Worship Bass Pedalboards

[speedball3]

I really liked the "gain" on the Tone hammer. Just sucks that you cant switch it on and off. With it set low it sounded really nice. I bet it thru the OCSD would probably sound nice. But Im not gonna find out! hahaha Im set for now, Im really blessed with the gear I have and I am very grateful.

I have both the THDI and the OCSD. You're right, AGS is an all or nothing deal. There's some really nice threads that go way into depth on the THDI (search for user Eublet) but whenever AGS is on it acts as a simple cabsim... basically a low pass around 5k with a resonant peak around 1k. The frequency graphs that are floating around very much mirror the OCSD graphs in its manual. The high pass shape changes slightly as you add more gain but not a whole lot. There isn't really a significant high pass in play though, especially at the higher frequencies (30-40 Hz+) that would make a big difference. That being said, it sounds great on its own and I didn't notice a huge difference with the OCSD on or off, so I ran without it. Plus I wanted to fit other pedals (octave+fuzz) for different synthy sounds so the subtle difference with the OCSD lost out to the real estate demands of other pedals.

YMMV of course... I run the THDI with AGS around 3, bass 1ish, treble 11ish, both mid knobs around 10 (all inspired by one of Bethel's bassists). I was surprised by the big mid cut but it sounds good and doesn't seem to get lost in the mix (we use IEMs tho so it's kind of hard for me to gauge that). With my bass tone knob around 50% or so and playing mostly finger style, it's a warm and defined sound with a "soft fuzzy" coating... not overly aggressive. But if I bust out a pick it adds more. And if I keep the pick and add a touch more tone knob (+10% or so) it adds even more (perfect for Lion and the Lamb). For the OCSD, I was running it on 8x10, cab size nearly maxed, high response somewhere 1-2ish, and both mid punch and mid scoop set flat (I figured I did enough to the mids with the THDI).

So if any of your favorite settings on either pedal are different you might have different results and find the OCSD may still make a significant difference. I also haven't experimented with stacking more overdrive pedals with the THDI, so my answer could change as I add in more variables.

With the BDDI, I have the V1, no mid control version... the latest eye opener for that one was how the presence and gain knobs interact. I haven't used it on a Sunday recently but got a nice big sound out of it, which was nice because I was previously frustrated by it and the nasty sound it was making; I guess it was user error... It's different enough from the THDI to justify keeping around but the BDDI definitely benefits from the OCSD being on.. it really adds that 3D aspect to the tone.

 

[MascisMan]

... I run the THDI with AGS around 3, bass 1ish, treble 11ish, both mid knobs around 10

When you say "AGS around 3..." are you talking about the Gain knob?

 

[Wfrance3]

Have a Moen Bass DI incoming. Using it for my wired IEM setup. I had this epiphany That I needed better tone shaping that my little cheap 2 channel mixer provides. Will be smaller too. I'll report back on how it goes. Looking forward to it!

Ok, received my Moen Bass Buffalo arrived yesterday at work. I took a quick 5 minute break to open/check it out. THINGS HEAVY. I honestly think you could drive over it. Don't do it, but it's really built stout. All the knobs are very stiff, so settings won't get knocked around. all the connections where you can plug in cords are good quality. Foot switch feels tight.
I took it home and plugged it into my little 2 channel Onyx mixer so I could check it out using my IEMs after kids went to bed. Actually a good test because it's going to be dedicated for that purpose. From what I can tell it's a keeper. It behaved nicely powered by a one spot.
Signal chain is PolytuneV3 tuner pedal - Zoom MS60B - MXR M81 DI. The M81 goes to the console at Church. Out of the M81 to the Moen Bass Buffalo's IN. Plan is to use the AUX for the band mix mix, and the PHONES out to my IEMs. Everything was dead quiet. So far so good. Volume and gain seem to do what they are supposed to do. The 3 band eq with mid sweep behaved the way you would expect. One note of caution. As far as I can tell, this pedal is not going to be something you can overdrive. If you need dirt, you are going to have to have something else. I dimed the gain and the volume,and there was no crispy fuzz or other usable flavor. It was more unpleasant flatulence. Don't get me wrong, the gain and vol. are solid to get you a strong usable clean signal, just not one with any hair on it. Practice is tonight, so will check back in after we see what it's like in a band setting.

 

[timendous]

Have a Moen Bass DI incoming. Using it for my wired IEM setup. I had this epiphany That I needed better tone shaping that my little cheap 2 channel mixer provides. Will be smaller too. I'll report back on how it goes. Looking forward to it!

