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Behringer Bass V-AMP Pro

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#301
I have a V-amp2 that I picked up a couple of years ago. I have only used it for a headphone practice tool and it works well on bass, many of the models and FX are fun.

I definitely need to get much deeper into it and eventually pick up the rackmountable bass version and the MIDI control board. The info you have posted will be very helpful and I appreciate your efforts.

As to the reliability issue,I have several pieces of Behringer gear, processors and a power amp, that have seen steady use over the last 5+ years and I haven't had a single problem.

Count me in!
 
#303
I used the Classic Clean setting today during service. My wife commented that is was much easier to discern me in the total sound mix, and that is overall sounded better. I had been using the Tube Amp sim.
 
#304
caeman said:
I used the Classic Clean setting today during service. My wife commented that is was much easier to discern me in the total sound mix, and that is overall sounded better. I had been using the Tube Amp sim.
Click to expand...

That "Classic Clean" is a really sweet amp model! I, too, prefer it over the "Tube Preamp" one. Make sure to try the "Classic" again with generous compression and crank-up on the DEEP knob... then throw a nice Chorus effect over the top if you're feeling it :-)
 
#307
caeman said:
Before service, I was experimenting with the some of the FX for the sake of the kids. They LOVED the Synth sound.
Click to expand...

I'd be remiss to not mention that 2 params are accessible from the V-AMP unit regarding the SYNTH effect: the first is the blend of the original signal vs. the synth effect (via the EFFECTS knob) and the second param is found under the [TAP] key, the "Waveform" used for the SYNTH. That 2nd param is the "money shot" as you can completely alter the effect by tweaking that param alone. As I may have mentioned in a previous post, the average price for a bass synth effect pedal is $150+ and it comes free, along with EVERYTHING ELSE, with the Bass V-AMP :-)

... and did I mention, best of all, it's programmable?
 
#308
For the sake of being a royal pain in the ass lol I have to say that, contrary to what CharlieC said, bass players should take advantage of the presets like guitar players do.
True enough that not everybody needs this feature but in metal (style i'm more familiar with) live performances scream many times for bass players to tweak their EQ during a song and not many do this.
In my band I frequently feel the need to do this, for instance changing the compressor settings for a more squashed sound when I need long sustain times or a faster attack time when I'm hitting a lot of fast notes. Also, if a song has a lot of palm muted guitars bass players tend to cut the bass so that it doesn't get muddy but if all that muting stops for a couple of seconds the bass just disappears, during this time it would be nice for the bass player to boost the bass and compensate.

But, like everything in life, it's not for anyone and since less is more, if you don't need it, don't use it.

EDIT: Has someone seen any small MIDI pedal-boards cheaper that the Behringer one?
 
#309
kurotenshi said:
For the sake of being a royal pain in the ass lol I have to say that, contrary to what CharlieC said, bass players should take advantage of the presets like guitar players do.
True enough that not everybody needs this feature but in metal (style i'm more familiar with) live performances scream many times for bass players to tweak their EQ during a song and not many do this.
In my band I frequently feel the need to do this, for instance changing the compressor settings for a more squashed sound when I need long sustain times or a faster attack time when I'm hitting a lot of fast notes. Also, if a song has a lot of palm muted guitars bass players tend to cut the bass so that it doesn't get muddy but if all that muting stops for a couple of seconds the bass just disappears, during this time it would be nice for the bass player to boost the bass and compensate.

But, like everything in life, it's not for anyone and since less is more, if you don't need it, don't use it.

EDIT: Has someone seen any small MIDI pedal-boards cheaper that the Behringer one?
Click to expand...

I love presets as long as they are my own :-) I create patches and program the V-AMP for various tones + basses, but all of them were created by me and for my own style, not the "preset" ones from the factory. Programmability is a good thing, but taking the junk presets that come default with the unit is beneath me and anybody in the V-AMP Squad :-)

Cheers!
 
#311
KingRazor said:
I'm not much for changing tone in the middle of the song. In fact I'm not much for changing my tone in between songs. Or ever, really...
Click to expand...

