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BDDI eq mids back in?

kringle77

kringle77

Supporting Member
Jul 30, 2004
8,880
4,290
49
Massena NY
#1
Ok, everybody knows that sansamp bass driver has a big mid dip at 750hz. Has anyone had any success using an external eq or preamp to fill that hole in, or is that pretty much impossible? Is seems like I tried to do that when I owned one but, I can't remember. It's been several years.
 
#4
Thanks guys. Those tips are pretty common knowledge around here. When I had mine and put it on a frequency analyzer, there was still a mid dip with the bass and treble turned down. Also, it kind of ruins the gritty sound a bit. I was thinking about getting one again, using the blend and maybe eqing the mids back in. You can do that with some gear like swr where this is a scoop going on but, with some stuff it just isn't possible. Im thinking the bddi is like this. I seem to remember using an eq pedal with boosted mids and the bddi was sucking it up like a black hole. Remember, I was using an analyzer so, I could see the dip.
 
#6
kringle77 said:
Thanks guys. Those tips are pretty common knowledge around here. When I had mine and put it on a frequency analyzer, there was still a mid dip with the bass and treble turned down. Also, it kind of ruins the gritty sound a bit. I was thinking about getting one again, using the blend and maybe eqing the mids back in. You can do that with some gear like swr where this is a scoop going on but, with some stuff it just isn't possible. Im thinking the bddi is like this. I seem to remember using an eq pedal with boosted mids and the bddi was sucking it up like a black hole. Remember, I was using an analyzer so, I could see the dip.
Click to expand...

I understand where you are coming from by using a freq analyzer. However, I think it would be a bad idea to judge your tone based on anything besides your ear. I'm not criticizing you... but I think that the data you get isn't really useful in determining what "sounds good". However, that dip at 750mhz may be what my ear likes... your ear may not.

To focus more on what the original topic was: I use the VT Bass pedal in front of BDDI. The VT has a mid control and sounds a little more grittier than the BDDI. I have three channels set up on the BDDI. One of the channels is used with my VT to "scoop" out the mids. So, in effect, I have the VT running most of the time. When I need to scoop the mids out, I turn on the BDDI. I use the other two BDDI channels by themselves for a "cleaner SVT" sound and a "Bassman" style sound. Works great for me. I realize that this is the opposite of what you want to do... but I am sure I could easily make it work the other way. I wish I had a freq analyzer to check it out.

Let me know how you work it out, I'd be curious of the results.
 
#7
Venom of God said:
What's that sound like? Seems like an odd thing to do!
Click to expand...

I agree... it is odd. It just works for me. I don't run the VT at full bore through the BDDI... in fact the drive is all the way down. I use the blend knob judiciously.

Check this out: Link Removed

The track "Live With Me" (Stones Cover) is with this set up. I forget exactly what my settings were. It was recorded direct out of the BDDI.
 
#11
I've owned literally 90% of what sansamp has put out and the paradriver is pretty good. With that one I found myself missing that very high end grittiness of the bddi. With the bddi I was missing the mids. Probably should have tried them together but I was always wishing that the paradrivers mids went lower. With the sansamp stuff Im always thinking "What if they had actually just done......" because it's so close to being right but, not quite. Maybe a bddi run in channel two of my genz benz shuttle max 12.0 with the mids boosted or mixed with channel 1 would work well. Im going to be trying just that experiment with a Leeds pedal next week.
 
#12
kringle77 said:
Thanks guys. Those tips are pretty common knowledge around here. When I had mine and put it on a frequency analyzer, there was still a mid dip with the bass and treble turned down. Also, it kind of ruins the gritty sound a bit. I was thinking about getting one again, using the blend and maybe eqing the mids back in. You can do that with some gear like swr where this is a scoop going on but, with some stuff it just isn't possible. Im thinking the bddi is like this. I seem to remember using an eq pedal with boosted mids and the bddi was sucking it up like a black hole. Remember, I was using an analyzer so, I could see the dip.
Click to expand...

You may be better off with our Para Driver DI pedal. While it has a similar feature set as the BDDI, it also has a sweepable semi-parametric eq that will allow you to adjust the midrange. The BDDI was designed with a specific "sound" whereas the Para DI which is a floor version of our RPM provides more detailed tonal shaping. There is no presence control but I doubt that would be a problem for you.
 
#14
what i do is put the VT after the BDDI, dont ask me why, the VT just sounds better to my ears after than in front. and i keelp the blend 10-12 o'c

i also bump the mids on my amp.

i know this defeats using the bddi as a direct, but i would always rather mic a cab either live or recording anyway and if i have to go direct i use my amp.

i think the VT and BDDI sound better together that each one alone, i know one is modern and one is vintage, and again i have no idea why. it just sounds better to my ears in the band mix that way.
 
#15
the para driver's mids go below 200. lower than that would be lows, no? and i believe that the high control is a shelving control, so any boost you'd get in the presence knob on the bass pedal you'd get on the para driver too, but also, most bass amps would be able to provide the high's you're looking for, but not necessarily add back in mid frequencies that have already been cut.

how about just getting an eq and a distortion pedal to make your own combo of features you want?

kringle77 said:
I've owned literally 90% of what sansamp has put out and the paradriver is pretty good. With that one I found myself missing that very high end grittiness of the bddi. With the bddi I was missing the mids. Probably should have tried them together but I was always wishing that the paradrivers mids went lower. With the sansamp stuff Im always thinking "What if they had actually just done......" because it's so close to being right but, not quite. Maybe a bddi run in channel two of my genz benz shuttle max 12.0 with the mids boosted or mixed with channel 1 would work well. Im going to be trying just that experiment with a Leeds pedal next week.
Click to expand...
 
#16
Brass Brawls said:
what i do is put the VT after the BDDI, dont ask me why, the VT just sounds better to my ears after than in front.
Click to expand...

I experimented with that. Again, "tone is in the ear of the beholder". I may try it out again.

ASIDE: I love my BDDI by itself. The SVT setting is really fantastic and I use that quite a bit. I also love the VT Bass. Basically the BDDI is my "clean" SVT channel (channel 1) and the VT Bass is my "dirt" channel. When I wash the VT bass through the BDDI (in channel "2") , it gives me a "scooped" sound I really like for playing older songs in our set list. The third BDDI channel is an "experiment" channel... I really don't use it much.
 
#20
I have attempted to use a MXR 6-band EQ after the BDDI but didn't get very good results. Putting a drive pedal with adjustable mids or a strong mids presence before the BDDI achieved slightly better results, although still unsatisfactory.
 

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