do i need a preamp/di???

[SanDiegoHarry]

I guess if and when I actually do gig I will do just that. I will just stick with the basic pedal for now. I see people talking about always having a DI with them in their bag. I guess I just fell under that spell where I think I have to have what other folks talk about. Frickin' gas...
Thanks SanDiegoHarry

Well, pedals like the Tech21 *have* balanced DI's on them - so that solves that, right? Many pedals - heck, most - do not. But I'd keep it simple.

 

[Downunderwonder]

i run my sansamp BDDI the same way! what i've settled on is running the effected sound pretty darn hot, so that there's a big volume drop when i hit the bypass button on the pedal (both to my amp and to the PA); that way i can switch off my "tone" and tune a little less obnoxiously.

Upgrade to a tuning pedal with bypass for crying out loud.

 

[Downunderwonder]

Alright, first I apologize for restarting this. I would rather do that than start another thread.

Ok, I have functioned with combos for years up until about a year ago when I got two 15s and head. I am building a pedal board now. I have a compressor, a tuner, and a bass graphic eq. I want a light dirt sound at times, since I'm only doing the classic rock/blues/old RB & funk thing. And not professionally I might add. And maybe a filter of some sort down the road.
So, I am considering a VT Bass or a Darkglass Vintage Microtubes.

Now, the DI question about these pedals. Should I get a pre-amp/DI version for my needs? Just jamming now, but who knows? Maybe might gig next month.. Maybe not. BUT, the "Deluxe" or DI versions have more features that MAY come in handy sometimes.

OR, can't I just get a DI box instead of the pre-amp/DI combo, and just get the basic VT or VMT?
And if I did just get a Whirlwind, Radial, Countryman, etc., etc.. where would it go? Passive bass into DI and other pedals following, then into amp? Or bass into other pedals then into DI, then into amp head?
I basically know I don't need a DI NOW. But I do want a light dirt/fattening pedal. Can I just add a dedicated DI later?
Just not sure how they go in the signal path.. Does CLEAN bass go to a PA, or does affected bass go to the PA?

What brand/model DI is bullet-proof for both passive bass signals as well as amped signals from the pedal chain?

I'm sorry if this is redundant. I'm sure it has been covered, but I searched and couldn't find my answer.

I should add that I could get both a VT and a VMT (base models). I understand that they are not identical sounding at all. I do like an SVT emulation, but not every time I want overdrive/distortion. And I like the versatile fuzz of the VMT. Covers a lot of territory with that Era knob.

I have a passive P Bass and a GK 400RB IV. Whirlwind pedals and a tuner.

You got a nice rig there. Hopefully your amp DI isn't noisy. All your pedals can go in front of the amp and you're golden.

Mind out for noisy pedals / pedals with no tolerance to power noise.

 

[telecopy]

You got a nice rig there. Hopefully your amp DI isn't noisy. All your pedals can go in front of the amp and you're golden.

Mind out for noisy pedals / pedals with no tolerance to power noise.

Thank you Downunderwonder

 

[walterw]

Upgrade to a tuning pedal with bypass for crying out loud.

ha! yeah, there's that.

actually, the tuner in question is a bypass stomp pedal (the turbo tuner) but i run it out of the dry out of another pedal and leave it on, because i want to see the tuner display while i'm playing, too. (lets me spot-check while not even stopping playing.)

 

[Luckydog]

I occasionally use other amps, so I like a constant in my signal chain to the FOH. I dont trust the built in DIs in heads, so I always carry a Radial JDI, as well as a Sadowsky preamp DI. Never been unhappy with the arrangement, and neither have sound guys.

 

[Timothy C.]

It is nice to have a little more control with a pedal if you are running direct, especially if the sound guy isn't very experienced. If you do buy something and start using it, let them know beforehand or you could accidentally offend a tech by changing his/her preferred settings and that never goes well....

 

[Munjibunga]

Don’t know anything about those particular units, but any pre amp with tone controls will let you make adjustments to your sound. How much of a “benefit” that is – i.e. gets you what you’re looking for - well, you’ll just have to try it and see. But you should be able to get at least some improvement, even if you can’t achieve what you’d call “perfect.”

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt


Administrator, Pedulla Club #45
Administrator, Tobias Club
Big Cabs Club #23
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The use of Comic Sans is discouraged.

 

[Feral Feline]

ha! yeah, there's that.

actually, the tuner in question is a bypass stomp pedal (the turbo tuner) but i run it out of the dry out of another pedal and leave it on, because i want to see the tuner display while i'm playing, too. (lets me spot-check while not even stopping playing.)

Get a mute switch! Simple, cheap and small enough to not take up much space on a board. An A/B box with your regular signal in A and nothing connected to B = mute switch.

I like my tuner on all the time, too, but my preamp/DI has a mute switch.

