We all want to
sound our best onstage. It's completely natural to try and get the
optimal tone, response, and dynamics from our instruments. For acoustic
guitar players especially this represents a unique challenge. While
there are many products made to amplify acoustic guitars for live use,
none of them accurately reproduce the luscious sounds and response of
your guitar when it's optimally mic'd, fully EQ'd and ready to
record—until the Aura
 came along.
Fishman named the
Aura
very appropriately. Webster's defines "aura" as a distinctive
atmosphere surrounding a given source and that's precisely what the Aura
captures. What pickups miss, and studio recordings capture, is
the actual air your acoustic displaces to create its natural, unamplified sound. Different than an effects processor or the
now-ubiquitous modeling processor, the Aura
is designed to wrap itself around your acoustic and deliver the
sound of your instrument with full-scale studio production—live.
The Acoustic Sound Images used for
Aura
were recorded and built over a five-year period of research and
development by Fishman. The first step was recording different acoustics
in the Nashville studio of Grammy-award winning producer Bill Vorn Dick
using a plethora of expensive microphones, preamps, EQs, and processors.
Then, melding what they had recorded with Acoustic Spectrum Transform
technology licensed from Akai, Fishman was able to put the powerful
algorithms generated into digital circuitry capable of reproducing those
sweet acoustic sounds.
Sleek and savvy
stage stalwart
While the sound the
Aura
pumps out is studio perfect, its rock-solid chassis screams
"Gig me!" Not only would I take it into bars and coffeehouses, I'd feel
pretty safe using it as a self-defense weapon. Its sculpted, smooth
faceplate and rear backing are machined from solid steel, which makes it
exceptionally hale, hard, and heavy. The extra weight and its non-skid
rubber feet mean that when you lay the
Aura
down, it stays put. The knobs and switches protruding from its
top are solid-feeling, too—way more stable than your average stomp box.
Quality and durability were obviously very much in mind when Fishman set
about designing a case for the electronic guts of the
Aura.
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Setting it up and plugging in was a simple
affair. Just plug into the
Aura's
1/4" input and run the signal out through the 1/4" or XLR
jacks (or both) to a PA or amplifier. The inputs, which are on the
backside, are conveniently labeled on the faceplate so you don't have to
crane your neck around to see which jack you're plugging in to. A little
pre-fun tuning was in order, so first I stepped on the two right
footswitches (Tuner On) simultaneously to activate the tuner, tuned up,
and then stepped on the Tuner Off footswitch to the left to play.
Similarly, getting all the good sounds
going was a snap. The knobs and switches are clearly labeled with black
print that's easy to read against the silver finish. With room for 50
Programs, the
Aura
comes with 16 already set up for you. Each Program can contain
a different Acoustic Sound Image, specific EQ settings, volume levels,
and blend settings that combine the signal from the Aura
and the signal from your guitar, all customized by you. To get
started, just flip the Edit/Play switch over to Play and dial up the
Program containing the Acoustic Sound Image that most closely matches
your guitar for instant Aura-fication. I can hear the heads being
scratched right now. "Huh? Why do I have to match my guitar to a
preset?" Remember when I said the Aura
is different from an effects processor or modeler? Well, this
is where the
Aura
goes off the beaten path.
Sublime sonic
imprint
Aura
is different from modeling or simple effects processing
because, unlike modeling, it won't take your nylon-string classical
guitar and make it sound like a jumbo 12-string. In my opinion it does
something much cooler and better. The
Aura
holds a mirror up to your guitar and enhances the image by
adding the characteristics of the desired Acoustic Sound Image. Think of
it like this: modeling is like an old-fashioned whalebone corset. No
matter what the shape of the woman you put in it, she's going to look
like an hourglass when you're done. Aura
is like a fabulous evening gown custom-made by a talented
seamstress to complement the woman's body without forcing her to hold
her breath all night long. The woman? She still walks, talks, and sounds
like herself, but she looks the best she's ever looked. Every curve and
corner is adorned with just the right material, colors, and fit.
