for the cab, that isn't one created from my own gear, so it'll never sound like my amp regardless of what equipment I use and I'm not really fussed if it does or doesn't as long as the resulting sound is usable. The point in the video was that you couldn't record on my unit without having the attenuator volume up at least a small amount, which meant silent recording wasn't possible. There seems no reason why the line out volume and the attenuator volume should be linked in any way, yet they are on my unit for some reason. The only sound coming out of the Bugera that I thought was sub-standard was the emulated out, which I've never used because it's rubbish. Totally rubbish and I stand by that. The line out is perfectly usable tone wise, but not if you need a totally silent recording system for home recording, which was the title of my video. Cheers, Ben.
Amazing playing, Ben, wow. Any place where we can hear your recordings? I tried to look you up on Spotify to hear more but wasn't able to find you? Your video was great, amazing playing.
Thanks, Mark! I don't have any recordings unfortunately. Neither have I really played on anybody else's records. I'm going to make an effort to get some more recordings on my channel soon, like the one on my home page. Thanks for looking though, mate!
I'm thinking of getting one of these to run after a cabzone le placed between power amp and speaker. This would work with any di run to ir loader and then the bugera can be all the way down but still transferring the load properly to the speaker with no sound. It seems to be a good work around and still relatively cheap.
Hey man, that's what my video is about. I was unable to get a good level off the 'line out' without having the 'soak' volume up at least a small way. Therefore there's always going to be sound in the room, unless of course my unit is defective! There are other people that have experienced the same issue though, including other TH-cam channels. Hope this helps, Ben.
@@BenFletcherGuitar I think I understand. In my scenario you would but the ir cab sim before the soak, so the impedance still has a load but not using line out on power soak but on ir cab sim instead.
It ruins my tone, sucks too much highs. I have seen so much positive reviews that I am starting to think that my unity has a problem. Do anyone feel the same?
I use my Harley Benton PA100 as a load box, No speaker connected, with master on PA100 on 3.5. (Its supposed to be the same as the Bugera ps1) -->Line out into IRs and sounds nice. the emulated Line doesn't sound good, true. Nice box for the price
I can't get any sound out of my PS1 into my audio interface (Scarlett Solo). Emulated out only worked with a mixer for some reason. And if I use the line out it only works with a cable put in 3/4 of the way. I have had 2 of these and they both acted the same. Not sure if it's the PS1 or my interface that's the problem. I'd love to see a detailed video on how you have yours in a signal chain. Great playing btw! Love the slide style!
That sounds very odd. If it's definitely not cables, then I guess you just have to eliminate things in the chain by trying them with other devices. Seems strange that something would work with one thing and not with something else though. I just had either the emulated out going straight to interface, or the line out, going in to my Atomic pedal, with all the amp models etc turned off and just a cab IR loaded and then in to the interface. Never more than a couple of cables being used at any time really. Thanks for the compliment, appreciated!
@@BenFletcherGuitar I'm starting to think my amp might be the culprit. I'm using an Orange Micro Dark and it might not be providing enough power to drive everything. What interface are you using if you don't mind me asking?
@@TomSchuster26 I'm using a Scarlett 18i20. Pretty sure that's similar pre's to yours, just more of them. It means I can leave things set up on spare inputs, or record drums occasionally if I want to.
Ive been kind of on the fence of buying one of these. I dont record so much as just playing for the fun of it, so maybe it still has a charm in that setting. But i can see your argument with recording issues certainly. Regardless, its your soulful slide playing i wanted to address: that is phenomenal!
@@robertw1871 Really? Wow it's a miracle I managed to record at all, my mind is blown! I'd plugged the line out in to the oven because I wanted to bias hot.
@@robertw1871 Hi Robert, I like the conversation that's going on here, hehe. So maybe you can help me here: I have this 15W tube amp with master volume control (a sort of clone of the Blues Jr. and/or Laney Cub 12r). At night I'd love to be able to play it through headphones, with the amp silent. Is it possible with this "power soak" without damaging anything? Would I need a headphones amp-preamp too? (I'd like not to use my DAW + audio interface and keep it simple). Thanks!
I'm posting this here as people seem to have the most discussion about the line outs. What I noticed this morning, is that using a TRS stereo cable on the line out, as opposed to a TS mono, allowed me to have reasonable recording level with the speaker output set to 0. This was on my Harley Benton PA-100 (same circuit). I'm curious to see if you get similar results, if you're interested in trying? Cheers for the great content, and love your playing! Edit: The line level control still seems to have nearly no effect, but running the output through my audio interface gives me all the gain control I need RE recording level.
Thanks for your comment. It's a funny design isn't it? Many people have commented on the Line out volumes relatively little control over the level. I'll have to give your idea a go if I can find a cable like that. I would think that would be a unlikely fix, but I'm game! Ha! Cheers, Ben.
@@BenFletcherGuitar Ben , is it a good device if my only purpose of using it is to play say a 100 watt tube amp ( cranked volume) at bedroom volume without sacrificing much tone? Or should I look at reactive load box like the captor x? Again, not for recording, strictly for jamming out but without disturbing anyone. Thanks
@@allboutthemojo Yeh absolutely, it'll do that just fine. It does make things sound a snip boxy I think, but I don't mind that. I'm still using it anyway. I haven't tried one of the reactive load devices, as they're out of my budget, but they might 'feel' more like a cab at volume if that makes sense? This device works well though. Cheers, Ben.
@@BenFletcherGuitar thank you for the reply! The two notes is I think around $400 and people say it's much better as an attenuator but I don't know. BTW, came here to see you video review but got sidetracked by the amazing playing! Awesome! Another thing some people are saying is " do you want to really trust a passive/ heat dispersing device to not damage your tube amps"? Something to consider?
Same feelings about the PS1 here... attenuation aside, felt more like BS101! ;) Ben, do a detailed video about your camera/lens/lights/talk mic/audio & video software/colour grading setup - your uploads look better than far more high profile YT channels! Lovely slide gtr playing, btw. Cheers!
Thanks very much, man! I'm using a Sony a6300 and a Godox SL60w light. Maybe I'll do a video in the future, but it might be a bit of a curve ball for the subscribers I have, if I do a post on video production. Thanks again for the comment, Ben.
Ben really nice slide playing!! Awesome. Thanks for the video. Was picking one of these up just for live use. Got a hotrod deluxe I need to tame. Don’t plan on using it for recording. So maybe it’s a ok buy! $99 it’s a bang for the buck item for sure. Just found your channel look forward to more videos.
Thanks, Matt! These are great for that, I still use mine and it does a good job of knocking the volume down. As you say, good value. Thanks again, Ben.
It's $100 dude. You can't beat the price if you just need to attenuate your amp to play at quieter volumes and get the tubes cooking. Agree, it's not studio quality. It just depends on your needs. For my needs playing live, it works great and at the price it's can be considered disposable.
I agree, it works fine and the sound is actually quite good (well not the emulated out, that sounds like pure ass, but the line out and the sound from your cab after attenuation is totally fine). You just can't record silently with my unit and other people on TH-cam with very large followings observed the same thing. That was my only real complaint, as I just assumed when I bought it that I'd be able to do that. I still own it and use it by the way. I think people thought I was really slagging the product off, but I've gotten better at being clearer in videos. Cheers, Ben.
Well done in all respects! The beautiful slide work, the lighting/camera quality and your overall presentation...just good stuff. I have been searching for a way to drive my tube amp a little plus be able to use headphones. My Fender Super Champ does not have a headphone output so I've been exploring my options. The challenge has primarily been keeping costs reasonable since it makes little sense to spend $300 or more for a headphone jack for a $300 amp. I haven't seen that cited as a possibility in the reviews for the Bugera or the Harley Benton attenuators but it seems logical one could plug headphones into the Line Out (and keep the line out knob at the appropriately low level for my poor ears plus not blow up my headphones). It would be great if that were the case as I could push the amp into its sweet spot plus be totally quiet at the same time. Do you think it would work that way? Thanks!
Well I suppose I should have read all of the comments before posting (didn't scroll down far enough) but anyhow, it looks like you have addressed my question nicely in a previous post. Thanks again!
@@chrisdashney6135 Thanks for the kind words, Chris! Much appreciated. Yes, you'd need some kind of cabinet IR or cab modelling unit and maybe a headphone amp in conjunction with the Bugera's line out. All of that could get expensive and I'd say you might be better off getting some cheap multi effect device that has a headphone out and just use that by itself for practice. I've used a Super Champ a few times, as a friend of mine has one. I've even gigged it and thought it was excellent in low volume applications.
@@BenFletcherGuitar Thank you for the suggestion...that's a great idea for the headphone conundrum - plus have some effects to mess around with to boot! Take care!
