VT Bass speaker simulator.

[AndreasK]

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

Ny pf350 is One

Thanks a bunch @tech21nyc then I'll be happy keeping rolling of highs and boosting low/mid as I have. Pretty much your described flat

 

[mlove]

this thread makes me want to play with this pedal!
heres what i've settled on for now. speaker sim on, bite off.

3 riffs with G&L sb2. first with both pick ups 100%, second with neck soloed 100%, third with neck at 50%
what do you guys think? right now I'm more than happy with it.

Ampeg do make smaller amps than the SVT but because of this pedal I am no longer terrified to use house rigs!

 

[noermaen]

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.

guys, maybe i am really stupid, but everytime i read settings with this "numbering" (noon, 12:30 etc) I really have no clue what it means...

here's a picture how i interpreted that setting:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/l4uobqinzrg7wdo/vt-bass-flat-setting.jpg?dl=0

 

[AndreasK]

guys, maybe i am really stupid, but everytime i read settings with this "numbering" (noon, 12:30 etc) I really have no clue what it means...

here's a picture how i interpreted that setting:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/l4uobqinzrg7wdo/vt-bass-flat-setting.jpg?dl=0

From your pic, it looks like you have all the clues you need. It´s twelve o´clock, three o´clock etc...

 

[Turn Em Loose]

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

Does this apply to the VT DI also. ASSuming it does, but you know....

 

[tech21nyc]

Does this apply to the VT DI also. ASSuming it does, but you know....

It should, provided the pedal is set for the stock setting with the speaker sim and bite engaged. It's easier to do this with test equipment due to the variance with audio pots. The best way to do this would be to set the pedal in bypass and use those settings to get you in the ballpark and then toggle between bypass and on. You should have the drive set low so there is no distortion and have the level set for unity gain and character at noon.

 

[Turn Em Loose]

It should, provided the pedal is set for the stock setting with the speaker sim and bite engaged. It's easier to do this with test equipment due to the variance with audio pots. The best way to do this would be to set the pedal in bypass and use those settings to get you in the ballpark and then toggle between bypass and on. You should have the drive set low so there is no distortion and have the level set for unity gain and character at noon.

Thanks! I did this last night and was able to dial in "my tone(s)" much easier!

Still don't know if the VT DI is a keeper for me. My walnut sized brain tends to get bogged down by too many knobs/switches.

The useable tonal possibilities is pretty amazing on this thing, though. I could see it as an invaluable tool for guys that spend a lot of time in the studio.

 

[Flatbass]

I bought a VT Bass V1 before the V2 even existed. [This may sound like I'm trying to prove my indie-coolness, but that's not the point here.]

My question: does turning the speaker-sim and bite off make the pedal more usable as a 'transparent overdrive' which doesn't try to overrule the sound of the amp?


I'm not planning on replacing the pedal any time soon, as I'm generally very happy with it. I just thought that it'd be nice if could just add overdrive without changing any hifi amp into an overdriven Ampeg. If it ever breaks/gets-stolen, then I'd know I could immediately buy a VT Bass DI without having to do the dreadful pedal-shopping-comparing thing

 

[JimmyM]

If you do that, you will send the tweeter highs from the overdrive into the PA, possibly blow a tweeter, piss off the sound tech, and IMHO not sound very good.

 

[Flatbass]

Hey! It looks like I'm not the only who has experience with an overdrive pedal DI'd straight to the PA, resulting in nasty tweeter-highs that aren't there in my/your tweeter-less bass cab. It's an awful sound, isn't it?


But... I wasn't talking about sending anything to the PA, or was I? Maybe I didn't make myself clear...
I just want to plug the VT Bass DI into the input of an amp, but with less of a 'fat tube amp' sound - just overdrive added to the sound that was already there.

 

[JimmyM]

I'd say you didn't make yourself clear You didn't specify either way. You did mention your amp, but I figured since it's a DI that there would be a connection to the board. But if you're just going to your amp, sounds like game on to me.

Of course, the one thing I don't know is if Tech 21 uses a highs rolloff on their overdrive when the speaker sim is off, so I could be wrong, but I'm assuming it does the whole pedal or nothing at all.

