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SansAmp RBI vs RPM

#21
Since I had Audition already fired up, here's a couple more clips - these are more on the raunchy side of the RPM's distortion.

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Drive @ 1 o'clock - Blend at 50% mix


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Drive @ 3 o'clock - Blend at max, Bass knob on RPM @ 3 o'clock (this one is pretty thick sounding - not my normal cup-o-tea, but some folks might dig it.
 
#23
Geddyfleaharris said:
I love the sound of both of those clips. I am assuming you are using your Jazz. I am not a Fender guy but you can definately hear a tone similiar to Geddy's in there. :hyper:
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Thanks! Yep - it is the jazz. I think that is lending to the similarity of the tone. You know, Jazz pickups & all. One thing I've noticed about the SansAmp is that the nature of your instrument stays true. My Cort GB-75 running through the SansAmp sounds punchy, sounds beefy, sounds brilliant, but still sounds like a Cort GB-75 only much beefier (which is not a bad thing at all :bassist:). But it won't cop Geddy's Fender Jazz bass tone nearly as well for obvious reasons. The GB-75 has a MM-style pickup & a jazz pu in the neck position. The preamp in the Cort sounds more biting & aggressive like a cross between a Stingray & a Jazz - the SansAmp enhances what you've already got going on. I guess what I'm trying to say is that if I did the same clips with the Cort you could instantly tell it was a different instrument other than a Jazz bass. What the SansAmp will do is give any instrument you currently have a major set of cahones. :bassist: And if that instrument happens to be a Jazz bass, then yes, you can cop a very good Geddy-like tone. :cool:

Oops - I see you already have an RBI, so I think I've been preaching to the choir a bit here.
 
#24
stingray69 said:
Thanks! Yep - it is the jazz. I think that is lending to the similarity of the tone. You know, Jazz pickups & all. One thing I've noticed about the SansAmp is that the nature of your instrument stays true. My Cort GB-75 running through the SansAmp sounds punchy, sounds beefy, sounds brilliant, but still sounds like a Cort GB-75 only much beefier (which is not a bad thing at all :bassist:). But it won't cop Geddy's Fender Jazz bass tone nearly as well for obvious reasons. The GB-75 has a MM-style pickup & a jazz pu in the neck position. The preamp in the Cort sounds more biting & aggressive like a cross between a Stingray & a Jazz - the SansAmp enhances what you've already got going on. I guess what I'm trying to say is that if I did the same clips with the Cort you could instantly tell it was a different instrument other than a Jazz bass. What the SansAmp will do is give any instrument you currently have a major set of cahones. :bassist: And if that instrument happens to be a Jazz bass, then yes, you can cop a very good Geddy-like tone. :cool:
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Hm sounds like what i need :)
 
#26
Son of Bovril said:
I'd be worried about buying a piece of gear that makes all my basses sound the same... whats the point of that? although I find if you pump the blend to 100% on the sansamp thats pretty much what it does.

Needless to say, I haven't found the piece of sansamp gear that is right for me yet, but I will keep an open mind to the brand nevertheless
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"Emulation" is a much stronger terminology (IMO), implying a much greater amount of tonal coloring than the typical, more nondescript "bass preamp". Yes the RPM has it's own voice & yes your instrument will still sound like your instrument. I just want to emphasize to anyone who's considering the RPM that they shouldn't worry about their inherent tone being improved upon, but suddenly sounding a little more "generic" or little tonal nuances of their instrument being lost, masked, or lessened from anything prior than it was before the SansAmp. At least not IMO/IME. The strong midrange bark of a Jazz bass when you dig in, the growl of a Stingray - still there & discernible as such, just with more balls. Maybe I was being unclear in my point. As always, the best advice for anyone considering new gear is to try one out if possible.
 
#27
Son of Bovril said:
although I find if you pump the blend to 100% on the sansamp thats pretty much what it does.
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I think that is the mistake that a lot of people make with the RBI or RPM - cranking the blend to 100%. 100% is too much for me but at 60% it rocks and doesn't take over your sound completely. I have had this discussion with another player who uses the RPM and he is of the same mind. Yes the Tech21 manuals show their sample settings with 100% blend but a bit of experimenting does wonders. :cool:
 
#28
Geddyfleaharris said:
I think that is the mistake that a lot of people make with the RBI or RPM - cranking the blend to 100%. 100% is too much for me but at 60% it rocks and doesn't take over your sound completely. I have had this discussion with another player who uses the RPM and he is of the same mind. Yes the Tech21 manuals show their sample settings with 100% blend but a bit of experimenting does wonders. :cool:
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+1

The RPM manual states that the user will probably want to run the RPM at 100% full blend. I despise that setting - sounded horrible to me to be quite honest (at least on the clean setting). IMO, the magic happens with the Blend at 50-60% or lower. Lets your instrument sound like your instrument (on steroids).
 
