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Tech 21 Club

The BDDI V1 is currently providing that extra little something, with appropriate engagement of the blend. Great pedal.

I’m using two of them on my newest gig board, so that I may independently control my stage monitor / backline and the FoH feed. Takes up a lot of space on the board. A reissue of the V1 circuit with independent Out and XLR volume pots would be my perfect BDDI. The Sushi Box More ahead of the BDDI is bees knees.

IMG_6520.jpeg
 
I have a YYZ Shapeshifter that I love. But ... I needed to put a Broughton Cab Sim at the end of the chain. Now, I have two fridge cab sims doing double duty and , as you might guess, my tone/sound is muffled in this ampless/IEM set up.

Is there a way I can EQ my way around this? Either with the settings on the YYZ (fwiw, I do NOT care for tight button being on) or with an additional eq pedal which I would prefer not to mess with, but it is an option.

An alternate solution, would be figuring a better way to stack the YYZ into my Broughton SV-Pre, which is always set clean. At the moment I turn one on for clean, the other for dirt, as I have never gotten the YYZ to play nice with other preamps with EQs.

Open to ideas.
 
I've had a BDDIv2 for some time now and really like it. But one question: why does the manual advise setting the Bass Shift switch to 80 Hz for 5 or 6 string basses? I play a 4 string so I guess it's irrelevant to me, but I would think a 5 string player would want the bass shift set as low as possible.
Seems counterintuitive, I get it. Many 5 stringers think "fundamental frequency of low B is 31Hz, so I need a boutique cab that will produce it". Unfortunately, the problem with very low notes (even on 4 string) is that the low fundamental frequencies (up to 50-60 Hz or so) can be problematic in a live environment: they frustrate sound techs when bass goes thru FOH, but can also cause blur and rumble onstage, with bass guitar interfering with kick drum. Another issue is that those low frequencies require a lot more power to reproduce. They eat up headroom in pedals and signal processors as well as amplifiers. For these reasons, many bassists -- including five stringers -- use a high pass filter. Some compressors have a built in sidechain HPF so the compressor doesn't overreact to the low notes while underreacting to the higher ones.

Some mistakenly believe that if 31Hz is removed via HPF then low B won't be audible, but this is false. Instruments don't produce pure sine waves -- not even basses with dead flatwounds! Each note is a complex waveform containing the harmonic series. For example low B would contain 31Hz, 62Hz, 124Hz, 248Hz, and so on (roughly... I've dropped fractions). Point is, the human ear will hear low B even if the 31Hz fundamental is completely removed. And a really neat thing about the human brain is that will fill in that missing 31Hz fundamental even when it isn't present! I believe the term for this is psychoacoustics.


P.S. IANA tech, but I think I covered the basics well enough.
 
I've had a BDDIv2 for some time now and really like it. But one question: why does the manual advise setting the Bass Shift switch to 80 Hz for 5 or 6 string basses? I play a 4 string so I guess it's irrelevant to me, but I would think a 5 string player would want the bass shift set as low as possible.
If you're interested in the band's mix and want to have presence/kick on the bass, plus if you want to make room for the kick drum, those 80hz are the best thing no matter how many strings you have on the bass.
Regarding 5-string basses and the emphasis on 80hz, that button makes the low notes sound concrete, not just some dirt below 40hz that moves the air but doesn't sound defined.
 
The SansAmp BDDI is not for nothing the most used preamp in the industry. Especially this v2 version which facilitates the emphasis on 80hz and 1khz. I have tried a lot of boutique pedals and I always come back to the SansAmp BDDI v2.

View attachment 7447045
The first I heard of the SABDDI was in the mid 90's. A bassist friend's band did a recording out in LA under Interscope, in a major studio. My friend said the engineer had him run through this cool pedal called a "SansAmp", and he loved the tone. So, I got one and used it for literally decades. I've gone to different dirt pedals over the past 5-plus years, but they include Tech 21 devices which don't stray terribly far from the BDDI tube emulation magic.

I should probably get a BDDI v2, I love the upgrades.
 
