Audere Preamps

[Fatbasstones]

Hey everyone! I had a quick question about your experiences with audere preamps. I have heard people say that if all eq options are set to 0 then it is like having your bass be passive. Is this true? I'm thinking of installing one of their preamps into my Lakland DJ5 but want to make sure that I can still get a good passiveish tone.

Thanks!!!

 

[Geri O]

Hey everyone! I had a quick question about your experiences with audere preamps. I have heard people say that if all eq options are set to 0 then it is like having your bass be passive. Is this true? I'm thinking of installing one of their preamps into my Lakland DJ5 but want to make sure that I can still get a good passiveish tone.

Thanks!!!

It’s not true because even with the EQ controls set flat, or center detent, you still have the buffering qualities of the preamp in play. This will apply to any preamp.

If you want a passive tone, eliminate the preamp altogether. Easy enough.

 

[ardgedee]

Hey everyone! I had a quick question about your experiences with audere preamps. I have heard people say that if all eq options are set to 0 then it is like having your bass be passive. Is this true?

It can be true in the sense that the signal from the pickups is at the same level at the output jack with or without the pre engaged. But like @Geri O says, the pickups will be electronically isolated from anything the bass is plugged into, so for example their behavior won't be affected by changes in the circuit caused by volume or tone knobs, long guitar cables, or stompboxes. This can be good or bad or too subtle to care about, depending on your tone goals.

 

[ragetoca]

I love mine except that the preamp is always active. No option for a passive mode. So if your battery runs out good luck

 

[scowboy]

I love mine except that the preamp is always active. No option for a passive mode. So if your battery runs out good luck

But with the tiniest bit of attention to your instrument will never happen!

 

[Zooberwerx]

The real magic to the Audere Classic and Pro Z series is how they "load" the pickups. It's essentially a mini-mixer with a channel for each pickup. As I mentioned previously, you can get really stupid with the higher-tier Pro Z configs and assign different Z modes / voicings to each. Sounds great without extensive EQing. Sorry, no passive / bypass mode but I don't miss it.

Riis

 

[ragetoca]

But with the tiniest bit of attention to your instrument will never happen!

Yes but I like to reduce the chances of that happening. So simple for Audere to add a switch but I’ve heard the guy is very stubborn

 

[J-Bass RMR]

Just to clarify; Audere states; ([Invalid or Expired Link Removed])

How do I make it Sound like a Passive Bass? Tone controls in the center detents are FLAT.

My my understanding is there's 2 things going on that still affect the tone in a FLAT setting;
With the Stereo front end, the PUs are isolated from each other so they are loaded differently than a passive circuit, and it allows a "broader" blend range.
I believe the Pot values are also different, which also effects te tone.


For me, it's "close enough;
I have 2 Tony Franklins loaded with Franlins. One is fretted with Passive VVT - GHS precisions
The other is fretless, with Audere Classic with a Passive Tone control - EB Cobalt Flats
The fretless is brighter set "flat" (in part due to strings), but a little tweaking of the Treble and Tone and they are very close (accounting for the different strings) The fretless is maybe slightly "clearer" overall as well.
I like having the extra "depth" on the fretless the Audere provides.

Yes but I like to reduce the chances of that happening. So simple for Audere to add a switch but I’ve heard the guy is very stubborn

I found David was easy to work with when I asked for advice about the above configuration and requested a passive tone control. Reasonably priced too. .

 

[Z-Bass]

I have (correction had) a Lakland DJ4 that came equipped with an Audere 4-band preamp with a passive tone. The controls are vol/blend-low mid/high mid-bass/treble-passive tone). I couldn't compare the active versus the pure passive because these do not have a bypass feature. But sometimes I would just use the pickup blend and passive tone, leaving all of the pre-amp EQ flat, and it sounded like a solid passive jazz. I'm sure if I did a before and after installation comparison I would be able hear a difference but it's sounds great and the pre-amp seems pretty transparent. As others have stated, "close enough" is accurate in my option at least.

I said 'had' as my oldest son borrowed it for some gigs and fell in love with it, so I just let him have it. He's making great music with his bands and is getting great tone.