Seeing my favorite dreadnought dressed up
in tailor-made clothing was definitely a treat. I was amazed by the
beauty the
Aura
imbued to my slightly small-bodied, all solid-wood workhorse.
The
Aura
added back all the air and body that is normally lost in the
signal sent from my magnetic soundhole pickup. It accurately portrayed
the resonant depth that I've never been able to get live, while leaving
intact the response and sweet mids that make it my favorite axe. And it
really wasn't even hard to do.
In my case, I wanted a dreadnought with a
solid spruce top, solid mahogany body and neck, and a magnetic soundhole
pickup. I started with Sound Image #9: Dreadnought 5 Mag, which was the
closest Image to my guitar out of the starting 16 settings. It also
features a magnetic soundhole pickup, and the microphone used to record
the Sound Image in the studio was a small diaphragm condenser. Perfect.
And even though the dreadnought used in the Image had a rosewood body, I
was able to tweak it to sound very similar to my guitar by using a bit
more of my pickup in the Aura
- Pickup blend (60/40), and juicing the mids just a bit in the Aura.
After I was finished editing the sound, I saved it as Program
#17, and I was done.
Customized sound
for everyone
So why is it so important to find an image that's based as closely as
possible to your guitar? It's because
Aura
isn't built to work with just any pickup system or guitar.
Again, this is not modeling—each image is specifically engineered to
partner up with the type of guitar and pickup used in the creation of
the Sound Image. You can't fool
Aura,
either. Don't believe me? Believe it. I tried running a custom Strat® with a piezo bridge through the Aura
and all that came out was a horribly clipped-and-scattered
mess.
So what about those of us with a guitar
not on the list? The first 16 Sound Images included with your
Aura
cover most of the popular guitar body styles, but they don't
cover everything. Well, don't worry. Fishman has provided an extensive Sound Image library on the
Fishman Aura website for download that include some of the most popular acoustic
guitar models and body styles available. This gallery is being expanded almost daily, and will allow you to locate a much more specific Image to
use with your guitar. Fishman also plans to launch a custom Sound Image program that will allow
Aura
owners to get an Image created from their own guitar by having
it recorded at Fishman's in-house studio or by sending them a recording
of your instrument.
Advanced added
benefits
Some of the coolest parts of the
Aura
have nothing to do with the Sound Images. It has smart mixing
capabilities that let you dial in precise mixes between the
Aura
and your pickup, and even individual EQ settings for each.
Personally, I was knocked out by the Input-Output gain controls that
made it easy to adjust for low-output pickups versus high-output
systems. The three-LED level indicator right next to the Input knob lets
you dial in just the right amount of gain, while the Output knob lets
you give the board or your amp the strongest signal possible without
clipping. The Edit mode is where you'll be able to dial in such settings
as the individual EQ settings (Aura/
Pickup)
and the blend for each program; i.e., how much Aura
you want to give your basic signal.
You can also set up presets that make
performing live even easier. You can make programs that include such
subtleties as EQ variance for switching from strumming to finger
picking, utilize specialized compression settings for varying lead or
rhythm sounds, or simply pre-program changes in volume levels that are
dependent on certain parts of your set. This also applies if you use
more than one acoustic for performance. You can have whole sets of
programs dedicated to different guitars, making instrument switches
onstage much easier for you and the sound engineer.
Just as the best recording engineers are
capable of bringing out the best in any acoustic, so is the
Aura.
Dialing in your Aura
will embellish your guitar's signal with wonderful sonic whorls
of color and vibrancy. It magnifies and amplifies the unique character
of your guitar for all the world to hear. Finding the Image that fits
your guitar best will deliver the precise studio sound you've always
wanted for your guitar. And you can have it live. Who says you can't
have your cake and eat it, too? |
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