Behringer Bass V-AMP Pro - Part II: Get On Back, Jack, Do It Again...

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Is it easy enough to use the V-Amp to run headphones? (also going to look into that B3)

[CharlieC]

Originally Posted by i_got_a_mohawk

Is it easy enough to use the V-Amp to run headphones? (also going to look into that B3)

Both versions of the Bass V-AMP feature a headphone jack and all one needs to do is plug in a set of phones to use it

Cheers!

[i_got_a_mohawk]

I feel slightly special now.

Saw the reply and thought "where?". So had another look.

I'd only look at the sockets on the back (Pro), completelly missed the front socket

Cheers!

[soundman502]

Guys, at the risk of repeating another posting, I've been scanning for an answer and haven't found it yet.

The issue I'm having is odd, and I plan on replacing the battery tonight, but want to post this also in case anyone else has the same thing happen.

I haven't used my VAmp for a little while, as I had been trying out a Tech 21 Paradriver on recommendation from a friend of mine. I decided that I wanted to go back to my BVAMP Pro, but when I play certain notes, mainly open A, I'm getting a sound through my cab like there's a second octave to it. It's not on all notes, and the FX are all off, but I can't seem to find it. I've had her for about a year now, and I still have the warranty available, but I'd like to think this is a simple fix. My plan is to try the battery and do a master reset, but is it possible I'm missing something else?

[CharlieC]

Originally Posted by soundman502

Guys, at the risk of repeating another posting, I've been scanning for an answer and haven't found it yet.

The issue I'm having is odd, and I plan on replacing the battery tonight, but want to post this also in case anyone else has the same thing happen.

I haven't used my VAmp for a little while, as I had been trying out a Tech 21 Paradriver on recommendation from a friend of mine. I decided that I wanted to go back to my BVAMP Pro, but when I play certain notes, mainly open A, I'm getting a sound through my cab like there's a second octave to it. It's not on all notes, and the FX are all off, but I can't seem to find it. I've had her for about a year now, and I still have the warranty available, but I'd like to think this is a simple fix. My plan is to try the battery and do a master reset, but is it possible I'm missing something else?

I have never heard of this, but here are my suggestions:

1. Perform a factory reset (steps for this are found in Part I of this thread)
2. Use my Quick Start Guide (also found in Part I) to absolutely be certain that no buried effects are spoiling the patch
3. Ensure that you are not tripping the CLIP LED on the V-AMP and the occasional distortion is the cause of the odd noise

Cheers!

[RustyJam]

First time post, I apologize if this is in the wrong area, or if this has already been answered. CharlieC, thank you for your efforts in making so much great information available on the v-amp bass pro, it is greatly appreciated. Here's my problem, I'm trying to have an output (XLR) go to the house with Amp/Cab/Fx, and an output to my Hartke b600 (into the effects return jack) which has Amp/Fx and No Cab (using the b600 for monitor). I've tried the L3 setting and am using one of the analog 1/4 jacks to the Hartke but I can tell it's including the Cab sim (verified by switching cabs in the editing software while listening). What am I doing wrong? Do I need to put it in bi-amp mode? In the short term it doesn't sound too bad, but it doesn't have the clarity I would like. Thanks in advance for any help.

[Unscruffed]

Originally Posted by RustyJam

First time post, I apologize if this is in the wrong area, or if this has already been answered. CharlieC, thank you for your efforts in making so much great information available on the v-amp bass pro, it is greatly appreciated. Here's my problem, I'm trying to have an output (XLR) go to the house with Amp/Cab/Fx, and an output to my Hartke b600 (into the effects return jack) which has Amp/Fx and No Cab (using the b600 for monitor). I've tried the L3 setting and am using one of the analog 1/4 jacks to the Hartke but I can tell it's including the Cab sim (verified by switching cabs in the editing software while listening). What am I doing wrong? Do I need to put it in bi-amp mode? In the short term it doesn't sound too bad, but it doesn't have the clarity I would like. Thanks in advance for any help.

