Chase Tone Secret Preamp

[Kijuer]

I will try to put something up but have never done any demo. Don't want to repeat what annoys me in other demos and would like to make it clean and the way I like i.e. loop the groove and tinker with settings, record clean line and not through friggin phone mic etc

This is why I got to wait for the opportunity (next visit in friend's studio)

A C Maj scale and some knob twisting will be more than enough for me

 

[Rich67]

So....no bass demo to share, anyone?

I would be remiss if I didn't insert a dad joke here.

As owners, we're sworn to secrecy.

 

[smeet]

Here's a quick'n'dirty video showing two volume settings with each of the three switch settings.
This was recorded direct out from my Reiner Saturn V amp into an RME Babyface interface.
No additional processing was done. The effect in person is much more evident and satisfying but you should get the idea.

 

[JRMK]

Here's a quick'n'dirty video showing two volume settings with each of the three switch settings.
This was recorded direct out from my Reiner Saturn V amp into an RME Babyface interface.
No additional processing was done. The effect in person is much more evident and satisfying but you should get the idea.

Mid on Vol 10:00 is my always on ... just switching your vid between 0:03 and 1:14 captures that effect quite well

 

[smeet]

Mid on Vol 10:00 is my always on ... just switching your vid between 0:03 and 1:14 captures that effect quite well

For me, I like the first setting in the video, Bright with Vol maxxed. But there are literally no bad sounding settings.

Apart from just making everything sound better, the Tone Secret also does something amazing (to me): it makes the all the notes on the G string sound fat and usable. It's really hard to eq fatness into the open G string without making the rest of the range sound congested and boomy. This little box does a great job at that.

 

[JRMK]

For me, I like the first setting in the video, Bright with Vol maxxed. But there are literally no bad sounding settings.

Apart from just making everything sound better, the Tone Secret also does something amazing (to me): it makes the all the notes on the G string sound fat and usable. It's really hard to eq fatness into the open G string without making the rest of the range sound congested and boomy. This little box does a great job at that.

Yeah once on it feels fantastic under hands ... Tad like compressor but not quite the same.

 

[sears]

For me, I like the first setting in the video, Bright with Vol maxxed. But there are literally no bad sounding settings.

Apart from just making everything sound better, the Tone Secret also does something amazing (to me): it makes the all the notes on the G string sound fat and usable. It's really hard to eq fatness into the open G string without making the rest of the range sound congested and boomy. This little box does a great job at that.

it's a little like a compressor in that regard

 

[MYLOWFREQ]

Interesting.. I don't need another pedal, or do I? How many always-on pedals do I need? I think I'm spending too much time here.

 

[bignc]

Interesting.. I don't need another pedal, or do I? How many always-on pedals do I need? I think I'm spending too much time here.

If i’d never had it, I wouldn’t know I needed it. But now that I do, it’ll be my last pedal to go if i sell off. (i can tune without a tuner pedal even thou I love my Sonic Research.)

 

[smeet]

Interesting.. I don't need another pedal, or do I? How many always-on pedals do I need? I think I'm spending too much time here.

If i’d never had it, I wouldn’t know I needed it. But now that I do, it’ll be my last pedal to go if i sell off. (i can tune without a tuner pedal even thou I love my Sonic Research.)

I know what you mean. I’m trying to liquidate things, I want to get down to one bass. I’ve been on a quest to find the perfect dirt and compressor and tube preamp, etc…

But what if…. could I get rid of the compressor and tube pre and just use this? It doesn’t have a tube, and I wouldn’t exactly call it tubey-sounding, but it seems to scratch the same itch (I like clean tube sounds).

 

[MYLOWFREQ]

I really want to try this, and not like it. Wish me good luck

 

[BassLife77]

The effect was made for guitar so the coupling caps are low values. You have to raise the values so the bass can get through

 

[JKos]

When comparing with and without the Secret Preamp, are you accounting for the extra gain of the pedal?

I just had one for a couple weeks and found on/off comparisons difficult because of the ~5 dB gain (measured). You may say, well, turn it down to unity. But then it doesn’t do much. The knob doesn’t just change the output but also the EQ. There are sweet spots on the knob.

 

[smeet]

In the recordings I made I compensated for the volume differences in my DAW. The volume differences do make it difficult to compare, but the solidity of the low end and the rounding off in the high end are nice even after volume compensating.

 

[JRMK]

I don't think there is any low end loss to be fair. There is for sure something going on with slight phase and compression like feedback. Plus slight eq which might make lows feel less forward. But I use HPF anyway and don't care about low-lows much

 

[JKos]

I don't think there is any low end loss to be fair.

There definitely is. I measured the frequency response at a bunch of settings. It didn’t bother me, though.

As to these notions of any compression, definitely didn’t get any sense of that. Let’s just say I was completely underwhelmed. But such are pedals. One man’s amazement is another man’s “huh” or “meh.”

 

[JRMK]

Right. That reminds me I could do some sample recording and see for myself in spectrum analyser. I very well might be deaf below 100hz after all these years lol

 

[Patchman777]

The effect was made for guitar so the coupling caps are low values. You have to raise the values so the bass can get through

i've been interested in buying this pedal until I read about the low value caps here and on a comment when viewing Smeets video on Youtube. The pedal sounds so good on the demo with an active bass. I play a passive G&L JB.

 

[Patchman777]

Here's a quick'n'dirty video showing two volume settings with each of the three switch settings.
This was recorded direct out from my Reiner Saturn V amp into an RME Babyface interface.
No additional processing was done. The effect in person is much more evident and satisfying but you should get the idea.

Thanks for putting together the video. I've been reading about the value of the caps. Did you notice any appreciable loss of lowend?

 

[johnk_10]

there's no appreciable low end loss with my passive basses. there may be a tiny bit but it sounds so good i don't care.