The SansAmp BDDI is not for nothing the most used preamp in the industry. Especially this v2 version which facilitates the emphasis on 80hz and 1khz. I have tried a lot of boutique pedals and I always come back to the SansAmp BDDI v2.

View attachment 7447045
Pretty much the same experience, I've had a BDDI v2 for FOH for several years now, I get nothing but compliments and folks running PA love it when they see them because they know how to make them sound good with minimal effort. After all these years and a plethora of other options available, the BDDI is still at the top of the heap. BTW, my board is similar to yours, I have a nano+ with the same compressor and a DG MT. Why dual compressors, beginning and end of chain? I see one has the mid bump, while the other is flat?
 
I have two pedalboards, the one with Origin I use less and less, I get a vintage rock and funk sound from it or like RHCP and RATM.

On the main pedalboard that I keep for both jazz fusion (soft, Mezzoforte style), and for the nu metal and post prog bands that I play with, I have two Empress compressors. I don't use them in series, although I did that (the first one was used as a peak limiter), but rather I use one in soft, with a 2:1 ratio and a scoop at 500hz, the other with a 4:1 ratio to collaborate with the Darkglass pedal in metal and for slap in jazz fusion.

Many are surprised that I have a Bassrig SV and I prefer the SansAmp BDDI v2. Yes, because Bassrig is SVT and only SVT, and SansAmp is much more versatile and I like how it sounds. That 80hz bass knob combined with the Presence gives me a character I love, especially when I slap, and the very fast transients give me a sense of control over my execution.

For example, with the Empress set to In at 1 o'clock, Out at 10, Attack at 32ms, Release 110ms, Blend at 2 o'clock, SC HPF at noon, combined with SansAmp (Out at 10, Blend at 3, Treble at 2, Presence at 1, Drive at 10, Mid at 11 (1kHz) and Bass at 1 (80Hz) I get a ton of slap and fast modern funk/jazz fusion that is superb, which I can't get from Cali76 with Bassrig SV no matter how hard I try, Bassrig emulates tubes and transformers, so it doesn't have that fast transient response.

IMG_0323.JPEG
 
HI THERE!
Folks I've got a question and hope I landed here in the right place.
I'm a noob and greenear when it comes to preamps. Especially in the topic of Tech21 SansAmps. They have always been super expensive in my country and the price don't goes down very much after all those years.
SO! The main topic and question. I'm planing my final doom pedalboard and I'm pretty sure about what I want on it. It's for Fuzzy Doom and overall mostly clean stuff. It REALLY like the sound and options of the SansAmp VT Bass Deluxe. I'm on the hunt for it at the moment. And I've had an idea. But then I looked again and don't know if it is even an option...

Is the VT Bass Deluxe or Bass Driver Deluxe CAPABLE(?) of using BOTH signal inputs at once?

Like in this picture for example
PEDALBOARD.png
The signal chain goes as follow.
1. Korg Tuner with buffer.
2. Orange AmpDetonator Splitter - and from here clean signal goes straight into the VT Bass.
The second output into
3. Fuzz
4 Wah
5. SmallStone
6. BassBalls
7. Freeze
8. VT Bass Driver Deluxe

Compressor in the SansAmp VT Loop to thighten everything up. Thsat's the idea. Idk how's gonna work out with the Sans VT.

So again. Can the Sans VT Bass Deluxe operate both signal inputs at the same time?
Thaks in advance and sorry when I landed on the wrong board. But thought myself that a large group of SansAmp fans and users can help me out :)
 
HI THERE!
Folks I've got a question and hope I landed here in the right place.
I'm a noob and greenear when it comes to preamps. Especially in the topic of Tech21 SansAmps. They have always been super expensive in my country and the price don't goes down very much after all those years.
SO! The main topic and question. I'm planing my final doom pedalboard and I'm pretty sure about what I want on it. It's for Fuzzy Doom and overall mostly clean stuff. It REALLY like the sound and options of the SansAmp VT Bass Deluxe. I'm on the hunt for it at the moment. And I've had an idea. But then I looked again and don't know if it is even an option...