Aha! Now I get the original question... I never change patches or tone mid-song, but after the song ends, all bets are off. With the V-AMP, one can be a total tone junkie and leverage all that programmability. The tones coming from my V-AMP are insane from practice all the way to performance volume, but just don't count on me changing tones mid-song :-)
 
#312
CharlieC said:
I love presets as long as they are my own :-) I create patches and program the V-AMP for various tones + basses, but all of them were created by me and for my own style, not the "preset" ones from the factory. Programmability is a good thing, but taking the junk presets that come default with the unit is beneath me and anybody in the V-AMP Squad :-)

Cheers!
Click to expand...

Of course, the factory sounds didn't even came to my mind lol. I was just talking about the fact that if you see the advertise videos for the TC RH450 for example, the main thing they talk about is "having different sounds for different basses" while I go to live gigs were the bass player uses the same sound across the entire set and although it sounds great most of the time, in some moments it (unnecessarily) sounds like crap.

In an off topic note, from what I've been seeing in this and many other forums, much in the same way that is "cool" to say Behringer sucks it is also "cool" to dish effects and above all to state "bass players don't need to change their sound during a gig" instead of doing like KingRazor and saying " I don't need to (...)". It's like you've been saying about the V-Amp, if we have that option why not try it? We can always don't use it after we try once =)

Back on Topic: Is there a BIG difference (sound wise) between using a PA amp and connecting the V-amp to the FX return of a "normal" SS bass amp? (besides having to operate it mono with no crossover)
 
#313
kurotenshi said:
Of course, the factory sounds didn't even came to my mind lol. I was just talking about the fact that if you see the advertise videos for the TC RH450 for example, the main thing they talk about is "having different sounds for different basses" while I go to live gigs were the bass player uses the same sound across the entire set and although it sounds great most of the time, in some moments it (unnecessarily) sounds like crap.

In an off topic note, from what I've been seeing in this and many other forums, much in the same way that is "cool" to say Behringer sucks it is also "cool" to dish effects and above all to state "bass players don't need to change their sound during a gig" instead of doing like KingRazor and saying " I don't need to (...)". It's like you've been saying about the V-Amp, if we have that option why not try it? We can always don't use it after we try once =)

Back on Topic: Is there a BIG difference (sound wise) between using a PA amp and connecting the V-amp to the FX return of a "normal" SS bass amp? (besides having to operate it mono with no crossover)
Click to expand...


Good question, but the answer is unfortunately very subjective.

IMHO, when playing "live" with other instruments, nothing beats real bass cabinets. When listening to a mix through full-range monitors, I could easily get away with playing though that same mix with a "virtual" (mic'd cab) simulation.

I have said it before, but there are no rules. It is only what sounds go to you, but there is absolutely no harm in experimenting, and with the V-AMP there is no excuse not to!
 
#314
kurotenshi said:
Of course, the factory sounds didn't even came to my mind lol. I was just talking about the fact that if you see the advertise videos for the TC RH450 for example, the main thing they talk about is "having different sounds for different basses" while I go to live gigs were the bass player uses the same sound across the entire set and although it sounds great most of the time, in some moments it (unnecessarily) sounds like crap.

In an off topic note, from what I've been seeing in this and many other forums, much in the same way that is "cool" to say Behringer sucks it is also "cool" to dish effects and above all to state "bass players don't need to change their sound during a gig" instead of doing like KingRazor and saying " I don't need to (...)". It's like you've been saying about the V-Amp, if we have that option why not try it? We can always don't use it after we try once =)

Back on Topic: Is there a BIG difference (sound wise) between using a PA amp and connecting the V-amp to the FX return of a "normal" SS bass amp? (besides having to operate it mono with no crossover)
Click to expand...

If you think bass players don't think they need effects, you should talk to the people in the effects sub-forum on here. I've seen pedalboards in there that put to shame that of any guitarist I've ever known.

I'm not your average bassist. I change my sound much, much less than most bassists. I'm the kind of guy who would play a bass with no knobs. I just like things simple. You can give me a thousand knobs and I'll spend all day turning them, but I'll always wind up going back to whatever settings I liked best.
 
