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Presonus Studio Studio Channel Preamp

#241
I got to play with my studio channel for a minute tonight at our jam spot. First impression- it's pretty dark. IDK if it's because I haven't changed my strings in forever or what, but I had tons of lows... which is good, but the mid and high controls didn't have much of an effect. I even cranked the process control on my BBE and still needed more highs. Anyone else experience this? Supertanker, can I somewhat rectify this by swapping in a JJ 12AX7?

For the record I play an Ibanez SR405 through a 4x12 that's usually pretty well rounded tone wise, and a QSC RMX 2450 power amp. I'm going to have to monkey with it some more, but it definitely sounded flatter and more dull than it did at the store. Your reviews were right- the EQ doesn't have that much of an effect on the tone. I'm going to check my bass's battery while i'm at it, make sure it's still got juice.

I'm thinking I might pull the BBE and put in a rack EQ, that really helped shape my tone before. There was a used Alesis dual 15 band for $15 at the GC I got the preamp from. I have a BBE stomper, I can sub that in my pedal board.
 
#242
runmikeyrun said:
I got to play with my studio channel for a minute tonight at our jam spot. First impression- it's pretty dark. IDK if it's because I haven't changed my strings in forever or what, but I had tons of lows... which is good, but the mid and high controls didn't have much of an effect. I even cranked the process control on my BBE and still needed more highs. Anyone else experience this? Supertanker, can I somewhat rectify this by swapping in a JJ 12AX7?

For the record I play an Ibanez SR405 through a 4x12 that's usually pretty well rounded tone wise, and a QSC RMX 2450 power amp. I'm going to have to monkey with it some more, but it definitely sounded flatter and more dull than it did at the store. Your reviews were right- the EQ doesn't have that much of an effect on the tone. I'm going to check my bass's battery while i'm at it, make sure it's still got juice.

I'm thinking I might pull the BBE and put in a rack EQ, that really helped shape my tone before. There was a used Alesis dual 15 band for $15 at the GC I got the preamp from. I have a BBE stomper, I can sub that in my pedal board.
Click to expand...

Can you return it?
Not to rain on your parade, but often the eq of channel strips or home recording pres is not ideal for bass guitar and very often not ideal for live work. The poster that says they are great may not actually being using it other than as a hobbyist at home. In that case they don't know how it works in a live mix. Some of these puppies don't allow for quick adjustment on stage either. The other possibility is that YMMV.
So, don't keep adding gear. Start with one something that gets real close your sound right away.
 
#245
Actually I just remembered something - when I initially got mine I was trying to use the input on the rear of the unit so I could leave my rack all permanently patched but after trying both the rear and front inputs the front sounds way better for an instrument.

It says in the instructions that when the front input is used the mic preamp is bypassed. I am running all my basses (passive and active) thru the front input with no issues. I found that my bass tone was significantly more dull thru the rear input as the mic pre was engaged. the pre is probably there to "warm up the tone" of a mic but an instrument obviously doesn't go well with it.

Hopefully you are using the rear input now and this is the issue.

Cheers
 
#248
Hey all,

I finally got around to playing through my SC again; it's been 6 months, probably since I played it last.

I now play through a fEarful 15/6/1 vs. my Avatar 212 and what a difference. I guess the dedicated mid on the cab is what's really letting me hear what the SC can do. Honestly, I never liked how my Jazz/SC combo sounded through the Avatar.

After playing a Demeter HBp-1 for the past months, I can say that I LOVE having the drive control for the tube; something my much more expensive Demeter HBP-1 lacks. I can take a pedal or two out of my chain; the hair that the tube drive gives you is what I'm after but I don't need to put another noisy pedal in the chain to get it. Nice.

Changing the CAB changed everything. I always thought the SC sounded dark and muffled. Well, I have discovered there are two factors at work here. Your cab AND your bass.

I play Jazzes, mostly. One of them has an EMG-X setup in there, but being that they are Jazz pups they are not particularly "sparkly." I just bought a LTD Surveyor 411, also with EMGs and a 3-band pre. Suddenly I'm rolling back the treble on the bass b/c the SC is sounding so sparkly. It's not the SC sounding sparkly. It's the BASS and CAB in combination, that are doing it.

