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The Great Bass Preamp/DI Comparison

#2,642
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#2,643
Bassworship1 said:
Anyone looking for a Nice Mint Nux Preamp there is one on Reverb for $155 with best buy offer.
NuX NBP-5 Melvin Lee Davis Bass Preamp & DI | Jack's Gear Garage | Reverb
Click to expand...

For those wondering, the NBP-5 plays really well with other pedals also.

20200516_103710.jpg
 
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#2,645
@scubaduba ,
From your NuX/Noble comparison clip, there were comments about the relative noise of each. The NuX had a bit more. Did you try to optimize the noise level for the NuX by turning up the NuX output and your mixer gain down?

Now that I have the NuX working as an audio interface, the recorded noise level is even lower, as expected.

Thanks,
John
 
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#2,649
JKos said:
@scubaduba ,
From your NuX/Noble comparison clip, there were comments about the relative noise of each. The NuX had a bit more. Did you try to optimize the noise level for the NuX by turning up the NuX output and your mixer gain down?

Now that I have the NuX working as an audio interface, the recorded noise level is even lower, as expected.

Thanks,
John
Click to expand...

Yes indeed. The NUX is not quite as quiet as the Noble, Bass Box, or Alix. Obviously not an issue for anybody using on a pedal board live and really not for recording either with more than just bass.
 
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#2,650
scubaduba said:
I'd like to hear feedback in relation to the Studio One.
Click to expand...

I'll spend some time doing some direct comparison and get back to you.

It will be a tough comparison because of the IR capability of the NuX, however, if the primary goal is to compare the end product that gets spit out of the XLR at the end I can do that.

I will say that it would be nice if the NuX had a way to switch between the IR's on board and adjust the IR volume (perhaps via a similar method as the noise gate) without having to go in to the software.
 
#2,654
scubaduba said:
I'm interested in a compare and contrast between the Noble and Studio One. Differences... positive attributes... negative... etc.
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For me personally, the Studio One initial experience was interesting. At first I thought, "Ok, this is a nice sounding preamp." I then learned about the trick with keeping the Gain at 3:00 or higher, and my respect level rose. Then I played through it in an IEM set up with a full band mix, tweaked the mid range and HPF/LPF and that is when I finally understood why people love it.

Then I pushed a Suncoast F2P through it and it was all over. A warm tube signal in to the S1 is great. I eventually sold the F2P to free up board space and replaced it with a Super Stack. Sounds fantastic. Through IEM's the combo is a dream.

If I could liken the Studio One to another item often talked about here. Imagine an RNDI that has a good onboard EQ and HPF/LPF.
 
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#2,656
MascisMan said:
For me personally, the Studio One initial experience was interesting. At first I thought, "Ok, this is a nice sounding preamp." I then learned about the trick with keeping the Gain at 3:00 or higher, and my respect level rose. Then I played through it in an IEM set up with a full band mix, tweaked the mid range and HPF/LPF and that is when I finally understood why people love it.

Then I pushed a Suncoast F2P through it and it was all over. I sold the F2P to free up board space and replaced it with a Super Stack. Sounds fantastic. Through IEM's the combo is a dream.

If I could liken the Studio One to another item often talked about here. Imagine an RNDI that has a good onboard EQ and HPF/LPF.
Click to expand...

Cool. The Studio One is on my list. Hard to get access to one though.
 
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#2,658
scubaduba said:
Cool. The Studio One is on my list. Hard to get access to one though.
Click to expand...

To be fair, the Studio One doesn't have magic fairy dust sprinkled in it (its scarcity makes it seem that way). To my knowledge it doesn't have any strange, ultra-rare components or parts that are impossible to find or anything like that. Just high quality components and well thought out idea/arrangement.

It sounds fantastic, to me, but, I'm sure for some it might be just "ok." Much like how some prefer the SLO to the Oracle. Or the Oracle to the Noble. Or a BDDI to the Tone Hammer or Subway. One is supposed to be "better" but the reality is that the end product is subjective like anything else.

I think the S1 is one of those "whole is greater than the sum of its parts" kind of things. The Neve 1073-style gain stage + Bass/Treble shelving EQ + Parametric Mid + HPF and LPF work really well together and sound better in a mix than solo'd on its own. Again, my personal opinion.
 
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#2,659
Sigh. Well, I just ordered an SLO in addition to being one of the lucky contestants with a quick enough finger to win an Edison. I couldn't leave it alone. I suppose this is a heads-up that whichever becomes the castoff I will be more than happy to dump back on you fine folks!
Also, for the love of... how many random Broughton pedals I've never seen or heard of even are there? Y'all crazy. And you're taking me with you. Thanks.
 
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#2,660
ianrossbass said:
Sigh. Well, I just ordered an SLO in addition to being one of the lucky contestants with a quick enough finger to win an Edison. I couldn't leave it alone. I suppose this is a heads-up that whichever becomes the castoff I will be more than happy to dump back on you fine folks!
Also, for the love of... how many random Broughton pedals I've never seen or heard of even are there? Y'all crazy. And you're taking me with you. Thanks.
Click to expand...

Im a big fan of Broughton pedals and I STILL see some out there I have never heard of. A long time ago Josh used to take custom orders so there are a lot of "one-offs" out in the wild.
 
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