Is the VT Bass Deluxe or Bass Driver Deluxe CAPABLE(?) of using BOTH signal inputs at once?

Like in this picture for example
View attachment 7454702The signal chain goes as follow.
1. Korg Tuner with buffer.
2. Orange AmpDetonator Splitter - and from here clean signal goes straight into the VT Bass.
The second output into
3. Fuzz
4 Wah
5. SmallStone
6. BassBalls
7. Freeze
8. VT Bass Driver Deluxe

Compressor in the SansAmp VT Loop to thighten everything up. Thsat's the idea. Idk how's gonna work out with the Sans VT.

So again. Can the Sans VT Bass Deluxe operate both signal inputs at the same time?
Thaks in advance and sorry when I landed on the wrong board. But thought myself that a large group of SansAmp fans and users can help me out :)
It looks like the inputs on the VT Deluxe are an either/or situation. If you're looking to have simultaneous clean and dirty channels, I don't think it will do that. You can switch between clean and dirty, but not have both come out of the VT at the same time.

A possible solution for this would be to get a small 2-channel mixer and add that to your board directly before the preamp, so you're blending the two signals together then running that into the VT Deluxe.

Are you considering the Deluxe just for the purpose of running parallel effects like this? Or are there other features of the deluxe that appeal to you as well? I am wondering if you'd get the result you want by getting the smaller/cheaper standard VT Bass preamp, then using the space and money you save to have a summer/mixer pedal on the board. Here's a diagram of the signal chain (please forgive my handwriting)
PXL_20260317_183255485.jpg


I've done this before myself and it's pretty great, especially if you're using one channel to put a lot of effects on - you can blend in the second channel to get some cleans along with your dirty signal. Happy to answer any other questions you might have about how to make this work!
 
It looks like the inputs on the VT Deluxe are an either/or situation. If you're looking to have simultaneous clean and dirty channels, I don't think it will do that. You can switch between clean and dirty, but not have both come out of the VT at the same time.

A possible solution for this would be to get a small 2-channel mixer and add that to your board directly before the preamp, so you're blending the two signals together then running that into the VT Deluxe.

Are you considering the Deluxe just for the purpose of running parallel effects like this? Or are there other features of the deluxe that appeal to you as well? I am wondering if you'd get the result you want by getting the smaller/cheaper standard VT Bass preamp, then using the space and money you save to have a summer/mixer pedal on the board. Here's a diagram of the signal chain (please forgive my handwriting)
View attachment 7454764

I've done this before myself and it's pretty great, especially if you're using one channel to put a lot of effects on - you can blend in the second channel to get some cleans along with your dirty signal. Happy to answer any other questions you might have about how to make this work!
Damn... I've was worried it would an either/or solution in that case.
Sadly I missed the part with the mixer/summing effect. Hoped for the braindead solution that the buffered Orange Ampdetonator would deliver the full buffered tone to the VT Deluxe. And any issue with Phase cancellation would be solved by that magic button.
That also is the only reason I was thinking about the VT Deluxe version because of the two inputs. The Radial Tonebone has also the two Inputs, but the V2 only has the blend option as far I know. But its much more expensive, not available in Poland and the Sans VT sounds much much better.

But in this case I will gravitate toward a Signal Splitter/Loop Blender from Chaos. So I can ditch two pedals (Splitter and mixer), extra cables etc. for one unit with extra sound shaping options, also phase reverse and so on.

Here a diagram of the whole signal chain, maybe it will help someone out.
Pedal Line Diagram.png

*All hail paint!*
When I'm ready with my pedalboard I come back and will then brag about it :D

Thanks a lot for the help! It solved a couple of problems : )
Now I must go send the Orange Ampdetonator back.
 
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HI THERE!
Folks I've got a question and hope I landed here in the right place.
I'm a noob and greenear when it comes to preamps. Especially in the topic of Tech21 SansAmps. They have always been super expensive in my country and the price don't goes down very much after all those years.
SO! The main topic and question. I'm planing my final doom pedalboard and I'm pretty sure about what I want on it. It's for Fuzzy Doom and overall mostly clean stuff. It REALLY like the sound and options of the SansAmp VT Bass Deluxe. I'm on the hunt for it at the moment. And I've had an idea. But then I looked again and don't know if it is even an option...

