• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

[sfx] user appreciation society

#42
I asked the question before but even after reading the responses over a few times I don't think it was answered (at least not in a way I could understand it :p). Does the Micro Thumpinator allow you to get more volume out of your rig without damaging it? I'm not looking for an increase in volume but knowing I can squeeze out a little extra juice without much worry would be nice for when I pick up a cab for my mini-rig.
 
#44
Kwesi said:
I asked the question before but even after reading the responses over a few times I don't think it was answered (at least not in a way I could understand it :p). Does the Micro Thumpinator allow you to get more volume out of your rig without damaging it? I'm not looking for an increase in volume but knowing I can squeeze out a little extra juice without much worry would be nice for when I pick up a cab for my mini-rig.
Click to expand...

IMO I think you should be able to get more perceivable volume without the amp/speaker having to produce the deep transients below 30hz. I'm not really sure how much more though as some of the strings a,d,g may not even produce those transients.

Anyone who owns one wish to comment?
 
#46
Kwesi said:
I asked the question before but even after reading the responses over a few times I don't think it was answered (at least not in a way I could understand it :p). Does the Micro Thumpinator allow you to get more volume out of your rig without damaging it? I'm not looking for an increase in volume but knowing I can squeeze out a little extra juice without much worry would be nice for when I pick up a cab for my mini-rig.
Click to expand...

There is a small, specific sense in which the answer is "yes". The peaks/spikes/humps of each note require equivalent spikes in current draw. The more current is available and usable without clipping, the "bigger" and more dynamic the sound will be. If you hit each note percussively, causing a big subharmonic thump each time, then those spikes draw a lot of the available current--leaving less current for the parts of the notes that you actually want to hear. In such a case, having the Thumpinator will prevent that drain of current, so that all available current just goes toward getting the biggest sound possible out of your desired notes. This becomes more relevant when using an amp with lower wattage.

If, OTOH, you are not thumping so much, then you are not wasting current, and you won't hear much difference.
 
#47
Kwesi said:
I asked the question before but even after reading the responses over a few times I don't think it was answered (at least not in a way I could understand it :p). Does the Micro Thumpinator allow you to get more volume out of your rig without damaging it? I'm not looking for an increase in volume but knowing I can squeeze out a little extra juice without much worry would be nice for when I pick up a cab for my mini-rig.
Click to expand...

I agree with Bongomania analysis.

Amplifiers clip for one main reason: they cannot deliver enough voltage. If we turn up the volume, there is a point when the internal power supply reaches its limit. For example, we ask to deliver 20V but there are only 18V available and everything above 18V is cut off. The clip we hear is the rapid change in the signal shape at the limit of the power supply capabilities. Things are slightly more complicated but this is the main idea.

The low control of bass amps is often a shelving EQ. In other words, it boosts everything below a certain frequency (the frequency increases slightly with the amount of boost but it is not important for the effects in the subsonic range). You can see [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] a diagram. This means that when we boost the bass frequencies on amps or EQs, subsonic content is amplified as well.

To make things worse, the ration between amplification and power delivered is logarithmic. When we boost the bass control of 6 dB, the amp has to deliver twice the voltage. When we boost by 12 dB the amp needs 4 times the voltage. For example, before the 12 dB boost, it delivers 24V, after we ask for 96V.

When we play a note, the maximum amount of power is required when we hit the note. Because of the nature of the instrument, after that fraction of a second, the voltage required can only go down.

Unfortunately, when we hit the string we also generate the maximum amount of subsonic content. The combination of the maximum energy of the note and subsonic content can be enough to make the amp clip. If the bass frequencies are amplified, the energy required can easily be more than the amp can deliver.

In this sense, the micro-Thumpinator can help decrease the likelihood of clipping and consequently can allow a volume increase. The part of the audio spectrum that does not include any note is removed and amp works to deliver what we need.
 
#48
I have to chip in and say the following regarding the Thumpinator's application and a perceived increase in amp performance.

I run an Ashdown ABM 500 evo II into an Aguilar DB112 (1x12.) This setup is ample for most gigs I do in my blues band and should I ever need more volume I usually run through the PA (and if it's a REALLY big gig, I'll bring a 4x10 although I've not needed to.)

Since putting the Thumpinator into my signal chain I find that my amp seems to push out a tiny bit more volume compared to before and my low end sounds slightly more cleaner, and refined. Either way, I feel far more comfortable using my setup knowing that that little 1x12 is working less hard these days :)
 
#49
BigBassBob said:
I have to chip in and say the following regarding the Thumpinator's application and a perceived increase in amp performance.

I run an Ashdown ABM 500 evo II into an Aguilar DB112 (1x12.) This setup is ample for most gigs I do in my blues band and should I ever need more volume I usually run through the PA (and if it's a REALLY big gig, I'll bring a 4x10 although I've not needed to.)

Since putting the Thumpinator into my signal chain I find that my amp seems to push out a tiny bit more volume compared to before and my low end sounds slightly more cleaner, and refined. Either way, I feel far more comfortable using my setup knowing that that little 1x12 is working less hard these days :)
Click to expand...

that's pretty much my (non technical) experience. feel things are a touch more controlled down low.
 
#58
I am a patient money saver. This is balanced out by being an impatient waiter once I've placed the order. :( 5-6 week possible lead time. I placed the order last week, so that means maybe the beginning of November. And then it has to survive postal transport across the pond. :eek:

I am often tempted by the Rothwell Love Squeeze. Then I am reminded of the conversion rate to GBP and I am saddened once again.
 
#59
Cue Tom Petty....
yes the wait is hard. I'm going to delete all emails and ignore all these threads and just forget about it and it will just show up on my door :D Looking forward to it, that video on their page/youtube said a lot. I blow speakers up!
 
#60
I think I'll have my DIY one done before November.... It is proving to take a little more effort in designing it from scratch and getting a proper signal response but I'm more or less done and ready for ordering parts and assembly. I'd still love to see what op-amp chip(s) SFX decided to use in the micro thumpinator. Would any of you guys take a pic of the inside of yours when it comes in? I admire the craftsmanship SFX brings to pedals.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back