I know it's stupid, but I think you can only achieve this with the "jellybean" and not the Pro model. On the jellybean, the left analog output in L3 mode doesn't have the cab sim, but on the Pro model it does.

I think the cab sim is active on both analog outputs in all modes on the pro model except L2, which is the bi-amp mode - which has two problems:

1. the cab sim is also removed from the XLR outputs
2. you have to run both analog outputs to a single input on your amp.

Either way, you can't win - you either have the cab sim through your amp (L3), or no cab sim through the FOH (L2).

Behringer really didn't put much thought into "live applications". Another thing that you'll notice is that the jellybean has an unprocessed DI output (in mode S3), another thing missing from the Pro model - not that I can think of any real use for that anyway, other than to feed another full blown processor.

[soundman502]

Charlie, thanks for the input. I replaced the battery last night (first time since I've had it) and did the master reset. It seems to have helped. I had set it up using your guide previously, but a lot of tweaking and experimenting may have just hosed it up. I don't know that it's completely gone yet, but I'll be working with it pretty hard this weekend to see where it sits.

I'm in one of those positions where I thought I "knew" my BVAMP pretty well thanks to the guidance from you and others in these threads, but I'm gonna go back to 1st grade with it and start over. I need to master the EQ and modeling settings on it to see if I can fix a resonance problem with one of my basses. I just know I haven't hit all the tricks with this yet.

Thanks again!

[CharlieC]

Originally Posted by RustyJam

First time post, I apologize if this is in the wrong area, or if this has already been answered. CharlieC, thank you for your efforts in making so much great information available on the v-amp bass pro, it is greatly appreciated. Here's my problem, I'm trying to have an output (XLR) go to the house with Amp/Cab/Fx, and an output to my Hartke b600 (into the effects return jack) which has Amp/Fx and No Cab (using the b600 for monitor). I've tried the L3 setting and am using one of the analog 1/4 jacks to the Hartke but I can tell it's including the Cab sim (verified by switching cabs in the editing software while listening). What am I doing wrong? Do I need to put it in bi-amp mode? In the short term it doesn't sound too bad, but it doesn't have the clarity I would like. Thanks in advance for any help.

No thanks necessary!

I myself use L3 operating mode on the V-AMP Pro with great success, but here is where things get fuzzy.

On my V-AMP Pro, L3 mode does not output Cab Sim on the 1/4" outs. For me, both 1/4" outs produce the same signal based on "Amp, FX + Live EQ" as per the docs. In fact, I cannot gain access to edits under CABINET from the front of the V-AMP unit while in L3 mode (which gives credit to that functionality as being N/A.) While in L3 my ear detects the least amount of cab sim compared to the other modes that I believe it is functioning acceptably.

You mentioned you are using the software editor which allows you to change cabinets while in L3 mode and you hear the effects of changing cabinets. I am willing to wager that this ability is a software glitch (as it's impossible to tweak otherwise) and the unexpected changing of the cabinets is corrupting the true L3 experience. Just a guess as I do not use the software editor.

From my past testing, L3 is as good as it will get on the Bass V-AMP Pro for feeding an actual bass rig via the 1/4" outs and then optionally feeding FOH via XLR outs with a cabinet sim'd tone. I believe it succeeds so well in that respect that I continue to use the Bass V-AMP Pro over new products like the outstanding Zoom B3 (see my previous post if curious)

Cheers!

[RustyJam]

Unscruffed and CharlieC - thanks guys, I appreciated it. I'm under the gun with having to learn 27 songs in just a few weeks while working full time, plus still playing guitar at church... I was kinda freaking out trying get everything working with not having played bass for years, and then having to get two new pieces of gear working that I've never used (the v-amp and the b600) and having issues. Anyway, thanks for making me feel welcome! I was disappointing as Unscruffed confirmed everything I'd found out on my own (since it was all new, I thought I might be missing something). I ran a test with every mode and tracked each output independently (l/r analog, l/r xlr), that's 4 outs x 6 modes giving me 24 tests, turning on and off cabs and FX to track everything down. Got exactly the same answer that Unscruffed did. I was resolved to just get a full spectrum monitor (keyboard type?).
I'm hoping that you're right CharlieC, hoping that it's just a matter of the editing software glitching. I will have some time to mess with it after the gig tomorrow. Don't want to mess with too much since other than the cab sim thing everything is working. I just tried out some ear buds with it and it sounds killer. As soon as I get a chance I'll just feed it some source material and compare the sound without using the editing software just to nail down in my head what's happening - can't stand not understanding stuff.

