VT Bass speaker simulator.

I have a VT v.2 and NEVER use the speaker sim, too "trebly" for my taste. If prefer to adjust my bass's tone knob.

 

The v2 has a speaker sim which is a dropoff @4,5kHz, but also a huge resonance bump there. This is what it makes trebly. However, above that cutoff frequency, there is not much treble left. You hear this very clearly when you have something in front of it that may produce really high frequencies (in my case the Subterranea).

The VT DI has the two things - dropoff as the speaker sim and the resonance bump - in two switches. You may activate the speaker sim, but leave the bite off. This is what wasn't possible with the v2.

The VT Bass all have a slight dropoff (not as steep as in the speaker sim) from 4,5kHz. This makes the pedal already very usable with an overdrive in front of it and then via DI into the board. Some ugly highs are already killed even when the sim is turned off.

Here you see some nice RTA work in a German speaking forum (through the translator - try to read the google-english...).
Link

 

+1 for keeping the speaker sim off on the v2, the pedal just sounds way bette that way. Interestingly enough though, I usually keep it on on my VTDI, though its effect seems more subtle on that pedal. Just goes to show how much the blend knob can affect the situation.

 

I've got a first-run VT Deluxe with no speaker sim button, and I use it with my Ampeg cabs all the time, including the 210av's. For a little while I was getting a little purist about my rigs and wanting the speaker sim to only go to the DI, but now I don't care all that much anymore, as it pretty much duplicates what I already have in my cabs anyway. What really helps me is setting it to its most flat setting...people argue slightly about exact knob placement, but it's more or less bass 12:30, character and mid slightly past noon, treble 10:00, and I'll increase low end the more drive I use.

BTW, in the VT and VTD, the speaker sim in the off position is yet another speaker sim but with that treble peak tamed down a bit. The Tech 21 rep on here can explain it better than me, but that's about the gist of it. Only the VTDI gives you true removal of the speaker sim.

 

Well don't go by me. I'm out of my mind Truth be told, I'd still rather have a speaker sim that goes only to the PA, but since I already had the VTD, I figured why not just use it and not be so purist about it?

 

I find the VT DI the best of all VT's, mainly because of the very usable sim and all the other switches. However, the blending feature is not really something I'm looking for in a preamp. Compared to the BDDI, the VT somehow does not benefit from the blend feature. The BDDI is imo utterly crap when blended 100%, but has good use when used sparingly.

 

like wise. my VTDI blend is seldom used.
I'm still spilt with regards to the bite and speaker features, not sure what settings are my favourite but like the options.

 

The speaker sim switch in the V2 VT Bass Pedal removes the speaker emulation circuitry but "adds" a 6dB per octave high roll off filter. The reason being that when many say that the pedal is too bright they are using it into the front end of an amp that is not set flat and has it's own EQ curve. The filter can be easily bypassed on the V2 pedal but requires you to cut a trace in the circuit board. You can use the pedal with the speaker sim engaged running direct into a mixer or in conjunction with your bass amp's speaker.

On the VT Bass DI when the "Bite" switch is engaged this activates a presence boost and sub sonic filter (the normal VT Bass sound). When the switch is disengaged the sound is full range. Full range works better for cleaner sounds. When running over driven sounds the "Bite" switch tightens up the sound and gives more focus. The speaker sim switch on the VT Bass DI completely removes the speaker sim from the circuit, there is no high roll off filter.

 

There is really no easy way to bypass the speaker sim in the V1 VT Bass pedal. I think Putnam does that mod. There is a basic flat setting for the VT Bass pedal when running it clean:
Low 1:30
Mid 1:30
High 9:30-10

The speaker emulation is part of the sound of the pedal. As I said previously there is really not much of a problem running the VT Bass through a bass amp's speaker, it is more about the preamp and EQ of the bass amp. You are stacking one preamp in front of another. The complaint that most people had with the V1 was that they "thought" the speaker sim was too bright. Removing it completely would make the pedal even brighter. Hence the high cut filter in the V2.

 

This was a very useful post, thanks - I'm using a VT v1, and thought I was going mad, having to keep rolling the treble back from noon. Hadn't seen those flat settings before.

I find the VT so much better running it into the effects return, to the extent that I haven't used my head's preamp at a gig in a long time. Would definitely recommend trying it to anyone running the VT into the front of their amp.

 

I find this to be true with amps that aren't Ampegs But I'll run it right into Ampegs because its character fits right in.

 

I would imagine so - I can't justify hauling an SVT around for the places I play, but I will say that a VT bass through a decent cab is 'close enough' for me, no doubt aided by the fact I rarely play cleanly. I've tried other pre-amps, but always come back to this one.

 

Just as a point of fact, Ampeg does make much smaller amps than the SVT