Tech 21 bass fly rig

[tech21nyc]

Mine adds a lot of hiss when I engage either the compressor, octave, fuzz or Sans Amp. It does not occur as much with the chorus. I have tried it with my three basses: an active Status Stealth, a Turner Renissance (piezo pickup only) and my new Clement bass that only has a piezo pickup. I play through a LMIII head into a 2x10 or a 1x15 speaker. The "in pad" button does not help. I have put the gain on the LMIII at almost zero, the lower the gain the lower the noise but it never goes away. I will try it through the effects loop when I get home tonight.

Does anyone have a suggestion?

I do not see the red clip light come on through any of this.

To start, the pedal should be in bypass mode. Make sure that the headphone amp is NOT engaged. You want unity gain at this point. This means the signal with the pedal inline is the same volume as your instrument without the pedal. Try engaging the PAD when the pedal is in bypass. You should hear a noticeable difference. The Turner Renaissance uses an 18 volt preamp system which has a fairly hot output. In general a guitar with a preamp will add a certain amount of noise. Noise will add up with each subsequent device. If you run an active bass into a device like the Bass Fly Rig into the front end of an instrument amp you now have 3 preamps in series. It's no surprise that it won't be dead quiet. This is not to say it can't be made to work if every part of the signal chain is gain staged properly.

Even some passive guitars can have pretty high output. If you think the compressor is clamping down too much, engage the PAD. The OCTAFILTER is designed to get synth style square wave tones. If you want a more normal sound without the "synthy" quality turn the Q control counterclockwise and the Range control will now act like a tone control to smooth out the sound. Between this and the mix you can get some nice octave sounds. With a little understanding it's easy to make the pedal work for you. If you take it out on a gig and engage the octave, fuzz and turn the mix, Q and Range controls all the way up you will be disappointed.

The compressor should not add extra noise but will increase any noise inherent in your instrument. If you experience noise and it goes away when you turn off your instrument's volume that means your instrument's pickups are noisy.

 

[PolkaHero]

^^^Voice of reason. Learn how to properly use the device, read the manual! I had to send mine back due to a cut in the adapter's power cord, eagerly awaiting the replacement unit.

 

[BlushResponse]

To start, the pedal should be in bypass mode. Make sure that the headphone amp is NOT engaged. You want unity gain at this point. This means the signal with the pedal inline is the same volume as your instrument without the pedal. Try engaging the PAD when the pedal is in bypass. You should hear a noticeable difference. The Turner Renaissance uses an 18 volt preamp system which has a fairly hot output. In general a guitar with a preamp will add a certain amount of noise. Noise will add up with each subsequent device. If you run an active bass into a device like the Bass Fly Rig into the front end of an instrument amp you now have 3 preamps in series. It's no surprise that it won't be dead quiet. This is not to say it can't be made to work if every part of the signal chain is gain staged properly.

Even some passive guitars can have pretty high output. If you think the compressor is clamping down too much, engage the PAD. The OCTAFILTER is designed to get synth style square wave tones. If you want a more normal sound without the "synthy" quality turn the Q control counterclockwise and the Range control will now act like a tone control to smooth out the sound. Between this and the mix you can get some nice octave sounds. With a little understanding it's easy to make the pedal work for you. If you take it out on a gig and engage the octave, fuzz and turn the mix, Q and Range controls all the way up you will be disappointed.

The compressor should not add extra noise but will increase any noise inherent in your instrument. If you experience noise and it goes away when you turn off your instrument's volume that means your instrument's pickups are noisy.

The Octafilter section is certainly the most complex part of the pedal. Dialing in a Fuzz tone only, requires the Q and Range in completely different positions, compared to engaging the Octave, or with both off in order to get more of an envelope filter sound.
The Gain staging, I actually managed to get down fairly quickly. My basses are old, so I'm assuming the pickups are noisy. I don't need to get any funky or synthy sounds right now, so those effects will be last on my list to figure out. Totally keeping the BFR.
That said, one of the pedals I'm replacing with this is a Tech21 Red Ripper. Another Fuzz based pedal that can dial up crazy synthy sounds. What's up with Tech21 and their love of whacked out fuzzed up synth sounds for bass?

