Noble Amps Preamp

[Rocky55]

I agree, for the most part. I used Countryman, BSS, and mostly JDI for years. I'm on iem 90% of the time and usually plug into the backline (usually SVT) on festival stages. I also have a B|AMP/F112 for gigs where we can't use iem. The Noble made the biggest difference to my tone compared to anything else I have used. My iem mix tightened up and became more "plush" as soon as I plugged it in. My bandmates noticed the same thing. We almost always have pretty big p.a. support with real subs (I'm also a sound provider). I ran the HPF switch on and bass around 1-2:00 on the Noble (until I got a Broughton RFE). It also sounds stellar in the studio.

That being said, this forum is terrible for GAS and there is an Oracle on its way. I will compare the 2, but will likely put the Noble up for sale very soon. It will free up some funds... maybe for a(nother) bass cab.

 

[Ross Raedeke]

Don't feel bad. The DI wars have been really taken off into space to me. To bring a 1200 DI to a gig isn't a great idea IMHO. If you check out the many shoot outs on DI's here and others like what Sweetwater did you will notice the difference isn't on a night and day basis. In fact many will state their favorite was of a surprise.. I am talking about the shootouts that did not tell which DI they were listening to till the end. To me the DI of choice should be used for recordings. Yet many well known studios still use the old and famous on many songs even today is the Countrymen. Will Lee of the David Letterman show used the JDI. Anthony Jackson choice is the J45.
If you can get a flat signal the outboard gear will be more of a positive result than the direct box. But the upper Direct boxes like the reddi , Noble etc will see a better result in the studio, than going live. Even then necessity may not make a difference to a neve board a pultic eq and an API comp. Live I bet 99% of the time you would not know the DI box used with a 24 channel Mackie Board and 140 DB in volume. Got a feeling this will not go well with some. But its a opinion.

After purchasing my first Noble, it was the consensus from two different studio engineers that they actually preferred my tone through the Countryman DI rather than the Noble. I’ve been happy with that one for studio work. I use the Noble live now with a Fender Rumble 500 into the FX loop. The tone is to die for. Tube warmth and response with a rig that barely weighs 30 pounds. It makes me want to never put the bass down!

I will say that using the Noble direct for IEM’s at church is also a tone/feel to die for!

 

[pfschim]

Don't feel bad. The DI wars have been really taken off into space to me. To bring a 1200 DI to a gig isn't a great idea IMHO. If you check out the many shoot outs on DI's here and others like what Sweetwater did you will notice the difference isn't on a night and day basis. In fact many will state their favorite was of a surprise.. I am talking about the shootouts that did not tell which DI they were listening to till the end. To me the DI of choice should be used for recordings. Yet many well known studios still use the old and famous on many songs even today is the Countrymen. Will Lee of the David Letterman show used the JDI. Anthony Jackson choice is the J45.
If you can get a flat signal the outboard gear will be more of a positive result than the direct box. But the upper Direct boxes like the reddi , Noble etc will see a better result in the studio, than going live. Even then necessity may not make a difference to a neve board a pultic eq and an API comp. Live I bet 99% of the time you would not know the DI box used with a 24 channel Mackie Board and 140 DB in volume. Got a feeling this will not go well with some. But its a opinion.

yeah, it really is kind of an "all in your head/ears" situation. Opinions will vary and there is not absolute right answer here. I'm just happy to have great tools to work with.

I really love my Noble for both tracking and live work, it does some very nice things with any amp/cab combo I use it with.
OTOH, I also have a Countryman 85, Tech21 VT Deluxe and the very nice DI's on my Mesa Walkabout and WD800 at my disposal too. All of them are just different flavors of good/great and I'm happy to use any of them to get the tone thats needed for the work I do ... although I do favor the Noble over the rest since I got it about a year ago

FWIW, I have no problem using my Noble for live work at all. It's a very solidly built box and has been on tons of gigs with me with no reliability issues at all ... of course thats all prior to the pandemic shutting most live work down. For tracking I do tend to push the EQ a bit more than when I use it live, probably a reflection of being expected to send a pretty flat signal to FOH over the years ... so I'm working that out bit by bit.