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#315
CharlieC said:
Good question, but the answer is unfortunately very subjective.

IMHO, when playing "live" with other instruments, nothing beats real bass cabinets. When listening to a mix through full-range monitors, I could easily get away with playing though that same mix with a "virtual" (mic'd cab) simulation.

I have said it before, but there are no rules. It is only what sounds go to you, but there is absolutely no harm in experimenting, and with the V-AMP there is no excuse not to!
Click to expand...

Sorry, I might not have explained myself correctly. At home I have a PA amp and will soon get a cab to go along with it but my rehearsal studio does not allow for us to leave our gear at the studio and in there I would have to connect my V-amp to one of the studio's bass amps. Assuming the cabs are the same, will my sound be significantly different with the V-amp connected to my PA amp or to the studio's Warwick head (v-amp out --> head FX return)?

EDIT: @KingRazor
I spend hours drooling over the pedal boards I see here but truth is in every effects topic (and this one also) there is at least one guy saying that FX are useless on the bass and the sound only comes from the fingers...
 
#316
kurotenshi said:
Sorry, I might not have explained myself correctly. At home I have a PA amp and will soon get a cab to go along with it but my rehearsal studio does not allow for us to leave our gear at the studio and in there I would have to connect my V-amp to one of the studio's bass amps. Assuming the cabs are the same, will my sound be significantly different with the V-amp connected to my PA amp or to the studio's Warwick head (v-amp out --> head FX return)?
Click to expand...

Assuming that both power amp sections are SS then I do not think you will hear any major differences using different power amps through the same cab. However, to be fair, room acoustics play a huge role in your perceived tone. I've had my rig sound amazing in certain rooms and in others it was a struggle to get things under control again using the exact same gear. No guarantees in life and in rock 'n roll. You simply fly by the seat of your pants and live to fight again another day :-)
 
#317
Hi guys. So even though metal is associated with SVT's, and since many of my reference bass players use the more HiFi heads, I took Charlie's advice and tried the Classic Clean in the studio.

I can only say that it was awesome, I pushed the gain a bit so it would overdrive and for the first time I was able to overcome all the other instruments, even the drums lol. Volume down a (big) bit and some tweaking and I had loads of definition in the high end with a throbbing low end.
The tone is still not right there and I have to master the damn compressor to compensate for lack of sustain but that classic clean was a great surprise.
 
#318
kurotenshi said:
Hi guys. So even though metal is associated with SVT's, and since many of my reference bass players use the more HiFi heads, I took Charlie's advice and tried the Classic Clean in the studio.

I can only say that it was awesome, I pushed the gain a bit so it would overdrive and for the first time I was able to overcome all the other instruments, even the drums lol. Volume down a (big) bit and some tweaking and I had loads of definition in the high end with a throbbing low end.
The tone is still not right there and I have to master the damn compressor to compensate for lack of sustain but that classic clean was a great surprise.
Click to expand...

Yes, "Classic Clean" gives a great tonal definition not really found in the other AMP models. I, too, push the GAIN level there and I highly suggest generous DEEP + COMPRESSION values. Using this model is like taking blankets off your ears and your bass will cut through a live mix like nobody's business. Who knew?
 
#319
I have been hesitant to use too much compression, as I am not used to it. But, experimenting with more certainly cannot hurt. I have a 2 hour band practice on Saturday to try it out.

I have left the Classic Clean as my default model now.
 
#320
caeman said:
I have been hesitant to use too much compression, as I am not used to it. But, experimenting with more certainly cannot hurt. I have a 2 hour band practice on Saturday to try it out.

I have left the Classic Clean as my default model now.
Click to expand...

The V-AMP's built-in compressor has only two params, DEPTH + ATTACK. I tend to always favor instant attack, so I set that param (found under the TAP key) all the way down/off. This leaves me only the single DEPTH param (the compressor knob) for my ear to decide on. I start it at "zero" and roll into it until it sounds right to me.

The Classic Clean is so clean and full of headroom that it begs to be squashed, but just do so until it sounds good to you. Have fun, you won't break anything, and it thankfully costs nothing to experiment :-)
 
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