Too kind, thank you! The sub is much appreciated. A couple of people have asked for that, so for what it's worth I'm planning on doing a video about how I like to set my sound to make slide playing easier. It'll be a little while though, because I currently have about 5 or 6 months of videos scheduled, but it'll get posted eventually! Thanks again, Ben.
I felt like I was watching you use the Balanced XLR output and from my understanding the Line Out level knob or volume pot doesn't adjust the XLR volume (or at least not by much as you demonstrated) but if you use the unbalanced 1/4" line out it does. Don't hold me to that I'll have to do some tinkering but that is my understanding.
Hi there mate, I did put on screen that you were listening to the 'LINE' output, whilst showing me turning the line volume pot. I briefly showed the sound from the emulated output, earlier in the video and indicated that on screen. Ben
I hope all those dislikes under the video are for Bugera, not for Ben and this review, because it is very useful, and the playing is great! Did you notice any negative effect on the tone if you are using PS1 just to decrease the volume of the speaker? Just to play more quietly with the amp. There are some complaints.
Thank you, Sergei! I haven't used it live for decreasing the volume, since I play a solid state amp most of the time for gigs and there'd be no point in using a power soak. The only reason I mention that, is that I only use it at home on its absolute lowest volume setting. At that volume it's pretty tricky to tell what difference it's making to the sound, but it sounds fine for just noodling to myself. Hope that helps, Ben.
@@PALMLINES That's just the thing, I'm not sure. They certainly never say in the manual that you can run without a cab. It would be a selling point, so I feel like if you could, they'd probably advertise that fact. I think I'm going to try the Koch Amps Dummybox, next. Not a lot more money, but they specifically say you can record silently without a cab.
Just wanted to chime in here. On Thomann's product page for the PS-1, it's indicated that the attenuator can be used as a dummy load (without a cabinet). Now, speaking anecdotally, I've used it with my 50 watt Victory VX Kraken without a cabinet, with the PS-1 line out straight into my audio interface. No issues so far. A quick search of forums about the PS-1 also seems to indicate that it can be used as a dummy load. Lastly, I have yet to hear any reports of someone damaging their amp using this attenuator.
@@psychologicaltestingservic9283 Thanks for the comment. That's interesting. I wonder why they don't just say that clearly in the manual or the Bugera website? They state in every instance that you should use a speaker cab, but hey if you've tried it and it works, i guess it works! Doesn't explain the line-out volume knob though. Does yours control the volume of the line out as it should?
@@BenFletcherGuitar Hello, line volume pot should work only with the jack line output and not with the xlr balanced output. Dummy load function is clear in the user manual in German, English translation could be misleading.
@@xophedebx The dummy load function isn't clear in my version of the manual. I've sent Bugera an email. I indicated on screen at 2.57 that you were listening to the 'line' level whilst adjusting the line volume pot, not the emulated output. On my unit it made very little difference to the level of the line output, maybe my unit is defective. Ben
I can't really say mate, sorry. I can't crank my amp at home for comparison, but it seemed fine. I mean, it felt nice enough to play on, but my Bogner seemed a little more fizzy than usual for some reason. Gotta be honest, I haven't used the Bogner much recently, I may just be getting too used to almost too perfect modelling sounds. Live, I tend to use my DV Mark, which is solid state, so sounds pretty much the same at every volume level, so I've not tried it in that environment either. It might be worth a crack though, you could always send it back if you get it online?
Great video and explanation! If anyone is interested or curious to know how this unit sounds through a Dual Rectifier, you can check my latest video where I cover "My Own Summer" from Deftones using only my Bugera PS1 built-in Line Out and an IR (which I agree is definitely needed). Check it out and let me know what you think!
I have no idea how so many people are getting confused about what I've said in this video, but to clarify...The 'EMULATED OUTPUT' is designed to be used direct to a PA, or a recording device. The 'LINE OUTPUT' is designed to run in to an Impulse Response, as I have done here. The 'LINE VOLUME', unsurprisingly controls the 'LINE OUTPUT'. I clearly indicate on the screen that this is what you are hearing when I move this control. On my device however, turning the 'MASTER VOLUME' up and down also affects the signal coming from the 'LINE OUTPUT', again as indicated in big block capitals on the screen. This should not happen, since I need to turn the 'MASTER VOLUME' up a small way in order to have a significant signal present at the 'LINE OUTPUT' enough to drive an Impulse Response. Having to have any amount of the 'MASTER VOLUME' up to enable recording off the 'LINE OUTPUT', means that it's no longer silent recording! Also my 'LINE VOLUME' actually has very little effect on the 'LINE OUTPUT' as I show you here, whilst telling you in big block capitals. That's why I've titled the video as I have. It is justified and is not user error. You can get solid results with this device as I have done here, but if your unit functions as mine does, it may not be practical for some users who require silent recording. Not clickbait, not sensational, not user error on a unit with only two controls, just a heads up for those looking at options. Ben.
Hi Ben, it's clear and thanks for the advice.
The point is to understand if your attenuator is faulty or if the engineer behind the project is an idiot.
Because of course it does not make any sense that to have some line output volume you have to rise attenuator volume
1) because speaker would not be silent anymore
2) because to use it as a loadbox, so disconnecting the speaker cable from the bugera, master volume have to be set at zero. So no speaker and no lineout...weird
So to everybody else owning a bugera PS1, your attenuators too are behaving like that?
Anyway, I want to share another experience, about 'user manuals'.
I bought a Marshall Origin 20 head, the manual and the back of the head both say "always connect speakers".
Well, on the forums people was saying that it has an internal load so you can safely disconnect the cab.
I wrote to marshall team, they answered "yes, it has an internal dummy load so you can safely run it without cabinet".
Wow, that's cool.
And when I asked twice "OK very good news, but WHY the manual and the back of the head say something different (always connect speakers)??"
They never gave me an answer, anymore.
SO..not hard to believe to me that PS1 can work disconnected from cab, even if the manual do not say that
One more time user experience seem to be more complete and affordable than what's written on the fuckin' manual
And Ben, one last thing. I also have a weber mini mass 50w reactive attenuator, it's great and of course can be used as a dummy load BUT master volume have to be set to 2.
And another PS1 user is saying the same thing.
So, when you set master to 2..you still have low line out level and the "1 to 10 almost nothing changes" behaviour??
THAT would be the key. Because if with master volume at 2 the lineout level control behaves normally... than we understand that silent recording is possible, but only disconnecting the cabinet of course. An that the manual is crap.
In the weber anyway, attenuation volume must be set to 2 to safely disconnect the cabinet, as I said..but is independent from the lineout (it is always full, and no line volume pot)
Came for the Attenuator, stayed for the playing! Great work, also very informative video!
Thanks man, very kind!
Wow dude, that slide playing is slaying, love it a lot
Thanks man! Very kind.
1. MicSim - this is a low-impedance, mic-level output. Connect directly to the mixing console at a live venue or recording environement.
2. OUT SPEAKER - connect to your speaker cabinet to hear your am- plifier as normal.Burgers is a full-load device, so it is not necessary to use this connector in all applications. Note a reduction in output level of approximately -3dB even with the level set at 9 is inherent to the design ofBugera. If a speaker is not connected, set thePS1 control at 2 to provide the proper ohm load on your amplier’s output.
3. OUT LINE - this output runs at LINE or Effects level. Unlike the Mic- Sim, the LINE LEVEL out is not speaker-compensated. You can send this output to your effects processors and/or power amp for monitoring.
4. INPUT FROM AMPLIFIER - connect the output of your amp to the input of PS1 here. Choose 4 ohm, 8 ohm, or 16 ohm amplifier outputs, but do NOT use more than one of these input simultaneously.
That slide playing won you a new subscriber. Wow!
Very kind, thank you!
Same here I was looking up this piece of gear and found this video first...Great slide licks
To dispel some confusion with the manual.
PS1 is not a dummy load, always use a speaker with a tube amp..
HOWEVER, most solid state amps can operate without a speaker attached.
So the PS1 can be used as a speaker-less Di with a solid state amp.
Thanks Michael. Just to add to that, some class D amps apparently require a load, so please check your manual before anybody runs their amp without load. It's always best to do it on a case by case basis just to be sure. (Not disagreeing with Mr Whitten here, just don't want to be responsible for a broken amp). Cheers man, Ben.
@@BenFletcherGuitar Thanks? For what? Misinformation? The PS1 is absolutely fine to use without a cab, on a tube amp.
Also, this is a fantastic power attenuator and definitely the best bang for the buck. There is no better one you can get for 100$ and if you just need a powersoak for home practice or recording, this one is great and has the bonus of the emulated out. Its a win win win...
Exactly!!
And only an idiot would buy this for recording!!!
It’s so easy to buy a DI box and record with a mic!