Ok, received my Moen Bass Buffalo arrived yesterday at work. I took a quick 5 minute break to open/check it out. THINGS HEAVY. I honestly think you could drive over it. Don't do it, but it's really built stout. All the knobs are very stiff, so settings won't get knocked around. all the connections where you can plug in cords are good quality. Foot switch feels tight.
I took it home and plugged it into my little 2 channel Onyx mixer so I could check it out using my IEMs after kids went to bed. Actually a good test because it's going to be dedicated for that purpose. From what I can tell it's a keeper. It behaved nicely powered by a one spot.
Signal chain is PolytuneV3 tuner pedal - Zoom MS60B - MXR M81 DI. The M81 goes to the console at Church. Out of the M81 to the Moen Bass Buffalo's IN. Plan is to use the AUX for the band mix mix, and the PHONES out to my IEMs. Everything was dead quiet. So far so good. Volume and gain seem to do what they are supposed to do. The 3 band eq with mid sweep behaved the way you would expect. One note of caution. As far as I can tell, this pedal is not going to be something you can overdrive. If you need dirt, you are going to have to have something else. I dimed the gain and the volume,and there was no crispy fuzz or other usable flavor. It was more unpleasant flatulence. Don't get me wrong, the gain and vol. are solid to get you a strong usable clean signal, just not one with any hair on it. Practice is tonight, so will check back in after we see what it's like in a band setting.

I just got one of these a few weeks ago. My impressions are basically the exact same as yours! Very well built and sturdy. Everything functions exactly as it should, and sounds nice. I have been really liking it so far, but haven't used it at church quite yet. Let me know how it behaves direct out through your system after practice!

 

[Wfrance3]

Will do!

 

[Adamixoye]

X-posted from the P&W thread:

Question for any Darkglass users out there - I am looking at possibly moving from a B7KU to a different DG Ultra pedal (while upgrading to V2; my B7KU is V1), does anyone have opinions on the AOU vs. the X7U? I like a range of modern tones from clean to dirty (I probably dirty my bass signal more than the average P&W player, but it's definitely a range, and I like to play heavy stuff at home). I'm not particularly interested in the Vintage.

 

[Wfrance3]

I just got one of these a few weeks ago. My impressions are basically the exact same as yours! Very well built and sturdy. Everything functions exactly as it should, and sounds nice. I have been really liking it so far, but haven't used it at church quite yet. Let me know how it behaves direct out through your system after practice!

I am thinking that this is going to be a stellar little IEM amp. Was able to find a good, tight sound with the mid center in the 400-500 Hz range... This thing has a really wide mid-adjustment range. 150 Hz - in excess of 1k! Noon is at 300 Hz. I set the bass at 1:30 and the treble at around 11.

One thing tho, I was disappointed that we didn't have a percussionist at practice last night. Obviously that's not on the pedal, but I don't think I have complete info yet. I think that one of the capabilities needs to be that I can dial in a sound that doesn't disappear in the kick drum. I may be adjusting the mid center a little but that's probably all that will be needed.

 

[eottjake]

X-posted from the P&W thread:

Question for any Darkglass users out there - I am looking at possibly moving from a B7KU to a different DG Ultra pedal (while upgrading to V2; my B7KU is V1), does anyone have opinions on the AOU vs. the X7U? I like a range of modern tones from clean to dirty (I probably dirty my bass signal more than the average P&W player, but it's definitely a range, and I like to play heavy stuff at home). I'm not particularly interested in the Vintage.

I have the AO, not Ultra. I love it and have been able to dial in some nice, subtle drive to fill in when we're light on instruments, and can go all out when needed.
It does take some tweaking for unity, however. Hiss can be a problem if you have everything cranked, but that's why you have blend, volume, and gain.
Tweaking the mod knob is nice and easy and can change the dirt sound pretty drastically. Helps when you hav picky guitarists that don't want you encroaching on their space.

 

[speedball3]

When you say "AGS around 3..." are you talking about the Gain knob?

Yep

 

[Wfrance3]

The Moen Bass Buffalo is a keeper. Suggested new product motto; "Bass Buffalo, funny name, great results".

[EDIT]
For clarity/reference this little board is tuner - zoom - m81.
The Moen is for IEMs only. Band mix goes into the aux in and phones is where I plug in my KZ-6s. I don't have any idea how the balanced DI out sounds, and may never.
in this capacity, I backed off the bass and pushed the mid freq a lot higher than I thought I would. That's me, but you may like something different. Plenty of adjustment for whatever your needs. This little box is a great headphone amp! Can't recommend it enough for this application.

 

[Bassworship1]

Anyone here use the Minnow Preamp?

 

[tedsalt]

I just picked one up and first impressions are very good. I've just put it on my board and practiced a little and it seems very clean. I do like this particular signal chain. The other pre that interests me is the Broughton Messenger, which adds hpf/lpf, which would be nice, but like all things Broughton, are hard to come by. I'll probably get a chance to use it at church in December.

