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sansamp sucks my mids out

#22
wateroftyne said:
The mids are sucked regardless of how radically you set the knobs.
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I can understand why you'd believe this...

There are two aspects of the SansAmp that most people seem to neglect, for better or for worse:
  • When you roll back the Bass and Treble knobs, you effectively get a mid boost, but it's centered at 750Hz. What if you're one of those who don't like a 750Hz mid boost? Well... you're out of luck.
  • Regardless of your settings, the SansAmp isn't a pure EQ and drive pedal - it emulates a miked speaker. And we all know that speakers have their own tonal properties... so if you're not fond of the Ampeg 8x10 fridge sound, you're out of luck. In addition, adding this "simulated speaker coloration" onto another amp with its own voicing can be problematic in some situations, cutting and boosting mids where you may or may not like it.
That's just my two cents on it. The SansAmp wasn't for me, but I can acknowledge its usefulness as a standalone DI. With an amp, however... it's hit-or-miss.
 
#23
The Sansamp will always change your tone dramatically, so I don't think it works well as a dirtbox if all you want is dirt as there will be no continuity in your tone when you kick the thing on... Sounds like the Muff'n would be a much better way to go for you. If you're interested in checking out sound samples for any other dirtboxes, I've done a few, and you can find them here:

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/search.php?searchid=5689666

Good luck in your search for tone.
 
#24
I find the SANSAMP to work best as it's own preamp and if you want more control of the mids, buy an RBI version. It works great in that context. Some folks use it to add grittiness to their rig as a pedal but that is a hit and miss prospect, IMO
 
#25
assboglin said:
The Sansamp will always change your tone dramatically, so I don't think it works well as a dirtbox if all you want is dirt as there will be no continuity in your tone when you kick the thing on... Sounds like the Muff'n would be a much better way to go for you. If you're interested in checking out sound samples for any other dirtboxes, I've done a few, and you can find them here:

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/search.php?searchid=5689666

Good luck in your search for tone.
Click to expand...
Thanks but your link doesn't work here :hmm:

BTW, I went at the store this afternoon, tried a fender pbass vintage 62, through a muff'n in a svt-vr.......all I got to say is holy ****ing ****!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'll be buying those as soon as I can!!!
I finally found the sound I've always dreamed about, it's awesome.
 
#26
wateroftyne said:
The mids are sucked regardless of how radically you set the knobs.

Roll the bass and treble right off... sucked.

Roll the blend completely back.. sucked (and pointless).

My fretless P lost all life with the SansAmp. The EBS does the tube/speaker emulation thing just fine without sucking the mids.
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I kind of experienced the same thing. The mids were a little more noticeable when I cut the Treble, Bass, and Blend, but it wasn't enough for my liking. I was looking for more than the 750Hz boost. I thought, "Hey, I bought this thing to give me a tube amp sound with some overdrive, but I've hardly got the Blend function on!"
 
#27
All the link was to was a search for posts by me. It sounds like you've found what you're looking for, but in case you're curious to check out the soundclips I've done, all you've got to do is search for threads posted by me. Rock on!
 
#29
ihateusernames said:
I like using the sansamp and it's clones in limited applications for this exact reason. It makes a nice smooth sound and takes some bite and attack away from an active bass for songs that require less presence of the bass. Or a nice conversation with the sound engineer and a set list can accomplish the same thing.
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ha, that's interesting because I use it for precisely the opposite reason. You can work with the Drive and Presence knobs to get a really aggressive sound - those knobs are where the true power of the SABDDI lies, IMO.

The mid scoop used to bother me too, and I didn't use it live for a few years after I got it. But if you're playing rock, especially with a pick, it just has "that" sound. Your bass will still have presence, just in different parts of the spectrum.
 
