Bergantino B/Amp at NAMM

[husky123]

New update for Bamp.

Yes indeed. We spent a lot of time refining the drives to give you even more fundamental tone coming through especially in the mix. You also may notice some new harmonic excitement in the upper midrange giving you big presence while "staying in your lane" for the band context. See what you think.

 

[kerryg]

Any word on adding the ability to save the input gain on a "per preset" basis for those pros that use more than one bass on the job and need to give a consistent level to FOH?

 

[kerryg]

Any word on adding the ability to save the input gain on a "per preset" basis for those pros that use more than one bass on the job and need to give a consistent level to FOH?

I'm just going to give this question a bump because this is really a core professional need for me - and a LOT of pros like me - rather than what to me are the "bells and whistles" of multiple subtly-different distortions.

If I go on a big stage and my levels vary widely between three basses, I will get an immediate rocket from FOH.

I have never in my 35 year career got a rocket from FOH because I used a subtly wrong type of distortion.

I'll be honest - this is the only reason I haven't immediately bought a BAmp. It adds lots of things I *want* saved in presets - but it doesn't add the one thing I absolutely *need to preset* in daily professional use. So for all its power and flexibility, it actually doesn't move the. Address this omission and it'd be my next amp purchase.

 

[Jim Bergantino]

I'm just going to give this question a bump because this is really a core professional need for me - and a LOT of pros like me - rather than what to me are the "bells and whistles" of multiple subtly-different distortions.

If I go on a big stage and my levels vary widely between three basses, I will get an immediate rocket from FOH.

I have never in my 35 year career got a rocket from FOH because I used a subtly wrong type of distortion.

I'll be honest - this is the only reason I haven't immediately bought a BAmp. It adds lots of things I *want* saved in presets - but it doesn't add the one thing I absolutely *need to preset* in daily professional use. So for all its power and flexibility, it actually doesn't move the. Address this omission and it'd be my next amp purchase.

I appreciate your thoughts and understand your situation. However, when adding another gain stage in the signal chain, especially one in the digital world which can be saved as part of a memory scene and recalled, there is too much to chance that a player doesn't have the input gain set up properly and could inadvertently trigger an OL or clipping scenario. And you know who's going to get the call when that happens, especially if there's a speaker casualty as a result. Then there's the chance that the user could get his whole gain structure mixed up between the analog and digital world causing even more confusion. Since you wouldn't be able to see where the digital gain is set at without going into a menu, it may not be immediately apparent and therefore cause even more confusion and even frustration on the user's part. So the answer to your query is that it can be done, but it's not something I want to add at this time for reasons stated above. But thank you for your suggestion. It is appreciated and doesn't go unnoticed. I do listen to and consider all suggestions from B|AMP owners, many of which have been incorporated into firmware updates and have helped make the amp what it is today!

 

[kerryg]

I appreciate your thoughts and understand your situation. However, when adding another gain stage in the signal chain, especially one in the digital world which can be saved as part of a memory scene and recalled, there is too much to chance that a player doesn't have the input gain set up properly and could inadvertently trigger an OL or clipping scenario. And you know who's going to get the call when that happens, especially if there's a speaker casualty as a result. So the answer to your query is that it can be done, but it's not something I want to add at this time. But Thank you for your suggestion. It is appreciated and doesn't go unnoticed. I do listen to and consider all suggestions from B|AMP owners, many of which have been incorporated into firmware updates and have helped make the amp what it is today!

Yeah, I appreciate your position Jim, but childproofing a crucial "need every day" function like that won't fly for me.

This is unfortunate because I'm on my sixth or seventh of your cabinets (CN212) and I'd like nothing better than to be able to justify buying the B|Amp. But without the ability to gain compensate within the BAmp, well, there I'd be - nearly $2k CAD spent and still *having* to put something non-transparent and tone-sucking (like the Radial Bumper I own) in front of the B|Amp, something which requires changing with a separate pedal press, which I'd have to remember to do with every bass change, making certain the Radial was on the right setting for the preset I'd switched to in the B|Amp.

So - to constructive ideas.

- make it "attenuate only" - a user would have a hard time getting themselves into any worse trouble than they could being a clown with the gain knob.

- make it a limited range "trim" with a maximum travel of say +/- 4dB which would allow 8dB of range (my DAW meters confirm the output gain range between my quietest and loudest basses is around 9dB)

- create a firmware version that's "download at your own risk"

- post a safety warning in the control panel

- make it default to an invisible control, put the switch to reveal it three screens deep, stick an "enable at your own risk" warning before it

 

[Rocksolid]

Couldn't the minor attenuation you need from bass to bass be done within the make up gain of the compressor and the OD level with the presets? With the overall input gain set for your hottest instrument, and then go from there. Just thinking out loud.