This is an affordable power soak! As a power soak, it’s awesome!!!!
Buy it if you need a power soak! If you need something for recording and your looking at this, do yourself a favor and educate yourself on recording first! Way better options!
@@ZYGTropicals Why "only an idiot"? I'm here researching loadboxes so I can silently record the output of my tube poweramps (through an IR), plus use them at low sound pressure levels. You don't get the full picture of your tube amp when recording just the preamp through the loop send.
@@gastonpossel Actually it might work very well for recording thru its integrated Line Out jack but there is some hardware issue in the Volume adjustment since the dedicated pot is not working at all ....i got during my recording tests some very good tones from my ENGL Tube Stack (in 4CM with a Gt100 N other rack gears) thru the line Out ....but i cannot figure out what's going on with the Line level pot so it's very awkward to setup levels thru your A/I or such N get some steady results
@@lushkordz6643 I got one since posting my last comment. The Line Level adjustment is just a potentiometer that comes AFTER the attenuator, so if you roll the attenuator all the way down, it won't be any significant signal on the Line Out despite the position of the Volume knob. It works fine as an attenuator, you can even safely use it without a speaker (I've measure the resistance w/o speaker from the 16-ohm input, it ranges from 16 ohm fully attenuated to 23 ohm with the knob all the way up). So, it doubles as a load box. As it is a resistive load, it lacks the resonance peak of a speaker, thus it darkens the signal a bit in high attenuation setting or w/o speaker.
@@gastonpossel good to know it could be used as a load box as well :) actually i have 2 of them since my tube amp is stereo ^^ but how to use this god damn line level knob ?! Does it work only when a speaker is not plugged in ? ( i read such comments somewhere) or WTF ?! one very good thing with this device is that the resistor circuit is made with all ceramic bars inside the box on the top of the board N it stays very cool when working .....i've never felt any warmth on mines during my daily use of a couple of hours at night !!! A really Kickass PS so far N the tone is amazing !!! it sounds a lot better than without coz you can push your preamp N your amp ways further than normal room usage ....on my amp i have a Presence control to add just a bit of highs in the signal if needed !!! (not really in fact)
I know this video is old, but I have to ask. Did you experience the cab cutting out completely when you used the emulated mic out? I did, but haven’t found any material or reference that states that that should happen… thanks!
I haven't experienced any drop outs no, could be a faulty unit you have there? I'm still using this by the way, just not the line/emulated outputs. It's purely there to drop the volume in the room. The attenuation volume on mine is certainly faulty, given that in the all the way off position, it's actually slightly louder than if I turn it up a bit! Still functional though and I've had some years use out of it at this point. Cheers, Ben.
You CAN use the Bugera Ps1 without a speaker. I used a multimeter to test the resistance at the 8ohm in and it indeed had about 8 ohm resistance. With the master all the way at 0 the resistance was about 8ohm and at 10 it was about 9. Either way safe to use with a valve amp. Therefore for silent recording setting the master at 10, the line level would work the best and the amp will have plenty of load no problems at all. I have tried with several tube amps using no speaker attached. No problems at all.
Thanks man. If anyone wants to try this, this guy says it's safe ^ It's a pity that line out isn't fully independent of the volume knob though, that would make a whole bunch more sense to me.
A year late, but it would make sense to only have the soak knob at 10 for line/XLR out since it's a clone of the Jettenuator and those are the same instructions.
@@BenFletcherGuitar There is an easy mod to run both volume and line knob independently, did it to mine and ir works perfectly - th-cam.com/video/YoVqZlKkXvo/w-d-xo.html
@@iurimoreiraoficial Thanks man, that's really useful. I might have a crack at doing the mod. Cheers.
@@BenFletcherGuitar Just to clarify, the Harley Benton it's sort of a clone of the Bugera and the Jettenuator. You can jump directly to 9:10 to see the explanation.
Let's say I DON'T want to use this for silent recording, but just to pull down the volume of my amp, while still making it sound like it's being pushed... Would that work?
Absolutely, works well for that and is about the cheapest option for doing just that.
for $70 used - you can use it for a dry signal to use as you want to in your DAW, and for that it sounds as good as any of the expensive options. Is the UA OX worth over 10x's the price? It all depends on what you want to use it for. For just a load box - buy the Bugera.
You can unplug your cabinet for silent recording. That's what its designed for. You don't need a cab to run this unit.
Are you sure of that? Is it safe?
Frank The Priest I have a g5 infinium and I can on standby mode. Not sure how this amp works tho
@@mh.1. ok, I’m def not trusting your opinion! lol!
@@ZYGTropicals why,man?
In the manual, it actually says that if you were going to use the head without a cabinet, keep the big knob at 2 or higher to make sure there’s a load on the head. It’s designed to be able to be used without a cab
Where does it say that? mediadl.musictribe.com/media/PLM/data/docs/P0BV1/QSG_BU_P0BV1_PS1_WW.pdf
Interesting. If I want that just to attenuate my volume, will it be good?
Absolutely, I still use it for that and it sounds fine. Ben
@@BenFletcherGuitar
Great. Thanks Ben! 👍🏼
For the price this product is amazing! Just bought one today and it has completely fixed all of my tone issues..I never knew how amazing my Steve Vai Legacy 100 Watt amp sounded until I bought this product. Now when I hook up my pedal chain and my amp is cranked up I am able to get the tone I have always dreamed up. Not trying to be a dick but this PS1 just saved me chasing tone as I have been for a decade. I just needed something like this and my amp does the rest. Never tried the DI though, I am sure it does probably disappoint.
Absolutely, for knocking down the volume of an amp it works great. Your amp is a beast. I played through a 100 watt 2 x 12 combo Legacy amp years ago and it was seriously frickin loud! The Bugera will really help you get some better sounds out of it, cos that amp didn't sound so hot when it was running barely on, but sweet when you could give it the beans. The gripes with the Bugera are the points I outlined, when used as a tool to record silently. Next time I make a video with something negative I will remember to do a shit sandwich! Thanks for your comment, Ben.
@@BenFletcherGuitar Great video Ben, and sorry I wasn't trying to hurt your video I was just so friggin excited about that unit cause I literally just tried it minutes before seeing your video. But I can definitely see the problems with using for home recording. I am going to give it a try, but I am not going for perfection so maybe it will work for me but not someone going for a pro recording. Anyways take care man.
Thanks. But would it be good to tame down the volume of a Hot Rod Deluxe and record it with a mic, on a lower db level but still preserve a good tube tone?
Yes, if you're in a position where you can still play at a reasonable volume for the mic signal, but you just don't want to deafen yourself, then it's absolutely fine. I've been using it like that for a while and it's worked well. Cheers, Ben.
I use PS1 with my Fender HRD 4 for home practicing with attenuation set to about 50% and master volume about 5-6. Recording is quite a magic with this amp, especially for some hi-gain sound. I combine Sm57 with Sennheiser e906. Its really about mic positioning when recording this amp, but you can get really nice results.
Slide player here. What are you tapping to get that high pitched note at 1.19? How's that work?
I have tried to use this and I just cant like it. The clean channel suffers on my rig horribly. It just make sthe tone very dense and distorted.
I don't mind the sound too much although it's not as good as without it. I find that it has a tendency to make things a bit boxy and fizzy, but not horribly so. It's passable for the purpose I'm using it for and it was super cheap.
Amazing slide playing!!!! Do you have music on Spotify?
Very kind! I don't have anything on Spotify and I'm not given to writing much, but if I do I just post on this channel for free. I can't imagine being able to sell music to anyone! Thanks again, Ben.
Came to hear the recording issue, enjoyed some lovely slide playing - well done Ben and thanks
Thanks very much, man. Appreciated!
I've got a little tube 4 watt Vox combo amp. Will it work on this or do you need a head/cabinet set up? All I really want is to get the tubes cooking for a decent tone and use the Bugera to bring volume down. 4 watts is still freaking loud for home use! Any feedback (no pun intended) would be appreciated. Cheers!
Hi there, George. Yes, theoretically. As long as you can get the Bugera between the output of the amp and the input of the speaker, it'll work just fine. 4 watts can be pretty damn loud. A friend of mine had an amp that was switchable to I think 5 watts and I used it in that mode at a band gig just to see what it would be like. It kept up just fine, obviously didn't have a lot of clean headroom over the top of a drummer, but 5 watts is still gig volume if you crank up the gain!
Hi Ben. Thanks for sharing your experience. Can I use this Bugera PS1 for my Marshall 9100 poweramp. It is 2x 50watt but I only want to use it at home and in mono (1x50watt). I don't use it for recording.