And FWIW, I got mine used, in mint condition, for a great price and don't regret spending the money I did on it at all.

 

[MTN.bass72]

My Noble is in the Classifieds...
it will be missed, but I no longer go strictly direct, and can’t foresee that situation in my future.

For Sale - Noble Tube Preamp/DI - awesome!

The new church I'll be playing for is IEM'S only... just ordered a Mesa DI.. it's not a Noble, but it'll work until I can fork out for another

 

[TREYontheBASS]

yeah, it really is kind of an "all in your head/ears" situation. Opinions will vary and there is not absolute right answer here. I'm just happy to have great tools to work with.

I really love my Noble for both tracking and live work, it does some very nice things with any amp/cab combo I use it with.
OTOH, I also have a Countryman 85, Tech21 VT Deluxe and the very nice DI's on my Mesa Walkabout and WD800 at my disposal too. All of them are just different flavors of good/great and I'm happy to use any of them to get the tone thats needed for the work I do ... although I do favor the Noble over the rest since I got it about a year ago

FWIW, I have no problem using my Noble for live work at all. It's a very solidly built box and has been on tons of gigs with me with no reliability issues at all ... of course thats all prior to the pandemic shutting most live work down. For tracking I do tend to push the EQ a bit more than when I use it live, probably a reflection of being expected to send a pretty flat signal to FOH over the years ... so I'm working that out bit by bit.

And FWIW, I got mine used, in mint condition, for a great price and don't regret spending the money I did on it at all.

I’m in the same boat. I got my Noble for a KILLER deal locally, but would have been happy with it if I paid full price as well. It’s just a fantastic sounding DI box, and rugged as heck. I’ve toured/flown with mine and keep it on the pedalboard, no problems ever, even after a bit of a drink got spilled on it one night. (Although I was not happy about that.) Mine is early too, like in the 400’s.

That being said I have a couple other DI’s and pres too. I usually pick the flavor pre I want and run it in front of the Noble. My SVPre is a favorite, that and a Noble is a cab/amp sim for in ear gigs. Tasty

 

[Bassist30]

After purchasing my first Noble, it was the consensus from two different studio engineers that they actually preferred my tone through the Countryman DI rather than the Noble. I’ve been happy with that one for studio work. I use the Noble live now with a Fender Rumble 500 into the FX loop. The tone is to die for. Tube warmth and response with a rig that barely weighs 30 pounds. It makes me want to never put the bass down!

I will say that using the Noble direct for IEM’s at church is also a tone/feel to die for!

A good studio wants a clean signal. They have everything to make your tone sound great. So a good DI works. I just question an instrument DI over a Mic/DI. I would love to see someone A?B it or say 20 people hearing a band with a good sound system and listen to the bass will say one is better over the other without knowing what was playing or the signal going through. Its like hearing playbacks in the studio. I know engineers which for some reason will play a track 2x's one at a lower level the 2x time slightly louder. Almost 100% the one slightly louder they would pick sounding better.

 

[pfschim]

its been said before upthread, but the Noble is basically a pretty clean machine and the EQ can be pretty ruler flat if you turn all EQ knobs down/counterclockwise. Unity Gain is about 10:00 on the Volume control. Even set flat it still imparts a sweetness that works great for tracking. There are some graphs upthread that show the impact of various EQ and HPF positions.

Personally, while I'm perfectly happy to use something like the pretty neutral Countryman 85, my ears, and most engineers I have worked with recently, also really like the output from the Noble (especially when its EQ is not too pushed).

TB member @Iv@N does a really well done Youtube series called Bass Tone Tuesday and after he got his Noble he demonstrated (very nicely) how it sounds for tracking. Great depth and tone and I believe Iv@n uses the Noble EQ very sparingly for tracking too. Worth a listen IMO.

