GEAR REVIEW
[ LR BAGGS ALIGN SERIES PEDALS | Doug Doppler ]
GLOBAL FEATURES
looks, these pedals allow you to craft studio- REVERB - As noted in the demo, the Volume,
quality tones that sound and feel organic! Tone, Reverb (amount), and Decay controls
allow you to add depth to your lead and
9V Battery or DC Powered
SESSION - As the name implies, this pedal brings melody lines, without having them disappear in
the studio experience to your pedalboard. The the mix. This proprietary circuit was designed
Volume allows you to set the overall output, specifically for the unique tonal nuances of
where the Gain and Saturation controls enable acoustic instruments. The secret sauce to
you to add a little “hair” (purposeful distortion) using this pedal is fine tuning the Tone and
to the mix. The multi-band Compressor only Decay controls to get the exact reverb sound
targets three bands of EQ, so that as you turn you’re looking for, and using the Reverb knob
it up it just compresses those problematic to control the amount of reverb and in the turn,
frequencies, without compressing the entire controlling the overall level with the Volume
guitar signal. This approach is key to keeping control. This will allow you to add depth and
the sound and feel organic. $179 MAP volume with the push of a button. $179 MAP
EQUALIZER - If you’re looking for a starting ACTIVE DI - The DI (Direct Injection) box is like
place, this would be it. Based on LR Baggs’ air traffic control for your signal, and having the
highly-esteemed Para Acoustic DI circuit, this range of options this pedal provides is key for
into something that “works” in the mix. box is a Swiss Army knife of tone. The Notch discerning acoustic players. The Active DI has
Filter easily eliminates feedback with the twist a XLR out for sending your signal to the P.A.
The modular approach the Align Series of a knob. The six EQ bands were selected as well as a ¼” out to feed an amp. When the
for finely sculpting your acoustic guitar sound, Thru / Out switch is set to Thru, the ¼” output
as well as other acoustic instruments like the bypasses all internal circuitry, allowing you to
WalkaBout drum used in the demo. The three- “treat” just the XLR output. This allows you
position HPF (high pass filter) switch can filter to assign the Lift / Ground switch, the 0dB /
out all frequencies below either 40, 80, or -10dB / -20dB Pad, and Phase buttons to work
120hz to clean up the bottom end of your mix on just the XLR output without affecting the
while eliminating low-end rumble. The phase signal you’d send to your amp. When the Thru
button is essential, and as they suggest should switch is set to Out, the Mute footswitch affects
and out with the push of a button. be used each time you set up. The three- the ¼” and the XLR outs. When set to Thru,
position Gain switch allows you to attenuate Mute affects just the XLR. $159 MAP
Each of the pedals in the Align Series does a the level per the varying instruments this box
¼” In/Out Jacks*
True Bypass**
Active DI also has an *XLR out and a
**Mute function instead of True Bypass
LISTEN TO OUR DEMO
The Align Series Pedals combine the key
features from LR Baggs’ most popular products
with the experience they got producing their
highly acclaimed Handcrafted Video Sessions.
This modular approach allows you to sculpt
consistently great acoustic tones, be it live, or
in the studio.
As acoustic musicians, we spend hours, days
and weeks getting to know the nuances of our
prized instruments, warts and all. Not all of
these nuances (especially the warts) make for a
better mix, so ironically, producing a great live or
studio sound is often about using technology to
transform the natural sound of your instrument
pedals allows you take is a lot like getting a
great sound in the studio – the signal chain is
frequently made up of a number of pieces of
studio grade gear that collectively deliver the
desired sound. The obvious advantage of using
separate pedals to do this is that each of the
pedals is designed to offer greater control per
its assigned task(s), and you can bring them in
great job of doing their particular tasks, but as
was designed to accentuate. $179 MAP
I just mentioned, having a pedalboard with four
great pedals designed specifically for acoustic
instruments is a huge plus. Per the video demo I
put together, you’ll get a chance to hear how the
Align Series pedals enabled me to fit four rather
dynamic parts into the mix in a harmonious and
LRBaggs.com
musical fashion. Complementing their good
April 2018
WorshipMusician.com
63