found it a mt some store. is it any good? 30-something bucks for a DI is unbelievably cheap, planning on getting one.
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Behringer bdi21
- Thread starter kazkazumikazuma
- Start date
It's not too shabby if you're a beginner. if you're an advanced bass player, I would say save a little more on a hartke vxl bass attack preamp pedal.
I wholeheartedly disagree with the above posters. It really is a fantastic value for the money. It is basically a straight clone of the Sansamp BDDI. So as to how it sounds, if you like the sansamp (ampeg) sound, you'll like the BDI21. As long as you're not too rough with it (since the pots, jacks and stomp switch are all plastic), it does a great job.
I've been trying to find one of these locally for a while. If you like the Bass Driver tone, but don't want to spend $125, it's worth a shot. Definitely not for stomping.
There's a few threads on this little beastie. The consensus is that it is a great pedal. Someone did a blind comparison of the two - there's a thread about it - and I think the Behringer unit was either considered the same or better than a SansAmp box. I've heard of other people swearing by these things.
You really can't go wrong with such a low price, and you can generally pick them up new on eBay for cheaper than in stores (at least that's the case here in Australia).
You really can't go wrong with such a low price, and you can generally pick them up new on eBay for cheaper than in stores (at least that's the case here in Australia).
Sorry, but having used the Behringer and the SansAmp BDDI, I can say the Behringer is *NOT* in the same league. And I'm not anti-Behringer. It's sort of "near enough" and certainly good bang-for-the-buck but there's no way I'd use it when I can use the SansAmp.
But if it's cheap and you can't afford a Bass Driver DI at the moment by all means get it and enjoy it.
But if it's cheap and you can't afford a Bass Driver DI at the moment by all means get it and enjoy it.
I had one, save your bucks and get a sansamp, there no comparison, but if you only have 20 bucks and needs some sort of drive and preamp, get it, never had a prob with mine but the tone sucks, is muddy and lacks definition
I prefer the Behringer ADI21 to the BDI21. The ADI21 has mids frequency and level controls. This, to me, makes it far more useful on bass (acoustic or electric) than the BDI21.
I have the ADI21 and have been actively using it since January when I want to go simple, as in, Bass -> ADI21 -> PA, which is nearly every weekend at church where my normal board is way overkill.
I have zero quality issues with the ADI21 in all of this time. I don't turn it off and I power it via AC adapter. It has proven to be noise-free and a great value for the $30 it cost me.
To the OP, ignore the Behringer haters. Really, ignore them. They will quote some story they heard, or they had a friend of a friend that had one break. Rarely have these hates actually owned a Behringer pedal and it is beyond why they have such an axe to grind.
Is it comparable to hand-made quality? no. Is made on an assembly line in asia? Probably, just like every Boss and Digitech pedal. Will people in the audience hear that you are using a Behringer effects unit? No. You will probably get compliments on sounding nice, you had good tone, good choice on bass lines, etc...right up until some snob sees they were complimenting a Behringer pedal. And then you see a different side appear.
I have the ADI21 and have been actively using it since January when I want to go simple, as in, Bass -> ADI21 -> PA, which is nearly every weekend at church where my normal board is way overkill.
I have zero quality issues with the ADI21 in all of this time. I don't turn it off and I power it via AC adapter. It has proven to be noise-free and a great value for the $30 it cost me.
To the OP, ignore the Behringer haters. Really, ignore them. They will quote some story they heard, or they had a friend of a friend that had one break. Rarely have these hates actually owned a Behringer pedal and it is beyond why they have such an axe to grind.
Is it comparable to hand-made quality? no. Is made on an assembly line in asia? Probably, just like every Boss and Digitech pedal. Will people in the audience hear that you are using a Behringer effects unit? No. You will probably get compliments on sounding nice, you had good tone, good choice on bass lines, etc...right up until some snob sees they were complimenting a Behringer pedal. And then you see a different side appear.
These are examples of hearing with your eyes.
Check out some of the head-to-head threads. They sound basically identical. The differences are insanely minute, and most cannot tell them apart at all.
Here's one example thread:
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f36/sansamp-bddi-vs-behringer-bdi21-blind-test-294957/
I have both the BDI21 and the genuine SansAmp. I haven't done an A/B comparison, but they sound practically identical. I got the Behringer first, then upgraded to the SansAmp later because a) I didn't want to show up at a recording session with Behringer equipment 
2) The SansAmp can be phantom-powered, and 3) The SansAmp seems more rugged. Plus, Karma. 
Either box is a great tool for recording direct or playing bass through a PA system.
2) The SansAmp can be phantom-powered, and 3) The SansAmp seems more rugged. Plus, Karma. Either box is a great tool for recording direct or playing bass through a PA system.
Thanks for the insulting generalisation.
Just because you can't hear the difference doesn't mean it isn't there...
Um...
If you cannot HEAR the difference, and music is all about HEARING, then the only differences are the electronics making the sounds that we HEAR. And if people like what they HEAR, then that makes the thing that made the sound good and unimportant if the name on it is Behringer, Digitech, Boss, MXR, EHX, FEA Labs, Malekko, Iron Ether, Danelectro or Joyo.
Isn't the end result of all our tone chasing what we end up HEARING? And sometimes, that may mean having to ignore visual prejudices and choosing the thing that make the sound you want, rather than buying for the approval of fellow musicians.
If it's that bad, why have it at all? Even if you have an immediate need for a drive/preamp and only have a few bucks to spend, what's the point of having any pedal in which "the tone sucks, is muddy and lacks definition"? Build quality is not an big issue with me because I'm a home studio guy, but based purely on sound, all my Behringer pedals get the job done quite well.
It wasn't intended as an insult. We all do it. We all have our biases. If you think Behringer gear is crap, and you don't blind yourself before comparing, then you are introducing bias into your decision-making process. I have my own biases that I know I bring into my evaluations. That's why blind tests are the most honest way of looking at it.
It's not just me. Did you check out the thread? Basically no one could tell the difference. And those who DID guess right didn't have anything negative to say about the Behringer, solely based on tone.
If you want to talk about build quality, then I'm with you. I have some Behringer gear, and I treat it very lightly. But soundwise, they are virtually identical to the thing they're cloning.
I recommend the ADI21 too because of the mids. I have the BDI21 and the trouble with it for me is I drop out of the mix as soon as I turn it on because it scoops the tone. I tried adjusting the lows/highs to even it out, but live, I came right out of the mix as soon as it went on. I like recording with it though.
I was going to mention this, too. The Mid Freq knob on the ADI21 really helps shape your tone.
I'm fairly sure the unsubstantiated Behringer-hate puts a lot of people off experimenting with new sounds and equipment, and it definitely makes people feel like bass playing is a bit of a hobby for elitists and wealthy people: "You bought Behringer gear cos it's cheap? GTFO, poor person!" or "You want a $30 pedal? That's dumb. Why don't you just get the real deal? It's only ten times as much money." or "It's plastic. You can't drive over it in a truck. It is, therefore, crap." 
Again, the BDI21 (and apparently the ADI21, too) is a good piece of gear, in addition to it's lower price. Check out the blind comparison test posted above, and listen to the clips. I don't think you can go wrong for the money.
Again, the BDI21 (and apparently the ADI21, too) is a good piece of gear, in addition to it's lower price. Check out the blind comparison test posted above, and listen to the clips. I don't think you can go wrong for the money.
