Behringer V-Tone Acoustic ADI21 Reviews

Unless you are an super pro acoustic guitar nerd, don't mind the naysayers

I like this little pedal because it gets rid of the DI acoustic piezo pickup quack sound that we all know too well. I even used it as a bass DI for live and on recordings. It's plastic but sturdy, so unless you plan to throw your equipment at it in a violent rage on stage - it is gonna serve you well.

Great little beast

I had no expectation of this cheap Behringer preamp. I'm pretty satisfied with sound and quality overall.

My recommendation!

A1 Gear

Really brings out the tone!!

Free up your amp's mic channel.

For small gigs I have found the AD121 works very well with the passive pickups on my mandolin and banjo when plugged into the mic input of my acoustic amp. I only have one instrument channel on my amp. For a second instrument I connect the AD21 3 pin Di out to the 3 pin mic channel. Thought I was going to have to buy another amp!

Exactly what I ordered.

It's plastic so I wouldn't take it on tour but it's perfect for studio or home use.

Amazing sound!

This made my guitar sound like a more expensive guitar, it is a great little investment to sound 500% better!!

Good product, not worth the effort

I have used this product for several years as a solo performer, especially in bars and pubs.

It's well made, cans tan up to a few knocks and offers a range of useful audio features. If your acoustic doesn't have a built-in preamp, this is really useful for shaping your sound without having to fuss with the sound board or PA. For home recording it offers a good buffer for acoustic sound, especially if you're going DI.

There are a couple of caveats, however. This is obviously subjective, but in my use as a performer I find it awkward to set up and use. Unless you're going to set it on a pedalboard, with an independent power supply, getting it situated in your performance space is a pain without having cables all over the place and it doesn't do all that much to boost your passive pickups thorugh a PA (which is what I bought it for). Changing batteries is a bit inconvenient also.

I'm sure there are plenty of good applications for this, and plenty of people who would love it, but for my needs it just doesn't quite fit the bill.

Great for indoor use

First of all, this is one great sounding and silent pedal. I bought it to get rid of the piëzo 'quack' of my acoustic electric and found out that 1. it does get rid of it and makes my acoustic electric sound like an acoustic guitar; 2. it is a tone shaper and gives you control over your tone and 3. it adds saturation to your sound if you wish.

It's also quite usable for bass guitars and works as a passive DI.

I bought it for a live acoustic gig. It did very good, This thing has only two flaws:

1. The switch is flimsy plastic and easy to break;

2. While it has an XLR out, it cannot be powered with phantom power but runs on batteries or an external adapter.

I use it in my studio on bass and acoustic guitars. I will never put it on a stage with a band.

Ok, Worth the money

But if you got a few bob to spend get something better.

Don't let the price fool you

This DI/modeling amp was designed for acoustic guitars with piezo (I believe). I am using it with my Blueridge guitar and with a more traditional magnetic pickup, Fishman Neo-D single coil.

I read many reviews and saw videos of people complaining about ADI21 not being good for the job because it distorts too much.

In my opinion that isn't the case. If you set the input gain levels of your mixer, interface or amp right, you won't be having distortion problems. If that is not enough, you can always flick the very useful PAD switch and lower the output gain of the pedal for 20db. So with a bit of knowledge and patience, this pedal can really work great and do the job that it was intended to do; make your amplified acoustic guitar sound richer with the feeling of using a mic and an amp.

The fact that you can choose a mid-range frequency and either cut it or boost it, makes it even more functional since you can not only shape your tone in more detail, but also eliminate possible feedback problems.

The housing is plastic, but it feels more solid than other Behringer pedals. When the pedal is bypassed, it acts as a simple DI.

And it's 21€!!!

ok, A little noizy. nothing special about this.

Acoustic happiness

As good, if not better than many more expensive acoustic pedals. I would prefer if it was more "set and forget" but that's just my personal preference. I am able to dial in a great acoustic tone with this pedal.

Decent value

For the price this is a useful unit...solid enough construction for a plastic unit,decent metal baseplate adds useful stability.

Makes an economic backup or occasional use DI....worth having one hanging around a home studio or spare in a gigbag.

Of the three units from Behringer,its the Bass we've used most for recording or emergency DI

Just what I needed

I bought this to make my acoustic guitar sound more authentic in live gigs. It does just the job. The blend knob is really heplful to create the tone your looking for.

I recommend this to anyone on a budget who wnats a bit more from the live acoustic gigs.

Excellent DI Box and all-purpose pre-amp

Very happy with this item especially considering its price. What I find most useful os the parametric Mid EQ facility, which makes it more effective than most EQ pedals, in my estimate.

It was not noisy like the Behringer EQ pedal that I'd bought ten years ago, so definitely fine to use for recording purposes. Works with bass or electric guitars just fine for clean sounds.

Also, good active DI box, of course.

Good value

Used with acoustic guitar and a violin. Really helps to get the sound I want

Acoustic preamo/DI

Exceptional value for money.

Excellent value

Ideal and inexpensive alternative to lugging a heavy amp to places where there is PA avsailable. Fine as DI box plus eq modelling to supplement whatever system your electro acoustic has. Good value for money, seems sturdily made and simple to use

Every acoustic guitarist should have one!

This small box fits the space between the acoustic guitar and the PA system, providing additional controls and, most important, an XLR output. The thick brown plastic body and the heavy metallic base give a sense of solidity; the on/off button may seem brittle, but this device is not supposed to be repeatedly engaged and disengaged while playing!

The tone (three bands, plus middle frequency) and volume knobs are integrated by two cursors for ground lift and -20dB level reduction. A "blend" knob is also present, which is actually a volume control for a simulated microphone in front of the guitar's soundhole. The device can be powered by either 9V battery (lasting about four hours) or adapter: because of the internal pre-amplifier, powering via XLR is impossible.

When disengaged, the device works as a passive DI box. Engaging it will activate the internal pre-amplifier, and this might reduce the sound level, as the volume knob is thought to both decrease and increase the volume; as the blend knob also increases the volume of the unit, some careful soundcheck may be required. In either case, the sound is absolutely convincing: however, the device must always be powered, even in passive mode. Some users reported feedback problems when blending with the microphone simulator: but I never had this issue.

Overall, a good tool at a low price, which will rest in the guitar case's pocket, ready to spring into action.

Useful DI Box, average EQ

It's nice to have a DI box, but regarding the EQ don't expect to get an amazing tone on your acoustic guitar.

I use it on a G series Takamine electric-acoustic to plug it directly in the PA during gigs. It does help to have a bit of extra EQ than the basic settings of my guitar but I don't get an amazing acoustic tone either.

I also use it for my bass sometimes just as a DI box, it works well that way.

It's a cheap alternative to an acoustic guitar amp.