 

[Jim Bergantino]

Yeah, I appreciate your position Jim, but childproofing a crucial "need every day" function like that won't fly for me.

This is unfortunate because I'm on my sixth or seventh of your cabinets (CN212) and I'd like nothing better than to be able to justify buying the B|Amp. But without the ability to gain compensate within the BAmp, well, there I'd be - nearly $2k CAD spent and still *having* to put something non-transparent and tone-sucking (like the Radial Bumper I own) in front of the B|Amp, something which requires changing with a separate pedal press, which I'd have to remember to do with every bass change, making certain the Radial was on the right setting for the preset I'd switched to in the B|Amp.

So - to constructive ideas.

- make it "attenuate only" - a user would have a hard time getting themselves into any worse trouble than they could being a clown with the gain knob.

- make it a limited range "trim" with a maximum travel of say +/- 4dB which would allow 8dB of range (my DAW meters confirm the output gain range between my quietest and loudest basses is around 9dB)

- create a firmware version that's "download at your own risk"

- post a safety warning in the control panel

- make it default to an invisible control, put the switch to reveal it three screens deep, stick an "enable at your own risk" warning before it

And who's going to pay me to develop this "free" update?! ;-} Along the lines of what @Rocksolid said above, any effect you're willing to give up (O/D, Dist, or Fuzz), I can make it a "straight wire" with gain in the software such that you can adjust the drive and make up gain levels to adjust the overall volume for that particular bass and save them as part of a memory scene. One potential downside to this scenario is you would have to give up any remaining effect(s) altogether for any bass you choose to use this method for. If you don't use or need any of the effects for a bass whose gain you want to be able to adjust in this manner, this may work for you and it would be free!

 

[kerryg]

Couldn't the minor attenuation you need from bass to bass be done within the make up gain of the compressor and the OD level with the presets? With the overall input gain set for your hottest instrument, and then go from there. Just thinking out loud.

That was my first idea for sure - it's the wrong point in the gain chain, but fine as a stopgap. If I recall, the loudest bass in the collection (Kala UBass) also requires the cleanest gain setting, so I'd have to set it conservatively for such a loud bass, leaving the quiet ones - in particular my FBass - hitting the input pretty weak.

And who's going to pay me to develop this "free" update?! ;-}

Nobody. Develop it or don't, theres no pressure here - I'm not a B|Amp owner, so I'm not begging for an upgrade.

I'm just a guy sitting here with a perfectly satisfactory STM-900, but with money in hand waiting for the amp manufacturer that makes the product with the additional features that would solve my professional needs.

I would admittedly prefer that's you, because the B|Amp's *so close* and I like your speakers so much, but ultimately there is no pressure.

 

[Jim Bergantino]

On another note, firmware version 5.15 has been released to all registered BAmp owners. If you didn't receive it and have registered your amp please feel free to PM me

 

[Timmy-Watts]

On another note, firmware version 5.15 has been released to all registered BAmp owners. If you didn't receive it and have registered your amp please feel free to PM me

What is in this update?

 

[husky123]

What is in this update?

Changes in version 5.15

This latest firmware revision reworks the 3 effects (O/D, Dist, and Fuzz) to give a warmer and fuller tone overall.

5.15 Blue Tooth features and new Pedal compatibility

This version of the B|AMP's Blue Tooth firmware allows your B|AMP to work with the newly released AirTurn BT200|S2 and BT200|S4 Blue Tooth pedals in both open and closed pairing mode. These new pedals feature real footswitches, which all musicians have become accustom to, due to their ruggedness and confidence inspiring feel. The S2 (two switch version) works identical to the current B|AMP Bluetooth pedal which utilizes a press and hold function to toggle Mem3 and Mute, while the S4 (four switch version) uses switch 3 to toggle Mem3 and switch 4 to toggle Mute.

 

[kerryg]

How do you attain consistent levels from the stage now, before sending to FOH?

I'm currently using the Radial Bumper, which provides trim pots and variable "drag" for its four inputs -
Bumper - Radial Engineering

It's a great basic idea but I'm not delighted with its implementation. The trim pots are coarse and imprecise and after careful presetting I've had them move on me during travel and had to manually readjust with a screwdriver in a tight soundcheck, and the sound coloration's slight but noticeable. But at least it offers a chance at intervention at the right point in the chain.

Previously I've used various workarounds, more or less satisfactory for one reason or another:

- adjusting output trim pot of internal preamp (rare active basses have them - I think either my previous Sadowskys or my MTD did but my current FBass doesn't and all the other basses are passive)
- manually backing off the volume a little (unconscionable on a really big FOH system where .1 dB increments count)
- adjusting pickup height (I know, you don't adjust pickup height for volume - tried it anyway )
- multiFX like a Zoom pedal (tone loss, unwanted extra AD/DA stage, general mediocrity of EQ)

And on many occasions I've achieved complete and perfect consistency by saying "screw it, you win, too much hassle" and playing the gig on one bass when from a professional perspective I would have preferred nailing tones by taking more. That's the workaround I'll be using this Sunday with two back to back festival dates.

