Sansamp BDDI or JhS Pulp n’ Peel comp with this setup?

[oklokdock]

Hi! I been playing for 30 years and I have been very anti-pedal. As I’m getting older I’m getting into pedals more.

I gig regularly, around 50 gigs a year, from 100 to 2000 person venues. There is always FOH.

I play a Greco Rickenbacker into an Ampeg V4BH with an Ampeg 6x10 cab. For the last couple of years I have been boosting the amp with an MXR 10 band eq, brings a nice crispy sound. A month ago I added a Darkglass B3k and really liked it.

Now I been wanting to add a pedal with an DI output for FOH. But I’m also interested in a compressor.

Would the Sansamp BDDI be kinda pointless, cos I can already adjust my sound with the eq-pedal? My question is would the JHS Pulp ’n Peel be a better addition for my setup, because it is a compressor that also has a DI output?

English is not my native language, so pardon my spelling.

 

[superheavyfunk]

The BDDI would not be useless… it all depends on why you want to do with it. You could use it to send to FOH, you could use it as a second bass tone during sets, or anything else you can envision that meets your needs.

You also do not need a compressor, let alone such an expensive one. You could simply use a quality DI without any EQ or compressor attached and enjoy the tone that you’ve developed over the last 30 years. And there are other compressors that have a built in DI. You might consider thinking more about what exactly you want out of a comp before settling on one.

Since you like the B3k, you might also want to note that Darkglass also offers the B7k, which has a DI built in.

 

[oklokdock]

Thank you! I have never even tried a compressor, I guess I have been reading too many talkbass-posts about how everyone should have one

 

[superheavyfunk]

Thank you! I have never even tried a compressor, I guess I have been reading too many talkbass-posts about how everyone should have one

I have 3! So I feel confident in saying that many of them are quite different - it’s all about figuring out what you want from any comp in particular. But certainly, they’re not an absolute necessity.

Don’t fall into the trap of buying stuff that you don’t need or won’t be happy with! Especially the expensive boutique stuff that some folks around here are convinced will cure cancer and raise your dog from the dead.

 

[smatanovic]

The BDDI would not be useless… it all depends on why you want to do with it. You could use it to send to FOH, you could use it as a second bass tone during sets, or anything else you can envision that meets your needs.

You also do not need a compressor, let alone such an expensive one. You could simply use a quality DI without any EQ or compressor attached and enjoy the tone that you’ve developed over the last 30 years. And there are other compressors that have a built in DI. You might consider thinking more about what exactly you want out of a comp before settling on one.

Since you like the B3k, you might also want to note that Darkglass also offers the B7k, which has a DI built in.

When playing live, Colin Greenwood of Radiohead sends a di signal through a BDDI and then mics an SVT, and FOH blend the two.

 

[oklokdock]

My preferred live setup has always been a mix between a miced cab and di box (provided by the sound guys).

So basically I’m wondering if the BDDI, instead of varying di boxes, would benefit my sound from the audiences point of view?

 

[superheavyfunk]

My preferred live setup has always been a mix between a miced cab and di box (provided by the sound guys).

So basically I’m wondering if the BDDI, instead of varying di boxes, would benefit my sound from the audiences point of view?

It could. Really depends on what you think the audience might be missing.

Is your bass passive? If so, the BDDI could give you some “juice,” being that it’s an active EQ and DI. It doesn’t have a cab sim though, so keep that in mind.

 

[KevInDaBassment]

...I’m wondering if the BDDI, instead of varying di boxes, would benefit my sound from the audiences point of view?

Depends on the sound guys, some want a totally clean signal, while others are fine with some coloration if it's a "familiar" tone or DI box. Sansamp BDDI could be considered "familiar" since many people use it, it's also been around for a while.

If you do want to get a DI, see if there's one that lets you send a clean signal to FOH (or ideally, a toggle switch) or one with some coloration. If Sounds Guys are cool with it, I'd get the Darkglass B7k since you already have and like the B3k, but could use the DI-out and other features.

 

[oklokdock]

Yep, its a passive bass from 1982.

Sounds like I should give the BDDI a chance! I am pretty pleased with the sound I get from my amp/cab. But on some recordings/ videos from our live shows the bass sounds not very good. Of course the sound guy is a inportant factor too.

 

[superheavyfunk]

Yep, its a passive bass from 1982.

Sounds like I should give the BDDI a chance! I am pretty pleased with the sound I get from my amp/cab. But on some recordings/ videos from our live shows the bass sounds not very good. Of course the sound guy is a inportant factor too.

If it’s available locally to you, I’d strongly suggest that you try out the B7k first. You already know that you like it, and it may solve the problems that you have identified all by itself. If that doesn’t work out, then try the BDDI. Using this method will hopefully save you some time and money!

