SansAmp Bass Driver DI

[MDBass]

Just be aware that the original first version of the Tech 21 Bass Driver D.I. that is displayed in that video you link to do not have a mid control, and further more it has a baked in rather notable mid scoop, which means if you like your bass tone with scooped out mids, then it might be for you, if you enjoy a bass tone, like me, with fairly present punchy mids, then it is definitely not the pedal for you and you should look for other bass preamp pedal options, like for instance the second version of that pedal Tech 21 Bass Driver D.I. V2.

Also you should consider weather you really have any use for a preamp pedal in the first place.

If you do already enjoy the tone you get from your bass and amp and have no needs to spice it up, or you don't need having the possibility for an additional extra tone option at your disposal, eventual with a bit of grid in it to your liking, then there is absolutely no reason to invest in a preamp pedal.

Nope.

There's no mid scoop at all if you understand how the controls all interact, particularly the Blend

That's true to a point. It all depends on how you use it. If you crank the blend and boost the bass, treble and presence content then yeah...mid scoop. By cutting the Bass & Treble you're essentially bringing in more mid range. I've found that by running the Blend at noon, Bass & Treble at 10 o'clock and using the drive and presence to the point of achieving break up when I dig in, the mid range is present and I can hear myself fine in a mix/live setting.

The BDDI is one of those misunderstood pedals. If you really take the time to learn how to use it then you can achieve many great tones.

Exactly this.

 

[MDBass]

I would only say that ,even after decades at this, i'm still looking for that tone. Personally i don't like tinny or plucky , i like a beefy low end that comes outta the furniture. Does a pedal get me there? I seriously don't know.....~CS~

I go into the pedal in some detail in this tutorial here, you might find it helpful:

 

[NoiseNinja]

Just be aware that the original first version of the Tech 21 Bass Driver D.I. that is displayed in that video you link to do not have a mid control, and further more it has a baked in rather notable mid scoop, which means if you like your bass tone with scooped out mids, then it might be for you, if you enjoy a bass tone, like me, with fairly present punchy mids, then it is definitely not the pedal for you and you should look for other bass preamp pedal options, like for instance the second version of that pedal Tech 21 Bass Driver D.I. V2.

Also you should consider weather you really have any use for a preamp pedal in the first place.

If you do already enjoy the tone you get from your bass and amp and have no needs to spice it up, or you don't need having the possibility for an additional extra tone option at your disposal, eventual with a bit of grid in it to your liking, then there is absolutely no reason to invest in a preamp pedal.

Nope.

There's no mid scoop at all if you understand how the controls all interact, particularly the Blend



Exactly this.

So the frequency response charts I have seen is fabricated lies, and they mingled with the video's on YouTube with the purpose of making the pedal sound bad for everyone who do not enjoy a mid scooped tone?

What I do think I understand from what you said though, is that if you only intend to use about half of what the pedal have to offer you, you won't get as much of this pedals wonderfully baked in mid scoop, as you would have if you'd actually turned the blend up full in favor of the pedal, unlike how just about any other preamp pedal on the market works.

Mind I never claimed that this was a genetically bad sounding pedal, just said that it had baked in mid scoop, which might not be for everyone.

Also I guess there is a reason they added a sweepable mid control on the second version of this pedal.

 

[Zooberwerx]

What I do think I understand from what you said though, is that if you only intend to use about half of what the pedal have to offer you, you won't get as much of this pedals wonderfully baked in mid scoop, as you would have if you actually turned the blend up full in favor of the pedal, unlike how just about any other preamp pedal on the market works.

That's about right. Also ignore the suggested settings as I find they can be obnoxious. We BDDI users even have a credo: "the blend is your friend". Okay, I made that up.

I enjoy driving my Ford Transit Connect (...it's a chick magnet) but my gas pedal never hits the floorboard.

Riis

 

[rtslinger]

I wouldn't leave home without out it. Always on and I've use it on every gig for years

 

[MDBass]

So the frequency response charts I have seen is fabricated lies, and they mingled with the video's on YouTube with the purpose of making the pedal sound bad for everyone who do not enjoy a mid scooped tone.