 

[kerryg]

I'm currently using the Radial Bumper, which provides trim pots and variable "drag" for its four inputs -
Bumper - Radial Engineering

There are also two basic approaches one can take with multiple basses into a single chain, each with pros and cons.

1) each bass is plugged via its own dedicated patchcord to something which functions as a "selector" like the Bumper or an AB/Y box or a preamp like a Basswitch or Tonebone or SansAmp; after that it's a single cable to your chain. I've seen this a lot over the years - perfect for pit bands where the bassist might have say fretted, fretless and double bass, and it works well (there's lots of opportunity to stow excess cables neatly). With most of the pre's you can preset each bass with its own EQ and gain and switch between channels as needed

2) all your basses are "ready to plug" and you use a single pop-stop cable (or "pop-free" wireless unit like the Line6) to plug the bass you want in. This "one input" approach can be great in more dynamic "one off" gigging situations (festivals/one-nighters) as it simplifies setup and keeps yards of extra cable out from underfoot, but obviously invalidates solutions like the Radial Bumper or an AB/Y and this is where a preamp with presets can be particularly critical.

 

[bucephylus]

There are also two basic approaches one can take with multiple basses into a single chain, each with pros and cons.

1) each bass is plugged via its own dedicated patchcord to something which functions as a "selector" like the Bumper or an AB/Y box or a preamp like a Basswitch or Tonebone or SansAmp; after that it's a single cable to your chain. I've seen this a lot over the years - perfect for pit bands where the bassist might have say fretted, fretless and double bass, and it works well (there's lots of opportunity to stow excess cables neatly). With most of the pre's you can preset each bass with its own EQ and gain and switch between channels as needed

2) all your basses are "ready to plug" and you use a single pop-stop cable (or "pop-free" wireless unit like the Line6) to plug the bass you want in. This "one input" approach can be great in more dynamic "one off" gigging situations (festivals/one-nighters) as it simplifies setup and keeps yards of extra cable out from underfoot, but invalidates solutions like the Radial Bumper or an AB/Y and this is where a preamp with presets can be particularly critical.

I can see your issue. Q: is adjusting the level when you plug in via the clip light with the amp muted too imprecise or too slow?

 

[kerryg]

I can see your issue. Q: is adjusting the level when you plug in via the clip light with the amp muted too imprecise or too slow?

I'd say both. This is what I've got with any amp including my current Streamliner and my Sonic Farm Tantra prototype; besides distracting me from my duties (I'm also Musical Director on a lot of projects) right exactly at "getting the tempo for the next tune, collecting eyes and counting it in" time, I'll never know how close I got until I play the first note.

I get paid for that role so I'm perfectly happy to pay money for solutions that make risks and distractions go away.

 

[bucephylus]

I'd say both. This is what I've got with any amp including my current Streamliner and my Sonic Farm Tantra prototype; besides distracting me from my duties (I'm also Musical Director on a lot of projects) I'll never know how close I got until I play the first note.

I get paid for that role so I'm perfectly happy to pay money for solutions that make risks go away.

I think in that case, I would put a small mixer in front of everything, where I could digitally save the fader positions. That's a tough one.

For example, the Behringer XR12; though that's somewhat overkill.

 

[kerryg]

I think in that case, I would put a small mixer in front of everything, where I could digitally save the fader positions. That's a tough one.

This is something I've thought about; I'll make it through the summer season with what I've got at this point, and down the road it looks like what I'm going to have to do is go with some kind of programmable preamp with a preset for each of my four basses that lets me do EQ and gain compensation, and then put the whole thing through a digital poweramp.

 

[kerryg]

This is something I've thought about; I'll make it through the summer season with what I've got at this point, and down the road it looks like what I'm going to have to do is go with some kind of programmable preamp, maybe one with a preset for each of my four basses that lets me do EQ and gain compensation, and then put the whole thing through a digital poweramp.

That description is so weirdly close to something but I can't quite put my finger on it.

 

[tombowlus]

How do you attain consistent levels from the stage now, before sending to FOH?

This only works for three inputs, but love the Raven Labs MDB-1 for this purpose.

 

[kerryg]

This only works for three inputs, but love the Raven Labs MDB-1 for this purpose.

Indeed, somebody recommended this highly for the purpose – it looks like a great unit. I'm going to be searching for something that can also deal with the EQ settings that I need to store for my Kala UBass which requires attenuation, then a deep mid carve and a bass bump; I've actually been looking at the Helix line for this which might sort it out nicely, but I might wind up with the Raven or something similar if I can't find a solution like that - thanks!