 

[jacoby75]

Did you ever get to the point where you feel like your tone is so good that all you want to do is play . . . just so you can hear how good you sound? Like, turn the rest of the band down so everyone can appreciate your bass tone? I think I'm there.

I've said it before, and I might say it again. But for now . . . . I'm done (with the small, every day board, at least. The big board is another conversation). With the lone exception of the one time I traveled to Vegas with a band and used an Aguilar DB751 stack with a pro sound system and sound guy, this is the absolute best I have ever sounded. And heck. This might even beat that.

So much punch. Such solid sustain. And solid, thick, powerful yet clear tone. Every pedal currently on this board has been an absolute revelation. I've acquired most of them within the past 2-3 months, as they have replaced other pedals/amp sims. They each totally changed my tone for the better in ways I did not think were possible in an ampless pedalboard setup. (Well, except maybe the tuner. That's just a tuner, after all. But a heck of a good tuner at that). I have given up on trying to get a particular amp sound through my board (like using a specific Ampeg or Fender sim or something). With this setup, I'm going for pure, clean power. This delivers it in spades. And my drive pedal still sounds good, even without an amp sim or cab sim pedal muddying things up.

I'm not exactly sure how to do this, or even how to say this, but I think I can stop looking for pedals now. I don't know what I'll do with all that free time, but I'm sure I'll think of something. Like, maybe just practice to get better, not to decide which overdrive pedal I like better. Or do actual work at my job, not sit on Youtube listening to bass overdrive pedal demos. The possibilities are endless.

(Disclaimer: If Broughton ever finds a way to keep things in stock, he might get some more of my money. But that's about it.)

 

[yobtaf]

Did you ever get to the point where you feel like your tone is so good that all you want to do is play . . . just so you can hear how good you sound? Like, turn the rest of the band down so everyone can appreciate your bass tone? I think I'm there.

I've said it before, and I might say it again. But for now . . . . I'm done (with the small, every day board, at least. The big board is another conversation). With the lone exception of the one time I traveled to Vegas with a band and used an Aguilar DB751 stack with a pro sound system and sound guy, this is the absolute best I have ever sounded. And heck. This might even beat that.

View attachment 3599295

So much punch. Such solid sustain. And solid, thick, powerful yet clear tone. Every pedal currently on this board has been an absolute revelation. I've acquired most of them within the past 2-3 months, as they have replaced other pedals/amp sims. They each totally changed my tone for the better in ways I did not think were possible in an ampless pedalboard setup. (Well, except maybe the tuner. That's just a tuner, after all. But a heck of a good tuner at that). I have given up on trying to get a particular amp sound through my board (like using a specific Ampeg or Fender sim or something). With this setup, I'm going for pure, clean power. This delivers it in spades. And my drive pedal still sounds good, even without an amp sim or cab sim pedal muddying things up.

I'm not exactly sure how to do this, or even how to say this, but I think I can stop looking for pedals now. I don't know what I'll do with all that free time, but I'm sure I'll think of something. Like, maybe just practice to get better, not to decide which overdrive pedal I like better. Or do actual work at my job, not sit on Youtube listening to bass overdrive pedal demos. The possibilities are endless.

(Disclaimer: If Broughton ever finds a way to keep things in stock, he might get some more of my money. But that's about it.)

what is the blue one in the center?

 

[jacoby75]

what is the blue one in the center?

Southampton Ictineo preamp. It's the glue that makes everything else work. The linchpin that holds it all together? Am I mixing metaphors? It's a really, really good preamp. I've seen it pop up on random boards around here from time to time, and I finally had a chance to snag one on Reverb. Totally worth it.

 

[dmc79]

Hey, first post in about a year. I have asked a similar question here before, but perhaps not specifically about the pedal I'm going to ask about. . .

I've been playing for more than a year with just a tuner and MXR M81, going DI straight to the desk by XLR. Whilst the setup has been ok, it just feels a bit too plain and recently I've had GAS for some cab sim tone which I can blend in. Every time we get sent a new song to learn, I listen to it and realise there is killer bass tone on the track which I am getting nowhere near. I know that its partly technique, not just gear, and using a pick for the right attack, etc can go some way to getting those sounds, but I am wondering if a 'magic box' will help a lot too.

We do the usual Jesus Culture, Bethel, Hillsong, Elevation type songs. At times I've seen YouTube demos of cab sims such as the Sansamps, and they can get very clanky. But I love the tone of a lot of those songs, so the thought of using a cab sim with the blend dialled back a bit (not on full) really appeals to me. I saw that the Jesus Culture bassist uses a programmable BDDI so now this has piqued my curiosity about trying this out. He says he has a 50/50 blend with just a touch of drive. Yes he has a few other pedals but says that the BDDI is the only one that everything goes through and that its the bread and butter of his bass sound.



