Hughes&Kettner Red Box 5 User manual
Version 1.2
The Hughes & Kettner RED BOX 5 converts line and speaker signals sourced
from guitar amps into balanced, frequency-compensated, microphone-level
signals with tonal characteristics of a 4 x 12" cabinet. It lets you feed a
guitar amp’s speaker out, line out or FX send straight into a mixing console’s
microphone input.
Note: The RED BOX 5 emulates the speaker, not the microphone. In other words,
signals provided by the RED BOX 5 sound like those of an actual cab rather than
that of a microphone picking up the sound of a cab. The benets are considerable:
You get a fatter, punchier and more direct signal with far greater presence,
bandwidth and dynamic range than signals captured with a microphone. With the
RED BOX 5, you can take the PA and playback device out of the sonic equation
and deliver the sound of a guitar cabinet straight to audiences and listeners. Best
of all, there’s no latency, spillover or crosstalk from other signal sources such as
drums, frequency cancellations caused by neighboring microphones or any danger
of feedback.
This signal is the best you can get for processing with compressors, equalizers,
reverb effects and microphone simulations on stage and in the studio.
Tip: Experimentation is very much encouraged: Make the most of both worlds
by mixing the signals from the RED BOX 5 and a microphone. The RED BOX 5
lends every microphone signal more girth and presence without detracting from its
inherent characteristics.
Connections
The RED BOX 5 provides one unbalanced ¼" (6.3 mm) jack input (In) for line and
speaker signals and two different outputs: One unbalanced ¼" (6.3 mm) jack (Thru)
lets you patch through the unprocessed signal. One balanced XLR connected lets
you feed the processed signal to a mixing console. Note that some mixing consoles
do not provide phantom power. In that case, the RED BOX 5 is ready for an optional
power supply (see Technical Specications) and comes with a compartment
accommodating a 9 V battery (unscrew the feet to open the housing).
Note: Some mixing consoles are not equipped with proper microphone inputs. In
that case, use an adapter. If the inputs are balanced, use stereo ¼" (6.3 mm) jack
plugs because they retain the ability to carry a balanced signal. If balanced inputs
are unavailable, use mono ¼" (6.3 mm) jacks. In both cases, you will have to power
the RED BOX 5 via a battery or optional power pack!
Control features
The RED BOX 5 features the usual Ground Lift switch and Pad switch to adjust input
gain. There are also three sliding switches that provide some unusual sound-shaping
lters. Providing rather more subtle than dramatic EQ, they help you conjure the
sound of your favorite cab. These lters’ action is most evident in slightly overdriven
and heavily distorted lead sounds.
Loose/Tight: „Tight“ gives you a taut, dense tone that’s great for throatier riffs.
„Loose“ conjures an airier, softer sound.
Vintage/Modern: The „Modern“ voicing gives you the bark and honk of modern
speakers, while „Vintage“ yields a warmer, woollier tone associated with old-school
cabs.
Small/Large: „Small“ captures the compressed sound of a small housing; „Large“
gives the you greater girth and added bass of a sizable cabinet.
Ground/Lift: This switch severs the RED BOX 5’s ground circuit to eliminate
humming or buzzing caused by ground loops. As the name suggests, „Lift“ severs
the connection. Tip: If the Ground Lift switch does not eliminate the hum, the amp or
mixer’s ground lift switch may solve the problem. Loud humming can also be caused
by insufcient power to the RED BOX 5. In this case, please check the battery,
power supply or phantom power feed.
0 dB / -26 dB: Your choice of input gain level can make or break your sound. If it’s
too high, you’ll get undesirable distortion. If it’s too low, the noise oor can degrade
your signal. As a rule of thumb, go with „-26 dB“ for speaker signals and „0 dB“ for
line signals. There are some instances where „0 dB“ is the more sensible choice for
speaker signals: The amp’s master volume level determines the speaker’s output
level directly, so of course the signal level drops markedly when you turn the master
volume well down, for example, when you want to record at home at moderate
volume.
Cabling Up
There are several ways of conguring setups. Read and heed the following cabling
tips to achieve the best results and keep your gear safe from harm:
Tube Amps
Power tubes are instrumental in shaping a guitar amp’s response, so we recommend
tapping the power amp’s signal at the speaker output.
Heads up! Never operate a tube power amp without a connected speaker or a
load box to provide the necessary resistance! The RED BOX 5 merely taps the
signal between the power amp and speaker; it does not replace the speaker or
provide a dummy load!
Tube Amp Heads: Simply insert the RED BOX 5 between the head and speaker
cabinet using two loudspeaker cables.
Tube Amp Combos: You have four options for tapping tube-driven combos’ signals:
1) The combo provides a separate jack for connecting external speakers alongside
the built-in speaker, and the jack for the external speaker does not switch off
the internal speaker. In this case, connect RED BOX 5’s input (In) to the external
speaker out and do not use the Thru jack.
2) The combo provides a separate jack for connecting external speakers that
switches off the internal speaker. In this case, you have no choice but to also
connect the Thru jack to a speaker cabinet or load box in the same way you
would connect a tube amp head!
3) The combo does not provide a separate jack for connecting external speakers,
but the internal speaker is connected to the power amp via a cord with a ¼"
(6.3mm) jack plug. In this case, insert the RED BOX 5 between the power amp
and speaker in the same way you would connect a tube amp head. Plug the
internal cord connected to the built-in loudspeaker into the Thru jack and connect
the combo’s speaker out to the RED BOX 5’s input (In) using an additional
speaker cable.
4) The combo provides neither an additional speaker out nor a plug-in connection
to the built-in speaker. In this case, you cannot tap the power amp’s signal and
will have to use the line out or FX send jack as your signal source. If you have
connected a signal processor to the FX send jack, you can insert the RED BOX5
between the effect device’s output and the FX return jack. Use a shielded line
cable to do this.
Solid-State Amps and Preamps
You can use a preamp’s line out or FX send jack for this purpose. If you have
connected a signal processor to the FX send jack, you can insert the RED BOX5
between the effect device’s output and the FX return jack. Use a shielded line
cable to do this. Technically speaking, the same goes for solid-state or transistor
ampliers. However, the speaker output, ideally with a loudspeaker connected,
will provide better tone because solid-state power amps also inuence speakers’
frequency response.
Technical Specifications
INPUT
Type Jack, unbalanced ¼" (6.3 mm)
0 dB position:
Impedance 10 kΩ
Max. input gain (+48 V phantom power) +18 dBV
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