Hi there, Jazz guitar Student UFC fan. You're getting all your hobbies in that name! No getting in a theory argument with this guy, ha! Yeh man, it's totally fine for that. I've been using it to reduce the volume of my amp all this time and it's worked well. Just the silent recording thing that was the let down for me. Cheers, Ben.
Hi Ben. I actually have a problem you described in the video: a kind of feedback when connecting the mic-out to an active monitor or a midas mr18. But only when using a line 6 relay G90. With cable I don't have any problems. With a different monitor I didn't get the problem as well, even though using the G90. Using a AKG SR40 I don't have this feedback. So my question would be: what was your setup as you got this feedback?
I'm currently in contact with bugera/music tribe because of this behavior...
Regards
Oli
I have no idea what caused that fault in my setup. I can't replicate it at will, it just happened whilst filming so I caught it on camera but didn't dwell on it. I just had everything plugged in using regular cables. At the time it still did it, even when I changed out all the cables. I'm surprised you managed to contact them, I tried 3 times with no luck. Ask them whether you can run the unit without a cab! It will settle it for everyone involved! Cheers, Ben.
@@BenFletcherGuitar hi. I had to create an account, than I could get in contact. But... Ya it was really hard to do this... After that they replied quickly. Til now they couldn't help with my problem. Could it be you had some digital divide in the chain? I get this feedback with using a line 6 G90, or an MR18 at the end or with an audio interface...
And: do not run the PS1 without a cab! That's what they said.
@@toscani1967 Thank you Oli, for confirming my suspicion about requiring the cab! I went through the whole thing of creating an account with their insanely long questionnaire! However, even though I tried 3 times to get a response over the course of about 6 months, they never got back to me. Thanks for the reply, Ben. P.S. I hope you got your feedback issue sorted.
My PS1 is for midnight practice on a 5watter and live to make a 100watter work in smaller venues. The PS1 is a passive load box and as such has its own pros, cons, limitations vs a powered UA OX Box, Fryette, etc. Gain staging is affected differently as well as Ben points out, although he might not fully realize why. Passive resistance power soaks [dependent on ceramic resistors] do the job in a totally different way than powered ones which almost always come with more and higher quality options and connectivity. The PS1 is a cheap yet decent design besides its limitations. In the studio it's good to limit amp output but I personally would use a separate quality D.I. plus mic the cab[s] in that situation. All that said, you may just have a faulty unit. Mine and others have not had problem. We have noticed that the line out volume works on either the XLR or 1/4" jacks. Maybe they were originally wired different. Who knows. Changes of gain staging affects everything down and up the line according to a myriad of factors. I would A/B it with another if possible.
I came for the review, stayed for the slide playing!
Thanks, man!
it is a power soak so it can indeed be used without a cab, but maybe it has some sort of detection for if its using a cab or not to enable the line out volume? not sure. I will probably be grabbing one just because it indeed IS an attenuaoer and the recording options are just a bonus. I have some IRs in my PC in case it is actually just really an unemulated speaker out
if I understood correctly, Bugera Ps1 xlr and line out are both useless for recording, in this story a better option is to use a microphone to capture the amplifier attenuated volume... wonder if a bluguitar blubox speaker cabinet emulator can fix things? let's say cabinet emulator for recording and Bugera for room volume ... roughly € 300? or some other equipment?
That could be a good option, Blug make some great products. You could use the speaker through on the Blug and then go in to the Bugera to knock the volume down for quiet recording. At that price you're heading toward things like the Suhr reactive load, or Two Notes devices, but you'd still be saving money by comparison to the IR versions of those units. The Blug doesn't allow you to load custom IR's I don't think, which is a shame, but if you like the stock sounds it's a good way to go.
Very distinctive and classy guitar playing, nice! We trialled the Bugera in the studio and with a rather nice Marshall DSL40c amp. The Bugera made the amp sound marginally better with the amp cranked and the Bugera soaking than the amp at low level without the soak, but the difference was marginal. The cab-sim output was useless - a horrible gritty fizz. I would say that this item is pointless - you really do need to spend some proper money to get a power soak that really works.
Thank you! Yes, that emulated output wasn't for me either. I wanted to give the Bugera a try as it is probably the cheapest on the market right now, but you're right, without spending too much, I think I'm going to have to up the budget a little to find something right for me.
I've read you are supposed to be using an IR with the emulator to get the sound you are looking for.
An IR of what and played by what? Yes, if you were recording to a computer, you could an IR of a room over the emulated amp tone, but then it would just sounds like a terrible amp in a realistic room! No, I'm afraid the emulated output is horrible, but what do we expect for this kind of money? Well, actually, if something can't be made effective and useful for the price point, then I firmly believe it shouldn't be made and it's just eating up earth's resources!
This was incredibly helpful. I was about to buy this because my wife doesn’t like guitar sound loud in her ears after she sustained a great head injury. She likes bass, but six string just does something to her. So, I tune to open G and play tube or tube style amps. I was going to use this on my Bugera V22. Is it even worth it? I thought the DI out was cool, but after this, I’m having second thoughts.
I'm sorry to hear that about your wife. It's absolutely fine for just dropping the volume of an amp. The only thing I had issue with on my unit, was the odd link between attenuation volume control and the line out volume, forcing you to run at a higher volume in the room to generate enough signal to drive my IR. Other than that, I've found it to be an ok unit and still use it. I think for the amount of money they go for it'll do the job nicely. If you can stretch the budget there are probably much better options, but there is a big price difference. Ben.
Hi Ben, thanx for the useful video. Do you still have it? Is it possible to use it without connecting a cab? Thanx from Italy
Hi Alessandro! I do still have it and in answer to your question...someone in another comment got in touch with Bugera themselves, which is something i was unable to do. They told me NOT to use the unit without a cab attached, although other people have claimed they have run it that way without issue. In the interest of not causing damage to your gear, I would advise you to follow Bugera's advice. Cheers, Ben.
Any problem if you use the Bugera as an attenuator if you’re micing your cabinet?
No problem at all, it'll be great for that.
I use a Bogner Shiva Combo, would this be ideal to use on controlling stage volume, yet using the emulated output to mixer board for soundman controlling volume on FOH on PA?
That's a really nice amp! I wouldn't say you'd be happy with the emulated output. Your best bet if you wanted to use this device is to run the line output to an IR and then to the desk. Something like the little Mooer IR loader is maybe the cheapest way to do that, or check out the Blug Blue Box, which may be an even easier option for this purpose, since you wouldn't even need the power soak. The emulated output on this device isn't going to sound as nice as your lovely amp, even though the actual power attenuation part of the Bugera is perfectly fine. Ben
Same problems. In my opinion the best way to use it is together with a torpedo cab m. Cab direct in the torpedo. Then you go to the ps1 at zero volume. Just like load box
Good call! That's similar to how I've been using it, only with slightly different gear. Cheers, Ben.
I think it does the power soaking job quite well however it gets extremely hot sometimes and starts to smell a little wierd, even though I crank it up minimally, any suggestions on how to deal with this, I don't want any toxic fumes leaking if that's the case. My amp is the peavey 6505.
Mine also did that/does that. Early on the smell was really bad, but has since worn off and now only does it if it gets particularly hot. Maybe it's like a radiator heating up for the 1st time since the previous winter? Stinks though doesn't it?!
@@BenFletcherGuitar yea, I noticed the more frequently it's in use the less it smells, probably you're right.
It is a very good review. I am planning to get one of these attenuators, mainly for home recordings but I won't if I can't get a good quality line out signal. What is your opinion about it? Can you get a good and transparent sound out of the line output? Thanks.
Thank you! It's not bad, I would say it's fairly similar to the sound coming from the pre-out of the DV Mark amp. It's definitely a usable sound if you have a good IR to run it in to. Thanks for the comment, Ben.
Is this attenuator worth buying for just jamming? Or do you recommend something else?
If you're just using it for keeping the volume down a bit, it's great no issues and the sound is fine. If you're recording off the line out and you're able to use it with some amount of volume in the room, it'll do fine too. It's very cheap and I still use mine, just not in the way I'd originally hoped. Cheers, Ben.
@@BenFletcherGuitar appreciate it man.
Hey Ben, You kinda hit the nail on the head when you said that you used a IR loader in conjunction with the PS1. I think this is the intention from any silent recording setup. On my HK tubemeister that has a built in power soak and DI straight to computer, it is impossible to use without some cab simulation.
What I couldn't gather from your video, and perhaps the most important feature of this device, is does it act as a load resistor?
My 50 watt amp needs a load of 8ohms, can I plug it in, then run silently from the line out (I'm guessing is +10db signal) to my DAW? Without attaching a cab to the PS1?
