Can any active electronics boost a flat signal?

[rzero]

I sometimes wish I could boost the signal on an active bass without having to adjust the EQ. With flat EQ, my active basses are basically the same volume as when in passive mode. It seems like there should be a center detent on the volume knob on active basses to cut or boost the flat signal.

Is this a thing? If not, why not?

 

[OldShark]

Without knowing your bass model, it's hard to tell, but my active Sire basses are switchable between passive and active mode, and by factory active with flat EQ is as loud as passive (and I prefer that). However, there's a trim pot on the board to set the level for active mode, so one can easily set it to a boost without affecting EQ.

 

[Zooberwerx]

I sometimes wish I could boost the signal on an active bass without having to adjust the EQ. With flat EQ, my active basses are basically the same volume as when in passive mode. It seems like there should be a center detent on the volume knob on active basses to cut or boost the flat signal.

Is this a thing? If not, why not?

Depends on the desired outcomes and there are different camps on this. As for me, I prefer to delegate the boost to an external device (pedal) where I can assign for a particular task: volume boost only, boost pre-OD, etc.

Edit & afterthought: I have a preamp being installed which, in some regards, should do exactly what you've described and NOT solely via gain boost. Should have it back in a week or so and I'll put her thru the mill.

Riis

 

[brianrost]

Is this a thing? If not, why not?

Some active circuits do provide a small boost (maybe 2-3dB) with the EQ flat but I’ve never seen a serious boost like 6-10dB. Considering how many amps today have pad switches meant for use with active basses, it doesn’t seem like an even hotter output would work well with many amps.

 

[ctmullins]

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[jeffb28451]

I've had a ton of active basses by many manufacturers. It has always been my desire that my preamp KEEP the same volume between active and passive. I boost in other ways. Going passive is either "limp home" (for a battery issue) or a different sound at the same volume as active.

Trim pots help, if that is what you want and the particular bass has one.

 

[r_bnks]

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Yup

 

[MattZilla]

You can just stick the volume at ~center without a detent. You could even default to 25% volume on the bass and have your amp turned up to compensate.

Chickenhead knob would make easily repeatable work of it.

 

[getBAK]

You sound like a man ready to purchase a TC spark mini. It's a mico chassis stomp box for exactly this application. I use it for a volume kick on solos
TC Electronic | Product | SPARK MINI BOOSTER

 

[FullumMusic]

A fair amount of onboard-pres have a gain dial inside the cavity so that you can adjust the level at max-volume. This is so you can account for different output levels coming from different pickups depending on the bass you install the pre on, and adjust so that the output volume is the same as the passive output volume. You could just boost the gain so that the active signal is louder than the passive.

Of course, you'd also have to account for how much gain you can boost coming into the pre before it distorts onboard. If you boost it too much your onboard-pre will clip.

But i'm not really sure what a boost would be useful for. That's kinda what the amp's gain or volume knobs are for. If you need more volume, just raise the volume on the back end where you have a ton of power boosting that signal and pushing it through the speaker.

Boosting the signal on the front end is just gonna cause issues down the line. All your gear between your bass and your amp, including the amp is expecting signal at instrument level. If you start boosting the signal too much, it might be too hot for your gear and you'll need to use gear for Line Level signal or risk ruining your pedals and amp. (I honestly have no idea if onboard pres can boost to line level or not, but it's something to consider if it is possible.)

Also, other issues arise. Like, if the center-detent in active is at unity with the passive full-volume, what happens when you put the bass in passive mode at the center detent? Does that mean the volume is now at 50% because the volume pot is at the center-detent (50%)? Or is the passive volume at 100% when the pot is at the center-detent, and turning the knob past center does nothing? Even if you put a center-detent to make it seem like it's a boost/cut, it's still really just acting like a regular volume knob with an arbitrary detent in the middle. But all the way down is no volume, and all the way up is full volume.

And if your amp's gain is set up to the sweet spot when you're at unity/center-detent, boosting the level on the bass will make the amp start clipping/overloading. But if you set your amp's gain up for full-boost, but then play at unity, your input volume will be too low for the gain stage most of the time until you boost.

