I am talking national tours. There is so little setup time that you need everything consistent as fast as possible.
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Sansamp over rated
- Thread starter BaltBass5
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I am talking national tours. There is so little setup time that you need everything consistent as fast as possible.
Yeah, that's definitely a consideration. Fortunately, when I travel, I play with the headliner so we get a little more time than most
Yeah, that's definitely a consideration. Fortunately, when I travel, I play with the headliner so we get a little more time than most
Honestly headlining won't matter if you have a dedicated sound guy. Once they get used to certain signals and setups they will not want to go back to mic'd. I toured with some huge headlining acts that were all running with fake cabs on stage and everything was direct. You have to consider the room and the venue as well.
I'm not saying everyone hates mic'd, but I can assure you that large acts are running direct a heck of a lot more and the mics you are seeing many times are just for the in ear mix.
Well I've long given up the idea of micing and just do DI now simply because of that attitude, yet when I mic'ed, I absolutely loved the sound and I don't think I made it even a little harder for anyone to mix my band.
I used the SansAmp and the Para Driver for years. I just got used to the tone.
I realised it was killing the character in my basses, so I swapped to the EBS Microbass II. At that point, I realised how much interesting tone lives in the zone that the SansAmp sucks out.
And yes, I twiddled the knobs to kingdom come for a long, long time. Even with the blend and tones dialled back, the 'SANSAMP TONE!' light was always lit (IYKWIM).
IMO, if you like the inherent Sansamp tone, you're in luck. If you don't, there's no use twiddling. Buy something else.
I realised it was killing the character in my basses, so I swapped to the EBS Microbass II. At that point, I realised how much interesting tone lives in the zone that the SansAmp sucks out.
And yes, I twiddled the knobs to kingdom come for a long, long time. Even with the blend and tones dialled back, the 'SANSAMP TONE!' light was always lit (IYKWIM).
IMO, if you like the inherent Sansamp tone, you're in luck. If you don't, there's no use twiddling. Buy something else.
I would think it's quite possible to get a reproducible and quick to set up mic, maybe with a mic holder attached to the cab, and it can't be more work to hook up the XLR cable to it than to a DI box. And maybe jot down a good EQ starting point just in case the sound guy don't know how to mic a bass cabinet.
Just an oddity that someone can be a member since 2011 and not know Jimmy's resume. That's kinda like not knowing Chef's marital status or Burning Skies favorite preamp.
We are talking about different stuff here folks.
I am just explaining why the sansamp was so widely used by touring pros and studio engineers. That is it.
Sure, I'm squarely in the DI camp given I use mixed size driver cabinets, and see my amp on stage mainly as a monitor, so there's a Sansamp/VT Bass DI at the end of my pedalboard. I just think it is possible to get very close to the speed and convenience of a DI even if you use a mic though, with some planning and thought on how to set it up.
You can get close but the bigger the tours get the more rigid the setups are due to time constraints. Do you really want to be that guy on a major tour asking for a mic on your cabinet and handing a sound guy who already has his mix template a paper with frequency boosts? The answer is no - you don't. Down the road, if the band stabilizes and the crew gels, then you can get away with a lot more requests like this, but I wouldn't suggest going about it like that. There is a much bigger picture to be considered.
I would on the other hand be surprised if a sound guy on a "major tour" couldn't handle micing a bass cabinet ...
Brother and sisters - I think we have lost the essence of the thread's original intent. I think at this point if you are a Sansamp fan/user/endorsER , share your use cases. If you are not, that's cool. Browse as you see fit and ask legitimate questions if need be.
I have finished my popcorn now.
, share your use cases. If you are not, that's cool. Browse as you see fit and ask legitimate questions if need be.I have finished my popcorn now.
You are entitled to your opinion.
On the other hand, your tone...sucks.
You might not mean to but you come off as being pretty condescending and my way is the highway.
I would on the other hand be surprised if a sound guy on a "major tour" couldn't handle micing a bass cabinet ...
I clearly explained why DI is preferred. It has nothing to do with what you implied.
The whole point of my post is to explain why so many pro engineers love the sansamp for multiple reasons. Not saying it is the only way, just explaining why it is not overrated.