I looked at the Tubemeister actually, I liked the built in power soak concept. Great amp. As for the PS1 as a load box, some people in the comments have said yes you absolutely can use it as a power soak, some have said you can't, some have said you can if you turn the volume all the way down. I found nothing in the English version of the manual to suggest that you can. I feel they would have mentioned it if you could, however someone said that they did mention it in the German version of the manual. I've asked Bugera, twice through Music Tribe, with no response. As I think I mentioned in this video, with the volume all the way down on my unit, some volume still leaks through to my cab, which kinda suggests to me that it's not putting a full load on my amp. Sorry I couldn't be more help, as I said to other people with the same question, I don't want to tell you something for definite and then be responsible for breaking your amp. Ben
is it possible to put the Line output into ad audio device?
Absolutely and it sounds good (much better than the emulated output), but with my unit I was unable to get much of a signal level at the Line output, without running at least some volume to my cab too for some reason.
@@BenFletcherGuitar thank you so much
Wow impressive slide playing and Sound /feel ! How High are your strings set compared to “normal” setup? Or do you keep Them low and mostly slide on the High strings?
Thank you. I have my action set somewhere in between! I know that's not a useful statement, ha! I use 11's and the action is set to where I'm comfortable with or without a slide. The key I think is to get a slide with a thick wall, that's not too heavy. If you use a really heavy slide, the tone can be great, but you'll need a heavier setup to avoid fretting out. If it was a heavy steel slide, or if the walls of the slide are thin causing you to press harder to maintain a connection, then it can be much harder to play on a lighter action. Hope this helps. P.S, I use a ceramic slide, which has a really nice sound to it. Worth checking out. Ben
I want it for recording and practice to hear it through the speakers, seems to me it's only a problem when you use the emulated output? I'm not planning on plugging it into an interface much at all, just straight into the speakers, will it be good for me for mild-medium attenuation?
Yes, absolutely. As a cheap way of attenuating the volume of your amp, it'll do just fine.
I have used the PA1 every day for 3 years on my 50 watt Plexi. I have had zero problems with it. Mind you for recording I use an ir box.It is killer for clubs and rehearsal for getting the level to match the backline. In this case you are never putting out more than 25 watts. Do not confuse watts with dB a 50 watt Marshall will on typical settings put out 80 to 100 dB.
Hi, thanks for sharing. My two questions are:
- can I use the PS1 as a loadbox, so disconnecting the cable going from the attenuator to the speaker?
- Ben says his PS1 does not have any volume coming from line out WHEN attenuator volume is at zero. Your PS1 was behaving the same way?
Thanks
@@frankthepriest1220 It says you can. But not in a very clear way. In short I would not and do not.I only recommend it for rehearsing and gigs. I use a Shiftline A+ CabZone LE $100.00USD ir and run it as an effect thru my amp. Out front it sounds like I have a Stack instead of a single speaker. I then take a line off it to the 'house' or for recording. The results are killer!
@@Paul_Lenard_Ewing Hi Paul, I missed your comments when you posted them, sorry. I recognise your name from many live streams. As the guy above you said, if you can't run it without a cab (and people in other comments have said they've been told not to by Bugera) and you can't get volume out of the line out on mine without turning the soak volume up at least a small amount, then obviously you can't record silently. That was the main message of the video. If I can't record silently then it's not suitable for HOME recording, thus the title of the video. It functions absolutely fine in every other capacity. I used an IR with the line out which you can hear from the tone I got, it would sound like a swarm of bees if I didn't. Cheers, Ben. PS, you said something about watts and DB's in one of your comments. I'm assuming that's to someone else in the comments section, because from what I remember I never mention them in the video? Thanks again, Ben.
@@BenFletcherGuitar I once read a reviewers positive comments that Prince's recordings always sounded like a demo.
They do. LOL Then there is Dire Straits Sultans of Swing it was recorded on a Tascam 4 track.
You might say I strive for imperfection :-)
I have a 3 piece power trio that do my 25 original tunes. A journalist described the music as having a Sabbath vibe with a prog rock sensibility. We strive to get a single take that sounds full enough to not not need 'more' to either fill the space or beef up the dynamics. The answer if this does not work somewhere on a tune is simple. Re-write that part of the tune. In the end I have a better tune and a better recording. EVH did his first 2 LP's the same way. All they did was put a double track effect for stereo. Less is more. You avoid a lot of harmonic smearing. A simple recording set up sounds better or at least equal to for example a the UA gear. Start tracking and the seams soon start to show.
I do like tech. I have 82 pedals that all get used over my 25 tunes. They are on 2 linked boards. They are wired up as 4 self contained boards. Each has a comp, dirt pedals, FX, gate, delay and verb. I simply use a switcher with 4 switches. The verse, chorus, mid 8 etc. of a tune can have what it needs to create instant Post production. The bottom line is a 'listener' myself included can listen to 50 year old music without being distracted because the tech interrupted the performance. One thing that help me was seeing Picasso's paintings. It blew my mind. I decided to take time to deconstruct it and was very surprised to easily find corrections made by painting over
spots where the guy changed his mind. The point is it was all about art ...not craftsmanship.
So, just to understand: 1) it CAN be used without any cabinet connected, ONLY when the 'soak' is at 0 ? IS IT RIGHT? Is it safe for the tube head?
And also: 2) when soak is 0, cabinet is NOT connect, and line out is connected to an IR (mooer radar for example), can I drive the volume using line out volume?? Or it's not going to work / make any difference between 0 an 10??
3) Better this or the harley benton PA-100 (even cheaper) ?
Please let me know, thanks!!
Those were my questions too. I asked Bugera through music Tribe twice and no answer. Opinions seem divided in the comments on my video. On my unit, even with the volume of the soak on zero, there's still some volume audible from my cabinet, so I'm loathe to unplug my cabinet. The line out volume makes very little difference on my unit regardless of where it's set 0-10, although there is enough signal present to send to an IR in any position, making it possible to record quietly, if not silently. Some people are saying that you can use it as a load box with the volume on zero. I just don't want to say that to you and break your amp. It absolutely DOES NOT say that you can use it like that anywhere in my manual, but someone said that it did say it in the manual in a different language. Sorry i can't be more helpful, Ben.
@@BenFletcherGuitar thank you very much
There is an easy mod to run both volume and line knob independently, did it to mine and ir works perfectly - th-cam.com/video/YoVqZlKkXvo/w-d-xo.html
It's a simple operation to make the mic XLR out come before the volume control, make much more sense for live or recording. FWIW. The emulated out is not very good however, IRs on the line out is the way to go ;-)
I agree, that's the way I've had most success with mine. Cheers, Ben.
I think in this simple design is not that easy, as the large knob (variable-resistor) is what is dissipating all the power of the amp to reasonable electric levels. If you put an output before it, you will blast your mixer/interface. I think this is why other loadboxes have notched attenuation settings instead (so they can tap a appropiate line output for every setting).
@@gastonpossel I'm sorry you wrong. It's been a while since I've done it so the details are a little blurry, but believe me it works and it is simple to do and there is no hazard, the level is already loaded down before it hits the lineout pot. If you want to do it i can send you pics and info ;-)
Maybe the master volume has to be up a bit in order for the line out control to have more effect?. You have the master volume way down or off in your demo. Try turning it up and then see if the line out has more effect on the line output.
Hi, sorry I missed this comment. Yes I have it all the way off, because I wanted to record silently with it. The master volume should have no effect over the line out volume, they should work independent of one another. They don't...but they should! Ben.
There is an easy mod to run both volume and line knob independently, did it to mine and ir works perfectly - th-cam.com/video/YoVqZlKkXvo/w-d-xo.html
Fantastic touch & tone there Ben. I only came to hear a review of the PS1, but enjoyed every moment of that matey. Subscribed!
Thanks, man! Appreciated.
3:10 line out volume would sense in your "interface" not cab. and line out has very BAD sound for recording on ps-1 unfortunately.
It's supposed to go into a Cab Impulse Response. Put that in front of the Line Out signal and it will sound great (assuming the Impulse is a good one)
Haha it makes total sense. Of course the volume knob to the speaker drives the line output. Your line out knob is either broken or completely disconnected altogether. Open her up and fix it. Nice tone btw.
Ha! Right?! Thanks man, appreciated.
Sweet jam! In addition to the slide lead, the backing rhythms are great too!
Thanks man, very kind!
It has been confirmed by bugera employees that this unit can be used as a power dump.
I messaged them twice but didn't get a reply, so thanks for the confirmation. Ben
@Paristheband That's been my experience. I find that I get some amount of signal through my cab even with the volume on zero, which has actually worked out advantageous for the way I work. You might be right, it might be designed for running a wet/dry setup. Cheers, Ben.
These units, when connected to a speaker, can stand up to a 50w amp (marshall 1987 and similar). At high attenuation, they can easily overheat with more powerful amps, no matter what bullshit wattage the manual states (80w??).
