Bass POD with Active Pickups

Ian_Currie · #1 03-14-2002, 02:22 PM

Anyone out there have a bass with active pickups and tried recording with the POD?

I have a Peavey Cirrus which has an 18v active pickup and it seems to overpower the POD. Even with the direct out, I get lots of distortion.

I've tried with my other (passive) bass and that seems to work fine, but I really bought this thing to use with my new Cirrus.

Any comments?

Ian

JMX · #2 03-14-2002, 06:28 PM

I don't know the Cirrus, but maybe you can lower the output with a trim pot in the electronics cavity.
Open it up and take a look.

DB5 · #3 03-16-2002, 07:39 AM

I have the same bass and the bass pod pro. I have never had any distortion when recording or in live situations. Have you tried replacing your batteries.

What are you recording on ? sounds like your over driving it. Trim it back

When recording make sure you have it in the studio mode.

Ian_Currie · #4 03-16-2002, 07:51 AM

Well, I have new batteries, and when I heard distortion, I just checked the direct out (to eliminate the amp modeling) and sure enough - as soon as play a note loud, it's all fuzzy. I'm going direct into a Mackie 1642 mixer and I'm making sure I'm not overloading the mixer...

If I play softly, it doesn't distort too much, but it really feels like the preamp in my bass is overloading the input section on the POD. I wish there were some sort of active/passive switch on the POD...

JMX · #5 03-16-2002, 08:20 AM

Just to keep everything covered.
You plug your bass into the Pod and the Pod into the Mackie, right?
Make sure you plug the Pod into a line in of the Mackie, not into a mic in.
A mic in has much higher sensitivity and this might have caused the distortion.

If you do it like this:

bass->Pod (line out or DI) -> line in (Mackie) there shouldn't be any problem.

Ian_Currie · #6 03-16-2002, 09:09 AM

Yes, I'm going to a line-in on the Mackie. Of course this is still affected by the trim pot, but I'm making sure that it's not distorting on the Mackie.

air_leech · #7 03-16-2002, 09:26 AM

doesn't the BOD feature a gain knob?
if so, have you tried backing it down?

another thing,
are you using headphones? maybe only the headphones are getting overdriven.

Acepiloto · #8 03-19-2002, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by air_leech
another thing, are you using headphones?

Also, the signal will be the same through both the DI and the Modeled output if you have headphones plugged in. Something I discovered, pissed me off at first, but then I found a way to utilize it.

Ian_Currie · #9 03-19-2002, 08:38 PM

I don't have headphones plugged in, and the drive is all the way down.

I really think it's a case of my Peavey Cirrus having an 18 volt pre-amp and it's overloading the POD. Ideally, the pod would have a passive/active switch, but it doesn't.

I'm bummed...

Acepiloto · #10 03-20-2002, 03:31 PM

There is a clip indicator underneath the tuner or apply fx to di button. Next time you play check and see if it lights up.

I would try plugging your POD into an amp and see if the distortion is still present.

If the clip light doesn't come on, and it still distorts through an amp, something inside the POD is most likley gone wrong. If the amp doesn't distort, it might be the mixer.

christos · #11 03-21-2002, 07:06 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by acepiloto
There is a clip indicator underneath the tuner or apply fx to di button. Next time you play check and see if it lights up.

I clip mine, if I go full out on my G&L. Try turning down the volume on your bass, it works for me.