Have not tried acoustic guitar because both my acoustic guitars are pickup free. Good to know it could work if that changes, though!
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Double Bass Sansamp Para Driver DI for DB amplification
- Thread starter Chris Fitzgerald
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- di driver para driver sansamp
I just started using an older version, without the mid sweep. I love this thing! I use it as a preamp alone into the effects return on my Contra and the sound is far more balanced with my Revolution Solo II than the Contra without it. It does wonders for my MTD Heir EB, too; not so much for my ABG. The mid-scoop seems to happen as a result of the treble and bass controls even without a mid-sweep.
Wow. I didn't know there was ever one without a Mid Shift control. I have what I took to be the first generation with the tiny blend control and without all the buttons. Mine's like this:
And this is the newer model:
What does yours look like? Could you post a picture?
Mine looks just like the top one, without the two mid knobs and with a blend knob. Of course, now I'm jonesing for mid knobs....
As you should, I think. The greatest malleability of the sound character in these boxes is in the mid knobs. [Begin shaking piggy bank.]
::sigh:: What do I do with the SansMidKnobs Sansamp then? aargh...As you should, I think. The greatest malleability of the sound character in these boxes is in the mid knobs. [Begin shaking piggy bank.]
For me, the rumble filter and the blend knob are where the magic is with this unit.
Did anyone compare this to the headway or Felix? I have a great custom made preamp with everything you could dream of but it's very big and heavy and sometimes overkill...
I have a Headway EDB-1 and had the Sansamp for about a month. I prefer the Headway. To me, the Headway sounds more open, especially the mids, than the Sansamp, which always sounded too dark to me. Just my opinion, of course!
I own both the Headway and Sansamp, and wrote an extended review on the Felix. The Headway is nice, but overkill for me with an extra channel I don't need and too many buttons and knobs (like the Felix, which is amazing once you dial it in but one wrong setting can botch the whole thing). I think both the Headway and Felix sound better and more hi-fi than the Sansamp, but I spent too much time futzing with them during Every. Single. Gig. I would rather spend that time focusing on playing the music that is happening.
For me, the Sansamp is a great "preamp for dummies"; slightly imperfect but also idiot proof. It is also compact, built like a tank, reliable as all get out, and a single battery lasts forever and a day.
For me, the Sansamp is a great "preamp for dummies"; slightly imperfect but also idiot proof. It is also compact, built like a tank, reliable as all get out, and a single battery lasts forever and a day.
I hear you! I have the same "problem" with my preamp, to many switches to try and suddenly you forget what you sounded like to begin with...
The sansamp doesn't have an input and phantom for a mic if I understood correct. That's a pity though.
The Headway has a lot of knobs too, but I only ever use the EQ and volume. If a notch filter is needed, I'm either dealing with a sound person that doesn't know what they're doing, or the gig is too loud for me to enjoy playing DB. Just my 2 cents, as always.
Earl
Supporting Member
Yes, I use this - small, light, battery operated, 1Mg/5Mg/20Mg impedance, HPF - great for what I need.
True, and yet....
Recently have been learning more about this box, my basses, and other stuff through experimentation. It worked well as above, but recently I got curious about how it would sound with the Fdeck instead of the rumble filter. Of course it sounds better with the Fdeck.
Oddly, with my main bass the blend knob still has some magic to it.Spent a few hours yesterday working with combinations of the Sansamp, Fdeck, and Keeley Bassist to see if I could come to terms with the amplified resonance issue I was having with my travel bass. I was able to come up with a nice solution, even though it's against the way I usually amplify with the FC pickup; in this case, I cut the heck out of the mid frequency at what I'm guessing is about 200hz. That seemed to tame the wolfy Eb-F# area on the G String almost entirely and give me a nice clean sound around the rest of the registers even at a pretty reasonably high volume. And it always sounded better with the blend know set all to the way to the Sansamp side of things.
It's interesting to me, because on every other FC-equipped bass I've tried it on, everything sounds best flat. But maybe what I'm learning is that the difference in this case isn't the FC but the difference in the resonating body of the little bass. I thought the sound I was getting yesterday was really nice. Of course, that was with a little mini-pedalboard, but if carrying a few boxes overseas or across the country is the price of admission, I can live with that. More on this story as it develops!
just wondering how you feel about the keeley bassist?True, and yet....
Recently have been learning more about this box, my basses, and other stuff through experimentation. It worked well as above, but recently I got curious about how it would sound with the Fdeck instead of the rumble filter. Of course it sounds better with the Fdeck.
Spent a few hours yesterday working with combinations of the Sansamp, Fdeck, and Keeley Bassist to see if I could come to terms with the amplified resonance issue I was having with my travel bass. I was able to come up with a nice solution, even though it's against the way I usually amplify with the FC pickup; in this case, I cut the heck out of the mid frequency at what I'm guessing is about 200hz. That seemed to tame the wolfy Eb-F# area on the G String almost entirely and give me a nice clean sound around the rest of the registers even at a pretty reasonably high volume. And it always sounded better with the blend know set all to the way to the Sansamp side of things.
It's interesting to me, because on every other FC-equipped bass I've tried it on, everything sounds best flat. But maybe what I'm learning is that the difference in this case isn't the FC but the difference in the resonating body of the little bass. I thought the sound I was getting yesterday was really nice. Of course, that was with a little mini-pedalboard, but if carrying a few boxes overseas or across the country is the price of admission, I can live with that. More on this story as it develops!
i have this: Keeley Compressor Pro - Professional studio guitar pedal
and with the switches set to auto and hard knee its the same as the bassist, but i think it works better for upright bass (quite well actually) with the soft knee and auto on. also, the metering lights are very helpful in setting things up. here at home it tames the sometimes too big bottom end, even with the hpf engaged
@shwashwa I like the bassist quite a bit. I'm using it as a limiter with the travel bass, and if I set it just right, it only comes on for the frequencies that jump out unevenly. I like that it's only 3 knobs, and that I actually fully understand what they all do. If I were trying to be more surgical, I bet the pedal you linked to would be a great choice!
when used in the mode i described it is also only 3 knobs... i just change the knee. hard knee is exactly like your pedal, but im finding for upright bass i prefer the soft knee...
Saw this thread and wanted to chime in that I've found the tech21 Q\strip, which I'm assuming is at least a cousin to the sansamp, to also be a great piece of gear. They share many of the same features and format, but the Q\strip has two semi-parametric mids, and I'm assuming it doesn't have the tube emulation circuitry.
I love it. It can be operated via phantom power which I love. A 9volt battery seems to last forever (I hate worrying about batteries running out.) and it sounds very transparent. I wish it had a variable high pass filter as opposed to just a switch, but I've never actually needed that feature playing out with it.
I love it. It can be operated via phantom power which I love. A 9volt battery seems to last forever (I hate worrying about batteries running out.) and it sounds very transparent. I wish it had a variable high pass filter as opposed to just a switch, but I've never actually needed that feature playing out with it.
It's not only a cousin to the Para Driver, it looks like it's housed in the same box with a different paint job; same placement of knobs, inputs, and buttons, but obviously different controls. It looks nice, but the HPF is fixed at 45hz, which doesn't really help a lot in that department. The dual mid controls is a nice feature, though!