#30
Chronicle said:
Yeah but the Blend at 100% with some grit has got to sound nice. I know it does on the PBDDI :]
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Agreed - Also, let me re-state something about one of my above comments regarding full Blend sounding "horrible" - perhaps a little too harsh on my choice of adjectives. :D It's not that it sounds bad...actually the signal is very clean & usable, but the output is down by at least -6 to -8db if you're not using the Drive while the Blend is at full 100% max. My theory is that it is tied somehow to the 50/50 mix option of the effects loop, but that's sheer speculation on my part. I kept thinking "I'd never use this setting because the fullness & volume is just not there...not enough "umph" (gain) behind it." The signal is very clean, but weaker. There is a definite interaction between the Drive & Blend knobs vs. the overall gain structure (Level knob) not like any normal bass preamp or bass head I've used, but I'm still learning what that relationship is exactly. It has to do with which side (of dead center) of the Blend knob your favoring AND how much Drive your using. Not to worry - the RPM can drive a power amp deep into the red with ease at either full clean or max distortion & all points in between, but there is a little experimenting one should try to obtain the best overall gain structure for their particular tone. So, poor choice of description on my part - sorry. :D
 
#32
as others have mentioned, the blend is definitely something to experiment with. i've found that i really like the sound of the RPM with the blend all the way up, or close to it - it doesn't scoop the mids like the RBI does. with the RBI, setting the blend 50-60% works for me. YMMV.

JR
 
#35
Son of Bovril said:
hmmm maybe I should give the RPM a try?
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you should. tone is subjective, but now having spent a lot of time with both units, i have to say i like the RPM better. it's a real sleeper. i talked to lloyd at tech 21 not to long ago about the RPM, and how they need to improve their marketing, because most folks think it is just an RBI with sweepable mids when it really is a different animal.... give it a whirl if you can. if you like the RBI, i think you will love the RPM.

JR
 
#36
JGR said:
you should. tone is subjective, but now having spent a lot of time with both units, i have to say i like the RPM better. it's a real sleeper. i talked to lloyd at tech 21 not to long ago about the RPM, and how they need to improve their marketing, because most folks think it is just an RBI with sweepable mids when it really is a different animal.... give it a whirl if you can. if you like the RBI, i think you will love the RPM.

JR
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+1

This sounds miles better than the floor BDDI pedal that I had many years ago. If you have reservations based on ANY unit (maybe not ParaDriver) of SansAmp prior to the RPM, toss them out the window & start over again. As JR stated, they do not apply here. FWIW, the RPM manual states that the RPM is actually a rackmount version based on the SansAmp Acoustic DI. Might explain the superb clarity, emphasis on total midrange control, etc. which just happens to be perfect for a bass guitar application. Still trying to figure out the awesome OD/Distortion capabilities on a device based around an Acoustic DI unit, but who cares, it's a tremendous added bonus nonetheless. As best I can describe it, it is a hybrid animal - a cross between the Acoustic DI combined with OD capabilities of the RBI, yet with it's own voice. Also FWIW, I have ran an acoustic guitar & Yamaha SY-35 keyboard through it - results were amazing as expected. I can easily see the hesitation by Tech 21 not wanting to box in this particular model by labeling it with a name that implies a more dedicated purpose when it works so well for so many applications.
 
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#38
BrentSimons said:
Wonderful clips! I've got to pick one of those up. Time to cash in some of those X-mas Gift Certificates!
B
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Thank You - hope they help give a ballpark idea of the RPM's flexibility & tone. Here's one more - I noticed I did a lot of Rush clips & that's only because he recently changed to the RPM. I just noticed some similarity & figured a few people would want to know if it can emulate some facets of his tone. I don't want to come off as being a Geddy tone chaser - I am definitely not - that's not the reason I bought the RPM. The world's got one Geddy & he's light years beyond me. Light crunch is more my thing unless the song calls for more. So here is another very light crunch overdrive clip played on top of a soundbite to show some full music context. Of course, the bass is WAY louder than it should be & I chose a point in the song where the original bass line drops out. One last thing - the RPM records very nicely on my extremely low budget homemade recordings (IMO) bass>RPM>$50 dollar soundcard - running it in the real world through a real bass cabinet is 10x as powerful - highly recommend trying one out if possible. :cool:

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#39
stingray do you happen to have any clips of the jazz with the rpm played with a pick

im stuck between the rpm and rbi for a pre. i want the rbi casue i really like to have a knob for presence but the mid sweep is also something if love to have

but after reading this thread im thinking of getting the rpm.
 
#40
playibanez said:
stingray do you happen to have any clips of the jazz with the rpm played with a pick

im stuck between the rpm and rbi for a pre. i want the rbi casue i really like to have a knob for presence but the mid sweep is also something if love to have

but after reading this thread im thinking of getting the rpm.
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I don't have any clips like that right now, but it wouldn't take too much to make another clip or two. I''m at work now & I've got a band rehearsal this evening, so it would be fairly late by the time they are posted. But sure, if it helps, I'd be glad to. I'm not much of a pick kinda guy, so don't expect too much. :D I'll try to do a light OD sample, and a heavier one if that'll work for you. Should I leave the RPM's Treble where it was on the last clip I did, or do you need me to crank that up as well to see how bright things can get?
 

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