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SansAmp Tech 21 & Amp

J

Jazz Hands

Dec 16, 2007
62
0
#1
Thursday night I played out & the sound guy wasn't getting any feed out of my XLR out on my amp head so I had to go through a DI. When I got home I ran an XLR out and it worked fine - so being paranoid I figured a good investment would be a new SansAmp Tech 21 DI.

So tonight we play again & I want to be certain if I have an issue I'm ready to adjust on the fly & hoping someone can help w/ settings. "If" I need to use the DI I want to still use my amp head & cab for my stage sound. The XLR output is pretty straightforward but I'm wondering which to use "output" or "parallel output" to send back to the input on my head (Ampeg SVT PRO3). Since the parallel output is UNAFFECTED I'm assuming that's the only one that I can send to my head otherwise I'm sending an effected signal to a head that then also has effect settings - no clue what that would do?

Also if you have this DI box please tell me where I should put the switch positions for the 3 switches. And do you dime the "Level" knob & control w/ your guitar?

Any additional info would be helpful - I haven't had a chance to try this device out so I want to be a little knowledgeable before tonight.
 
#2
I suggest reading the manual. It's got lots of information you'll want to know, including what the switch positions do. If you don't have the manual, download it off this site:

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And you'll want to use the parallel out to your amp if you want an unaffected signal out of your amp. Using the regular output will color your amp with the SBDDI. If you run from the output to the effects return on your amp, you can basically use your SBDDI as your preamp instead of your amps, which will give you a sound closer to what the audience is hearing.
 
#4
Bass volume: full.

Bass EQ (if it has it): whatever sounds best through the PA with the channel EQ set flat. Tweak your amp and the channel EQ to taste.

The SansAmp sounds good, but I find that the J48 better preserves the bass' nuances. I've not compared the SansAmp or the J48 to the Pro48 (which I expect is fairly close).
 
#5
bass into sansamp; xlr to house PA; 1/4" out (not parallel out) to bass amp (maybe even to bass amp's "effects return" or "power amp in", bypassing bass amp's EQ knobs). dime blend knob, at which point "drive" becomes preamp gain and "level" becomes master volume. start with drive at like 9:00 and level at 12:00. tweak grind and overall volume to taste.
 
#6
If you use the 1/4 out (not parallel out) into the input of your head, your amp will get whatever signal has been processed by the SansAmp. I.e., you are essentially using the SansAmp as a pre-amp. OTOH if you're feeding your head from the Parallel Out jack, it's the same as if you had plugged your bass into the amp directly.

My standard set-up is bass > SansAmp > SansAmp 1/4 out (not parallel) > amp input ("Active" input since the SansAmp sends a pretty hot signal). I feed the board with a PRE-EQ signal from the XLR output on the back of my amp (most, though not all amps with an onboard XLR output will give you the option of sending a Pre or Post EQ signal). In other words, the board is getting my signal post-SansAmp but without any EQ I may have dialed in on my head (which allows me to tweak my stage sound without affecting the house mix). This has worked out great for me and has never caused an issue with any FOH engineer.
 
#7
I do "dime" the level on my sansamp. I do, if needed, count on my SA as a DI if my amp fails. I also carry another DI just in case. Never have needed the back-ups (knock on wood).

My set up is wireless first, sansamp second, and my amp third. I use the line out (not direct) on my amp as the feed to the FOH. The sansamp is a bit noisy so I keep the treble and drive down and compensate by adjusting the treble on my basses.

I totally dig the sansamp!
 
#12
I found when played through bass amps, my Sansamp sounds amazing on it's own but when the live mix starts up it's actually very 'muddy' :scowl:. So to keep a crisp, clear sound I tend to go for parallel output to bass amp.

However, even in the live mix the Sansamp sounds amazing through the PA :hyper:, so I go XLR to sound desk.

In summary - XLR output to sound desk, parallel output to bass amp.

That's just my experience. Other bases might not have the 'muddy amp' issue - I'm going EMG dual coil (MM) pickup -> boss cs-3 compressor -> Sansamp in case that helps.
 
#13
roysloco said:
I found when played through bass amps, my Sansamp sounds amazing on it's own but when the live mix starts up it's actually very 'muddy' :scowl:. So to keep a crisp, clear sound I tend to go for parallel output to bass amp.

However, even in the live mix the Sansamp sounds amazing through the PA :hyper:, so I go XLR to sound desk.
Click to expand...
that's why i suggested the idea of going from the sansamp's out to the effects return or power amp in of the bass amp, so you would bypass the preamp section of your bass amp, allowing the onstage amp to more closely mirror what the house is getting from the sansamp's xlr.
 
#14
new to the BDDI & haven't run it in a live mix yet..
I assumed I'd be using my amp as a monitor,
glad I found this thread.

Running the XLR out with 3 channels,
I have 2 channels close in overall level, but one driven harder,
and a softer clean.

Should I try to EQ the 2 louder ones similarly?
I'm now realizing how different this might come across in the house,
where he's got his own postEQ.

Also, any advice when plugging into foreign rigs?
Assuming I just zero the main on the amp,
jump in the effects return and go up from there.

TY, Hoping to avoid headaches :)
 

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