My passive Jazz through the SC/amp Avatar 212 was always muffled. If I cranked the 5K-ish freq on the parametric I'd have muffled with ssssssssssssssszzzzzt! on top. Didn't care for it.

I've fallen in love with my SC all over again. Oh, I DID try the EQ settings recommended some pages back and they work for me, big time. :) I guess it took walking away from this thing AND getting a new cab to really let me hear it.

I really like the compressor built into the SC. It's there without being in your face too much. I find the EQ on the SC a little easier to use than that on the Demeter for some reason...maybe it's just me.

Anyway, I've only played around with the SC for a few hours. Going to play through it for the next few weeks and see what happens. I'm glad I didn't sell it!
 
#249
That's awesome!
I play mine everyday.
I've not grown tired of it.
To me it's an almost perfect preamp.
I practically never change the settings.
If I want something different I tweak the bass or get it from a pedal.

I'm glad you didn't sell it too!
I've sold so much stuff too soon.
Now I keep everything until I'm sure it won't work for me...
 
#250
Yep, I'm really glad I didn't sell it. How funny would it be to gig the SC and keep the Demeter as a backup? LOL! One thing I haven't tried due to not having much spare time at all is Bass-->SC-->Demeter-->amp. The Demeter sounds awesome in it's own right. It's super, spotlessly clean. And that's it's greatest strength and weakness.

I understand that if I want a Lemmy-type sound I need a pedal. Got a Aguilar Agro, a VT Bass and a Big Muff for that should I want it. But I like a warm-ish sound with a little hair on it. Not fuzz, not distortion...sort of what you get from a tube amp. That, warm "compressy sound" but NOT compression. Does that make any sense to anyone but me? :help: It's a fluidy-sound that changes the more you dig in. SC has it, Demeter does not. The Demeter is just pristine and sterile. You can get any sound you want out of the Demeter, as long as it's clean. The SC does it all.

I just learned the RHCP's "My Lovely Man" note for note. My Jazz with the EMG X pups thru the SC nails Flea's tone. You've no idea how happy it makes me to play along with the record and my bass sounds like it's in the mix. It's a great feeling. :)

*edit*
Actually, I'm sure you guys DO know how good it feels to nail a tone that's almost indecipherable from the record. ;)
 
#251
mikeddd said:
But I like a warm-ish sound with a little hair on it. Not fuzz, not distortion...sort of what you get from a tube amp. That, warm "compressy sound" but NOT compression. Does that make any sense to anyone but me?
Click to expand...

I know exactly what you're talking about.
It's that lovely "tube" compression.
That's what I'm after.
My rig delivers that...
 
#252
Cool. I haven't played my SC in a while, but I doubt I'll sell it cuz it's a decent piece and my first preamp. It'll just sit there looking pretty forever, if anything. :)

I found that boosting the bass on this unit is really helpful for us bass players. Don't be scared to turn that bass knob, it usually sounds much better this way and this turns it from a mic preamp into a good ol bass amp. I boost somewhere around 60-80hz (peaking), maybe +5 or so.
 
#253
It's amazing the range of tones you can get out of it. I find the para EQ on it easier to work than on the Demeter. One thing I want changed is the faceplate. I'm going to email Presonus too. In the manual they list "starter settings" for compression. They say "172ms release time" but the knob is marked SLOW---FAST. WTH? I printed up a cheat sheet that I keep in my case that has the range of settings (numerically) from the "SPECS" aread at the back of the manual, then the recommended settings. It's a PITA but the only way to set the knobs with any measure of accuracy b/c they aren't properly labeled.
 
#254
Good you hear you got on top of the SC Mike - was wondering how that all worked out. I have been in the USA the last 7 weeks and I've not touched a bass in that time. I have picked up a tech 21 rpm pre while here and I am looking forward to getting it home and comparing it to my SC and using it in my eden rig.it will be interesting to see how they compare and if I keep both!
 
#255
Hey Rocksolid, hope you're enjoying your stay in the States! If you picked up a RPM, how will you use it back home? We're 110V and you are 240v. Not sure if the power transformer in the RPM can simply be rewired by using a different tap on the transformer or if they are country-specific when manufactured.

