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Overdriving a REDDI?

Discussion in 'Amps and Cabs [BG]' started by Secret Lan, Jun 16, 2020.

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  1. Jun 16, 2020 #1
    Secret Lan

    Secret Lan

    Jun 14, 2020
    Hi everyone, hope all is well.

    I recently ordered a DSM Simplifier Bass Station to begin recording bass direct for an industrial/doom/electronic/post-rock project with some friends. I like the demos I've heard online of the Simplifier but I'm not sure it'll have the tube dynamics I want for heavier fuzz stuff. I am planning on using the simplifier to blend a compressed, low-passed parallel signal with a fuzz in the preamp loop.

    In my experience recording guitar with pedalboards full of gain, it's nice to have a tube amp at the end of the chain to take the hit from whatever gain staging you have going on with pedals. I use an OX + Plexi to get direct guitar tones and am really happy with the nice and natural tube break up/compression I get from driving the amp hard.

    After looking around online it seems like the REDDI might be the kind of thing I'm looking for, but I am not sure. I like the idea that it is simple with minimal controls and I am thinking I can put that at the end of the chain to kind of act like a tube amp, compressing and breaking up organically as I push the input. I am not sure if this is really what it's designed for, however, so I am looking for some advice from existing REDDI users. My questions:

    1.) Do you think the REDDI will improve my setup and do you recommend it for this application? I am planning on using the simplifier's cabsim and I'm pretty sure it'll be fine, but it does seem a little weird to have a tube stage after the cabsim rather than before...

    2.) Does anyone have experience pushing the front end of the REDDI with overdrives, fuzzes, boosts and the like? Does it more or less behave like a tube amp would?

    Thanks a ton for your time and let me know what you think!
     
  2. Jun 16, 2020 #2
    JimmyM

    JimmyM Supporting Member

    Apr 11, 2005
    Apopka, FL
    Endorsing: Yamaha, Ampeg, Line 6, EMG
    Excellent question. I've had a REDDI for about 8 years and it's one of those go-to-the-grave-with-me pieces of gear. It does only one thing, but it does it as well or better than anything on the market. What that is, is sounds like a clean running tube amp for your signal to the board. It makes no audible distortion on its own no matter what the level, just a beautiful true tube-amp clean tone.

    So...

    1. Any time you can add tube amp sound to your recordings, it is a good thing. And even a simulation is better than no tube amp at all. But the REDDI is no simulation. I've compared it with all my tube Ampegs and it hangs with them. Some might consider it 90% looking for 100%, but I love it. As for the cab sim, not much to them except frequency cuts on the top and bottom of the ranges (some cab sims give you a couple extra knobs to twist as well), so no problem running them in front of a tube amp or tube DI like the REDDI.

    2. Lots of experience with OD and fuzz, not with boosting, but as long as you cut the highs with your cab sim or use a dirt pedal that does it already, it's all good. I don't know what kind of boost you need to send the REDDI signal into dirt, but I imagine you can boost it much the same as with a tube amp. If I'm wrong, someone will correct me.
     
    Geri O likes this.
  3. Jun 17, 2020 #3
    Secret Lan

    Secret Lan

    Jun 14, 2020
    Thanks Jimmy!

    That more or less answers my question - I'm going to mess around with the Simplifier a bit and save up some funds, but it sounds like a worthwhile investment. You're not the first person to tell me they would take their reddi with them to the grave lol.

    Still interested to hear if anyone has tried boosting a reddi into overdrive...
     
    JimmyM likes this.
  4. Jun 17, 2020 #4
    Mark Reccord

    Mark Reccord

    Nov 14, 2000
    Sunny St. John's, Newfoundland
    I'd say it's probably pretty hard to overdrive the REDDI. By my quick reckoning, you get about 26dB from the parallel 6N1P circuit it uses. B+ voltage is ~180V and it's transformer coupled so the circuit can swing nearly twice that, so with a bit of math it looks like you'd need around 6.4V RMS at the input of the REDDI to get it into overdrive. That's a lot and I think it would be pretty hard to get there with standard pedals especially ones with 9V rails.
     
    JimmyM likes this.
  5. Jun 17, 2020 #5
    Stranger Danger

    Stranger Danger Feel Like A Stranger Supporting Member

    Jan 3, 2010
    Denver, CO
    No that’s not what it’s for.
     
    seamonkey likes this.
  6. Jun 17, 2020 #6
    Secret Lan

    Secret Lan

    Jun 14, 2020
    Alrighty, good to know - thanks guys!!

    First order of business when the Simplifier comes in will be to see how it sounds while pushing the front end of the preamp then... I looked at the circuit diagram and the main loop (ie not the parallel) is post-pre so I'm going to try a boost in front, hopefully that won't mess with the low-pass signal much, then I'll try od/dist/fuzz in the main loop and a comp in the low-pass. It feels awkward because it's almost the opposite of a typical circuit with the pre-amp in front of most of the pedals, then the cabsim in front of a tube gain stage, but hopefully it'll sound good :)

    Thanks for the help everyone!
     
  7. Jun 17, 2020 #7
    JimmyM

    JimmyM Supporting Member

    Apr 11, 2005
    Apopka, FL
    Endorsing: Yamaha, Ampeg, Line 6, EMG
    Told you guys someone would be around to correct me! Thx Mark. And I just confirmed your accuracy of the reckoning. I have a boost that does 7 db past unity gain, and no dirt through the REDDI.

    There's no reason it shouldn't. Some folks take that "pedal order" thing way too seriously and make you think it's absolutely critical to run them in the order they think is right. I always tell people like that to go away and I will decide for myself, thanks :D
     
  8. Jun 17, 2020 #8
    Secret Lan

    Secret Lan

    Jun 14, 2020
    Totally! I guess I'm just a little insecure, being new to recording bass and all... Been learning tons from this forum, though. Really a great community here on TB, kinda makes me wish I was a full time bass player lol.
     
    JimmyM likes this.