It can be used as a load box if your amp has a reasonable wattage. The Jet city jettenuator can easily handle a 30w amp cranked without the speaker. The bugera ps-1 however is a cheaper copy, with non-heatsinked resistors, so it could overheat more easily, but 30w seems reasonable. You can turn the attenuation to 2 for nominal impedance, or turn it all the way to ten if you want a higher impedance, this will make your tubes work slightly less, but could be more stressful for the L-pad inside the ps-1
ibeen using this as dummy load for the evh 5153(50w) since a LOT of time with the volume crancked ( no cab pluged ) , the only thing i got a cheap usb fan on top of the unit, not a single problem .....
@@canalblasfemo3845 I get that you use a dummy load for recording purposes. But why would you crank the volume, the 5150 series of amps are specifically designed for preamp distortion instead of power amp saturation. They have a clean power amp so that the master volume will work optimally.
What slide is that? Sweet tone!
Thanks man! Dunlop Moonshine, ceramic. I dig it, been using one for about 15 years. Ben
My line out does nothing and spins round all the way lol. Volume coming out is -35db or some shit. This device is useless for recording but does the job for playing a tube amp quietly for sure. I wonder if I can use the fx out on my amp instead whilst using this box need to look into that. (Peavey 6505 plus 112)
I'm glad there are other people out there who've had the same experience as me. I took quite a bit of flak in the comments for saying exactly what you've said here! Yes, you can use the amps FX loop. I made a video about that around a year ago on this channel. Actually sounds pretty good. Obviously you don't have valve power stage compression, which some would argue is essential. I thought it was handy being able to just turn off the master volume but still have signal present at the IR when coming off the FX loop like that. Cheers, Ben.
I’ve been going through all the review videos and this PS1 seems to be the perfect solution for live gigs, especially with that XLR out to the board. Especially being passive. The price point is perfect to have a backup too (if needed). Have you used this live?
I have used it live and continue to use it here at home for basic volume reduction and it's great for that. Live, I ran an IR off the 'line out' and didn't use the XLR. I would say the emulated output of the XLR just sounds bad, very bad! It's basically like those old emulated outputs you find on the back of amps from the mid 90's/early 2000's, very fizzy/grainy sort of sound. I did a video of the Sonicake Impulse response Loader. It's a very inexpensive way of getting a good cab sound. Paired with this device I think you'd be on a winner without having to lay out too much money. I think the IR loader is about 30 odd quid and runs off standard 9v. Cheers, Ben.
@@BenFletcherGuitar Will the PS1 work as a dummy load, because I only have one 4x12 cab and it's not the most ergonomical.
Great control on the slide 😎
Thank you!
Hi Mister. I have a cheap and great solution for you (was testing that not later than yesterday and a coincidence I stumble on your video because was looking some links about the Bugera PS1). 1- Buy the Nux Solid Studio. 2- Plug the output of your amp to the input of the Solid Studio. 3- Plug the Thru from Solid Studio to the attenuator (I am using a Marshall Power Brake). 4- Plug the output of the attenuator to the speaker cabinet. 5- Plug the output (TS or balanced) of the Solid Studio to the amplified speaker, mixer or your recording interface. 6- Put the (Spk-Line) switch to Spk (speaker) 7- Activate the Cab/Mic footswitch to use the impulse response (choosing your cab and mic + mic position). You also have a Power Amp simulation (with another footswitch chosing between EL34, EL84 or 6V6) but you don't need it since you are already using your real amp. In this way, you have total control over the volume of your amp with your attenuator from full to none without affecting the line volume coming out from the Solid Studio to your interface and you can record completely silently if your attenuator goes to zero (witch is the case for the Marshall Power Brake). The only thing is that you don't have a line level control from the Solid Studio to your interface when you only activate the Cab/Mic and the level can vary depending on the Cab-Mic combination you are using. This is not a problem and just adjust the level with your interface and DAW. In the other hand, if you decide to also use the Power Amp simulator in the Solid Studio, you have a Master that control that output level going to your interface. Did not record yet with this setup and was plugged in a power amplified speaker and it sounds great and very usable for live concerts.
Thank you for your comment. I'll check out the NUX, I haven't heard of the particular product you're referring to, so that's cool. I've been using my Atomic Amplifirebox as the IR loader, which works fine and is what I used in this video. The only difference between my normal setup and this video, is that I come out of the amp's pre-amp send on route to the IR, so my sound never goes through the Bugera as it does here. The Bugera is there purely as a mute for the speaker, which side-steps the issue of the bizarre link in output between the the 'soak' volume and the 'line' volume that was the main issue I refer to in this video. The setup works though, I'm happy with the sound I'm getting and most importantly I can achieve it with no volume form the cab in the room unlike in this video which would be impractical for me on a regular basis. Thanks again, Ben
that was unexpectedly KILLER slide playing. Jeff Beck all the way :). Do you mind sharing what tuning you were using here? As I'd like to use the vid to learn a few of these phrases!
That's very flattering, thanks mate! Standard tuning in this video. I fret some notes behind the slide to allow access to other things that might otherwise require more jumping around. Hope that helps, Ben.
Lovely playing bruh! Merry Christmas 🇨🇦
Thanks man, that's very kind. You too!
So, I finally gave in and tried it without the cab connected, and nothing exploded after about 30 minutes of playing. I tried a 20w amp at full volume, the bugera ps1 device didn't even get hot . I understand that at 100w is maybe a different story.
After extensive reading :
First of all the manual is not that ambiguous about it being a load box. It says an amp should be used with a load, that comes from a cab and/or the ps1. So either a cab alone, a cab and the ps1, or the ps1 alone. It isn't super clear, but it's hard to understand anything else.
Two, this is a copy of the jettenuator, so according to that manual, once you use it without a cab, have the power soak knob at around 10, and not at 0. At the "10" position the load is at around 8ohm. When it is at 10 also, there is volume coming through and the line out is, and it's own level works fine.
So the only issue is that the device can overheat (especially at 100w amps) since it has no fan inside (the harley benton copy of the jettenuator does btw) . It does have an overheating protection fuse or whatever so atleast the amp won't explode before that one does.
If you read that far, I may add that the line out is working fine, but it does cut some high treble, comparing with a regular DI. I think the best results are with AMP out --> DI, the DI through to a load box, DI out to sound interface. Aside from the regular expensive choices for DI, i tried a cheap palmer as well and works like a charm (-30db)
Hi there Paris, thanks for your comment. The way my manual was worded was definitely somewhat ambiguous and as it turns out if you read the comments in this thread, one of the users managed to contact Bugera through music tribe (which I was unable to do on 3 occasions) and they told him DO NOT run it without a cab connected under any circumstances. If I can't be certain of something that could lead to potential damage, I certainly couldn't suggest that people do it, as I'd be responsible. As to your situation, I'm going to attach something from the Carvin website that says what happens when you run an amp without load. It doesn't break straight away apparently..."Now, if you do not connect a load, the transformer can not reflect a load and the tubes will only see the wire in the transformer and a big coil as a load. This is basically shorting the tubes to the high voltage and it will cause damage to the amplifier eventually. Another way to think of it is the power tubes pull on the transformer which magnetizes the output transformer; this in turn creates a voltage on the output of the transformer to drive the speaker load. If there is no load, all that energy has nowhere to go, so instead it will be fed back to the power tubes causing damage. Usually the tubes will go into a growing oscillation that eventually burns them. Most of the time the output transformer is ok, but if left on long enough it can also be damaged. And playing through an unloaded tube amp will only speed up the road to damaging the amp." - Carvin Website.
@@BenFletcherGuitar oh wow, thanks for sharing that one, I won't be using it anymore then! I was thinking to order a proper load box (torpedo captor) and thought maybe to actually give it a go before I get it, but this changes everything. I ve been following those comments for almost a year and actually tried it yesterday. They're so many it's hard to follow them all
@@pariskatsafados1581 No worries, mate. I've been looking at the Captor X and the Suhr reactive load IR. I like the idea of combining the Impulse Response with the reactive load. If you end up getting one of them, let me know how you get on with it. Ben
I have had no problems with my PS1 used on my 50 watt Plexi. I have used it every day for over a year. The original was made in Germany and although it is now made in China it is made at the Behringer factory. A massive factory run all high tech. The place is not a sweatshop but run like a German factory with time every year designated to upgrading and training the workers. The design from the German box has not been change one bit and the design has been the same for a decade plus. An 'ir' is the only way to go. The best I found is the Shiftline A+ Cab zone LE. It's A serious piece of well made high tech gear made in Russia. Do not let the only $100.00 USD price fool you. It is smaller than a Hammond B box ...the one most pedals MXR pedals are in.
Holy cow!! That playing is the best on youtube, so much feeeels!! What did you use for drums?