If you need more volume, turn up the amp.
If you want to replicate a "boost" control, set your bass full volume, set up your amp to be as loud as you want the boost to be, and then play with your bass's volume at 75% (or whatever)the rest of the time when you're playing for non-boost.

 

[MCS4]

A fair amount of onboard-pres have a gain dial inside the cavity so that you can adjust the level at max-volume. This is so you can account for different output levels coming from different pickups depending on the bass you install the pre on, and adjust so that the output volume is the same as the passive output volume. You could just boost the gain so that the active signal is louder than the passive.

This is what I was coming to say. I've often used basses that have internal gain trim pots, which I mostly use either to even out the volume between two basses I am taking to the same gig or to even out the volume between the passive and active signals on that specific bass. However, there was a time period where I messed around with setting the volume/gain differently between passive and active modes on a bass so that one of them could be used as a sort of boost.

 

[Thumpin6string]

My Duncan Bassline 3 band pre definitely boosts the flat signal and the active pickups may also have something to do with it. I run it flat with maybe a slight mid boost if needed.

 

[darwin-bass]

Why would you want active mode to be louder than passive?

 

[SunByrne]

With flat EQ, my active basses are basically the same volume as when in passive mode.

Most people consider this a feature, not a bug.

 

[dkelley]

yes. several can, including (if I recall correctly) bartolini ntbt or whatever those pres are called (all variants), and several of the better known after market pres. it's exceptionally easy to built a line amplifier that is neutral and flat without eq altering it in the center detent positions... but many preamp builders have a tone in mind so it defaults to slightly eqed in the supposedly "neutral" state. But yes, many can. Older ibanez preamps were neutral, as were older carvin preamps. Which is why some players found them uninsteresting, musically speaking... because they had to dial in the boosts, rather than just flip a switch and hear no difference (other than you get no loss with a long patch cable if you run active).

 

[thisSNsucks]

Delano Xpure

 

[2thAche]

Why do you need the signal boosted is my question. I can understand boosting the signal on a passive bass to match your active, but boosting for the sake of boosting, are you trying to overdrive something?

 

[rzero]

Thanks for the replies.

I mainly started thinking about this when thinking of ways to hit the front end of an amp harder (for overdrive) without having to use a boost pedal or crank bass/mid/treble on an active pre. I have a boost pedal, so it's not a true "problem," but it sparked the thought.

So from what I'm gathering, some actives are above unity or allow you to adjust them higher than unity.

I find it somewhat amusing how the conventional wisdom is that active basses are hotter than passive basses, and here I'm being asked why would I ever want an active bass signal to be hotter than its passive signal. It's a legitimate question, but the "active is hotter than passive" mantra seems to be something we've unthinkingly adopted from the guitar world with their "active pickups," when more often than not it's not true in the bass world if EQ is flat.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

I sometimes wish I could boost the signal on an active bass without having to adjust the EQ. With flat EQ, my active basses are basically the same volume as when in passive mode. It seems like there should be a center detent on the volume knob on active basses to cut or boost the flat signal.

Is this a thing? If not, why not?

I know the nordstrand pre amps have gain knobs. You turn it to in raise your signal. What I do, is match the passive signal. But, you could crank it, and use your volume knob to back it off. Then you'd have a boosted volume knob.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

Thanks for the replies.

I mainly started thinking about this when thinking of ways to hit the front end of an amp harder (for overdrive) without having to use a boost pedal or crank bass/mid/treble on an active pre. I have a boost pedal, so it's not a true "problem," but it sparked the thought.

So from what I'm gathering, some actives are above unity or allow you to adjust them higher than unity.

I find it somewhat amusing how the conventional wisdom is that active basses are hotter than passive basses, and here I'm being asked why would I ever want an active bass signal to be hotter than its passive signal. It's a legitimate question, but the "active is hotter than passive" mantra seems to be something we've unthinkingly adopted from the guitar world with their "active pickups," when more often than not it's not true in the bass world if EQ is flat.

My passive basses have always been hotter than my active basses.