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

its been said before upthread, but the Noble is basically a pretty clean machine and the EQ can be pretty ruler flat if you turn all EQ knobs down/counterclockwise. Unitoy Gain is about 10:00 on the Volume control. Even set flat it still imparts a sweetness that works great for tracking. There are some graphs upthread that show the impact of various EQ and HPF positions.

Personally, while I'm perfectly happy to use something like the pretty neutral Countryman 85, my ears, and most engineers I have worked with recently, also really like the output from the Noble (especially when its EQ is not too pushed).

TB member @Iv@N does a really well done Youtube series called Bass Tone Tuesday and after he got his Noble he demonstrated (very nicely) how it sounds for tracking. Great depth and tone and I believe Iv@n uses the Noble EQ very sparingly for tracking too. Worth a listen IMO.

When using the Noble with double bass, I prefer to have Noble's EQ settings flat. To be clear, the EQ knobs sound very nice in different settings. But flat sounds most clear and natural, which is what I'm going for with double bass. A particular live setting might require adjustments, but I would use a different device to cut frequencies to taste rather than layer in more tone. The high pass switch is typically enough.

Electric bass is a different animal. EB can take more EQ. But even then, less is more.

 

[Bassist30]

This is a great Shootout. Just to give an idea what a DI was meant for.

 

[IvanBassist]

When using the Noble with double bass, I prefer to have Noble's EQ settings flat. To be clear, the EQ knobs sound very nice in different settings. But flat sounds most clear and natural, which is what I'm going for with double bass. A particular live setting might require adjustments, but I would use a different device to cut frequencies to taste rather than layer in more tone. The high pass switch is typically enough.

Electric bass is a different animal. EB can take more EQ. But even then, less is more.

I also really like using the Noble pretty much flat all the time with the electric. It Sounds awesome

 

[Roxbororob]

This is a great Shootout. Just to give an idea what a DI was meant for.

I was looking forward to liking that video (especially with Tony in it) but it fell short of all expectations.

 

[Bassist30]

Why? Testing DI's.

 

[Bassist30]

its been said before upthread, but the Noble is basically a pretty clean machine and the EQ can be pretty ruler flat if you turn all EQ knobs down/counterclockwise. Unity Gain is about 10:00 on the Volume control. Even set flat it still imparts a sweetness that works great for tracking. There are some graphs upthread that show the impact of various EQ and HPF positions.

Personally, while I'm perfectly happy to use something like the pretty neutral Countryman 85, my ears, and most engineers I have worked with recently, also really like the output from the Noble (especially when its EQ is not too pushed).

TB member @Iv@N does a really well done Youtube series called Bass Tone Tuesday and after he got his Noble he demonstrated (very nicely) how it sounds for tracking. Great depth and tone and I believe Iv@n uses the Noble EQ very sparingly for tracking too. Worth a listen IMO.

My point was having an eq on a DI does not give an engineer an additional benefit. I rather have a shelving type eq like the Evil Twin which for many years has held up to its expectations. The Evil Twin is probably the best DI around. I also think the DMP1073 a close second. Even those are not miles ahead of the countryman. Im talking about a clean signal. For a clean signal you want these two (or three). I am not downing those who have the instrument / DI's with a tone or tone controls. The market is making these and making alot of money. But they are not studio or home recording or stage essentials that many think. If you are like many on a budget. I just feel bad that someone will pay money that would set them back when they can receive great results from a much cheaper option. Engineers and sound companies would much like a flat signal anyway. Why not the cleanest.

 

[IvanBassist]

its been said before upthread, but the Noble is basically a pretty clean machine and the EQ can be pretty ruler flat if you turn all EQ knobs down/counterclockwise. Unity Gain is about 10:00 on the Volume control. Even set flat it still imparts a sweetness that works great for tracking. There are some graphs upthread that show the impact of various EQ and HPF positions.

Personally, while I'm perfectly happy to use something like the pretty neutral Countryman 85, my ears, and most engineers I have worked with recently, also really like the output from the Noble (especially when its EQ is not too pushed).