Is the VT Bass Deluxe or Bass Driver Deluxe CAPABLE(?) of using BOTH signal inputs at once?

Like in this picture for example
View attachment 7454702The signal chain goes as follow.
1. Korg Tuner with buffer.
2. Orange AmpDetonator Splitter - and from here clean signal goes straight into the VT Bass.
The second output into
3. Fuzz
4 Wah
5. SmallStone
6. BassBalls
7. Freeze
8. VT Bass Driver Deluxe

Compressor in the SansAmp VT Loop to thighten everything up. Thsat's the idea. Idk how's gonna work out with the Sans VT.

So again. Can the Sans VT Bass Deluxe operate both signal inputs at the same time?
Thaks in advance and sorry when I landed on the wrong board. But thought myself that a large group of SansAmp fans and users can help me out :)


No, the A/B switch selects between preset banks A or B (6 memory slots) when an instrument cable is inserted into input socket A.

If instrument cables are plugged into both input sockets A and B, then the A/B switch selects between input A, or input B (with 3 memory slots for each input).

One option you could try (which would make tweaking settings a bit more complicated, everything being interactive) would be to plug your instrument into your tuner, and the Orange Ampdetonator, then directly into the VT Deluxe, and put the rest of the pedals in the VT 's F/X Loop.

That wouldn't give you direct control over the balance between clean, and effected (except for where the effects pedals themselves have a blend control), but the F/X Loop state can be saved to the preset slots, which enables you to effectively have your "clean" VT tone, then instantly activate a complex effects chain (depending on which effects you choose to engage whilst using your "clean" tone, ahead of switching between presets - powerful stuff).

Furthermore, in a live / studio setting, you can use the parallel out of the VT, to have a completely clean signal that you can blend on a separate track, with your effected sound.

And don't forget, with the later versions of the VT Deluxe, you can switch off the speaker simulation at the 1/4" output, meaning you can have 3 separate outputs :

1/4" = Amp without speaker simulation

XLR = Amp + speaker simulation (speaker cannot be defeated at XLR)

1/4" Parallel Output = direct link to input signal, bypasses VT Deluxe, and anything in the F/X loop.
 
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Does the BDDI v1 Level knob have any effect past noon? I feel like I'm going crazy.

 
Does the BDDI v1 Level knob have any effect past noon? I feel like I'm going crazy.



Yes it does, but it does less and less the higher you get. If you need more room to make adjustment, perhaps alter your gain staging after the BDDI so you can start with a lower level setting and work from there. What output signal level option do you have selected? Line or instrument level?

Just to show you what mine does at various levels, the chart below shows my BDDI v1 here using these settings:

1775040862400.png


And here are the results with the level starting at 9:00, then brought to 12:00, 1:00, 2:00, 3:00, and max:

1775040904511.png


As noted, if you're already operating at the top of that range, the best option may be to set up your gain so that it runs with a lower level to start, then you have more flexibility to move it up or down as needed.
 
Yes it does, but it does less and less the higher you get. If you need more room to make adjustment, perhaps alter your gain staging after the BDDI so you can start with a lower level setting and work from there. What output signal level option do you have selected? Line or instrument level?

Just to show you what mine does at various levels, the chart below shows my BDDI v1 here using these settings:

View attachment 7464811

And here are the results with the level starting at 9:00, then brought to 12:00, 1:00, 2:00, 3:00, and max:

View attachment 7464812

As noted, if you're already operating at the top of that range, the best option may be to set up your gain so that it runs with a lower level to start, then you have more flexibility to move it up or down as needed.

Amazing, thank you.

Do you have a theory or mental model for why it’s so nonlinear?

I’m actually interested in both how to make real use of the pedal as well as what the designers were thinking when they created this UX (user experience) that seems to require understanding of the underlying implementation.
 
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