 

[mcrawfordmusic]

If you're happy with your sound from the EQ and the B3K, I wouldn't go buying pedals just for the sake of it. You have a DI in your amp and most venues have DI boxes or can mic your cabinet. That being said, I think every bass player needs to try the BDDI...they just work!

Regarding compression - the sound guy will compress your bass in the FOH, so it would be really just to tame your dynamics through your stage rig. You may find if you have good technique you might no even need one. Compression does add some harmonic content to your tone, but the nuances can be lost in loud environments...just my opinion.

 

[Jack]

It could. Really depends on what you think the audience might be missing.

Is your bass passive? If so, the BDDI could give you some “juice,” being that it’s an active EQ and DI. It doesn’t have a cab sim though, so keep that in mind.

Actually it does.

 

[waveman]

The BDDI would not be useless… it all depends on why you want to do with it. You could use it to send to FOH, you could use it as a second bass tone during sets, or anything else you can envision that meets your needs.

This is exactly how I use the BDDI on one of my pedal boards. Main sound it is disengaged, when I want that more modern, crispier tone, engage the Sansamp.

 

[Isaac_James]

If you're happy with your sound from the EQ and the B3K, I wouldn't go buying pedals just for the sake of it. You have a DI in your amp and most venues have DI boxes or can mic your cabinet. That being said, I think every bass player needs to try the BDDI...they just work!

Regarding compression - the sound guy will compress your bass in the FOH, so it would be really just to tame your dynamics through your stage rig. You may find if you have good technique you might no even need one. Compression does add some harmonic content to your tone, but the nuances can be lost in loud environments...just my opinion.

@oklokdock says he is running through a V4B which should also provide some natural compression from the tubes. A separate compressor isn't a bad thing to have but it may not do a lot to your sound unless you want really heavy compression.

I will say that there are a lot of options out there for DI/preamp stompboxes, and that they do more than just EQ - the BDDI "colors" your bass tone even with everything set flat. It's been used by a lot of artists for a long time, it's a very familiar bass sound and a lot of people like it. But you might want to look into some other options to see what's out there. Since you mentioned JHS, they make one called the Color Box, Darkglass has the B7k as others have noted, Walrus Audio makes one called the Badwater that looks pretty cool, Ampeg also has one out called the SGT-DI that is meant to emulate the SVT and B15 amp sounds, but that's only a few. I would search around for some and see if there are any features that jump out to you as useful, like channel switching or sweepable midrange or built in overdrive etc.

 

[devnulljp]

Hi! I been playing for 30 years and I have been very anti-pedal. As I’m getting older I’m getting into pedals more.

I gig regularly, around 50 gigs a year, from 100 to 2000 person venues. There is always FOH.

I play a Greco Rickenbacker into an Ampeg V4BH with an Ampeg 6x10 cab. For the last couple of years I have been boosting the amp with an MXR 10 band eq, brings a nice crispy sound. A month ago I added a Darkglass B3k and really liked it.

Now I been wanting to add a pedal with an DI output for FOH. But I’m also interested in a compressor.

Would the Sansamp BDDI be kinda pointless, cos I can already adjust my sound with the eq-pedal? My question is would the JHS Pulp ’n Peel be a better addition for my setup, because it is a compressor that also has a DI output?

English is not my native language, so pardon my spelling.

BDDI. Never jhs, can't stand that guy. Long list of well discussed reasons.

 

[Isaac_James]

@oklokdock - this came up just now on my YouTube feed, Andertons do a lot of neat gear review and demo videos. None of the pedals here are the ones that have been mentioned, but this will give you an idea of the sort of range of features you can get from various options.

 

[basslust]

I'm going to go against the grain here and say that the JHS Pulp ’n Peel is a solid choice if you're looking to experiment with compression without getting super in the weeds with details. It is a well-reviewed compression pedal on its own, and the DI out is a super nice feature as well.

 

[Azari]

Both. Pulp & Peel into BDDI.

 

[Ian774]

It could. Really depends on what you think the audience might be missing.

Is your bass passive? If so, the BDDI could give you some “juice,” being that it’s an active EQ and DI. It doesn’t have a cab sim though, so keep that in mind.

Of course it has a cab sim. Well, not like some of the newer preamps with dedicated “cab sim”, but the SansAmp circuitry is meant to emulate a full amp stack mic’ed up. And that includes an analogue speaker simulation.

A BDDI with moderate Blend is an ideal solution. You can go into your amp as well as get the FOH through the DI. The sound guy can then mix both.

 

[oklokdock]

Just a follow up, bought the BDDI and been trying to fiddle with for a couple of days. I quite frankly hate it no matter what i tried, everything sounded dull, boring and generic.

I guess I shouldnt start fixing what is not broken…