Different strokes...Whatever works for you.

 

[walterw]

Get a mute switch! Simple, cheap and small enough to not take up much space on a board. An A/B box with your regular signal in A and nothing connected to B = mute switch.

I like my tuner on all the time, too, but my preamp/DI has a mute switch.

Different strokes...Whatever works for you.

I actually do exactly that with my guitar rig! Tuner comes out of the dry out from a buffered pedal up front, the signal then goes to an A-B box that just kills the sound or not.

I probably should do the same with my bass setup, but I'm out of room on my pedal train mini and I have to tune so seldom anyway that it's not much of an issue.

 

[perkjos]

For an active bass I would go with a markbass super pro DI. It is a passive DI unlike the others you've listed and is made specifically for active basses. I used one in a large church with a Warwick and ibanez and it made the sound big and thick. My personal preference for DI boxes is to use a passive bass with active DI and an active bass with a passive DI.

 

[ben_duck]

Sorry if this is a dumb question but it feels like a dumb question.

Why do I need a preamp?

My 3 basses are passive. Fender Jazz, Epi Jack Casady and a Squier Jaguar. I try keep it simple and run whichever I'm using on the night straight into a Tecamp Puma500 into a Berg CN212. Depending on the gig we'll put a bit of the bass through FOH but most volume is from the cab.

Have had a few people ask why I don't use a preamp, straight after they tell me the bass tone is great (?) I have no answer.

Again,should I use a preamp and why?

Thanks.

Ben (first ever post)

 

[Feral Feline]

Welcome Ben_duck.

You don't "need" a preamp, you've got one in your Puma. You might "want" a preamp for a different tonal flavour. Great selection of basses you have, BTW, which may give you all the tonal variation you need/want.

Lastly, there are no dumb questions save for the one not asked!

 

[Downunderwonder]

Sorry if this is a dumb question but it feels like a dumb question.

Why do I need a preamp?

My 3 basses are passive. Fender Jazz, Epi Jack Casady and a Squier Jaguar. I try keep it simple and run whichever I'm using on the night straight into a Tecamp Puma500 into a Berg CN212. Depending on the gig we'll put a bit of the bass through FOH but most volume is from the cab.

Have had a few people ask why I don't use a preamp, straight after they tell me the bass tone is great (?) I have no answer.

Again,should I use a preamp and why?

Thanks.

Ben (first ever post)

you have been speaking to dickheads with no clue. Carry on.

 

[ben_duck]

Thanks guys. I was actually wondering what a preamp could offer that the Puma couldn't.

 

[walterw]

Thanks guys. I was actually wondering what a preamp could offer that the Puma couldn't.

it would offer the option to run direct to the PA with a strong buffered tone before you hit the puma, like if you wanted to have the amp totally not influence the out-front sound.

otherwise yeah, the amp is taking care of all that.

 

[addicted]

it would offer the option to run direct to the PA with a strong buffered tone before you hit the puma, like if you wanted to have the amp totally not influence the out-front sound.

otherwise yeah, the amp is taking care of all that.

Why we do not want our amp sound not affecting out-front sound? I thought we want audience to hear what we are hearing from our amp?

 

[walterw]

Why we do not want our amp sound not affecting out-front sound? I thought we want audience to hear what we are hearing from our amp?

i certainly do, but many people don't, and many soundguys don't want that.

if you're a "my tone is just from the bass itself" kind of player, then the option to send the house a signal that's just the bass makes sense; you can then adjust your amp so you hear it like you want, which might result in an EQ curve different than what sounds best out front.

 

[addicted]

i certainly do, but many people don't, and many soundguys don't want that.

if you're a "my tone is just from the bass itself" kind of player, then the option to send the house a signal that's just the bass makes sense; you can then adjust your amp so you hear it like you want, which might result in an EQ curve different than what sounds best out front.

I am quite new about all this stuff but I think it makes more sense for audience to hear what we hear on stage. I don't mean to mic the cabinet but maybe can set our amp to output similar sound with PA?

 

[s0c9]

I am quite new about all this stuff but I think it makes more sense for audience to hear what we hear on stage. I don't mean to mic the cabinet but maybe can set our amp to output similar sound with PA?

That's backwards.. it doesn't work that way.. one really has no clue what it sounds like out front - since you're behind it all playing!
If you're anal about your tone, then get what you want on stage and work with FOH to get that into the PA.
On average, what a [non-pro] bassist passes for great tone does not translate into the overall house mix well and works only in their head. It's often flubby, low end, not definition, or the opposite (in my experience).
Old school FOH guys will mic.. many (including me) prefer a DI feed, so I get a consistent level/tone and don't have to scramble every time you adjust your amp settings.. That way, the bass can fit in the mix needed to sound the best in the house..