18v high gain basses clipping my preamps and compressor

[N4860]

As someone with a bunch of basses with 18v preamps, I have never had an issue of distorting my compressor or amps with the volume maxed. I don't even think the EBMM Stingray Specials are that high of output compared to a passive bass with the eq at the center detent. My SR Specials are pretty close in volume to my passive EBMM cutlass so I don't think that is the issue.

 

[31HZ]

Check that you don't have a failing battery or two.

 

[garmenteros]

Im running into a antelope audio discrete 8. I messed around a bit and isolated the problem to just the compressor, i put the mesa first in the chain and i ran the xlr from the mesa straight to the interfase and no noise. Its just some basses with the tlc getting distorted.

 

[InkCow]

Therefore, the Aguilar TLC is not recommended for very high output instruments such as basses with 18 volt preamps.

Aguilar TLC Compressor Review

I'm sure Aguilar is a name you are familiar with, most notably for their line of amplifiers, cabinets and pickups and preamps. The Aguilar brand is associated with quality and tone and the TLC Compressor fits into that heritage nicely. The pedal itself is rugged and the same form factor as all...

www.compressorpedalreviews.com

Seems you're not alone there.

 

[garfoid]

I have several high output basses that are not playing well with my aguilar tlc compressor and mesa boogie subway plus preamp. They are clipping heavily and I cant use the gain or master on the preamp to any degree without being exceedingly loud. I know basses have a volume knob but Id like to run it on full, and even lowering it doesnt help much. My first pedal in my chain is the compressor. What are good compressors that handle
High output basses?

Your pedals (that are clipping) do not have enough headroom (they don't run on enough voltage) to deal with the large voltage signal output coming from your bass. Does any of your pedals have an Input gain control, or Volume? If so, you can use that to bring down the volume at the input to the pedal/s and then compensate at a later stage by bringing the signal back up. There are compressors that can run on higher voltages which can handle higher output basses (shameless plug: the Alma can do this) but you could try to work around this with the gear that you already have. Can the TLC and Boogie pedals work on 18v? if so, please try that and see if it helps

 

[ctmullins]

Still waiting to hear whether @garmenteros is cranking the boost on his onboard preamp...

 

[Melt in the Sun]

I'm confused too...what is actually clipping? Input gain set too high? Output on the compressor at max? I think there's probably a "oh, duh" solution to this.

 

[garmenteros]

I tried some of my passive basses and they work flawlessly with the tlc. With my high output basses Im getting input clipping no matter how low i turn the basses and without absurd settings on basses preamp. I read that this is an issue for some people with the tlc, so I guess its time to sell it. I bought a cali76 compact bass.

 

[garmenteros]

The mesa boogie when put first in the chain handled the high output basses flawlessly.

 

[sunbeast]

I tried some of my passive basses and they work flawlessly with the tlc. With my high output basses Im getting input clipping no matter how low i turn the basses and without absurd settings on basses preamp. I read that this is an issue for some people with the tlc, so I guess its time to sell it. I bought a cali76 compact bass.

I had issues with an Aguilar TLC clipping with G&L basses in passive mode as well, not a great compressor for hot basses. If you ever use much EQ boost on an 18V preamp then there is a strong likelihood you will run into headroom issues with lot of pedal FX, any vintage-style pedal design that runs on 9V internally will have fundamentally limited headroom for signals pushing the instrument level signal thresholds. Many modern FX can run on higher input voltages or have internal charge pumps to turn 9V input power to a higher voltage inside the pedal. If you bought a 1st-gen Cali Bass then you may need to run it at a higher voltage to increase its headroom, while the newer version runs at a higher voltage internally when fed 9V.