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Sansamp into my amp question

A

Ampegged Paul

Jun 17, 2008
45
0
Syracuse,NY
#1
Ive tried to search for this first but no luck.
I finally bought a sansamp driver and dialed in a sound. Question is:Do I make the eq on my amp flat because Im already processing the signal through the sansamp? If I dont arent I processing an already processed signal?
Thanks:bassist:
 
#2
Ampegged Paul said:
Ive tried to search for this first but no luck.
I finally bought a sansamp driver and dialed in a sound. Question is:Do I make the eq on my amp flat because Im already processing the signal through the sansamp? If I dont arent I processing an already processed signal?
Thanks:bassist:
Click to expand...

Do you happen to have an effects loop on you head (I have to assume you are). Theoretically, Doing it this way should bypass your eq section.
 
#4
Ampegged Paul said:
I do,but then that brings up another question.
#1 How do I wire it up? Bass->driver->effects send...then where?
and by the way I dont know how that smiley face got in there,I swear.
Click to expand...

No, if you have an effects loop, use the eff loop out > sansamp in > sansamp out > eff loop in.
Your bass will plug in the the head itself, not the sansamp.
What kind of head do you have? Details, man.....
 
#5
I use mine the same way you are describing. Bass>Sansamp>Amp. Also, run my amp a little flatter than without the Sansamp. I use the Sansamp mainly to add a little boost and high end to the signal out of my passive bass.

You've got to really love the Sansamp to by-pass your amps controls. The Sansamp alone will not give me my sound.
 
#8
hi, i'm totally new and apologise for shamelessly plumbing your collective knowledge but I just wandered if anyone knows if there is an online version of the manual for the sansamp as I have just moved and lost mine, doh!!!
 
#9
If you Google-search on "Tech21 manuals" here in the fx forum there's a whole thread of links to the manuals.

To the OP, you're getting some misinformation above about the effects loop. To use the loop to bypass your amp's onboard EQ, you connect this way:

bass --> Sansamp --> effects RETURN jack on the amp.

Do not use the send, and do not plug your bass into the amp directly (for this application).

If you put the Sansamp into the input on the amp, then yes you are processing an already-processed signal. The same is true if you use the fx loop in the "normal" way:

bass --> amp --> fx loop send --> Sansamp in --> Sansamp out --> fx loop return
 
#11
I'll not start another thread on this topic, I just wanted to clear something up..

I understand that plugging my bass into the sansamp and then plugging the sansamp into the return of my effects loop will bypass the preamp section of my amp.

From what I have read in these forums, hooking up the sansamp into the effects return and then the effects send back into the sansamp (while plugging my bass into the front input of my amp) would result in my signal getting processed twice, once at the amp preamp stage and again at the sansamp stage - which is the same as running my sansamp in through the front input of my amp.

Therefore, what is the benefit of hooking up the sansamp in the latter configuration? Or the benefit for any other pedal for that matter.

Also the manual for my amp (an Ashdown ABM 300 II) says "The signal path through the preamp is only broken when a jack plug is inserted into the EFFECTS RETURN", which seems to suggest that using both the send and return of the effects loop still disengages the preamp of the amp.

So I suppose, in short, can someone explain when you would use the effects loop send and why. And why not for the Sansamp.

Thanks.
 
#12
I was reading your comment on the Sans Amp.

I was thinking of parting with 199.00 for one. However, I was told they are only good for guys that are playing large venues and going direct out to an elaborate PA and not using an amp.

My amp has an effects loop, I am not sure if I would get much value from the Sans Amp.

BTW do you know much about the Knock Off from MXR?

Comments?

blue




Alembicplyr said:
Do you happen to have an effects loop on you head (I have to assume you are). Theoretically, Doing it this way should bypass your eq section.
Click to expand...
 
#13
bluewine said:
I was reading your comment on the Sans Amp.

I was thinking of parting with 199.00 for one. However, I was told they are only good for guys that are playing large venues and going direct out to an elaborate PA and not using an amp.

My amp has an effects loop, I am not sure if I would get much value from the Sans Amp.

BTW do you know much about the Knock Off from MXR?

Comments?

blue
Click to expand...
You can use them with an amp on stage. And run to the pa or not. We use our pa on small and large gigs.
I havent used it yet but I plan on running a line to my onstage amp, and to the pa. You can use it just on your bass amp rig if you want.
If you have a poweramp bypass section on your amp, it can be used to color your amp tone, bypassing the amps pre and eq section. There are so many ways to use it, can be ran inline, from your bass to your amp as normal as an effect.
It does make a solidstate amp sound better than it normaly would without it.
I dont know about the MXR, Ill try one later.
Search around for reviews on here, alot of TBers use them..
 
