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(poll) How do you use your Sansamp/VTDI/BDDI/etc.
- Thread starter DaveParker39
- Start date
I use my VT into the return input of a Rumble 100; VT is my preamp and EQ and the Rumble becomes my speaker. I plug in the XLR to the Sansamp and then FOH which the sound guys seem to really like.
I first got in to using a BDDI when I was using Markbass heads decades ago. I found the older ones (SA450, LMII) to be a bit bland. Been using them on and off ever since. Ive tried going in to the FX return but always find it sound better going in via the normal input. Having the extra EQ that the amp offers seems to be a no brainer for me.
Yes, for some reason my VTDI also sounds much better going to the front of the amp. Can't say the same for other pedals I've tried. Maybe that's why I never even knew about the return effects option until a few years ago. I've always used Sansamp until recently.
I'm experimenting with an ampless setup, since I'm already schlepping the PA to our shows. I've had a Zoom B6 for a while - a couple years actually - and I like that thing, especially for how easy it is to dive right in and build patches, reset existing ones, and even use it as a sort of "virtual pedal board". It also has a DI with four different settings that model different DI boxes, but I haven't tried those yet. So far I've only used it in front of an amp.
The new find for me is the Tech 21 Bass Fly Rig v2. So far I've used it for two shows with two different bands where I ran its DI right to the mixer and got some of my sound through a monitor. This little strip isn't exactly on a level with something like an HX Stomp in terms of all it can do, but it has both the BDDI and VTDI circuits in it - I can select one or the other with the touch of a button, switch that "preamp" setting on/off with one footswitch, and also toggle back and forth between a clean and an overdriven channel with another. And the levels are pretty easy to set so that they match up well with each other as well as the bypassed sound.
While the ampless layout is a quick and easy setup, it was a mixed bag for me when I filled in with another band that has a louder stage volume than the gang I've been with for a while. This fill-in gig will include at least another five or six dates, so I'll probably use my Fly Rig in a two-way layout on that louder stage going forward. The DI will go to the mixer and the 1/4" out will go to an amp on stage so that I can hear enough of myself if things get loud.
I've had an older BDDI in my stash as a just in case sort of backup that could at least get my signal to a mixer if my amp broke down, but I've always been a little bit leery of its mid scooped personality. At least for me, its only good for one bass I sometimes play, but not two others. The VTDI circuit in the Fly Rig is a more mid-forward sound that has worked pretty well so far - bold, but not harsh. If I want to do a sort of modern hi-fi Jazz bass tone for something, I'm pretty sure that the BDDI circuit would be able to give me a good dose of that.
The new find for me is the Tech 21 Bass Fly Rig v2. So far I've used it for two shows with two different bands where I ran its DI right to the mixer and got some of my sound through a monitor. This little strip isn't exactly on a level with something like an HX Stomp in terms of all it can do, but it has both the BDDI and VTDI circuits in it - I can select one or the other with the touch of a button, switch that "preamp" setting on/off with one footswitch, and also toggle back and forth between a clean and an overdriven channel with another. And the levels are pretty easy to set so that they match up well with each other as well as the bypassed sound.
While the ampless layout is a quick and easy setup, it was a mixed bag for me when I filled in with another band that has a louder stage volume than the gang I've been with for a while. This fill-in gig will include at least another five or six dates, so I'll probably use my Fly Rig in a two-way layout on that louder stage going forward. The DI will go to the mixer and the 1/4" out will go to an amp on stage so that I can hear enough of myself if things get loud.
I've had an older BDDI in my stash as a just in case sort of backup that could at least get my signal to a mixer if my amp broke down, but I've always been a little bit leery of its mid scooped personality. At least for me, its only good for one bass I sometimes play, but not two others. The VTDI circuit in the Fly Rig is a more mid-forward sound that has worked pretty well so far - bold, but not harsh. If I want to do a sort of modern hi-fi Jazz bass tone for something, I'm pretty sure that the BDDI circuit would be able to give me a good dose of that.
You may want to look at the SansAmp Programmable Bass Driver Elite. I just got one and it has 10 cab sims.
Been using a 50W tube amp onstage that I freaking adore and inserting my passive JDI after that for the FOH without issue. Except, there's no way not to have that linked to my stage volume.
I inserted the JDI ahead of the amp for a few shows, which seemed fine – until one sound guy needed more gain. Sometimes their board requires line level – other times it can't handle it. Those level switches on the VTBDI make a ton of sense for a guy like me, going into a different system every week.
I also appreciate the parallel output option and having three options for powering the VTBDI.
It feels a little weird to be hogging the power tube & transformer mojo mostly for myself onstage, but it does help me play my tastiest. That probably impacts the audience more than the FOH signal chain.
In terms of feel & dialing in what I crave, I have to say the tube amp & VTBDI seem very different. On the amp I just noon all the tone controls, set the volume and the response is perfect. The SansAmp seems more fiddly, like I need to read the manual & spend another afternoon trying stuff to get somewhere close to what the amp just... does.
But for FOH it seems to be a lot better than a neutral DI signal – especially when the sound guy lacks the time, gear, and/or inclination to work on the bass.
Maybe I just need more time to get to know the VT circuit. I did try using the effected output into a class D amp & found I preferred that over going straight in.
I inserted the JDI ahead of the amp for a few shows, which seemed fine – until one sound guy needed more gain. Sometimes their board requires line level – other times it can't handle it. Those level switches on the VTBDI make a ton of sense for a guy like me, going into a different system every week.
I also appreciate the parallel output option and having three options for powering the VTBDI.
It feels a little weird to be hogging the power tube & transformer mojo mostly for myself onstage, but it does help me play my tastiest. That probably impacts the audience more than the FOH signal chain.
In terms of feel & dialing in what I crave, I have to say the tube amp & VTBDI seem very different. On the amp I just noon all the tone controls, set the volume and the response is perfect. The SansAmp seems more fiddly, like I need to read the manual & spend another afternoon trying stuff to get somewhere close to what the amp just... does.
But for FOH it seems to be a lot better than a neutral DI signal – especially when the sound guy lacks the time, gear, and/or inclination to work on the bass.
Maybe I just need more time to get to know the VT circuit. I did try using the effected output into a class D amp & found I preferred that over going straight in.