 

[tech21nyc]

The Octafilter section isn't really that complex if you take the time to read the manual and go through the sample settings. If you take the pedal directly to a gig without understanding this section it may not be an instant gratification experience. You have to decide which you want to use. Either octave, fuzz or both since there is only one foot switch. We would have had to make the pedal bigger to add discrete controls and an extra foot switch. These aren't "bread and butter" effects for most people. The Bass Fly Rig has a pretty good "bang for the buck" ratio but wasn't intended to replace a huge pedal board with all your favorite effects. If you regularly do fly dates or are sandwiched between other acts and have to use less than stellar back line gear it can be a lifesaver. For some players, that may not be in love with their rig "as is" or want more flexibility in a light weight small format, this is a great solution.

Like everything gear related, this is a tool and it's up to the player to decide which tool is appropriate for the gig.

 

[BlushResponse]

I had a downloaded version of the manual that I was reading way before buying. Why wasn't the overload (red light on the chorus) included in the BFR manual?

 

[tech21nyc]

Just an oversight that is being addressed in future manuals.

 

[BluesWalker]

To start, the pedal should be in bypass mode. Make sure that the headphone amp is NOT engaged. You want unity gain at this point. This means the signal with the pedal inline is the same volume as your instrument without the pedal. Try engaging the PAD when the pedal is in bypass. You should hear a noticeable difference. The Turner Renaissance uses an 18 volt preamp system which has a fairly hot output. In general a guitar with a preamp will add a certain amount of noise. Noise will add up with each subsequent device. If you run an active bass into a device like the Bass Fly Rig into the front end of an instrument amp you now have 3 preamps in series. It's no surprise that it won't be dead quiet. This is not to say it can't be made to work if every part of the signal chain is gain staged properly.

Even some passive guitars can have pretty high output. If you think the compressor is clamping down too much, engage the PAD. The OCTAFILTER is designed to get synth style square wave tones. If you want a more normal sound without the "synthy" quality turn the Q control counterclockwise and the Range control will now act like a tone control to smooth out the sound. Between this and the mix you can get some nice octave sounds. With a little understanding it's easy to make the pedal work for you. If you take it out on a gig and engage the octave, fuzz and turn the mix, Q and Range controls all the way up you will be disappointed.

The compressor should not add extra noise but will increase any noise inherent in your instrument. If you experience noise and it goes away when you turn off your instrument's volume that means your instrument's pickups are noisy.

Thanks, hiss is gone,

 

[BlushResponse]

I've been working out my levels still and getting better at it. Now that I'm recording I realize that I really wish the Fly Rig had a parallel out to send an unaffected signal to the board. Good thing I didn't get rid of my old Sansamp.

 

[BlushResponse]

Well, after a few shows, one recording session and weekly practice: The unit is acting up. Levels had been good, fuzz was great, SansAmp section was dialed in, then not so good.
Here's what's happening now:
The sansamp section volume is SUPER low and muddy. I practically blow my cab when I switch it off.
The compressor, which was once musical sounding and even, now swallows the tone.
The Fuzz went from being the sound I've been looking for, to having tracking issues, then it's super low, then it actually stopped working.
All of this was proceeded by noise through the unit.
I've gone through my bass, cables, amp, my POG2, even ran it direct into the PA. So far, the culprit is the fly rig. I've never had a pedal fail me so completely. And this thing, along with the POG has been secured to a pedal board and stored in a case when transported or not in use. The power is a Voodoo Labs on the pedal board.
Will try to recreate the issues again when I get home. I'll most likely be returning it to Guitar Center, at least for an exchange. Up until the point where the problems happened, I was pretty happy with it.

 

[BlushResponse]

Reproduced the issue at the local GC, and it failed within the 45 day return window, so I'm exchanging. I really liked it when it worked. I hope this next one holds up as long as my 20+ year old Sansamp.

 

[JimmyM]

Reproduced the issue at the local GC, and it failed within the 45 day return window, so I'm exchanging. I really liked it when it worked. I hope this next one holds up as long as my 20+ year old Sansamp.

Tech 21 has a good record for reliability. Probably just a fluke. Could happen to anyone.

 

[Jazz Ad]

I don't have any mechanical issue with mine but it feels a lot flimsier than other SansAmp models that typically are bricks with knobs on top.
Seriously, you could drag a BDDI in the mud for 10 miles and it would still work just fine. I wouldn't try it with the BFR.

 

[cavemanbass]

there have been a few issues mentioned in this thread regarding reliability of the BFR. I had to disconnect mine at one point when it started producing high volume digital garbage. Even though I was only using the Sansamp section at the time, which means my signal path should have been 100% analog. Plugged back in the next day and it was ok...

