The Pendulum SPS-1
by Michael Ross
Guitar Player Magazine, August 1995
So you just laid out a couple of grand for a top-of-the-line
acoustic that you plan to use onstage. If you perform solo or don't
move around too much, you can probably get away with a good
stand-mounted mike, But if you're in a band, you'll need a highquality pickup system - most likely a saddle pickup plus internal
mike or a soundhole/saddle-pickup combo - and a good
preamp/mixer to blend and EQ the transducer signals. The
Pendulum Audio SPS-1 stereo preamp system ($1,095) is the
latest addition to this New Jersey based company's line of audio
products (Pendulum introduced the first rackmount acoustic
preamp in '88). The SPS-1 is a single-rackspace unit designed to be
used with just about any configuration of pickups, internal or
external mikes, and onboard preamps. Its front panel features two
channels, each with independent input-gain attenuation, overload
LEDs, three stages of fully parametric EQ, and an in/out switch for
instant comparison of flat and EQ'd sounds. The EQ's overlapping
frequencies are a smart ideal. The low range covers 35 to 880Hz,
the mid 180Hz to 4.2kHz, and the high 840Hz to 19kHz, so you
can, say, grab the low band to notch out annoying boom and still
boost the upper low end with the mid band.
The SPS-1 features a pair of pan pots that permit you to place
your pickups anywhere in the stereo field, a master-level control,
and a phase-reversal switch for controlling feedback. A pair of
LEDs indicate the active effects loop and when all outputs (except
the tuner's) are muted. A footswitch is provided for both of these
functions. The front panel monitor section sports a level control,
phase reversal switch,, monitor-input switch (stereo mix or pickuponly for feedback control), and a 1/4" stereo headphone jack.
The rear panel houses each channel's XLR input, phase reversal
switch, external mike switch and gain control, 48-volt phantompower switch, 1/4" pre-EQ line-in jack, mono effects send/return
jack (for effects needed only on one channel, such as compression
or additional EQ), and 1/4" TRS-balanced direct-channel out.
Channel 1's input-mode switch allows you to send the mike and
pickup signals into channels 1 and 2, or combine them in channel
1, thus freeing up channel 2 for an external instrument or vocal
mike. Other rear-panel details include a true stereo effects loop and
a switch that offers a choice of series or parallel effects. There's
also a pair of 1/4" monitor outs, dual XLR master outs, and
ground-lift and power switches.
The Pendulum's unique endpin preamp modules provide studioquality buffering and stereo mixing at a point as close to the
pickups and/or mikes as possible (one module is included with the
SPS-1). The module plugs directly into your guitar's endpin jack
and come in single pickup, mike and pickup, and two pickup
versions. Additional single-source modules run $125; dual-source
versions are $165. The latter feature a balance control for the
pickup and mike (or second pickup), a master volume, and two
recessed gain trimmers. It connects via a special screw-on XLR
cable (included) that also supplies the device with power from the
rack unit.
We auditioned the Pendulum SPS-1 using a rich-sounding
Mossman Tennessee flat-top fitted with a Duncan Sadducer piezo
saddle pickup and a crown internal mike. We also had a new Guild
D40C cutaway tricked out with a Bartolini 3A soundhole pickup
and a Joe Mills internal mike. We ran the Pendulum's output to an
SSL 4000E board and listened to the results through Tannoy
System 8 and Westlake Audio monitors.
In this setting, the Pendulum's sound was impressive, to say the
least. Its sonic transparency allowed not only the personalities of
our guitars to shine through (no generic acoustic sound here), but
also the character of the individual mikes and pickups. Preamped
through the Pendulum, the Guild's Joe Mills mike sounded
beautifully crisp and detailed, and by itself the Bartolini 3A was
warm and jazzy. This combination of magnetic pickup and mike
yielded incredibly rich, articulate and accurate acoustic tone. Our
Mossman also sounded very good initially, but during the course
of our testing we had a chance to speak with Counting Crows
axman and Pendulum user David Bryson, who suggested rolling
the highs off the Duncan to reduce harshness, and reducing the
Crown mike's low end for more volume before feedback. After
dialing the SPS-1's EQ appropriately, we saw Dave's logic: the
Mossman's superb warmth and woodiness was retained, yet we
still had the punch and clarity necessary to cut through a loud
band. At all times, it was a snap to get exactly what we wanted
from the SPS-1, and that says a lot about the care and attention
that's gone into this unit's design.
Bryson's only quibble concerned the module's vulnerability is
some live situations - remember, you've got an object about half
the size of a pack of cigarettes extending from your endpin jack.
Pendulum's floor-mounted and internal units are worth considering
if you're a certified acoustic thrasher. Each provides the same
mixing/buffering functions. However, the internal module requires
phantom power (which means you can't plug the instrument
directly into a tuner), and the remote module necessitates a sounddegrading length of cable from the pickup and/or mikes. All
modules are compatible with any mixing board that provides 48
volt phantom-power capability.
The Pendulum SPS-1 is an elegantly designed and superbly
flexible acoustic preamp. Its ultra-transparent sound, studio-quality
EQ, and advanced features have made it the choice of players such
as James Taylor, Phil Keaggy, Leo Kottke, and Bob Weir.
Courtesy of its high-quality mike preamps, the SPS-1 can also be
used with a DAT or multi-track recorder as a stand-alone stereo
mike preamp/EQ for instruments or vocals. At $1,095, the SPS-1 is
way more expensive than a Fishman Blender or Rane AP13 - both
fine-sounding units in their own right - but its $900 less than
Rane's MAP33. In short, if you wish to wring the last drop of tone
from your amplified acoustic and can live without MIDI, the SPS1 is an ideal choice.
We'd like to thank Gary Brawer Stringed Instrument Repair (San
Francisco, California), Paul Robinson at Different Fur Studios (San
Francisco, California), Howard Johnson, Mark Slagle, and David
Bryson for their assistance.