Passive vs Active

[chris_b]

. . . . What drew you to active electronics?

Nothing. I buy active and passive basses. As long as they sound good to me I don't care.

 

[ElectricBass72]

All of my Ibanezes are active. All of my Fenders are passive. It's all good.

 

[vindibona1]

Active basses tend to have a wider frequency response, and the tone controls allow for more drastic EQ and tone-shaping options. To me they tend to hang better in a dense mix.
But of course this is just comparing the passive basses I own to the active basses I own, for the most part.
Each bass is the sum of all of its parts and I judge them holistically.

You reminded me of something I failed to address in my earlier reply:
As you alluded, the mix is going to determine what you need to hear coming from your bass and how you make the adjustments.

Personally, I don't pay attention to passive vs active. Me? I don't know what sound I want to hear until I get IN the mix. And even then, where I sit/stand isn't the best place to judge. Perhaps one day I'll invest in a wireless sytem so I can wander into the hall and hear for myself. So far nobody else on the scene has proven to me that they have "ears". So the best I can do is try to hear the sound bouncing off the back wall and adjust as best as I can.

 

[TheArchitect]

Isn't this just a matter of where the pre sits? In the Bass, External, or Lost in Space?

I still dig a passive straight into the tape deck. That's a thing still, right? Right??

Yes and no. It's a question of how many pres are in the line.

Active bass -->pre on pedalboard --> console pre
Vs
Passive bass, --> passive di --> console pre

Option one has a lot more circuitry in line influencing things than the other. I have always preferred the simplest circuit path possible. Opinions and needs vary of course

 

[badinage]

It's definitely still a thing. I know some recording engineers who thing it's not possible to make a record with anything but a passive P bass...

I've known recording-console operators who insisted on "the P" just so it was sonically easier for him to punch in corrections to the stoner bassist's screwups after everyone left for the evening. Just speeds things up.

 

[RichterScale]

Can't active and passive basses all just get along

 

[TheArchitect]

I've known recording-console operators who insisted on "the P" just so it was sonically easier for him to punch in corrections to the stoner bassist's screwups after everyone left for the evening. Just speeds things up.

I'm impressed he can fix that many mistakes in one night..

 

[BioDriver]

Can't active and passive basses all just get along

Active with passive bypass switches FTW

 

[Watchootognbout]

I don't choose a bass because it's active.
I choose a bass that just happens to be active.

Active vs passive is not a deciding factor in choosing a bass.
It has never been.

 

[Cleezmo]

It's both batteries in series, providing an 18V power source for all of the active electronics.

And they won't die "mid-show"; they'll gradually deteriorate. You'll notice in plenty of time.

This. I've been playing active basses since '92 and I've never had a battery die on a gig. Even when I only had one bass that got played 20+ hours a week in college, batteries last for months, even years. I change the batteries in my G&Ls and Modulus once a year because I think I should, but they are always still working fine and I throw the 9Vs into my gear bag for pedal backup. The 'active bass dying mid-set' is a myth IME. I've only had the battery start to go bad and get a little distortion going on once, and that was back in the '90s in my one-bass days.

 

[Luckydog]

My experience:

• Passive - 2D
• Active - 3D!

The only caveat is that I use quality onboard preamps, usually at 18V. It’s no surprise to me when others are disappointed when they use a cheap preamp.

Interesting. I find just the opposite. I use a high quality A-level artist approved pre in some basses, and my conclusion is that my passives always sound more 3 dimensional (to me) than when I use basses with that type of pre. It may be how we differently define or hear dimensionality, but for me a more “natural” and “organic” sounding tone comes from by basses used in passive mode. And for me, that sounds more “3 dimensional”.

 

[chris_b]

Active basses tend to have a wider frequency response, and the tone controls allow for more drastic EQ and tone-shaping options. To me they tend to hang better in a dense mix. . . .Each bass is the sum of all of its parts and I judge them holistically.

I agree about the sum of the parts. A well thought out signal chain will do all the heavy lifting and should make you sound good in every situation.

I don't do "drastic" when it comes to EQ and bass tone. I chose the basses and amps that sound good with the tone controls on the center dent (active), or off position (passive) and only make minor adjustments from there. I don't play with any "Half-Stack Harry's" or use pedals so my experience might not be the same as yours. My idea of drastic is going from Duck Dunn to Nathan East.

IMO a clear and well defined tone usually sits nicely in the mix. In my case that comes from a good amp and my fantastic Barefaced cabs.

 

[lomo]

I much prefer passive. A battery not used today is a gift of omission to the planet and people of tomorrow. Unless one needs to adjust tone significantly without going to the amp, or uses very long cable runs, I see no advantage to an onboard pre. In my case, neither applies, but it certainly will in other folks' situations.