Far too kind, thank you! I think I probably used a loop loft pattern, although I sometimes duplicate the snare and bass drum hits with additional samples. Cheers, Ben.
Jesus your playing is amazing so melodic and awesome
Far too kind, but thank you!
I clicked on/for the title, but Ben .... what an amazing player you are!
That's very kind, thank you!
I bought the Bugera mostly to stop my 50W Victory blowing the windows out, and for that it's great. However, it is a shame it doesn't appear to do silent recording, which is doubly a shame as a cab sim on the end of the line out sounds pretty decent. I guess it's cheap for a reason. There is no way I'm disconnecting my cab to see if this works (I agree the manual is ambiguous), so will contact Bugera first.
Nice amp you have there! I agree with your hesitation, let me know if they come back to you. I tried twice to contact them but to no avail. I'm still using the unit, so if you get word back it would be useful to know what they say. Cheers, Ben.
i have the evh 5153 50w pluged on the unit with no cab , i been using this setup since a lot of time, it gets hot so im using a very cheap usb fan on top , never had a problem .
@@canalblasfemo3845 Cool, thanks for the comment.
Please pretty please look for that backing track. It is golden!!
I've had a look, but I can't find it sorry. I do make a lot of my backing tracks available to download for free, but unfortunately I don't know where this one is! I have a habit of saving project files as comedy names, which is hilarious at the time, but not great for long term storage!
Excellent slide work sir !!
Too kind, thank you!
In 1981, Tom Scholz personally handed me my Scholz R&D Power Soak, from the first shipment (I pre-ordered it). I used an 80w Orange with it, and it sounded incredible. His Power Soak could be used without a cabinet and had an output jack for a low-level signal (had the word "Phones" over it as I recall). I used it until it broke, and he replaced it for free. Those were the days.
Nice, that's some great customer service! Great player too.
I almost forgot what the video was about... Repeating for the tenth time... Great song, feeling, amazing!!!
Thank you very much, appreciated!
yup... bougt it, played one rehersal with a Marshall Plexi, sold it another day.
Wow, what kind of material is your slide made out of? That sounded magical!
Thanks, man! I've been using the Dunlop ceramic moonshine slide for about 15 years now. I really like it. The only other one I use, as of just recently, is an actual top of a bottle that I cut, myself. I think that's just the rustic nostalgia that I'm enjoying though!
@@BenFletcherGuitar I understand the nostalgia part. I've used bottles myself. I didn't know anybody made ceramic slides though. All I've ever seen is glass, brass, and PVC. I super enjoyed your demo piece. I wouldn't mind hearing a full version. It's also a shame that the Bugera Power Soak doesn't cut all the volume off. I've toyed off and on with the idea of getting one but haven't heard anybody bring up what you did. I've never owned any of their products so I don't know if any others or all of them are half baked like that.
Mate thanks for the review! Can you share your lut that you use to color the video?
Thanks man! I can't remember what I used for this one, but M31 is nice and it's free.
No piece of gear in line with an amp is going to faithfully preserve the true integrity of the amp sound. That doesn't mean the resulting sound isn't useful in the right context. If you want to record your amp and have it sound EXACTLY like the amp, then you can't cut corners and put stuff in the signal path. I have a Bugera, but it's a tool like any other. Every tool has its limits and advantages.
I totally agree, though that's not what I'm looking to do and not what I was really driving at in the video. I use an impulse response for the cab, that isn't one created from my own gear, so it'll never sound like my amp regardless of what equipment I use and I'm not really fussed if it does or doesn't as long as the resulting sound is usable. The point in the video was that you couldn't record on my unit without having the attenuator volume up at least a small amount, which meant silent recording wasn't possible. There seems no reason why the line out volume and the attenuator volume should be linked in any way, yet they are on my unit for some reason. The only sound coming out of the Bugera that I thought was sub-standard was the emulated out, which I've never used because it's rubbish. Totally rubbish and I stand by that. The line out is perfectly usable tone wise, but not if you need a totally silent recording system for home recording, which was the title of my video. Cheers, Ben.
@@BenFletcherGuitar Indeed. Thanks for a great video. Solid playing too.
@@danielhornbeck6588 Thanks man, very kind!
Awesome slide. Side note: I've never used an emulated out on any device and liked it
Thanks, man! I haven't either actually, they always seem really fizzy and dry.
Love the slide stuff dood!
Thanks, mate!
Amazing playing, Ben, wow. Any place where we can hear your recordings? I tried to look you up on Spotify to hear more but wasn't able to find you? Your video was great, amazing playing.
Thanks, Mark! I don't have any recordings unfortunately. Neither have I really played on anybody else's records. I'm going to make an effort to get some more recordings on my channel soon, like the one on my home page. Thanks for looking though, mate!
Wonderful playing!
Very kind, thank you!
I'm thinking of getting one of these to run after a cabzone le placed between power amp and speaker. This would work with any di run to ir loader and then the bugera can be all the way down but still transferring the load properly to the speaker with no sound. It seems to be a good work around and still relatively cheap.
Hey man, that's what my video is about. I was unable to get a good level off the 'line out' without having the 'soak' volume up at least a small way. Therefore there's always going to be sound in the room, unless of course my unit is defective! There are other people that have experienced the same issue though, including other TH-cam channels. Hope this helps, Ben.
@@BenFletcherGuitar I think I understand. In my scenario you would but the ir cab sim before the soak, so the impedance still has a load but not using line out on power soak but on ir cab sim instead.
It ruins my tone, sucks too much highs. I have seen so much positive reviews that I am starting to think that my unity has a problem. Do anyone feel the same?
Great tone man! Cheers 🍻
Thanks, man!
I use my Harley Benton PA100 as a load box, No speaker connected, with master on PA100 on 3.5. (Its supposed to be the same as the Bugera ps1) -->Line out into IRs and sounds nice. the emulated Line doesn't sound good, true. Nice box for the price
There is an easy mod to run both volume and line knob independently, did it to mine and ir works perfectly - th-cam.com/video/YoVqZlKkXvo/w-d-xo.html
I can't get any sound out of my PS1 into my audio interface (Scarlett Solo). Emulated out only worked with a mixer for some reason. And if I use the line out it only works with a cable put in 3/4 of the way. I have had 2 of these and they both acted the same. Not sure if it's the PS1 or my interface that's the problem. I'd love to see a detailed video on how you have yours in a signal chain.
Great playing btw! Love the slide style!
That sounds very odd. If it's definitely not cables, then I guess you just have to eliminate things in the chain by trying them with other devices. Seems strange that something would work with one thing and not with something else though. I just had either the emulated out going straight to interface, or the line out, going in to my Atomic pedal, with all the amp models etc turned off and just a cab IR loaded and then in to the interface. Never more than a couple of cables being used at any time really. Thanks for the compliment, appreciated!
@@BenFletcherGuitar I'm starting to think my amp might be the culprit. I'm using an Orange Micro Dark and it might not be providing enough power to drive everything. What interface are you using if you don't mind me asking?
@@TomSchuster26 I'm using a Scarlett 18i20. Pretty sure that's similar pre's to yours, just more of them. It means I can leave things set up on spare inputs, or record drums occasionally if I want to.
Ive been kind of on the fence of buying one of these. I dont record so much as just playing for the fun of it, so maybe it still has a charm in that setting. But i can see your argument with recording issues certainly.
Regardless, its your soulful slide playing i wanted to address: that is phenomenal!
Thanks man, very nice of you! I'd say go for it. If you're not specifically recording, this device is a great cheap way of knocking the volume down.
@@robertw1871 Thanks for your expert opinion on that.
@@robertw1871 Really? Wow it's a miracle I managed to record at all, my mind is blown! I'd plugged the line out in to the oven because I wanted to bias hot.
@@robertw1871 Hi Robert, I like the conversation that's going on here, hehe. So maybe you can help me here: I have this 15W tube amp with master volume control (a sort of clone of the Blues Jr. and/or Laney Cub 12r). At night I'd love to be able to play it through headphones, with the amp silent. Is it possible with this "power soak" without damaging anything? Would I need a headphones amp-preamp too? (I'd like not to use my DAW + audio interface and keep it simple). Thanks!
I'm posting this here as people seem to have the most discussion about the line outs. What I noticed this morning, is that using a TRS stereo cable on the line out, as opposed to a TS mono, allowed me to have reasonable recording level with the speaker output set to 0. This was on my Harley Benton PA-100 (same circuit). I'm curious to see if you get similar results, if you're interested in trying?
Cheers for the great content, and love your playing!
Edit: The line level control still seems to have nearly no effect, but running the output through my audio interface gives me all the gain control I need RE recording level.
