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The Great Bass Preamp/DI Comparison
- Thread starter chadhargis
- Start date
I'm totally living vicariously through you at the moment, @scubaduba. Once gigs pick up again, I'm hoping to be able to post an update or two of my own in this thread. lol
5sg'
Did you sign up on the "reserve list"? If so, then I would imagine that Atomic will be taking care of those on the list in order of the date of sign-up. That seems to be the way things work with these reserve sign-up lists. Word is that the Bass Box is in stock. I also recall that the reserve list sign-up was initiated last year when the Bass Box was announcedat NAMM. I'll keep you posted.
No, digital is not necessarily bad. Look a products like the Line6 Stomp which has been widely adopted by bassists (not to mention guitarists).
One of my favorite compressors is the OnkartGromt Grompressor which is 100% digital.
Some people have a preference for all analog, and that's fine.
That said, some digital effects sound, well, pretty bad....
One of my favorite compressors is the OnkartGromt Grompressor which is 100% digital.
Some people have a preference for all analog, and that's fine.
That said, some digital effects sound, well, pretty bad....
jacoby75
Supporting Member
- Mar 11, 2010
- 5,661
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- Endorsing Artist: Mike Lull Custom Guitars, DR Strings
Digital is certainly not inherently bad. I used digital effects for a number of years, and still use some on my guitar board (Boss, in particular). I used a TC Spectracomp on bass for a while and thought it was fantastic. Incredibly flexible compressor. Overwhelmingly so at times. So many options, and some of the toneprints sounded great. I think for a slapper, it would be fantastic, because there are a ton of presets geared towards slapping. But I don't slap. I thought it was the bee's knees until I compared it to a Fairfield Accountant (and other analog compressors). On their own, I may not have noticed the difference. But when played side-by-side, the TC "sounded" digital in comparison. Not necessarily "bad" but "different." It sounded artificial and processed, which of course it is. As opposed to the Accountant, which felt raw and organic. It's not an apples-to-apples comparison, but it has led me in part to prefer all analog all the time with my bass gear. I don't want to sacrifice my tone at all. Plus, as a general rule, I hate digital multi-effects that you have to scroll through a menu to adjust. I like actual knobs I can easily tweak in real-time if needed.
Not at all, at least for me. I use digital effects all the time, I just prefer an analog pedal as a preamp. Tube is my preference. With a digital amp/preamp you can do a lot of stuff and they sound great.
Yes, agreed. Personally, though I could have a few different preamp pedals, each with its own specific tone signature and features, I like the flexibility of digital technology in a single pedal, particularly for live performance where the tone I'd use for band "A" wouldn't be a good fit for band "X" (think r&b vs metal).
For a "do everything in the smallest package possible" kind of setup I'd go digital all day every day. That's why Helix and similar platforms are so popular. I prefer having dedicated pedals in a small portable pedalboard.
Don't forget that a bunch of the TC pedals are digital and no one seems to complain (a vast majority don't even seem to know/realize).
- John
Yes. My question was somewhat rhetorical. I've been using digital modeling and effects for many, many years. Perhaps in its infancy, digital audio technology might have had some growing pains in general, but today it has evolved to the point where the technology itself is perfectly viable...many times preferable.
That doesn't mean there aren't concerns, though, and one of my biggest is conversion and processing latency (literal delay) through a digital device. Of course, any product - whether analog or digital or a combination of both - can be poorly conceived, poorly manufactured, and have inferior quality components.
For effects not necessarily no, by now they have proven that I think.
However I'm still waiting for a digital preamp (since that's the topic) which sounds good - all those I've tried were meh at best.
It could be a coincidence and prove nothing of course, it's just my experience.
Can anyone think of an exception ?
Line 6 hx stomp, has become the perfect preamp for me. Digital at its best
What have you tried, and is there something specific you're looking for?
Most digital bass (and guitar) preamps are lumped in as part of multi-fx modeler pedals, and it's understandable why people wouldn't want to go down that rabbit hole just for the preamp aspects. That said, all the major players in multi-fx modeling are considered to be pretty good: Kemper Profiling Amp, Fractal Audio AxeFxIII & FM3, Line 6 Helix (HX Stomp), Atomic Audio.
If you're trying to be mindful of cost, most of the multi-fx modelers are expensive ($500 for the HX stomp on the low end). If I were looking for that ONE preamp and had $1000, I'd likely look at an all analog solution, too.
This is why I'm excited about the Atomic Amps Bass Box. It's not a terribly expensive pedal, and though it is designed to primarily act as a bass preamp vs. multi-fx modeler, it does offer some of the broader flexibility benefits of digital (Impulse Response loading for DI interface with mixing desk, 3 types of each: EQ, Dynamics, Amp type). Also happy to read that the processing latency through the Bass Box is only 1.12ms, which is very low for a digital piece.
Until somebody gives the Atomic Bass Box a run there's really no way to know how "good" or "bad" it is.
My Bass Box is in transit...might have it today. I was one of the first people on the reserve list, evidently.
As a reference point, I've owned the AxeFxII and HX Stomp (and the Zoom B3/B3n), BDDI SansAmp, and spent years gigging an SVT Classic tube rig. I've got a good idea what I want to hear sounds and how I'd like the preamp to respond to my playing.
Not sure when I'll be able to air the thing out fully with my various gig configurations, but definitely will weigh in with a first impression on my small setup at home.
The holy trinity, helix/axe/kpa.
BallsAs in aggression, dynamics, etc.
LOL. OK, then. If you've been there and weren't happy, I doubt there's a digital preamp you'll find available today that will scratch that itch. That's a pretty high bar. Which version of Fractal stuff did you use? I got pretty frustrated by the AxeFxII selection of preamps for bass, but the guitar amp models were good. Reportedly the AxeFXII/FM3 are mo better.
The Quad Cortex might get you there, and it being affiliated with DarkGlass helps for the aggro stuff...but not available until September at earliest.
What do you use in analog preamps that you've really liked (link to previous post somewhere)?
I tried the pedal versions, so ax8/helix floor/kemper floor I think they're called ?
I'm afraid the QC won't be better, I have a couple of pedals from darkglass, they're good as distortions but as preamps ... meh.
I have never found a good standalone bass analog preamp to be honest, I have a bass400+ and an SVT and love those but they are full amps.
Used to love some of the trace stuff in the 90s too, from what I remember anyway I should maybe pick one of those some day.
Right now if I need to move I use a studio preamp directly into a (class H) power amp, 2 rack units and I'm good
The tube monsters stay in my private rehearsing space (aka the basement lol).
I'm afraid the QC won't be better, I have a couple of pedals from darkglass, they're good as distortions but as preamps ... meh.
I have never found a good standalone bass analog preamp to be honest, I have a bass400+ and an SVT and love those but they are full amps.
Used to love some of the trace stuff in the 90s too, from what I remember anyway
I should maybe pick one of those some day.Right now if I need to move I use a studio preamp directly into a (class H) power amp, 2 rack units and I'm good
The tube monsters stay in my private rehearsing space (aka the basement lol).