What I do think I understand from what you said though, is that if you only intend to use about half of what the pedal have to offer you, you won't get as much of this pedals wonderfully baked in mid scoop, as you would have if you actually turned the blend up full in favor of the pedal, unlike how just about any other preamp pedal on the market works.

Not what I said...and I'm not sure why you're so emotionally wrapped up in this.

The Blend control on the BDDI is not a true parallel blend at all: even with it set nearly "off" there is still a huge amount of color available depending on where you have the other controls set, particularly the Presence (which is boost only) and the Drive.

Take a look at the video I posted above: I click the pedal on and off with the Blend control set around 9 o clock, and there is a big tonal change but the mid punch is entirely uneffected.

In fairness, the recommended settings in the manual aren't particularly useful, and the controls aren't as intuitive (based on how much interaction they have with each other) as other units.

Regardless, "if you don't like scooped mids, this pedal is not for you" is simply not an accurate statement.

 

[Frenchy-Lefty]

I Have owned mine for over 20yrs and I strongly recommend to get the new model with the adjustable mids. I find the old model to be fantastic for recording and useless for playing live because it is so mid scooped and believe me I tried to make it work many times.

 

[xnewyorka]

An essential part of my bass tone for a long time now.

Matt, in my quest to emulate your awesome tone, I picked up a Monique 700, a Barbershop, a Cali 76, an OmniCabSim, and a couple Dingwalls and a Spector NS-2. I also already had a Fulltone OCD, Fulltone FullDrive 2, HBE "Big D", and Darkglass B7K Ultra.

Would the SansAmp BDDI or BDDIv2 give me anything that I don't already have covered? It certainly sounds great by itself, but I'm wondering what more it would add with all these other goodies already in the signal chain. What exactly do you use it for?

The things I am most impressed with so far are the Monique, the Cali 76, and the OmniCabSim. I also have a new "secret weapon" - a Vigier Arpege III 5-string, which has a variety of delicious tones I have never heard coming out of any other instrument. The combination of the Benedetti single coil pickups and the Vigier preamp is just amazing. I just got ProTools, and need to get it set up and learn how to use it so I can start recording and share some of these awesome sounds as you have done.

 

[MDBass]

Matt, in my quest to emulate your awesome tone, I picked up a Monique 700, a Barbershop, a Cali 76, an OmniCabSim, and a couple Dingwalls and a Spector NS-2. I also already had a Fulltone OCD, Fulltone FullDrive 2, HBE "Big D", and Darkglass B7K Ultra.

Would the SansAmp BDDI or BDDIv2 give me anything that I don't already have covered? It certainly sounds great by itself, but I'm wondering what more it would add with all these other goodies already in the signal chain. What exactly do you use it for?

The things I am most impressed with so far are the Monique, the Cali 76, and the OmniCabSim. I also have a new "secret weapon" - a Vigier Arpege III 5-string, which has a variety of delicious tones I have never heard coming out of any other instrument. The combination of the Benedetti single coil pickups and the Vigier preamp is just amazing. I just got ProTools, and need to get it set up and learn how to use it so I can start recording and share some of these awesome sounds as you have done.

Very flattered brother, thank you! Glad to hear I could turn you on to some great pieces of gear...I'll have to check out that Vigier myself

I use the BDDI for tonal coloration and harmonic excitement; the EQ section of the Ultra is much more surgical and precise than the BDDI.

The way I have it set essentially removes some "mud" or "honk" from the low mids, retaining the punch of your notes but lending the overall sound more depth and clarity, and adds a little bit of sheen and harmonic brilliance to the upper mids.

The video I posted above, where I switch the BDDI on and off, does a pretty good job showcasing it's usual role in my signal chain

 

[BrentSimons]

I go into the pedal in some detail in this tutorial here, you might find it helpful:

Very cool! and very informative. Great tones Man!
Enjoy the Holidays!
Brent

 

[MDBass]

Very cool! and very informative. Great tones Man!
Enjoy the Holidays!
Brent

Thanks brother! You too

 

[cchorney]

Mine is always on.

