The Great Bass Preamp/DI Comparison

[jacoby75]

Just a lot of cool gear to choose from. Still overwhelming

It will forever be overwhelming, I think, as new gear is continually released or discovered. I have more than once dialed in a certain combination of gear that has sounded phenomenal together and said, “Okay, I’m done. My tone is perfect.” Only to shortly thereafter discover some other thing I wanted to try. Often leading to a chain reaction of flipping. That has especially been the case with compressors, as I have realized just how different they all sound and how they can impact your tone in different ways.

At the risk of later eating my own words, I thiiiiink I’m done . . . again . . . but you never really know. I have nowhere to play at the moment, and I usually have to sell things to fund other purchases. I now have a lot of great gear that I’m not willing to part with . . . at least right now . . . and my very large pedalboard is full. When you get to a certain level of gear, it is just a matter of varying degrees of awesomeness. Apart from some minor tweaks here and there, I think I’m done and I just need to stop looking and focus on other things, like spending time with my family, or actually playing bass and practicing and not just dialing in tones. But that is easier said than done.

 

[SteveC]

It will forever be overwhelming, I think, as new gear is continually released or discovered. I have more than once dialed in a certain combination of gear that has sounded phenomenal together and said, “Okay, I’m done. My tone is perfect.” Only to shortly thereafter discover some other thing I wanted to try. Often leading to a chain reaction of flipping. That has especially been the case with compressors, as I have realized just how different they all sound and how they can impact your tone in different ways.

At the risk of later eating my own words, I thiiiiink I’m done . . . again . . . but you never really know. I have nowhere to play at the moment, and I usually have to sell things to fund other purchases. I now have a lot of great gear that I’m not willing to part with . . . at least right now . . . and my very large pedalboard is full. When you get to a certain level of gear, it is just a matter of varying degrees of awesomeness. Apart from some minor tweaks here and there, I think I’m done and I just need to stop looking and focus on other things, like spending time with my family, or actually playing bass and practicing and not just dialing in tones. But that is easier said than done.

Yep. My thing was basses. For a long time I was flipping basses. I'd even sell them in transit to me, never even opening the box. It was a sickness. I have not had the same urge with amps or effects. I have played around with different DI's and compressors lately. I have settled down a lot with basses. I have my Roscoes and I'm happy. I really don't G.A.S. for anything other than more Roscoes. My amp is basically set. I use an amp like 6 times a year so I have a nice little Genzler combo. As most of my playing is DI/IEM I have focused on having a great DI sound. For me, I seem to have settled on an Empress MKII Compressor and a REDDI. It sounds fantastic. I dug out my Bass Big Muff for a little dirt once in a while. I have a Yamaha synth for all the weird stuff.

I have toyed with a tube head (maybe if Genzler comes out with one sometime) but for so few gigs, it just can't justify the expense it at this time.

 

[Bassworship1]

Yeah I can relate to the above posters as I have flipped both basses, amps, cabinets and pedals lol. I never felt I was quite to the point where I thought my tone was perfect for what I'm after. It did however gain me a lot of knowledge for what works for the bands, churches and music I play that is very valuable. However I think I've found what is perfect for me and made my life much easier.

 

[1983L2000]

It will forever be overwhelming, I think, as new gear is continually released or discovered. I have more than once dialed in a certain combination of gear that has sounded phenomenal together and said, “Okay, I’m done. My tone is perfect.” Only to shortly thereafter discover some other thing I wanted to try. Often leading to a chain reaction of flipping. That has especially been the case with compressors, as I have realized just how different they all sound and how they can impact your tone in different ways.

At the risk of later eating my own words, I thiiiiink I’m done . . . again . . . but you never really know. I have nowhere to play at the moment, and I usually have to sell things to fund other purchases. I now have a lot of great gear that I’m not willing to part with . . . at least right now . . . and my very large pedalboard is full. When you get to a certain level of gear, it is just a matter of varying degrees of awesomeness. Apart from some minor tweaks here and there, I think I’m done and I just need to stop looking and focus on other things, like spending time with my family, or actually playing bass and practicing and not just dialing in tones. But that is easier said than done.