So, question for the ampless, IEM worship bass players: Have you tried the programmable BDDI and if so what did you make of it? I must admit I like the thought of using this as an always on tone machine, and of programming in say a slightly meatier drive that I can stomp on when called for. Thanks for your help.

 

[yobtaf]

Hey, first post in about a year. I have asked a similar question here before, but perhaps not specifically about the pedal I'm going to ask about. . .

I've been playing for more than a year with just a tuner and MXR M81, going DI straight to the desk by XLR. Whilst the setup has been ok, it just feels a bit too plain and recently I've had GAS for some cab sim tone which I can blend in. Every time we get sent a new song to learn, I listen to it and realise there is killer bass tone on the track which I am getting nowhere near. I know that its partly technique, not just gear, and using a pick for the right attack, etc can go some way to getting those sounds, but I am wondering if a 'magic box' will help a lot too.

We do the usual Jesus Culture, Bethel, Hillsong, Elevation type songs. At times I've seen YouTube demos of cab sims such as the Sansamps, and they can get very clanky. But I love the tone of a lot of those songs, so the thought of using a cab sim with the blend dialled back a bit (not on full) really appeals to me. I saw that the Jesus Culture bassist uses a programmable BDDI so now this has piqued my curiosity about trying this out. He says he has a 50/50 blend with just a touch of drive. Yes he has a few other pedals but says that the BDDI is the only one that everything goes through and that its the bread and butter of his bass sound.



So, question for the ampless, IEM worship bass players: Have you tried the programmable BDDI and if so what did you make of it? I must admit I like the thought of using this as an always on tone machine, and of programming in say a slightly meatier drive that I can stomp on when called for. Thanks for your help.

I tried the the V1 bddi and the programmable. I now use the BDDI V2. The mids is where its at. It lets the notes be heard not just felt. Its super easy to dial back the "clank" on the V2. I have no clank. I run it with mids at about 3, bass 1130 and treble at 1-2. The presence is at 1030-11 and blend at 3. drive is about 1030 and volume to what sound man needs. Im sold on it.
as far as programs, I had the VTDI deluxe programmable and tried the BDDI programmable, I just never used any other setting then just the one. I had one set with a bit more drive, but I dont really care for the drive on these, and had the 3rd channel set as a mute. Do the Guitar center 45 day thing, try it and if you like it cool if not return it. also if you do like one, the classifieds here will be a good bet, just saw a V2 go for 145.

I dont have the spark on my board anymore, it didnt do what I thought it would do.

 

[timendous]

I tried the the V1 bddi and the programmable. I now use the BDDI V2. The mids is where its at. It lets the notes be heard not just felt. Its super easy to dial back the "clank" on the V2. I have no clank. I run it with mids at about 3, bass 1130 and treble at 1-2. The presence is at 1030-11 and blend at 3. drive is about 1030 and volume to what sound man needs. Im sold on it.
as far as programs, I had the VTDI deluxe programmable and tried the BDDI programmable, I just never used any other setting then just the one. I had one set with a bit more drive, but I dont really care for the drive on these, and had the 3rd channel set as a mute. Do the Guitar center 45 day thing, try it and if you like it cool if not return it. also if you do like one, the classifieds here will be a good bet, just saw a V2 go for 145.

I dont have the spark on my board anymore, it didnt do what I thought it would do.

View attachment 3601734

"Clank" is, I think, the most important thing that I most want to be able to avoid in my playing for worship. For real.

 

[yobtaf]

"Clank" is, I think, the most important thing that I most want to be able to avoid in my playing for worship. For real.

YES so true! with the V1 and the programmable I couldnt get the "clank" out unless I dialed the presence back and bass up. With the V2 I get the clarity but the cab sim. My SVT and 810 I play with in other bands has no clank, and I feel I can get the V2 close enough to not haul 300lbs of amp and cab in!

 

[bobbybass85]

When I started playing on a serious worship team, the Sansamp BDDI was my first purchase. It was not long before I replaced it with the Tone Hammer. I will warn you though, going to the Tone Hammer was the first step in adding and subtracting MANY pedals. There are tons of options out there for cab modeling and getting more amp like tones, and many that give you more control and flexibility than the Sansamp. I was able to find a good "clankless" tone with a Sansamp, but it took some tweaking and an understanding that the high presence grind it produces is part of that tone. It's also worth noting that the tone may sound terrible in your in-ears, but when mixed by a good engineer and sent through FOH, it can be a beautiful sound.

In the end I'd say to look at something like the Darkglass X7 Ultra. It would get you some compression options, can be run as a clean preamp AND still be able to engage the distortion if you wanted. I know the demos make you think it's for metal and hardcore, but they are wonderfully versatile and I've never been ashamed to use my DG stuff in worship music.