Sansamp BDDI vs VT Bass: what do the pros use?

[Ian774]

Hey guys,

I was playing my bass through my BDDI V2 today and it made me realise something... while I know of loads of pro bassists from respectable bands who play on a SansAmp BDDI (V1, V2 or programmable/deluxe), I can’t think of any “pros” playing the VT Bass. Doesn’t mean there’s none, I just don’t know any.

Both pedals have a really good reputation (although some people hate the baked-in tone - I love my BDDI myself), and it’s obvious that the BDDI has been around for so long that it has become a staple of the rock bassist’s arsenal.

Yet the VT (and VTDI) has been around for 10 years now, and it doesn’t seem to have made its way to famous bassists’ pedalboard.


Disclaimer: I’m not trying to imply that the BDDI is better than the VT. I’m just trying to understand why one is SO popular when the other barely is, and in this case, in the “professional” rock bands universe.

Thoughts?

 

[hbabels]

I’ve seen several rig rundowns with pros using the VT Deluxe as the main part of their rig August Burns Red I think is one that comes to mind. I’ve seen one with a VT pedal as a part of their signal chain. Other than that you’re right it’s far more common to see the Bass Driver or the RBI you see those all over the place.
I think part of that is those have been out the longest by far and they’re built excellent so they don’t die often & a lot of touring pros & their techs follow the “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it “ mantra.
That all said all the different offerings from Tech 21 lately have been excellent so I’d say go with the one that you prefer the sound / feature of.
I’ve been a huge fan of YYZ lately.

 

[Bass4LifeRS]

BDDI came out a kong time ago. It is like the Precision bass of amp sim for bass. Nowadays, tons of different pedals exist. Still people love their Precision bass.

 

[Ian774]

BDDI came out a kong time ago. It is like the Precision bass of amp sim for bass. Nowadays, tons of different pedals exist. Still people love their Precision bass.

Really good comparison. It’s a classic. Doesn’t work for everyone but it has worked for me for 15 years (V1 then V2). Although I got to admit I had a VTDI for a few years in between V1 and V2, but I prefer the BDDI V2 over the VTDI.

 

[RexxRokket]

Don't know nor care what the ''pros'' use, but I love my T21 Para Driver V2, especially considering that it offers total control over the mids.

 

[Hypercaffium]

Yes, BDDI is way more popular, in my experience. I've had a V2 for a while but sold it to get something different. I never tried a VTDI but I think I'd like it a lot.

 

[TonyP-]

I swore off the Sansamp years ago after trying the VTDI and not bonding with it all.

Recently Pickup a BDDI V2 for giggles and it’s a got one hell of a rock tone...I have not tried it yet for fusion yet...

 

[MynameisMe]

I had the BDDI, bought the VTDI and liked it better so I sold the BDDI. I liked them both.

 

[Al Kraft]

As has been said the BDDI is a classic, but that doesn't mean it will work for everyone and every style. On the other hand something doesn't endure all those years and be as well known as the BDDI without appealing to a lot of players.

I think my BDDI V2 is the best of breed for my tone goals. FWIW in Tech 21 gear I also own the previous BDDI version, the original PDDI, and a VT Bass V2. Each one has been useful, but I just like the BDDI V2 the best for my purposes which is mainly going direct to a mixing desk for FOH support. The VT Bass V2 into a Countryman 85 or Radial JDI is my second favorite .

 

[edot3021]

I’m late to this party but I bought the VT when JMJ talked about it being an always on pedal in some video watched years ago.

 

[_Some Dude]

I noticed the same thing a little while ago. Seems I mostly see a BDDI, RPM or RBI. I've seen one or two (IRL) with a programmable.

For me, the VT sounds better on its own, but I think the BDDI sounds bigger. It's got a weight/density to it that I think the VT lacks.

 

[AlfBrewdog]

Robert DeLeo uses the VT Deluxe. Did a gig where my band was on the bill with STP and it was on his board.
I play professionally and use the VT DI as the heart of my FOH and IEM tone along with the Empress Comp and Darkglass B3K

 

[amper]

In recent listening, I've realized I really dislike the overdrive sound of the VT Bass DI, and vastly prefer the overdrive sound of the Bass Driver DI v2.

 

[Grapevine921]

I've had and sold both. Ended up buying another vt and I've been very happy with it. They're both great but the vtdi is better for me.

 

[AlfBrewdog]

I've had and sold both. Ended up buying another vt and I've been very happy with it. They're both great but the vtdi is better for me.