I think I've found my "perfect tone" - for a while at least - with Dingwall > Monique. That wonderfull feeling of plugging in and just being whole and wanting to just play, whether at home or live.

Unfortunately that doesn't prevent me from going crazy for preamp flavors. Damn Broughton, Sushi, Scuba's comps, and this very thread.

 

[Poke]

Spent some time getting to know the Stomp a little better last night. I guess I didn't realize how many things you can assign to a single foot switch. In my head, I thought it behaved as a bypass switch for a single effect block, but man, was I wrong.

After watching a few youtube videos, I was able to create a send/return block to easily incorporate some of my favorite analog preamps, like my SV-Pre and Fliptop. I set up a single foot switch to not only turn that block on, but bypass the other built-in amp/cab blocks in my preset at the same time. And I could also program it to change pretty much any parameter from any other block at the same time. All with the press of one switch.

And I also learned how to create a parallel signal path for dirt, which is a must for me. Game changer.

I kind of feel dumb for giving up on it so early. Pretty excited to see what else this thing can do.

 

[SteveC]

I want to like things like this, but they never seem to have the quality of sound as say my Empress compressor and REDDI.

I have thought about trying one to see what all the fuss is about, but they aren’t cheap. I have wanted to like Lone) in the past, but I still question quality (like the recall on a wireless that may start on fire) and sound and commitment to bass players. Seems like we always have to make do with a few token amp and cab models and effects.

 

[Poke]

I want to like things like this, but they never seem to have the quality of sound as say my Empress compressor and REDDI.

I have thought about trying one to see what all the fuss is about, but they aren’t cheap. I have wanted to like Lone) in the past, but I still question quality (like the recall on a wireless that may start on fire) and sound and commitment to bass players. Seems like we always have to make do with a few token amp and cab models and effects.

There aren't many things that will compare to your Empress or REDDI. Those are top notch pieces of equipment. I also have analog preamps and a compressor that I love, so the fact that I can easily insert those anywhere in the signal chain makes the Stomp a little more usable for me. The amp blocks can get pretty close with a lot of tweaking, but they'll never be as good as your favorite analog stuff.

 

[MascisMan]

Spent some time getting to know the Stomp a little better last night. I guess I didn't realize how many things you can assign to a single foot switch. In my head, I thought it behaved as a bypass switch for a single effect block, but man, was I wrong.

After watching a few youtube videos, I was able to create a send/return block to easily incorporate some of my favorite analog preamps, like my SV-Pre and Fliptop. I set up a single foot switch to not only turn that block on, but bypass the other built-in amp/cab blocks in my preset at the same time. And I could also program it to change pretty much any parameter from any other block at the same time. All with the press of one switch.

And I also learned how to create a parallel signal path for dirt, which is a must for me. Game changer.

I kind of feel dumb for giving up on it so early. Pretty excited to see what else this thing can do.

Just wait until you get in to Snapshots. 1 footswitch to turn off and on multiple blocks and change the parameters within whatever blocks you want, all at the same time.

 

[Poke]

Just wait until you get in to Snapshots. 1 footswitch to turn off and on multiple blocks and change the parameters within whatever blocks you want, all at the same time.

Still need to check those out.

This is probably getting too far off topic for this thread, but I'll ask anyway. Do you find you like snapshot mode better than stomp mode? One video I watched said that stomp mode is better because you can put a set of assignments/parameters on each switch, and they can be used in conjunction with the other switches' assignments. So essentially you get up to eight different sounds per preset instead of three snapshots that can't be used together.

1)All off, 2) FS 1, 3) FS 2, 4) FS 3, 5) FS 1+2, 6) FS 1+3, 7) FS 2+3, 8) FS 1+2+3

 

[R&B]

OK, Mozztronics. I’m sure this has been covered, but 267 pages!!? Preamp version 1 or 2, versus DI-2. Big difference? How so?

