BDDI vs VT Bass comparison?

[::::BASSIST::::]

Yeah, what's up with that? I NEVER EVER use a fuzz or distortion tone on my bass, under any circumstances. My musical genre doesn't call for it, and I don't like it (nothing against you guys who do like it, natch... just not my gig).

However, since I put my VT Bass in my signal path (the only thing between my SR5 and my Markbass combo aside from an occasionally-used EBS Unichorus), it has been turned on all the time. I can't play without it anymore. I keep the character below 11:00 and the drive almost completely counter-clockwise, the mid flat and the low and high slightly boosted (1:00 or so for each), then bring the level up to unity.... and it sounds freakin BRILLIANT. Absolutely crystal-clear clean, warmer and more present and more articulate and punchy than my rig sounds without it.

So yeah, it can do clean/warm in a way that I've always dreamed of, and never achieved before... even back in the days when I was running an SVT tube head!

I am going to try those settings... sounds very nice.

So you crank the Level to maximum?

My usual setting that I use is very slight cut on the mid and character, a nudge of the bass, highs at 9:00 and Drive at about noon or a little less. I use the level as the volume knob since I use it as a preamp with my peavey dpc1000 poweramp.

I am certainly open to other 'warm/clean' settings'

 

[kenstee]

I'm very curious about what the VT Deluxe might have to offer tonally.

If I'm not mistaken, the VT Deluxe will not offer anything tonally that it's not already doing with the "original" version. It adds some excellent "bells and whistles" to the original version. It will allow you to save and access 3 settings as well as integrate an effects loop and provide a XLR out.

 

[FromTheBassMent]

I am going to try those settings... sounds very nice.

So you crank the Level to maximum?

My usual setting that I use is very slight cut on the mid and character, a nudge of the bass, highs at 9:00 and Drive at about noon or a little less. I use the level as the volume knob since I use it as a preamp with my peavey dpc1000 poweramp.

I am certainly open to other 'warm/clean' settings'

I do NOT crank the level to max. I just did some playing around with the CS Blonde vs the VT Bass, and while doing that I really got precise about my VT sound. With my bass eq flat and my amp eq set with a slight low and low-mid boost, the VT looks like this:

Level: 10:30 (this is unity given the other settings)
Mid: 12:00 high!
Character: 10:30
Drive: 9:00
Low: 1:00
High: 3:00

This sounds really fabulous with my SR5 fretless... just enough "mwah" (not so much that it's gimmicky), growly, snarling beautifully in the mids. I'm lovin it (even more than McDonalds!).

So, I tried the CS Blonde with the bass rig. Meh. With a lot of fussing I was able to get a pretty cool vintage Fenderish tone, but it was a bit nasal and pinched sounding. It's pretty clear that this pedal is voiced for guitar... and I have to say with guitar it is jaw-dropping. When I do guitar pick-up gigs, people are always asking me what kind of tubes I have in my PowerEngine... and I go, "Ummm... none?" But I wouldn't recommend it as an investment for bass.

 

[SteveMoodie]

Well I'm bringing this thread back to life... I have a quick question..

I use a VT Deluxe with LMK (LMII). I get a great sound out of it. I pretty much only use clean sounds. I often do doubling gigs so I use the VT Deluxe for it's channel switching capabilities as well as its SVT emulation.

Now, I don't own an SVT but I often play gigs were one is provided. I never know what to do with my VT deluxe because I don't get time to experiment during sound check. I HAVE to use it for it's channel switching and volume matching capabilities, but I don't like the idea of running a clean SVT emulator into a clean SVT.

Am I worrying too much? What would you do?

 

[BroKenSticKs]

I stopped using my vt bass after acquiring an svt. Yes i love what the vt did to my sound, but its too much fiddling to me. The svt always sounds good when i plug in and go. I find it as easy to get a bad sound with the vt as a good one. (definitely does have some good ones though) I do understand that you cant always run an svt cranked into breakup and that's where it becomes useful, but at the same time why run it into an svt? If you cant take advantage of the svt just bring a smaller amp and place the vt infront of something else. Or, if you're like me you want the pillowy svt clean sound and also the ability to kick in some drive, but in that situation it makes more sense to me that you would use a more generic overdrive and then let the svt do its thing. Just how i feel about it.