[Unscruffed]

Charlie is right as usual. It's not hard to see why Behringer's manuals are so confusing. Some items state "w/out cab sim" and others state "with cab sim". So what happens when neither is stated? What is the assumed default - with or without? I assumed "with" - so I decided to check for myself and found out I was wrong.

As Charlie stated, you can't change the cab sim from the front panel in modes where it is not active. So I did my tests the same way that RustyJam did his - using the v3 editor, and changing the cab setting in each mode. My results were that the cab setting had no effect at all in the modes where the cab sim was not active (S3, L2, L3). Futhermore, whether or not the Cab Sim was active was the same on both the XLR and Analog outputs in each mode, although the XLR's do have the Ultra-G thingy (whatever that is, but it's not the Cab Sim).

S1: Active
S2: Active
S3: Not Active
L1: Active
L2: Not Active
L3: Not Active

The only way I can see that you can send the Cab Sim to FOH and not the amp is to use the digital output for FOH in modes S3 or L3 - which is totally useless in 99.9% of cases where everything is analog - especially the FOH console.

What this does not explain is how anyone can get the Cab Sim in mode L3. This can't be a software glitch either - the editor only communicates with the V-Amp via midi messages. It is therefore impossible for it to "alter" the way any particular mode operates - the firmware/hardware simply doesn't work that way.

Forgive me if you have already checked this, but the only thing that I can think of is that the editor may be incorrectly detecting the mode. Turn the V-Amp off, then back on, and watch the display while it boots up. It will briefly show the current mode. Check this and confirm that it is "really" in mode L3. If it is, then I can't think of any explaination as to why you're hearing the Cab Sim at all out of any of the outputs.

[RustyJam]

I haven't tested everything thoroughly again, but I have found that the editing software definitely let's you select and change Cabs while in L3 mode. I'm fairly certain that this is the reason for my original concerns.
I did a restore (hold down D/E while powering up - then <>).
I made sure I was in S1 mode, had patch 1A current did the <> for editing, hit the C button and could change the cabs as you would expect. Changed the mode to L3. Turned it off and back on to verify I was in L3. Tried the above procedure and it failed to allow me to change the cab - USING THE FRONT PANEL. However using the editing software it placed no such restriction on me. I could select a cab (even on patches that had none previously selected) as well as change them. The preset button would flash indicating the patch had changed. If I held it down to save and then went to another patch and returned, the cab change I had made was still there. This in L3 mode still.
CharlieC's guess about the editing software was correct. I appreciate both you guy's help quite a bit. I'll probably test the outputs more thoroughly to verify predictability, but for now I can rest in that I wasn't totally flipped. Thanks again.

[ChrisAlan]

Read the way I have to handle getting my stage and FOH signal sounding the same. I'd like to know if you guys come up with a better scheme.

Behringer Bass V-AMP Pro - Part II: Get On Back, Jack, Do It Again...

At this point I've just been looking at the V-Amp as a peculiar programmable EQ with some preset tone types as starting points. I know it's more than that, but that perspective has been more productive for me to get what I need out of the unit.

Avoid the XLR outputs. No good comes from them. Cab sim settings are ignored and you're stuck with a 4x12 at all times with Ultra-G. I also have to run my amp EQ more to flatten the response of the amp than to actually tweak the tone. I have to look at my amp more like a PA. Then after that, I have to EQ the FOH signal to match up with my amp/speaker response. It's a big compromise but it has been working well. It's taken tons of tweaking and experimenting at practice and live.

Originally Posted by Unscruffed

Charlie is right as usual. It's not hard to see why Behringer's manuals are so confusing. Some items state "w/out cab sim" and others state "with cab sim". So what happens when neither is stated? What is the assumed default - with or without? I assumed "with" - so I decided to check for myself and found out I was wrong.