 

[chadhargis]

I’ve got an Alix for sale if anybody’s interested. I’ve gone full in on the HX Stomp thanks to @chadhargis’s posts on the Pod Go.

Digging the Stomp quite a bit. It does not have that fat and pristine sound of the Alix. But IMO nothing does. And it’s not as quite, either. The Alix is dead quiet.

Oddly, the Pod Go is dead silent. It also has a very nice noise gate for those times when you’re soloing a single coil.

 

[JKos]

And it’s not as quite, either

What is the source of the noise you're getting? Are you getting noise with the output turned all the way down?

Oddly, the Pod Go is dead silent

As is my HX Stomp.

 

[Mr. voodoobass]

No noise whatsoever from my hx stomp either, and with the noise gate on, dead silent with single coils.

 

[Ryan L.]

My Stomp is dead silent, and so is my Helix.

I spent many hours comparing the Stomp to my Empress/DI 2112 setup. Yes, the Stomp took a bit of tweaking to get there, but in the end the results were amazing-which ultimately led to me moving up to the full-size Helix Floor for the increased routing options, blocks, footswitches, etc.

I’ve currently got it set up with 4 different “pedalboards”, centered around 4 different amp/cab models. And in a live mix, which is the ONLY thing that matters to me, I’ll put it up against the DI of any “real” amp I’ve owned in the past.

Definitely not the right tool for someone who isn’t willing to spend some time dialing it in (which is actually very easy to do). Adjustments on the fly are super easy, but I really don’t ever have to mess with it much.

 

[Turn Em Loose]

What is the source of the noise you're getting? Are you getting noise with the output turned all the way down?

As is my HX Stomp.

I’m getting a slight hiss even with volume all the way down. It’s not bad at all, but it’s there.

I do have a “real” DI coming soon so maybe that’ll take care of the hiss.

 

[MascisMan]

Still need to check those out.

This is probably getting too far off topic for this thread, but I'll ask anyway. Do you find you like snapshot mode better than stomp mode? One video I watched said that stomp mode is better because you can put a set of assignments/parameters on each switch, and they can be used in conjunction with the other switches' assignments. So essentially you get up to eight different sounds per preset instead of three snapshots that can't be used together.

1)All off, 2) FS 1, 3) FS 2, 4) FS 3, 5) FS 1+2, 6) FS 1+3, 7) FS 2+3, 8) FS 1+2+3

I think the two modes are mutually exclusive. The one that is "best" is dependent on the scenario/need.

Stomp mode can have up to 8 combinations, however, within all 8 combos you can't change the parameter of the blocks themselves. Instead it is 8 combinations of blocks being on/off. This may be perfect/plenty for some people.

With Snapshots you are turning off and on as many of the 8 blocks as you want and (potentially) changing settings within the blocks themselves. Lets say you want your LPF to be set at 7k but then when you trigger your fuzz you want that to change down to 5k.....and boost the Bass on your amp sim......and turn on the Chorus pedal.....and change the wet/dry mix on your Reverb. So forth and so on.

Here is another sidenote. With a simple midi switch (like a MIDI Baby) you can switch modes between Stomp and Snapshot or have a combination of both modes and bring both worlds together.

I set my Stomp up as each song having their own Preset. I name the Preset the song name. Then I use FS1 and FS2 as Preset Up/Down. FS3 is sort of an "X" stomp switch that can be assigned to whatever is needed. Changing how your 3 onboard footswitches function can be done in Command Center (in my case Preset Up + Preset Dwn + FS3).

Then I use a MIDI Baby 3 on the side for 3 Snapshots + Tuner. I never need more than 3 Snapshots + FS3 "X" switch for any given song and since each song has their own Preset, I can have a whole different array of blocks (effects, amps, cabs, EQ, Filters, etc) per song. The cool thing about this set up is that I have more versatility, per song, than I will ever need, and I keep a bank of songs at the ready within the Stomp.