#14
the comment about FX loops bypassing your EQ is a load of bollocks.

maybe on one crappy amp... but DEFINITELY not typical... if anything, the insert point is POST EQ, between the preamp and the poweramp... the only way i can think of that could bypass the amp's tone controls would be to plug your bass into the sansamp, and then plug the output of the sansamp into your effects return, thus bypassing the preamp and eq (maybe) sections of your amp... at that point, sell your amp, buy a power amp and a rackmount sansamp....

john
 
#15
running a bddi straight into power amp works fine for me- though i used to use it through a preamp. if youre running several effects- especially in parallel- you may not want everything eq'ed the same. however- im a biased convert who is officially anti-large/rack preamp now- so- take that into consideration.
 
#16
JohnDavisNYC said:
the comment about FX loops bypassing your EQ is a load of bollocks.

maybe on one crappy amp... but DEFINITELY not typical... if anything, the insert point is POST EQ, between the preamp and the poweramp... the only way i can think of that could bypass the amp's tone controls would be to plug your bass into the sansamp, and then plug the output of the sansamp into your effects return, thus bypassing the preamp and eq (maybe) sections of your amp... at that point, sell your amp, buy a power amp and a rackmount sansamp....

john
Click to expand...

Your post is really unhelpful John. You don't seem to have read the thread, or any of the related threads at all.

Running a bass into the Sansamp and then into the effects return is precisely what has been mentioned in order to bypass the preamp stage of the amp. If you bother to look 2 posts up from my original post, you can see Bongo says exactly that.

My question, in case I wasn't clear, is what is the point of the effects send?

For example, I have heard that putting a chorus pedal in the effects loop is preferred by a lot of people. From what I understand this is because it allows the chorus to not be effected at the preamp stage.

It seems you are saying that using the effects loop would not bypass my preamp or EQ settings. Therefore, if I run my sansamp 1/4 out into the effects return and the effects send into the sansamp in, I can still benefit from my amp's preamp, and use the EQ settings of my amp and also the Sansamp.

I've read a lot of information contradicting that (including, as I mentioned, the manual for my amp), so I hope you can appreciate why I'm a little confused.
 
#17
i have read the thread, and understand the related technology quite clearly. there is a bit of mis-information in this thread... bongo as usual nailed it, but many others did not... sorry if i made things worse, let me try to clear it up.

an effects loop in an insert point in the signal chain of an amplifier. you plug your bass into your amp, it goes into the preamp. the EQ is part of the preamp circuit, generally. an effects loop gives you a point to 'pick off' the signal between the preamp and poweramp. the fx loop send is essentially the output from the preamp, and the return is the input to the power amp. many fx loops have a mix knob, but not all.

the chorus pedal thing is basically people saying that they prefer hearing the chorus happening AFTER the EQ-ing of the preamp.... as opposed to EQ-ing a chorused sound (probably because they are boosting lots of high end and bringing up the hiss from the pedal)... i don't know, i hate chorus.

what i am saying (which is the same as what bongo was saying) is that if you use the effects loop in the intended manner, it will have no affect on the functionality of the preamp or EQ in your amp, and anyone suggesting otherwise is wrong. some fx loops may have the option to be switched pre or post EQ, but i assume that most are post... what your manual is saying is that using the return ONLY is a way to patch directly to the input of the poweramp, bypassing the first half of the amp (why i said just sell the amp and buy a poweramp...)...

to invert the concept, the fx send can also be used to split the output from the preamp, either to a DI or another amp...

more clear?

these are all basic signal flow concepts, but can be easily misunderstood... fx loops are like a patchbay in your amp... you can use the fx send only to split the preamp signal, use the send and return together to insert processors, or use the return only to connect directly to the poweramp.

john
 
#19
Ahh, right, so the difference between putting the sans amp into my amp input and putting it in my effects loop, is that in the former the signal will be processed by the Sansamp first and then my preamp, and in the latter, it will be my preamp first and then the Sansamp.

Whereas not using the send and just the return will bypass my preamp altogether.

That was the problem, I couldn't work out the point of using the effects loop (both send and return), as from the information I had, it seemed the signal was getting processed in exactly the same way whether using the the front input or the effects loop.

Thanks.
 
#20
Look, what's really important here is whether the Sansamp is sitting on the floor parallel to the front of the amp or perpendicular. "Conventional though" says to go parallel, but then you lose a lot of phase matching inside the EQ couplers.

Come on, guys.
 

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