 

[Flatbass]

Sorry!
And thanks for your replies

I possibly want the VT Bass DI for the two extra buttons, not for the DI function.

There's no high-freq roll off when the speaker sim is disengaged, but I'm not sure if this leads to excessive highs. On the V2 the high-freq roll off was included because there would be too much highs otherwise, but then... why would they add a 'bite' button to the VTB DI? To add even more highs?


Anyway... what it boils down to... Has anyone used the VT Bass DI (speaker sim and 'bite' off) as an overdrive in front of an amp? And does it work?

 

[JimmyM]

The bite button on makes it behave as a normal VT. The bite button off attenuates highs. And on the regular VT v2, the speaker sim off results in another speaker sim coming into play that I guess has some tarted down highs (not exactly sure, only have V1 version).

 

[Bassmike62]

I stated previously that I NEVER used the speaker sim button... that's true when I'm playing the Jazz. I've purchased an Epiphone Tbird recently and that bass has a darker tone, so the speaker sim works very well to add a bit of high-end.

 

[Nephilymbass]

In my opinion the speaker sim is worthless when your talking about clean tone. To me its really not simulating a speaker. It's basically just an eq filter. And on the VT particularly the speaker sim imo is great for running distortion and fuzz pedals before the vt because it cuts out a lot of the annoying frequencies typically associated with those pedals.

 

[JimmyM]

It is an EQ filter, and I'm OK with that. I like the speaker sim on my clean tone because I don't like highs past 5k on my clean tone either. And really, what else do I need for a clean tone other than the rolloffs associated with my favorite speaker cab?

 

[tech21nyc]

Ok. It can be a bit confusing. First off passive speakers cabs do have high end above 5 kHz. That is an average point where the highs start to roll off. It's just that the higher frequencies are not as loud as the lower frequencies but they are still present. The high frequency roll off comes more into play when you start to add distortion. Distortion generates more upper harmonic content which is why you will perceive this as "fizz" if you are running through a full range system.

Frequency plot of a Celestion bass driver:

The VT Bass V1 has no switch and the speaker sim was always on. The VT Bass V2 has a speaker sim switch that "removes" the speaker sim circuit but in its place there is a 6dB per octave high roll off filter (similar to the tone control on most overdrive and distortion pedals) which makes the pedal easier to use into a bright amp. It is "not" the same as a speaker sim as the roll off is not steep enough so although it will sound darker through an amp if used into a full range system it will allow some of the high frequency or "fizz" through. The speaker sim on the VT Bass DI totally removes the speaker sim and there is no filter. It depends on your use.

 

[Wito]

Lately I've been forced to play cab-less (moving abroad into a tiny apartment and sh*t), using just the headphones output of my GB shuttle. While the clean tone is good enough, my beloved dirt boxes sound like garbage. I guess that is due to all that high frequency overtones that my tweeter less cab was filtering out and that now get straight into my brain. I've been reading these thread and I think that and VT might be the easiest solution to get my sound back. Thanks to you all for explaining the difference in the speaker simulator of each version. Now I need to find the closest dealer

 

[pvj scotland]

This may be a silly question so forgive me i have just picked up a vt bass charater 1 pedal and love it i use it along with a mxr 10 band eq for my main bass sound with my amp flat, i find this helps dial out the treble a bit and adds a bit more mid for me , should these be able to work together or is this all in my head and better just running through the vt bass pedal alone
cheers guys , quite new to effects so every day is a school day

 

[JimmyM]

This may be a silly question so forgive me i have just picked up a vt bass charater 1 pedal and love it i use it along with a mxr 10 band eq for my main bass sound with my amp flat, i find this helps dial out the treble a bit and adds a bit more mid for me , should these be able to work together or is this all in my head and better just running through the vt bass pedal alone
cheers guys , quite new to effects so every day is a school day

Whatever it takes to make your sound happen is all good. If you like it and it works with the band you're in, that's all that matters. The MXR is a good EQ. I have the 6-Band myself.