Thanks for your comment. It's a funny design isn't it? Many people have commented on the Line out volumes relatively little control over the level. I'll have to give your idea a go if I can find a cable like that. I would think that would be a unlikely fix, but I'm game! Ha! Cheers, Ben.
@@BenFletcherGuitar Ben , is it a good device if my only purpose of using it is to play say a 100 watt tube amp ( cranked volume) at bedroom volume without sacrificing much tone? Or should I look at reactive load box like the captor x? Again, not for recording, strictly for jamming out but without disturbing anyone. Thanks
@@allboutthemojo Yeh absolutely, it'll do that just fine. It does make things sound a snip boxy I think, but I don't mind that. I'm still using it anyway. I haven't tried one of the reactive load devices, as they're out of my budget, but they might 'feel' more like a cab at volume if that makes sense? This device works well though. Cheers, Ben.
@@BenFletcherGuitar thank you for the reply! The two notes is I think around $400 and people say it's much better as an attenuator but I don't know. BTW, came here to see you video review but got sidetracked by the amazing playing! Awesome!
Another thing some people are saying is " do you want to really trust a passive/ heat dispersing device to not damage your tube amps"? Something to consider?
dude, your slide playing is impeccable!
Thanks very much mate, appreciated!
Fantastic intonation on your slide playing, dude!
Thanks, man!
Same feelings about the PS1 here... attenuation aside, felt more like BS101!
;)
Ben, do a detailed video about your camera/lens/lights/talk mic/audio & video software/colour grading setup - your uploads look better than far more high profile YT channels!
Lovely slide gtr playing, btw.
Cheers!
Thanks very much, man! I'm using a Sony a6300 and a Godox SL60w light. Maybe I'll do a video in the future, but it might be a bit of a curve ball for the subscribers I have, if I do a post on video production. Thanks again for the comment, Ben.
That slide playing and 21:9 aspect is killer.
Thanks man, appreciated!
You sir are a very good slide player.
Thanks man, that's very nice of you. Ben.
Ben really nice slide playing!! Awesome. Thanks for the video. Was picking one of these up just for live use. Got a hotrod deluxe I need to tame. Don’t plan on using it for recording. So maybe it’s a ok buy! $99 it’s a bang for the buck item for sure. Just found your channel look forward to more videos.
Thanks, Matt! These are great for that, I still use mine and it does a good job of knocking the volume down. As you say, good value. Thanks again, Ben.
man thats some great slide playing and note choices.
Thanks, mate!
Dude. The line volume is all about the line out Jack, not about the XLR emulated mic out.
I know.
love your music, so nice
It's $100 dude. You can't beat the price if you just need to attenuate your amp to play at quieter volumes and get the tubes cooking. Agree, it's not studio quality. It just depends on your needs. For my needs playing live, it works great and at the price it's can be considered disposable.
I agree, it works fine and the sound is actually quite good (well not the emulated out, that sounds like pure ass, but the line out and the sound from your cab after attenuation is totally fine). You just can't record silently with my unit and other people on TH-cam with very large followings observed the same thing. That was my only real complaint, as I just assumed when I bought it that I'd be able to do that. I still own it and use it by the way. I think people thought I was really slagging the product off, but I've gotten better at being clearer in videos. Cheers, Ben.
Well done in all respects! The beautiful slide work, the lighting/camera quality and your overall presentation...just good stuff.
I have been searching for a way to drive my tube amp a little plus be able to use headphones. My Fender Super Champ does not have a headphone output so I've been exploring my options.
The challenge has primarily been keeping costs reasonable since it makes little sense to spend $300 or more for a headphone jack for a $300 amp.
I haven't seen that cited as a possibility in the reviews for the Bugera or the Harley Benton attenuators but it seems logical one could plug headphones into the Line Out (and keep the line out knob at the appropriately low level for my poor ears plus not blow up my headphones).
It would be great if that were the case as I could push the amp into its sweet spot plus be totally quiet at the same time.
Do you think it would work that way?
Thanks!
Well I suppose I should have read all of the comments before posting (didn't scroll down far enough) but anyhow, it looks like you have addressed my question nicely in a previous post. Thanks again!
@@chrisdashney6135 Thanks for the kind words, Chris! Much appreciated. Yes, you'd need some kind of cabinet IR or cab modelling unit and maybe a headphone amp in conjunction with the Bugera's line out. All of that could get expensive and I'd say you might be better off getting some cheap multi effect device that has a headphone out and just use that by itself for practice. I've used a Super Champ a few times, as a friend of mine has one. I've even gigged it and thought it was excellent in low volume applications.
@@BenFletcherGuitar Thank you for the suggestion...that's a great idea for the headphone conundrum - plus have some effects to mess around with to boot! Take care!
I came for insight on the Bugera, but feel in love with that slide tone. You've got do a video on how you get it. I'm subscribing just for that.
Too kind, thank you! The sub is much appreciated. A couple of people have asked for that, so for what it's worth I'm planning on doing a video about how I like to set my sound to make slide playing easier. It'll be a little while though, because I currently have about 5 or 6 months of videos scheduled, but it'll get posted eventually! Thanks again, Ben.
I felt like I was watching you use the Balanced XLR output and from my understanding the Line Out level knob or volume pot doesn't adjust the XLR volume (or at least not by much as you demonstrated) but if you use the unbalanced 1/4" line out it does. Don't hold me to that I'll have to do some tinkering but that is my understanding.
Hi there mate, I did put on screen that you were listening to the 'LINE' output, whilst showing me turning the line volume pot. I briefly showed the sound from the emulated output, earlier in the video and indicated that on screen. Ben
I hope all those dislikes under the video are for Bugera, not for Ben and this review, because it is very useful, and the playing is great! Did you notice any negative effect on the tone if you are using PS1 just to decrease the volume of the speaker? Just to play more quietly with the amp. There are some complaints.
Thank you, Sergei! I haven't used it live for decreasing the volume, since I play a solid state amp most of the time for gigs and there'd be no point in using a power soak. The only reason I mention that, is that I only use it at home on its absolute lowest volume setting. At that volume it's pretty tricky to tell what difference it's making to the sound, but it sounds fine for just noodling to myself. Hope that helps, Ben.
@@BenFletcherGuitar yes, thanks!
I’m getting one of these. Not to record with, but so I can go out of cab m and into this then to speaker.
If you've used the Bugera without a cab and your amp hasn't broken, please post in the comments, I don't want to try it!
@@PALMLINES That's just the thing, I'm not sure. They certainly never say in the manual that you can run without a cab. It would be a selling point, so I feel like if you could, they'd probably advertise that fact. I think I'm going to try the Koch Amps Dummybox, next. Not a lot more money, but they specifically say you can record silently without a cab.
Just wanted to chime in here. On Thomann's product page for the PS-1, it's indicated that the attenuator can be used as a dummy load (without a cabinet). Now, speaking anecdotally, I've used it with my 50 watt Victory VX Kraken without a cabinet, with the PS-1 line out straight into my audio interface. No issues so far. A quick search of forums about the PS-1 also seems to indicate that it can be used as a dummy load. Lastly, I have yet to hear any reports of someone damaging their amp using this attenuator.
@@psychologicaltestingservic9283 Thanks for the comment. That's interesting. I wonder why they don't just say that clearly in the manual or the Bugera website? They state in every instance that you should use a speaker cab, but hey if you've tried it and it works, i guess it works! Doesn't explain the line-out volume knob though. Does yours control the volume of the line out as it should?
@@BenFletcherGuitar Hello, line volume pot should work only with the jack line output and not with the xlr balanced output. Dummy load function is clear in the user manual in German, English translation could be misleading.
@@xophedebx The dummy load function isn't clear in my version of the manual. I've sent Bugera an email. I indicated on screen at 2.57 that you were listening to the 'line' level whilst adjusting the line volume pot, not the emulated output. On my unit it made very little difference to the level of the line output, maybe my unit is defective. Ben
cam for info stayed that wicked slide playing!
Thank you, that's very kind.
Is this at least worth it for attenuating a loud amp for gigs?
I can't really say mate, sorry. I can't crank my amp at home for comparison, but it seemed fine. I mean, it felt nice enough to play on, but my Bogner seemed a little more fizzy than usual for some reason. Gotta be honest, I haven't used the Bogner much recently, I may just be getting too used to almost too perfect modelling sounds. Live, I tend to use my DV Mark, which is solid state, so sounds pretty much the same at every volume level, so I've not tried it in that environment either. It might be worth a crack though, you could always send it back if you get it online?
i try that. well done job for this purpose.
Great video and explanation! If anyone is interested or curious to know how this unit sounds through a Dual Rectifier, you can check my latest video where I cover "My Own Summer" from Deftones using only my Bugera PS1 built-in Line Out and an IR (which I agree is definitely needed). Check it out and let me know what you think!