As Charlie stated, you can't change the cab sim from the front panel in modes where it is not active. So I did my tests the same way that RustyJam did his - using the v3 editor, and changing the cab setting in each mode. My results were that the cab setting had no effect at all in the modes where the cab sim was not active (S3, L2, L3). Futhermore, whether or not the Cab Sim was active was the same on both the XLR and Analog outputs in each mode, although the XLR's do have the Ultra-G thingy (whatever that is, but it's not the Cab Sim).

S1: Active
S2: Active
S3: Not Active
L1: Active
L2: Not Active
L3: Not Active

The only way I can see that you can send the Cab Sim to FOH and not the amp is to use the digital output for FOH in modes S3 or L3 - which is totally useless in 99.9% of cases where everything is analog - especially the FOH console.

What this does not explain is how anyone can get the Cab Sim in mode L3. This can't be a software glitch either - the editor only communicates with the V-Amp via midi messages. It is therefore impossible for it to "alter" the way any particular mode operates - the firmware/hardware simply doesn't work that way.

Forgive me if you have already checked this, but the only thing that I can think of is that the editor may be incorrectly detecting the mode. Turn the V-Amp off, then back on, and watch the display while it boots up. It will briefly show the current mode. Check this and confirm that it is "really" in mode L3. If it is, then I can't think of any explaination as to why you're hearing the Cab Sim at all out of any of the outputs.

[Unscruffed]

It is perfectly normal that you can change the cab and other non-active settings in the software editor - regardless of which mode you are using. This makes perfect sense, otherwise you would have to edit all your presets every time you change the operating mode.

It is the hardware that ignores non-active settings. This has nothing to do with the software, which sends and receives the exact same SYSEX information regardless of the current operating mode.

[RustyJam]

Unscruffed - You are correct. I finally got a chance to check it again and it appears to be just as you describe. One thing I notice is that while using the software to scroll through the cab's in L3 mode, it makes a "swoofy" sound every time the cab changes, which caused me to believe that the cab sim's were coming through the outputs.... Oops.
ChrisAlan - thanks for the info. and the diagram. lol - looks like something I would do.
Anyway, I've decided I'm just going to use a powered PA speaker for my monitor and run the cab sim's to the house and to my monitor. What's the point of tweaking your cab sim if it's just gonna send the Ultra-G to the house (L3 mode)? This will work well if I move to the Zoom B3 or something else with modeling, as well as with my Guitar rig (Pod XT Live). Thanks gentlemen, sorry for the wild goose chase.

[Unscruffed]

One thing I notice is that while using the software to scroll through the cab's in L3 mode, it makes a "swoofy" sound every time the cab changes, which caused me to believe that the cab sim's were coming through the outputs.... Oops.

That threw me off at first too mate.

[seang15]

Hi folks! I have a V-Amp-Pro FS/FT in the classifieds, thanks!

[ebandy76]

I just picked up a Peavey IPR-3000 to pair with my bass v-amp pro and it is amazing. Thank you so much CharlieC. Your hints and tips made all the difference. Pulled all the junk out of the sound, and it is quite an amazing premp. My setup sounds great and I am beyond happy. First time I've had a bass rig that I can say I'm truly happy with!

[CharlieC]

Originally Posted by ebandy76

I just picked up a Peavey IPR-3000 to pair with my bass v-amp pro and it is amazing. Thank you so much CharlieC. Your hints and tips made all the difference. Pulled all the junk out of the sound, and it is quite an amazing premp. My setup sounds great and I am beyond happy. First time I've had a bass rig that I can say I'm truly happy with!

Congrats! and you're welcome!

[ebandy76]

One question for you all here. I'm having a little bit of volume disparity between my two cabs. My 410 Hartke cab is quite a bit lower in sensitivity from my Avatar Neo 210. I was thinking of coming from both of the Behringer V-Amp's XLR outputs and then running to each channel of the Peavey. Then I would have separate volume controls for each cabinet. I am running the Behringer in L3.