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Does this exist?

F

FrensBand

Apr 8, 2025
7
2
#1
Does this exist: A one box solution for both a high quality clean DI and a high quality amp emulation? Like, an Origin Effects Bassrig combined with a Raidal DI. One box - two channels in phase.

I don’t think it does exist but it sure would make recording bass easier. A modular design where you could swap out amp emulations. Built in compressor. Would be expensive but I’d buy it.

Origin Effects, if you’re listening……
 
#3
ahbass2500 said:
Not sure why you need a hardware solution for this. If it is only for recording, you have easier amplifier swaps in the DAW (assuming you buy the needed amp emulations).

If you need a hardware version for gigging the pedal based solution is going to be a digital modeling pedal.
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That is a fair point. I’ve used amp sims including the UAD ones and they are pretty good. But I’ve just never been 100% happy with software emulations. I haven’t worked them a lot yet, but the analog Bassrig pedals sound and feel great to me. I also like that it they force me to commit to a sound.
 
#5
FrensBand said:
Does this exist: A one box solution for both a high quality clean DI and a high quality amp emulation? Like, an Origin Effects Bassrig combined with a Raidal DI. One box - two channels in phase.

I don't think it does exist but it sure would make recording bass easier. A modular design where you could swap out amp emulations. Built in compressor. Would be expensive but I'd buy it.

Origin Effects, if you're listening……
Click to expand...
Seems like the Opus from TwoNotes would work for you. But I agree with everyone else - why add unnecessary hardware (another A/D - D/A conversion)?
 
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#6
Came here to say Two Notes Opus! It runs at 96k/32-bit so the latency is very low and the dynamic range is great. It has preamp AND power amp emulation, cab sim, parametric EQ, LPF, HPF, reverb, a DI, and you can choose where in the signal chain the amp output is taken from. Bonus: it comes with a VST plugin so you can work in the DAW with the same stuff (and more) as in the pedal.
 
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#7
FrensBand said:
That is a fair point. I've used amp sims including the UAD ones and they are pretty good. But I've just never been 100% happy with software emulations. I haven't worked them a lot yet, but the analog Bassrig pedals sound and feel great to me. I also like that it they force me to commit to a sound.
Click to expand...
You can also commit to a sound in software. Most software emulations are hold back by the IR. Get a decent IR and it sounds great.
 
#9
I guess it depends on what you mean by "high quality". There are several decent amp sim pedals with a good sounding DI output and a dry/wet blend.

You won't find anything with a truly high-end built in DI box though, which makes sense to me as the best amp sims are digital, and I wouldn't personally want my hi-end DI-box to be cramped into the same chassis as lots of digital stuff. One thing is potential noise (which will probably be acceptable if the product is properly designed). Another thing is the fact the your high-end DI box will be junk when the digital stuff is obsolete or breaks down. The life expectancy of a high quality DI box is... probably longer than any of us. The life expectancy of anything digital... maybe 5 years or so. Probably a little longer if you're willing to use equipment that is strictly speaking obsolete by then.

Which means that a TRULY modular setup with separate, high quality DI boxes without any digital crap makes more sense IMO.
 
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#11
Just gonna drop a mention for the DSM Bass Master. It has everything apart from multiple amp emulations (I guess you could count the clean, comp, and drive channels).

If you’re looking for specific amp emulations, you’ll definitely want either specific pedals that capture that sound or a digital solution like the Two Notes mentioned above. But you can throw it in the first FX loop and either run it parallel or have it feed into the preamp.
 
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#12
5stringedfrenzy said:
Came here to say Two Notes Opus! It runs at 96k/32-bit so the latency is very low and the dynamic range is great. It has preamp AND power amp emulation, cab sim, parametric EQ, LPF, HPF, reverb, a DI, and you can choose where in the signal chain the amp output is taken from. Bonus: it comes with a VST plugin so you can work in the DAW with the same stuff (and more) as in the pedal.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the shout-out! Ross from Two notes here! Just to add to this, if anyone is interested in the latency calibration within the unit, this can be configured in the main setup menu - the main culprit for inducing latency is IRs/ DynIRs which is the case with any IR loading platform. In the setup menu you can configure the IR length for the best possible latency - particularly useful if you are trying to mitigate the cumulative latency of any digital devices in your chain. As ever, if anyone has any questions concerning this, I am happy to help!
 
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#13
FrensBand said:
That is a fair point. I've used amp sims including the UAD ones and they are pretty good. But I've just never been 100% happy with software emulations. I haven't worked them a lot yet, but the analog Bassrig pedals sound and feel great to me. I also like that it they force me to commit to a sound.
Click to expand...

All digital amp sims are basically "software solutions". The difference being that the software isn't in your computer, but in a separate box (which means the correct term would strictly speaking be "firmware" rather than "software" I guess, but still....). My point is, a standalone digital amp sim isn't any better per se than a software/plugin amp sim.