 

[MDBass]

Matt, in my quest to emulate your awesome tone, I picked up a Monique 700, a Barbershop, a Cali 76, an OmniCabSim, and a couple Dingwalls and a Spector NS-2. I also already had a Fulltone OCD, Fulltone FullDrive 2, HBE "Big D", and Darkglass B7K Ultra.

Would the SansAmp BDDI or BDDIv2 give me anything that I don't already have covered? It certainly sounds great by itself, but I'm wondering what more it would add with all these other goodies already in the signal chain. What exactly do you use it for?

The things I am most impressed with so far are the Monique, the Cali 76, and the OmniCabSim. I also have a new "secret weapon" - a Vigier Arpege III 5-string, which has a variety of delicious tones I have never heard coming out of any other instrument. The combination of the Benedetti single coil pickups and the Vigier preamp is just amazing. I just got ProTools, and need to get it set up and learn how to use it so I can start recording and share some of these awesome sounds as you have done.

I knew that brand sounded familiar...Rani Sharone from Stolen Babies used to use their Passion model, and he used that bass to record some of the best tones I've ever heard:

 

[stario]

My two cents for which I'm expecting a lot of crap for.
So I run a ton of effects. 2-3 boards, depending on gig. I actaully have the BDDI 2nd to last in my chain. Few reasons why: 1. D.I. of course. 2. When I need to chase that AMPEG tone 3. Help tame some effect patches that break unity (for anyone asking, I already run a compressor but early in the chain)

 

[xnewyorka]

I knew that brand sounded familiar...Rani Sharone from Stolen Babies used to use their Passion model, and he used that bass to record some of the best tones I've ever heard:

Thanks - those are pretty cool. Great mixing too.
Here is what a Vigier Passion sounds like when coupled with way too much caffeine:

 

[Mike Marshall]

Just be aware that the original first version of the Tech 21 Bass Driver D.I. that is displayed in that video you link to do not have a mid control, and further more it has a baked in rather notable mid scoop, which means if you like your bass tone with scooped out mids, then it might be for you, if you enjoy a bass tone, like me, with fairly present punchy mids, then it is definitely not the pedal for you and you should look for other bass preamp pedal options, like for instance the second version of that pedal Tech 21 Bass Driver D.I. V2.

Also you should consider weather you really have any use for a preamp pedal in the first place.

If you do already enjoy the tone you get from your bass and amp and have no needs to spice it up, or you don't need having the possibility for an additional extra tone option at your disposal, eventual with a bit of grid in it to your liking, then there is absolutely no reason to invest in a preamp pedal.

 

[Checa]

I'm seriously looking forward to get a SansAmp to use it mostly as a DI, and sometimes to use it as an overdrive option. In reviews the SansAmp sounds really fat, mostly when the gain knob is up, however, I will like to know if the SansAmp's overdrive circuit is similar to the VT Bass. I have been a VT Bass user for several years mostly to EQ my sound but I have to admit that I have not been able to use as distortion/overdrive pedal as I feel that the VT Bass gets lost in the mix when the gain/character is cranked up. Any thoughts on this topic will be very helpful.
Thanks!

 

[paulnhs]

The wife isn't going to like me telling her, "Honey, I found something else I need."...

... oh well...

mine just rolls her eyes and says I need to sell something else first

 

[murphy]

Just be aware that the original first version of the Tech 21 Bass Driver D.I. that is displayed in that video you link to do not have a mid control, and further more it has a baked in rather notable mid scoop, which means if you like your bass tone with scooped out mids, then it might be for you, if you enjoy a bass tone, like me, with fairly present punchy mids, then it is definitely not the pedal for you and you should look for other bass preamp pedal options, like for instance the second version of that pedal Tech 21 Bass Driver D.I. V2.

Not true..if you keep signal clean and EQ knobs below noon...no mid scoop

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Apologies if this has been posted already , it's such a huge and diverse forum , i'm often lost visiting......

So my drummer sez this might be cool to play with>>>





For me, who has always played clean, it'd be a bold step

What do you think?

~CS~

I have the Eden WTDI, their equivalent to Sans amp. if you work gigs with back line amps, a tool like this can give you a certain continuity of your sound. If it’s going to be used for sound modification of your current rig because it doesn’t sound good, you may be disappointed.