Lately I’ve found I like the blend at noon with the empress comp before it also with a blend at noon.

 

[Grapevine921]

Lately I’ve found I like the blend at noon with the empress comp before it also with a blend at noon.

That's a solid combo. I go 100% blend with the vtdi but I run a compressor beforehand and keep the character and drive fairly low.

 

[Solude]

To the OP, the BDDI and B7K are the two top pedals for pro players. That said, I think the VTDI didn't replace either because the B7K does dirt better and the BDDI does cleaner better in my opinion.

 

[Texican]

I’ve owned and gigged both quite a bit.

-BDDI v1 has the scooped mids issue and the strongest “baked in” sound. Not very versatile, but sounds great if it’s what you’re after.

-BDDI v2 has less of the “baked in” grind, but you can still get that sound… it’s just that it can be toned down. This makes the v2 way more versatile. It has a mids knob as well. Definitely the easiest of the three to get a good sound on the fly in a live situation. Seems to have the least character of the three, but this is also what makes it the easiest to use. Hard to get a bad sound out of this pedal. I miss mine.

-VTDI… oh boy. This is on my current board (again). This pedal is like a supermodel wife with a bad attitude and she can’t cook. Very temperamental and hard to work with. Very easy to get a bad sound, and hard to dial in a truly great one. BUT, when you find it, it has the best character of the three pedals imho. Very versatile as long as you want different flavors of “old school”. The knobs seem very interactive, so changing one seems to affect others. It’s a balancing act. This pedal can be frustrating compared to the BDDI v2. But tone wise it’s my favorite once you learn it’s quirks.

 

[JAC77]

I’ve owned and gigged both quite a bit.

-BDDI v1 has the scooped mids issue and the strongest “baked in” sound. Not very versatile, but sounds great if it’s what you’re after.

-BDDI v2 has less of the “baked in” grind, but you can still get that sound… it’s just that it can be toned down. This makes the v2 way more versatile. It has a mids knob as well. Definitely the easiest of the three to get a good sound on the fly in a live situation. Seems to have the least character of the three, but this is also what makes it the easiest to use. Hard to get a bad sound out of this pedal. I miss mine.

-VTDI… oh boy. This is on my current board (again). This pedal is like a supermodel wife with a bad attitude and she can’t cook. Very temperamental and hard to work with. Very easy to get a bad sound, and hard to dial in a truly great one. BUT, when you find it, it has the best character of the three pedals imho. Very versatile as long as you want different flavors of “old school”. The knobs seem very interactive, so changing one seems to affect others. It’s a balancing act. This pedal can be frustrating compared to the BDDI v2. But tone wise it’s my favorite once you learn it’s quirks.

Can you explain more about settings on the VTDI? Specifically how to set it up for a good tone, or starting point for experimenting, I’m thinking about getting one soon, thanks.

 

[Texican]

1.) Balncing the mids
The character knob seems to act as a mids control for the drive signal, and I believe it is actually before the drive in the circuit. I also believe that the regular EQ knobs are post drive in the circuit. The character knob changes the character (imagine that) of the overall tone. Even when the drive is set low and you’re running a clean sound, the character knob still has a major impact on your tone. The trick seems to be that when character goes up, the normal mid control needs to go down, and vise versa. Anything past 2 o’clock on the character knob may require a slight boost to the bass knob as well, depending on what you have going on with the speaker/bite switches; see #2.

2.) The speaker sim and “Bite” switches
These two switches are another potentially troublesome, but also useful set of features. The speaker sim seems to act as a cab sim with rolled off highs, HOWEVER, it also loosens the bottom end up in a way that can get a little muddy. It’s almost like a cab sim that simulates a ported cab with a blown tweeter. The solution?… engage the bite switch! The bite switch tightens up the low end, but also adds some high end treble presence or sparkle. So these two switches almost seem to fight against each other, but they also keep each other in check. I can’t remember off the top of my head, but I think that the two switches also affect the signal going to the amp, and not just the DI out. This is puzzling as a cam sim feature, but can also be helpful if you treat the switches as tone shaping tools rather than speaker simulators for a direct to FOH signal. Like the character/mids balancing act I mentioned earlier, you will need to balance the highs knob to offset the bite switch and season to taste.

3.) Find setting you like and stay there!!!
Once you get things set how you like them, you need to understand that changing one thing may require you to rebalance everything else all over again. This includes changing between basses that have drastically tone.