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SansAmp RBI vs RPM

#41
stingray69 said:
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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the treble is okay i usually run it at about flat. but yea a little od is what im aiming for i dont like the "chainsaw" distortion if you will.

but thanks alot i cant really get my hands on one to try it out so its a little hard but i would really appreciate some clips.
 
#42
playibanez said:
the treble is okay i usually run it at about flat. but yea a little od is what im aiming for i dont like the "chainsaw" distortion if you will.

but thanks alot i cant really get my hands on one to try it out so its a little hard but i would really appreciate some clips.
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No problem. I couldn't find a single RPM anywhere in my area either - I could find almost any model SansAmp except the RPM. Had to go the Internet route myself. I'll have something posted later tonight.
 
#43
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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IMO, the presence is actually a weak point of the RBI. it is boost only and way overly agressive. i usually leave mine off or barely on - i think it should be re-labeled CLANK! :) fwiw, i primarily play jazz's with a pick - you can get plenty of bite with the RPM's treble and mid controls.

JR
 
#44
Ok - sorry so late (almost forgot to do them). But better late than never - here's a couple played with a pick (which I am NOT a good pick player). They are pretty bright sounding because of brand new strings & the pick of course. There's mistakes in there, but it's late and I don't have the energy to fix them. Where's the sleepy smilie? :hmm:

Both are the same amount of light overdrive - on the second clip I just dumped the mids on my jazz bass & kept on recording (with the pick). As I stated in an earlier post, these clips sound OK & give a fairly accurate test drive, but do not do the RPM nearly enough justice as compared to playing it in the real world through a real bass cab with some real power behind it. :bassist:

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#45
JGR said:
IMO, the presence is actually a weak point of the RBI. it is boost only and way overly agressive. i usually leave mine off or barely on - i think it should be re-labeled CLANK! :) fwiw, i primarily play jazz's with a pick - you can get plenty of bite with the RPM's treble and mid controls.

JR
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+1

I'd have to agree entirely with that. The 2 clips above were done with the Mids on about 1 o'clock set to about 1K. Played with a pick, things will get about as bright as you want. The Treble knob was set to about 1 o'clock as well, but I can't recall what the center frequency is of the Treble knob. The RPM is very flexible - it will get as bright (or dark) as you want it to be.
 
#46
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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What they need to do is combine the two - surely they can fit a few more knobs on the front? I'd step over my granny for a hybrid RBI/PM :)
 
#47
stingray69 said:
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.
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Have you heard my Landmark 300 Link Removed That's the RPM channel with a +10dB input boost :)
 
#48
i want the RBI because it is like my sansamp bass driver but with the mids not scooped out quite as much. and far more versitle. ive never heard much of the RPM from what i understand it is more of a stand alone preamp versus a sound soplimenter/additive.
 
#50
idoru said:
Have you heard my Landmark 300 Link Removed That's the RPM channel with a +10dB input boost :)
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i just picked up a landmark 600 used - been looking for one for a long time. a wonderful head, and i love mixing the channels via the footswitch. regarding the +10 switch, the gain is about the same as the RBI and RPM's with this switch engaged - with it out, they are actually cleaner than the RBI/RPMs. just FYI :)

JR
 
#51
idoru said:
What they need to do is combine the two - surely they can fit a few more knobs on the front? I'd step over my granny for a hybrid RBI/PM :)
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a hybrid of the two is indeed great as they do compliment eachother. if you buy both units, you can run them in parallel blended together which is what i do. i figured out a way to do it - tech21 guys weren't even aware of it, but it works great (i called them about it and they are checking it out!). i've posted here in the past on how to do it, but if anyone gets both and is interested, pm me. you could also get a landmark 300 which allows you to mix the channels via the footswitch.

JR
 
#52
idoru said:
Have you heard my Landmark 300 Link Removed That's the RPM channel with a +10dB input boost :)
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Sounds good - I've never had the chance to check out the Landmark stuff. Actually, I've never seen them locally so they always seem to fly under my radar. I always forget Tech 21 offers them until I make it to their website from time to time. Wish they were more in the public eye or at least available in my area to try them out.


playibanez said:
thanks alot guys i think the rpm is def what im going for im gunna try and order it at my local music store next week. il be sure to post a little about it when it comes in.

stingray thanks alot for the clips they were extremely helpful
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No problem at all. Looking forward to seeing how you like it.
 
#53
Alright - one more clip to move further away from the Rush clips. Broke out the old cheesy drum machine on this one. I did cheat & used a moderate amount (in retrospect, too much) of software compression on the bass track to control things, plus it adds to what I feel is closer to the original tone of the song. No other editing other than the compression on this clip.

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#54
Thanks guys...and especially you Stingray69. Your sound clips are excellent and pushed be to the brink of my GAS tolerance level. I ordered an RPM today from Musicians Friend. I had a 10% off coupon so it only cost me 296.00 shipped. Bad news it's on back order for 22 days! I'm sure it's going to be worth the wait and I'm looking forward to running it solo and also patched into my RBI (thanks for the insight on running both JGR!)
 
#55
JOE EDO said:
Thanks guys...and especially you Stingray69. Your sound clips are excellent and pushed be to the brink of my GAS tolerance level. I ordered an RPM today from Musicians Friend. I had a 10% off coupon so it only cost me 296.00 shipped. Bad news it's on back order for 22 days! I'm sure it's going to be worth the wait and I'm looking forward to running it solo and also patched into my RBI (thanks for the insight on running both JGR!)
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Awesome! Congrats! Glad the clips helped. As Billy Joel says, "you can't get the sound from a story in a magazine". So I thought some folks might get some use out of some clips. Posting clips always makes me nervous, beyond the obvious judgments that will be made, things always sound different on different stereos - my "studio mixes" were done on a Sony bookshelf system - LOL. The RPM does sound amazing though - count on it sounding better than those clips!

Sorry to hear about the backorder - I know they were non-existant in my area when I went to check them out.

I've been having serious thoughts about picking up the RBI in the future as well to see what that brings to the table paired up with the RPM. I've been checking out several posts in a few threads what JGR says about running the two together, sounds like it might be pretty awesome - guess you'll find out soon enough. Again - thanks and Congrats!
 
#59
playibanez said:
i heard the rpm is supposed to be a rackmount version of the acoustic di not the paradriver
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the acousitc DI was around before the RPM. they expanded on that design when they created the RPM, adding the gain control which the DI didn't have. eventually they discontinued the acoustic DI and brought out the paradriver, which i would imagine is very similar to the RPM, though i'm sure there are subtle differences (in addition to connectivity options) since they can only pack so much into a tiny pedal. i have an acoustic DI and i guess it is similar to the RPM, but the gain control on the RPM adds a ton of character which really gives the RPM a life of its own. haven't tried the paradriver yet.

JR
 
#60
JOE EDO said:
Thanks guys...and especially you Stingray69. Your sound clips are excellent and pushed be to the brink of my GAS tolerance level. I ordered an RPM today from Musicians Friend. I had a 10% off coupon so it only cost me 296.00 shipped. Bad news it's on back order for 22 days! I'm sure it's going to be worth the wait and I'm looking forward to running it solo and also patched into my RBI (thanks for the insight on running both JGR!)
Click to expand...

awesome!! lemme you when you get it, how you like running them together, and if you have any questions. ill give ya some sample settings if you like to get ya started!

JR
 

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