TB member @Iv@N does a really well done Youtube series called Bass Tone Tuesday and after he got his Noble he demonstrated (very nicely) how it sounds for tracking. Great depth and tone and I believe Iv@n uses the Noble EQ very sparingly for tracking too. Worth a listen IMO.

Thanks for the shoutout
There’s a lot of “depth” to the sound when using the Noble, even when using the EQ controls flat. Not muddy or boomy. It just sits extremely well with all kinds of mixes.

 

[scubaduba]

This is a great Shootout. Just to give an idea what a DI was meant for.

Did I miss the shootout part?

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

My point was having an eq on a DI does not give an engineer an additional benefit. I rather have a shelving type eq like the Evil Twin which for many years has held up to its expectations. The Evil Twin is probably the best DI around. I also think the DMP1073 a close second. Even those are not miles ahead of the countryman. Im talking about a clean signal. For a clean signal you want these two (or three). I am not downing those who have the instrument / DI's with a tone or tone controls. The market is making these and making alot of money. But they are not studio or home recording or stage essentials that many think. If you are like many on a budget. I just feel bad that someone will pay money that would set them back when they can receive great results from a much cheaper option. Engineers and sound companies would much like a flat signal anyway. Why not the cleanest.

For studio work, perspective seems to be the driver of which DI is "best." Most people (I believe) on TB are buying gear for themselves. Either they play alone, or are in a small casual project where they call all the shots. A commercial or serious amateur project entails other deciders. The tracking engineer stages the degree of flexibility in post production for mixers, masterers and producers -- the latter drive the project's vision. Sometimes it might shift a bit while shaping the sound of music that has been tracked. Like @Bassist30 says, uber clean enables the goal of flexibility in post production.

Live sound is a different animal, especially if you're recording it while performing it. Then those knobs start coming in handy!

 

[Bassist30]

Did I miss the shootout part?

Glad you came in. You couldnt tell which was which?

 

[scubaduba]

What am I missing? He plays. We have no idea what he is playing through. It says there are 4 judges. At the end it says critical acclaim to Juicebox and Evil Twin. Are those two the favorites of the collective four judges? There are 12 boxes. Where are the sound samples playing through each box?

 

[Bassist30]

For studio work, perspective seems to be the driver of which DI is "best." Most people (I believe) on TB are buying gear for themselves. Either they play alone, or are in a small casual project where they call all the shots. A commercial or serious amateur project entails other deciders. The tracking engineer stages the degree of flexibility in post production for mixers, masterers and producers -- the latter drive the project's vision. Sometimes it might shift a bit while shaping the sound of music that has been tracked. Like @Bassist30 says, uber clean enables the goal of flexibility in post production.

Live sound is a different animal, especially if you're recording it while performing it. Then those knobs start coming in handy!

Agree with everything you said except the knobs come in handy in live or live recording. Nothing beats a clean signal into a board. I think some of these inst/di combo are nice but they are not a state of the art EQ. I personally think they are well overpriced and to me a mic/pre like the BAE 1073 which is around the same price of the noble has a cleaner signal (Never A/B them). But again its my opinion. But we are talking about Inst/DI to Mic pre/di. Both are different. Its just hard for me that a inst/DI can have a state of the art 2 knob eq's. I have an inst/DI box and its good. But if you are looking for a clean signal out of your direct box and want to spend the money the BAE 1073 and the Evil Twin are amazing.

 

[Bassist30]

What am I missing? He plays. We have no idea what he is playing through. It says there are 4 judges. At the end it says critical acclaim to Juicebox and Evil Twin. Are those two the favorites of the collective four judges? There are 12 boxes. Where are the sound samples playing through each box?

Personally I like shootouts where you do not know the names of the DI's. Knowing influences your decision. The learning process is to educate yourself. These are DI's you don't know. The main lesson here is there isn't a night and day between them. For those looking for a DI you shouldn't be spending a large amounts of money if you can't tell which was the cheapest and which topples your budget and feel guilty.