Physical knobs on a standalone box/pedal might be more convenient/fun, but that's really the main difference between a software/plugin amp sim and a digital pedal amp sim. Well, for recording anyway. For gigging you would obviously need a standalone pedal/preamp amp sim.

If you specifically want analog amp sims... that narrows down your choices significantly.

FWIW, the analog Bassrig pedals didn't for for me AT ALL. The Bassrig pedals didn't allow me to blend in a dry signal (the "clean" side of the blend knob is HEAVILY processed) and using an external DI in front of the Bassrig didn't work either, because the Bassrig pedals (both of them) were massively out of phase with the clean signal. They were utterly useless for my needs. I purchased both on impulse, because based on reviews here on Talkbass I though they would be great, but ended up selling both of them within a couple of weeks. I hardly ever sell gear unless it has been sitting unused for YEARS, but in this case I knew I would never, ever find any kind of use for them.
 
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#14
Deleted member 271037 said:
All digital amp sims are basically "software solutions". The difference being that the software isn't in your computer, but in a separate box (which means the correct term would strictly speaking be "firmware" rather than "software" I guess, but still....). My point is, a standalone digital amp sim isn't any better per se than a software/plugin amp sim.

Physical knobs on a standalone box/pedal might be more convenient/fun, but that's really the main difference between a software/plugin amp sim and a digital pedal amp sim. Well, for recording anyway. For gigging you would obviously need a standalone pedal/preamp amp sim.

If you specifically want analog amp sims... that narrows down your choices significantly.

FWIW, the analog Bassrig pedals didn't for for me AT ALL. The Bassrig pedals didn't allow me to blend in a dry signal (the "clean" side of the blend knob is HEAVILY processed) and using an external DI in front of the Bassrig didn't work either, because the Bassrig pedals (both of them) were massively out of phase with the clean signal. They were utterly useless for my needs. I purchased both on impulse, because based on reviews here on Talkbass I thought they would be great, but ended up selling both of them within a couple of weeks. I hardly ever sell gear unless it has been sitting unused for YEARS, but in this case I knew I would never, ever find any kind of use
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What if the Bassrig had a clean balanced line out? Then you could blend your perfectly clean DI with the Bassrig analog amp sim in the box however you wanted. And what if the clean and amp sim line out were in phase and time aligned coming out of the pedal straight into the DAW. I don't know if that's possible, but that's what I'd like.
 
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#15
FrensBand said:
What if the Bassrig had a clean balanced line out? Then you could blend your perfectly clean DI with the Bassrig analog amp sim in the box however you wanted. And what if the clean and amp sim line out were in phase and time aligned coming out of the pedal straight into the DAW. I don't know if that's possible, but that's what I'd like.
Click to expand...
I would still rather have an external, high-end DI box for the clean signal, for the reasons I explained above. Another reason is that I wouldn't want a DI box to be "bass only". A separate DI box can be used for other instruments in my studio too.

Amp sims will only ever be an emergency backup solution for me though. Unless the situation prevents it I always prefer using real tube amps. And no, I don't want my amps to have a balanced output either, and when they do I generally don't use them. I much prefer using an external DI box.
 
#16
Totally get that. Having a separate DI also allows more flexibility. Say, if you wanted to compress / or not compress one or the other. Or both separately.

For my purposes, I am strictly doing bedroom studio (amateur) recording now. Back in the day I loved my enormous Mesa rig packed full of tubes. I’ve had Ampeg rigs. Now I’m just not going to mic up an 8x10 or whatever. I don’t think I would personally get the best results that way anyway. I’m currently using a J48 DI along with compressors and preamp/sims. Maybe that’s the best way to do it even though it’s not easiest.
 
#17
blastoff said:
JHS punchline?? not sure if it counts as a high quality DI, but it seems pretty cool.
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Not sure why a Punchline wouldn't "count" as a high quality DI. Mine seems to work perfectly fine, when I've had the opportunity to use it. Admittedly, I don't have a good way to compare it directly with, say, a Noble, but maybe someone else can weigh in on that.

chiphaleonbass

Thread 'JHS Punchline'

JHS Punchline Bass Station Pedal - Sweetwater Exclusive

Seems pretty cool; video sounds great

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#18
Aric Bjorn said:
Not sure why a Punchline wouldn't "count" as a high quality DI. Mine seems to work perfectly fine, when I've had the opportunity to use it. Admittedly, I don't have a good way to compare it directly with, say, a Noble, but maybe someone else can weigh in on that.

chiphaleonbass

Thread 'JHS Punchline'

JHS Punchline Bass Station Pedal - Sweetwater Exclusive

Seems pretty cool; video sounds great

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From what I understand “good” DIs have large transformer made of high quality materials. This allows the direct signal to be distortion free and have a frequency that extends very low - important for bass.

Nothing wrong with the JHS punchline. Not at all. I would like to have one. But it is a different thing than a dedicated DI. For recording purposes I would want to blend the clean DI signal and the signal coming out of the Punchline. Some people use the clean DI for , say, 200 hz and below and the preamp / amp signal for grit up top.
 
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