I really like the form factor, the sound, and the feature set but would not trust it for any critical use. Just my conjecture, but I feel like T21 have always been an analog device maker and don't quite have the chops for doing digital stuff. I'd rather have a slightly larger form factor, less features (for example just an octaver instead of the octave / fuzz / filter section), but keep everything completely analog except the tuner (which can be completely isolated from the audio signal path).

 

[BlushResponse]

there have been a few issues mentioned in this thread regarding reliability of the BFR. I had to disconnect mine at one point when it started producing high volume digital garbage. Even though I was only using the Sansamp section at the time, which means my signal path should have been 100% analog. Plugged back in the next day and it was ok...

I really like the form factor, the sound, and the feature set but would not trust it for any critical use. Just my conjecture, but I feel like T21 have always been an analog device maker and don't quite have the chops for doing digital stuff. I'd rather have a slightly larger form factor, less features (for example just an octaver instead of the octave / fuzz / filter section), but keep everything completely analog except the tuner (which can be completely isolated from the audio signal path).

I plan on putting my next BFR through it's paces like I did with my last one. If I get any hints of these quirks within the return period, it's out of here. That said, I REALLY want this to work for me. Now that I'm currently back to using my regular Sansamp, I want my signal to be as easy to set up as the old sansamp. Once my levels are set, there should be no reason for the weird fluctuations in sound levels or noise. I feel like I know what I'm looking for now, now that I've had this problem.

 

[tech21nyc]

I had to disconnect mine at one point when it started producing high volume digital garbage. Even though I was only using the Sansamp section at the time, which means my signal path should have been 100% analog. Plugged back in the next day and it was ok...

Were you using the power supply that shipped with the unit or a different power supply? How was the SansAmp section set and did the noise go away when you turned down your instrument's volume control? Were there any other pedals in the signal chain?

 

[cavemanbass]

Were you using the power supply that shipped with the unit or a different power supply? How was the SansAmp section set and did the noise go away when you turned down your instrument's volume control? Were there any other pedals in the signal chain?

I was using the ps that comes with the bfr. One other pedal in the chain. Setting was everything at noon gain about 1pm, volume around 11am. Noise did not go away turning down my bass.

 

[BlushResponse]

My replacement is coming in today. I hope this one is a keeper.

 

[tech21nyc]

Were you using the power supply that shipped with the unit or a different power supply? How was the SansAmp section set and did the noise go away when you turned down your instrument's volume control? Were there any other pedals in the signal chain?

What was the other pedal and how was it powered? Was the BFR plugged into an amp, mixer ? Did you try the unit in a different location?

 

[hintz]

I've been looking at this BFR for quite awhile now and I'm getting close to pulling the trigger!

The demo of the sample settings has really won me over, especially the Chris Squier with the heavier envelope filter!! Wow, that and the chorus sounds...this might actually replace a few of my pedals.

I must confess to being skeptical of Tech21 due to owning a few of the Sansamp variants in the past and being buried in the mix, but having owned the VT bass deluxe recently and the bass boost chorus my mind has totally changed. I'm still a Darkglass fan through and through, but I don't see them ever making a chorus or envelope, plus I use the VMT setting on my amp and the VT style settings in fact *compliment* my DG 900 amp beautifully.

I'm actually thinking of selling off my VT deluxe and using the funds to get this as I don't need all of that. If it works the way I *think* I will from the demos, I can run it with the Chris squire tone for more dirt, the boost pre cranked all the way for even more and the compressor up a bit for a lead sound.

Yeah, this is on my gas list and has been for awhile, I checked out demos for the cheaper knockoff and while the octave was indeed much better I can't say the same for the rest like the compressor on the knockoff not having a tone knob and sounding muddy, the envelope sounding glitchy, the preamp sounding generic(I have an OC2 so that octaver doesn't matter really anyways)

 

[cavemanbass]

What was the other pedal and how was it powered? Was the BFR plugged into an amp, mixer ? Did you try the unit in a different location?

The other pedal was a Verellen preamp, powered with 110v. Plugged into a Fishman amp and monitoring with headphones. Was fine for several hours then suddenly started making noise like an old school modem. Did not try a different location, just unplugged it from the signal chain and continued without it. Next day plugged back in and no noise.

To be fair this only happened once, it was late at night and I live in an area with a lot of RF. Huge cell antenna array nearby on the hill, not sure if that could have contributed to the noise. Usually the BFR is extremely quiet.