I always wanted to try an RPM. Need to sell some gear to finance it though. I noodled around for about an hour last night. Still loving the SC. I'm afraid to touch the knobs for fear of losing that sound though. LOL! They really need a better faceplate for this thing.
 
#256
Sorry guys, I never got back with a full report. I've been using the pre for a while now, and I have to say that it is VERY flexible. It takes a little bit to get used to it, it doesn't eq like an amp. Once you figure out how to use the eq, it's actually quite sensitive. I find that i'm able to make very fine changes in my sound, especially the mids since it has an adjustable parametric mid control. I really like the way it sounds.
 
#257
runmikeyrun said:
Sorry guys, I never got back with a full report. I've been using the pre for a while now, and I have to say that it is VERY flexible. It takes a little bit to get used to it, it doesn't eq like an amp. Once you figure out how to use the eq, it's actually quite sensitive. I find that i'm able to make very fine changes in my sound, especially the mids since it has an adjustable parametric mid control. I really like the way it sounds.
Click to expand...

I bolded the part that absolutely applies to me at the moment. I bought my SC about a year ago and after the initial "Oooooh, a new toy!" enthusiasm wore off I came to the conclusion that it wasn't my cup of tea.

Come to find out that:

a) I needed to step away from it to give the ears a break
b) I needed to reset the EQ flat and try again (see A, above)
c) Changing cabs changed EVERYTHING about how I thought the SC sounded
d) Your choice in basses really affects what you get out of the SC (passive vs. active bass, for example)

The only reason I didn't sell it 6 months ago was b/c I was in the process of moving and barely had enough time to get that done, let alone sell gear. Now I'm SO happy I didn't sell it, and now that I'm beginning to understand how it really works, I highly doubt I will ever sell it.

Aside from the fact that you could actually ALSO use it for it's "intended purpose" (what a concept!), it does "80% of all bass sounds" pretty darn well. You're not going to get overdriven Marshall Lemmy-fuzz out of it. You won't get distorted, fuzzed-out, punky bass out of it. But what you CAN get, with judicious knob-twiddling is the "80% solution." With the built in compressor you can get a nice funk spank sound. With the tube overdriven a bit you can get a real nice Flea-type sound. Dial the tube back a bit, roll off the treble on your bass and boost down around 80Hz for a nice 70's P-Bass through an Ampeg type sound. It's a really versatile preamp.

Two things I don't like about it, in order of importance:

The front panel needs to be marked. I.E. Attack/Release on the compressor should read in millisecondds, no "HI-LOW"
Don't like the wall wart power supply. This was probably done for RF noise reasons b/c there's plenty of room inside for a power supply (I opened it up and looked.)
 
#258
runmikeyrun said:
Sorry guys, I never got back with a full report. I've been using the pre for a while now, and I have to say that it is VERY flexible. It takes a little bit to get used to it, it doesn't eq like an amp. Once you figure out how to use the eq, it's actually quite sensitive. I find that i'm able to make very fine changes in my sound, especially the mids since it has an adjustable parametric mid control. I really like the way it sounds.
Click to expand...

I agree with you 100%.

It's not a bass preamp... and I love the way it sounds...
 
#259
Rocksolid said:
Good you hear you got on top of the SC Mike - was wondering how that all worked out. I have been in the USA the last 7 weeks and I've not touched a bass in that time. I have picked up a tech 21 rpm pre while here and I am looking forward to getting it home and comparing it to my SC and using it in my eden rig.it will be interesting to see how they compare and if I keep both!
Click to expand...

I did my research and the rpm can easily be changed to run 240v. They have a universal transformer so it is just a case of flipping one cable off and the spare which it's rolled up inside goes on. Not all versions are the same but this one is a simple change.
 
#260
That's great news, Rocksolid. I just wanted to alert/remind you about the voltage thing just in case you overlooked it. That way could return it while still here in the states if you had to.

So, the version you bought is convertible, but some are not? Is it like, any RPM made after "this date" or "Rev 1.3 or later" can be converted? Just curious as I've modded some gear in the past to run on 12V from the car. :D
 

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