Hard Rock BDDI

[Venom of God]

Hey all
Yesterday I impulse bought a SansAmp Programmable Bass Driver DI to replace my old Zoom B2.1u. The Zoom was a good first pedal to try out different effects and such, but all I really used was a bit of overdrive and a tiny, tiny bit of chorus, so it was time to get a simpler (and better) unit.

I use a MIM Jazz with a Seymour Duncan Basslines humbucker on the bridge and a normal-Jazz bass type Basslines pickup at the front through a Hartke 3500 head with a LabSystems 410 cab. I run the BDDI through the return on the back of the head.

Now, I come here seeking advice on where I should have things set. I've just never been good with dialing in the tones that I want. My main amp is at a friends house (where we rehearse), so all I have to play around with here is a crappy ten watt Samick. I'd play around with it more on my better amp before asking advice, but we have a gig tomorrow evening and I'd really like to use the SansAmp there!

Any tips on how to set it? I play 80s influenced hard rock, check out our MySpace if you want, I'll throw a link at the bottom of this post. I need a nice, clean channel for the acoustic parts in our ballady songs and then a tough hard rock sound and then another hard rock one similar to the first one but just a bit more dirty and something that will cut through just a little bit more.

Any help would really be appreciated, especially if it comes in before this gig.

Thanks!

www.myspace.com/highclassrocknroll

[lowendgenerator]

Set the bass and treble flat, blend 100% clockwise, gain about half. The best thing about the BDDI is that it makes a beautiful noise with everything set flat.

[Jared Lash]

For a clean tone you may just want the SansAmp off. Or for recording purposes you could just turn the blend all the way to dry. But if you want that SansAmp sound, I'd just set the drive to zero.

For a dirty tone, I like the bass and treble at about one and the drive at just under 12. Adjust the volume accordingly.

For a tone to cut through a bit better, roll the bass and treble back a bit (say 10 o'clock) and put the gain around 9 or 10. The SansAmp scoops your mids and this will mitigate that a bit.

The knob that you really need to experiment is Presence. Turning it up gives you a sharper, more cutting attack and rolling it back gives you a warmer tone though you lose some definition. Personally I never have it too high or the sound just gets too harsh for my ears.

Good luck.

[Venom of God]

Liking the sounds of all of those setting a lot more than what I had before, will be good to try them out on my proper amp. Thanks for the prompt replys!

Anyone else have any experience with this pedal and a hard rock sound?

[dancehallclasher]

I like the bass, treble and presence hovering around flat, the blend backed off to about 1:30 and the drive pushing 3 o'clock. Some people like to roll back the bass and treble to mitigate the mid-scoop of the sound, I like to do this with the blend control instead, but then you have to turn up the drive to get the same amount of hair. This is the best combo I've found for rock using a pick.

[Venom of God]

Thanks, will have to give that one a go too!

I play with fingers, by the way.