Band leader says we are playing "X", I just bring up the Preset. I dont have to worry about the Stomps limited DSP, or swapping in more "specialty" types of blocks (Chorus/Reverb/Delay/etc) at the detriment of losing some other block. The Preset for that song is already set. And here is yet another bonus. Since each Preset = a different song, I can pre-set the tempo of the song in HxEdit when I am setting up the "song" (preset). So when I switch from song X to song Y and song Y needs a Delay...I don't need a tap tempo. The tempo is already set for that song.

And of course, the MIDI Baby 3 can be configured however I want. So I could move the 3 Snapshots over to the Stomp and instead use the MIDI Baby for the Preset Switching if I wanted to.

Here are some pics illustrating what I am talking about. You can see the Preset number and Song Name at the top.

 

[fivestringgecko]

I’m getting a slight hiss even with volume all the way down. It’s not bad at all, but it’s there.

Are you getting noise with a blank signal chain?

5sg.

 

[Turn Em Loose]

Are you getting noise with a blank signal chain?

5sg.

I have not tried that.

I made it sound worse than it is. It’s very slight. Not an issue at all.

 

[Poke]

I think the two modes are mutually exclusive. The one that is "best" is dependent on the scenario/need.

Stomp mode can have up to 8 combinations, however, within all 8 combos you can't change the parameter of the blocks themselves. Instead it is 8 combinations of blocks being on/off. This may be perfect/plenty for some people.

With Snapshots you are turning off and on as many of the 8 blocks as you want and (potentially) changing settings within the blocks themselves. Lets say you want your LPF to be set at 7k but then when you trigger your fuzz you want that to change down to 5k.....and boost the Bass on your amp sim......and turn on the Chorus pedal.....and change the wet/dry mix on your Reverb. So forth and so on.

Here is another sidenote. With a simple midi switch (like a MIDI Baby) you can switch modes between Stomp and Snapshot or have a combination of both modes and bring both worlds together.

I set my Stomp up as each song having their own Preset. I name the Preset the song name. Then I use FS1 and FS2 as Preset Up/Down. FS3 is sort of an "X" stomp switch that can be assigned to whatever is needed. Changing how your 3 onboard footswitches function can be done in Command Center (in my case Preset Up + Preset Dwn + FS3).

Then I use a MIDI Baby 3 on the side for 3 Snapshots + Tuner. I never need more than 3 Snapshots + FS3 "X" switch for any given song and since each song has their own Preset, I can have a whole different array of blocks (effects, amps, cabs, EQ, Filters, etc) per song. The cool thing about this set up is that I have more versatility, per song, than I will ever need, and I keep a bank of songs at the ready within the Stomp.

Band leader says we are playing "X", I just bring up the Preset. I dont have to worry about the Stomps limited DSP, or swapping in more "specialty" types of blocks (Chorus/Reverb/Delay/etc) at the detriment of losing some other block. The Preset for that song is already set. And here is yet another bonus. Since each Preset = a different song, I can pre-set the tempo of the song in HxEdit when I am setting up the "song" (preset). So when I switch from song X to song Y and song Y needs a Delay...I don't need a tap tempo. The tempo is already set for that song.

And of course, the MIDI Baby 3 can be configured however I want. So I could move the 3 Snapshots over to the Stomp and instead use the MIDI Baby for the Preset Switching if I wanted to.

Here are some pics illustrating what I am talking about. You can see the Preset number and Song Name at the top.

View attachment 4233711 View attachment 4233712 View attachment 4233713 View attachment 4233714

Thanks so much for the thorough explanation! I have a lot to learn. Now I need a MIDI baby.

 

[MascisMan]

Thanks so much for the thorough explanation! I have a lot to learn. Now I need a MIDI baby.

If you are wanting a cheaper alternative to the MIDI Baby 3, and envision using the side pedal as 3 Snaps + Tuner like I do, look in to the Little Robbie Pilot. The Pilot also does Tap Tempo on the Tuner switch. Great, simple, piece of gear.

Littlerobbie Pilot | That way we have it. | Reverb

Littlerobbie Pilot | Robs Revolving Door Of Gear | Reverb