#30
I think that if you're running a passive bass into a solid state amp, but would rather be sounding as though you're running an active bass into a tube amp, then you'll get the maximum satisfaction out of using the sansamp as a preamp pedal. Every point at which your desires deviate from this will make the sansamp less and less appropriate (at least as a preamp vs a DI).

Though I'm finding it most useful for getting big, metal-ish active bass sounds, I have noticed that with the blend at noon and all other tone controls off, I can get pretty natural, non-coloring tube overdrive out of the "drive" knob. It doesn't sound quite as natural as the english muff'n, but it's close. And without the slightly clanky overtones I was convinced I heard the Muff'n drawing out.

I echo the above tips: make use of the blend knob, be cautious about the treble & bass knobs.
 
#31
wateroftyne said:
I had the same problem, so I bought an EBS Microbass II.

It does all the Sansamp does and more, and no mid-scoop.
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I have one too. I agree that the Microbass II is a remarkable, incredibly flexible pedal, and has some cool distortion tones. One channel even has a semi-parametric mid, so if you're losing mids, you can dial them in.:D

The one thing I'd say is, if you're looking for strictly distortion, the Microbass is WAYYYYY overkill, and ridiculously expensive for just a distortion box. But, if you want something with all the features of the Microbass, it's hard to beat.
 
#33
Anyone here happy with their muff'n cause I gotta say when I tried it today I was really impressed, the first time I tried it I didn't have a good bass, but today I,ve tried it with a fender vintage 62 Pbass through a svt-vr....awesome.
The guy at the store will call me tomorrow to tell me how much he can drop the price if I buy the bass and head...I cant wait!
 
#35
I suspect that opinions vary so widely on the Sansamp, when used as a pedal/stompbox, not only because of differences in the tones we prefer but because we are all using it with different rigs and different basses. As someone noted previously, it is designed to emulate the (miked) sound of a fat tube amp through a cabinet -- mainly for use when recording direct (i.e., sans amp and cab). When such a signal then is processed by another preamp, power amp, and cabinet, the results will vary greatly depending on the rig. And, I think, the bass you happen to be playing too.

For example, I used to use my Sansamp all the time through my old Ampeg B-2 combo w/ 15" speaker, with all of my basses. I thought it made my rig sound like a fat SVT tube amp through an Ampeg 8x10. Then I added a (relatively bright-sounding) Avatar 2x10 extension cab, and I didn't like the Sansamp with that setup nearly as much -- except when playing my Carvin LB70. Then I picked up a more portable Ampeg B100R, which already does a great tube-emulation thing and thus sounds terrible with the Sansamp. (Department of Redundancy Department?) Then I bought a Jack Casady sig, which has incredibly rich, complex mids, and the Sansamp "sucks out the mids" as stated by the O.P. I can almost get them back by tweaking the Sansamp settings as discussed above, but on balance the JC sounds better without it. (BUT, it sounds amazing through a real tube amp, so go figure.)

Anyway, the point is that some people are all about "Sansamp sucks" and others are all about "Sansamp rocks," but both are true depending on your rig (and, of course, your taste).
 
#37
wateroftyne said:
Great points.

That's one of the great things about the Microbass II... the EQ and tube emulation goes via the output to your rig. The DI gets all this *and* the speaker emulation.

Those clever Swedes thought of everything.
Click to expand...

Why, thank you. Right nice of you to say.

I didn't know this about the Microbass (or about those Swedes, for that matter). That's very cool. I might be havin' to get me one of them. Thanks for the info!
 
#38
hey everyone thanks for your replies, I appreciate, I realised the the sansamp wasn't what I was looking for so I returned it and got a muff'n.
Sounds great, I cant wait to try it at home.
I will get a fender pbass vintage 62 and an svt-vr too :) pretty soon
 
#40
Did you try that p bass through the sans amp? I bought a MIM p bass last week and on the weekend ran it through a sansamp direct into a nice PA and it made me want to buy a sansamp. I didn't set it up , don't know the settings , but man it sounded sweet.
 

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