Why does my sansamp hiss?

[Ampegged Paul]

Nothing to describe really...I go from bass to pedal into amp. If I turn the level(?) up past say 9 o'clock, I get an audible hiss. I really like using it because of the sound it gives but between soungs it sounds like the ocean.
Thanks.

 

[rratajski]

Do you have the gain cranked?

 

[Gibbsalot]

Bad hiss on mine with treble at 12, have to keep it around 9-10 o clock.

 

[Ampegged Paul]

I have my ampeg volume and master at about 3/4. I set the sansamp up with the "King's X sound" just for a starting point. I like it so ive kept it there.

 

[stflbn]

Do you have the Presence cranked, and/or the treble cranked? Both can introduce hisssss that may have always been in your signal, but you not really hearing it.

 

[stflbn]

I really like using it because of the sound it gives but between soungs it sounds like the ocean.

A Boss NS-2 or something like it will help to kill any latent noise during quiet times. I keep one on my pedal board or in my bag just for gigs that have noisy power, etc.


.

 

[rratajski]

What o'clock are your hissy settings? I don't know what the King's X setting is haha.

It helps to know what your head/combos and sansamp settings are at...

 

[megadan]

They all hiss. At least, mine was king of hiss with any amount of "good" overdrive dialed in. Cranked, it had the best bass distortion sound I've ever heard, hands down, but it hissed like an angry snake

 

[Ampegged Paul]

Its in the manual at home...Ill have to check it later. I dont think is nopisy power because it happens at practice and different places.
I have an Ampeg B5R and have it EQ'd to boost the mids and the three tone controls flat so i could control tone from the pedal.
Ill try to back the treble and/or presence off on the pedal and see what that does.

 

[Ampegged Paul]

The ironic this is that my guitar players bust my balls about it but thier lead channels with distortion hiss like crazy.

 

[johnnycat42]

I notice hiss if the presence is up too far.

 

[rratajski]

The ironic this is that my guitar players bust my balls about it but thier lead channels with distortion hiss like crazy.

Pssssssssh. G****r players...

 

[AndyLES]

Maybe the hiss is from something else in the chain? In an analog circuit, hiss is, more often than not, the result of bad signal-to-noise ratio. The Sansamp may simply be amplifying noise coming from your bass and/or another pedal/cable before the Sansamp.

 

[Jake of Bass]

I'm surprised as I have my gain around 12-3 o'clock (depending on the song), presence at about 1-2 o'clock and treble 12-1 o'clock, blend on full and level usually around 12 (bass from 10-1 o'clock) and I don't ever get any hiss, or very minimal.

I think AndyLES might have the answer, but it could simply be something like a dirty input somewhere. Can you increase/reduce the hiss using the SansAmp controls?

 

[Rando McNally]

Tech 21 makes a bunch of Sansamp units you might be using. I'm guessing that you're talking about the BDDI because it's the most common, but if you're using the RBI or VT, you should let us know.

I have a love/hate relationship with my sansamp.

I have had my whole rig centered around it. Now it's my overdrive pedal, and is off most of the time. It's at the end of my pedal chain and I DI and OD with it.

The sansamp has a very direct and proportional relationship between "Grit" and "hiss."

Moreover, it will sound different depending on it's position in the signal chain. It takes a lot of experimenting. You have to twist those knobs. Any reduction in the Blend, Presence, Drive, or Treble will reduce your hiss. Make small adjustments to all of these til the unwanted noise starts to disappear.

Give it a HOT signal. Get your other gear with a cleaner signal as hot as you can get it. Sansamp likes a hot, clean signal.

Might be best in your effects loop, might be best between your bass and your preamp. Might be best between your preamp and power amp. Give all the locations a whirl.

And toss those presets from the manual out. This thing is waaaay to fussy (IMO) to have any of those suggested settings remain useful given all the different uses one might give the BDDI.

Have you flipped the Ground Lift switch? You might be hearing a 60 cycle hum from your power.

Just experiment. That's all there is to it. I'd be willing to bet you can find just the right settings on the unit, your other gear, and location in your signal path to be really happy with it.

 

[barebones]

"Why does my sansamp hiss?"

Because it's getting ready to STRIKE! Yowch!

Yes, I know that was really lame of me.

 

[dannybuoy]

I borrowed one once, and I got hiss through my amp. But when I tried the DI hooked up to a mixer and monitor speakers, no hiss whatsoever. I can't remember wether I was using phantom power or ground lift though...

If you're powering it on a 9v supply, try a battery and see if it helps. If it does then either stick to batteries or invest in a better power supply.

 

[Jake of Bass]

I have a battery inside but usually use the power supply. I find neither increases hiss, IME.