 

[Keith Guitars]

I have installed dozens of Auderes and have one in my personal bass. I find them to be very natural/flat sounding, with flat setting as close to the passive sound as I’ve heard. I also really like both the EQ centers and the boost range - it has less boost available than some other brands, but the entirety of the range is usable (vs some where boosting the bass control past 5 is basically insane). If you are looking for a super scooped out “Marcus” kind of sound, maybe it’s not the right choice, but for anything else, the smaller boost ranges allow you to dial in finer adjustments. A particular favorite for me is the low-mid control on his 4-band setup, which adds thickness and punch without losing clarity, and doesn’t overload your speaker with crazy sub-lows. It kinda fills the mix with fat bass presence without mud, in the same way that a good P bass does.
The components are all top-shelf quality and David is very meticulous with his assembly.
Cons: very few, except: you have to really be attentive to separating the signal and shield grounds, unlike more common preamps. Just follow the instructions carefully and it will be fine. Also, the standard layouts don’t offer an easy active/passive option. It’s doable by ordering the 1-input preamp and running a passive Volume/Blend before the EQ, but then you lose the buffered blend that is part of what makes the preamp good.
The only other way is to use a 4PDT toggle switch, which means that the passive sound is hard-wired to both pickup fully on, with no controls. More of a fail-safe than anything else.

Overall, I think it’s a great preamp. It is very reasonably priced for the quality and performance, available and lots of different configurations, and has lots of useful sounds available throughout its entire range of adjustment.

Also a big plus: it works fully to specifications with a single 9v battery, and doesn’t need/benefit from 18v. There are other preamps that sound clearly better at 18v to me, but that has space and weight liabilities that are not always desirable. For a single battery set up, it is hard to beat.

 

[Keith Guitars]

Yes but I like to reduce the chances of that happening. So simple for Audere to add a switch but I’ve heard the guy is very stubborn

It’s not about stubbornness, in this case. The way this preamp works, adding a passive bypass is not as simple and straightforward as it is with other designs. The preamp has two separate inputs, one for each pick up, so you have to switch both inputs separately, and doing so bypasses the blend control. This is a technical issue, not a question of stubbornness.

 

[Aloe]

So simple for Audere to add a switch but I’ve heard the guy is very stubborn

well, with a buffered blend a passive bypass isn't trivial at all.

if you'll look to john east pre, blend control operates as a switch in passive (neck/50x50/bridge) because that's how he bypasses the active blend.

most pres with a bypass switch on the market don't have a buffered blend, that's the story. either you want the active blend (like in Audere), or a passive mode, they don't get along together.

 

[PeaveyPlayer]

Depends I have an audere 2 band plus tone control and changed the cap out for a 0.022 in my atelier z

It does impart a bit of an edge but still good and somewhat transparent to others like Aguilar

 

[Thunderthumbs73]

But with the tiniest bit of attention to your instrument will never happen!

Amen.

 

[Fatbasstones]

Thank you so much for your amazing responses everyone! With my goal of still being able to keep it somewhat passive (good enough is fine for me!), do you think it'd be better to go for the jazz series or pro JZ? Thanks again!

 

[Zooberwerx]

Thank you so much for your amazing responses everyone! With my goal of still being able to keep it somewhat passive (good enough is fine for me!), do you think it'd be better to go for the jazz series or pro JZ? Thanks again!

If easily distracted / OCD-driven, stick with the classic 4-band. If truly adventurous and have the extra coin, go the Pro JZ route. Either way, you won't be disappointed. Enjoy the ride!

Riis

 

[MaxSpinrun]

I have an older Audere Pro Z. I have an active passive switch and a 6 position rotary Z mode selector. Run mine a 18 volts which gives me extremely long battery life. This configuration is no longer available.

 

[pb9717]

Understand, the Audere is unique in its approach to augment the existing sound of your instrument, and not to change it too drastically. I have not used the Z series, but have installed the 2 band w passive tone in several basses. The effect is far more restrained than other pre’s. If your looking for huge increases in db’s at the respected frequency points, the Audere may prove to be too mild vs say a Bart, Aguilar, or John East.

 

[Low Down Brown]

I'll agree with all the great points already mentioned. I have an Audere 4-band in my Jazz with a pair of Bartolini B-Axis pickups and a 3 band w/ 3-way mid selector + passive tone in my Maruszczyk Jazzus with Aguilar 60s P/MM pickups. With everything set flat, it sounds about as neutral as my ears can detect. They're very organic and natural sounding preamps. Initially, I was apprehensive about the lack of active/passive switching, but I've never missed the option once since I've been using the Audere preamps. I have another mod/upgrade project I’m planning soon for my Ibanez TR Expressionist, and I will be putting Audere in that one too.

 

[ragetoca]

I forgot to mention that the treble knob can go to 100% without any fuss or noise. It’s super quiet.