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Preamp/ DI query


willgatesbass
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Hi all - I'm looking for some advice or even stories of how people have handled this gear-based situation. 

My main gig is on ears. I'm currently deciding whether to buy a good quality passive DI (radial or similar) and upgrade the preamp in my main gigging bass (Yamaha TRBX 505). I love the bass but the preamp is definitely a weak area. The alternative would be to buy a nice preamp pedal which would double as a DI. This would save me a trip to the luthier and would leave the bass unadulterated. However, the thought of replacing the onboard preamp is appealing as I could make adjustments on the fly such as dialling in a slap tone for certain songs. If I went for the alternative and bought a preamp pedal, it would need to have at least two sounds that I could toggle between by hitting a button with my foot. I have owned and used a Sansamp programmable bass driver and I didn't particularly like the way it sounded. There was no mid control on the particular model I had, which didn't help matters. I'm a relatively new bass player and I don't like the idea of mixing preamps in my signal chain (onboard into preamp pedal into amp head etc etc). I'm still learning about tone and how the signal chain works. Having one preamp/eq section in the chain helps me to understand what's going on more easily.

 

My question is, what would you guys choose from the following? - Upgrade the preamp in the bass to Aguilar OBP3, Glockenklang or similar and run it through a decent passive DI OR leave the bass alone and buy a preamp pedal with a direct out. If you favour the latter, which preamp pedals do you prefer and which offer two or more channels you can toggle between for regular and slap tones? I have done a little research and all I seem to find are preamp pedals with A and B channels (the B channel is usually an overdrive/distortion) or pedals with two channels that allow you to use two different basses on a gig. I just want to use one bass but be able to switch between two EQ settings at the push of a stomp box button. Either that or an onboard pre so I can dial up extra bass and treble when it's time to slap and vice-versa.

 

I'm pretty sure I've posted similar threads in the past but this is definitely a new problem and a new angle. Would love to hear your thoughts.

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https://www.andertons.co.uk/providence-dbs-1-dual-bass-station-pedal-prodbs?LGWCODE=PRODBS;56375;6335&gclid=EAIaIQobChMImMTfmJH44AIVUuaaCh2oJgxfEAkYAiABEgLjcPD_BwE

 

this would do the trick though you’d need a DI too. When you use only one input both channels can be used so you could have two separate EQ’s dialled in. I too have found this to be an issue - most two channel preamps are not really true two channel as the second channel often has less EQ control / is for distortion etc etc. Very frustrating! 

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1 hour ago, fleabag said:

One of the top reasons i bought the Genz Shuttlemax.   2 fully  EQ'd preamps , foot-switchable,  plus DI.  No need for an extra pedal

Except the OP is in ears so I don’t think an amp head would work....unless it was able to run without a load then maybe....but still it’s a slightly clunky solution. He needs a board with a DI on really I think....

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4 hours ago, dodge_bass said:

https://www.andertons.co.uk/providence-dbs-1-dual-bass-station-pedal-prodbs?LGWCODE=PRODBS;56375;6335&gclid=EAIaIQobChMImMTfmJH44AIVUuaaCh2oJgxfEAkYAiABEgLjcPD_BwE

 

this would do the trick though you’d need a DI too. When you use only one input both channels can be used so you could have two separate EQ’s dialled in. I too have found this to be an issue - most two channel preamps are not really true two channel as the second channel often has less EQ control / is for distortion etc etc. Very frustrating! 

Looks like a great bit of kit mate. Thanks. Such a shame that it has no direct out and won't run on 9v. I was messaged earlier and offered a Basswitch IQ which might be a good option too. 

 

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10 minutes ago, willgatesbass said:

Looks like a great bit of kit mate. Thanks. Such a shame that it has no direct out and won't run on 9v. I was messaged earlier and offered a Basswitch IQ which might be a good option too. 

 

The Bass-switch is GREAT....BUT the two channels are not the same EQ wise....

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On 10/03/2019 at 01:44, willgatesbass said:

I just want to use one bass but be able to switch between two EQ settings at the push of a stomp box button.

One option is a pedal which can digitally store your EQs. E.g.  Zoom B3n; HX Stomp; Source Audio Programmable EQ; and probably many others.   I myself use a Zoom MS-60B. I have it set up how I like it and then stomp through the presets at the gig.  It's a bit fiddly for tweaking right in the middle of a gig though.  But it is really small.  
 

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7 hours ago, jrixn1 said:

One option is a pedal which can digitally store your EQs. E.g.  Zoom B3n; HX Stomp; Source Audio Programmable EQ; and probably many others.   I myself use a Zoom MS-60B. I have it set up how I like it and then stomp through the presets at the gig.  It's a bit fiddly for tweaking right in the middle of a gig though.  But it is really small.  
 

Good shout. Does it have a DI out too?

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15 hours ago, dodge_bass said:

Good shout. Does it have a DI out too?

I think the HX Stomp does, but not the others.

A good EQ pedal with DI is the MXR M81.  Not two-channel though, so @willgatesbass would have to get a good non-slap tone straight from the bass, then stomp the M81 on for the slap stuff.

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1 hour ago, jrixn1 said:

I think the HX Stomp does, but not the others.

A good EQ pedal with DI is the MXR M81.  Not two-channel though, so @willgatesbass would have to get a good non-slap tone straight from the bass, then stomp the M81 on for the slap stuff.

And that's exactly what I've done! 🙂 I found the M80 version on eBay (used in mint condition) for fifty quid! Like you say, my default sound can be the bass as it is (bypass the pedal). Then I can engage the pedal with slap tone dialled in when I need. I would have preferred the smaller version like you said but for £50 I couldn't say no to the DI +. Presumably it has the same preamp with eq centred to the same frequencies. The only difference I can see is the colour switch and the distortion, neither of which I'll use any time soon but maybe one day. 

Wowsers - I was ready to chuck £400 at this to find a solution. What shall I do with this leftover cash? BC marketplace here I come.

Thanks you all for your lovely advice. I'll let you know how I get on with it!

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I would get a good preamp, which has all the connectivity you need (for in-ear, DI etc.), and has a great basic sound. This is IMHO the most important factor.

Then I would add a booster/eq pedal in front to change to the slap sound. There are many out there (BB, MXR, Moer...).

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On 12/03/2019 at 12:19, willgatesbass said:

... And that's exactly what I've done! 🙂 I found the M80 version on eBay... Presumably it has the same preamp with eq centred to the same frequencies.

It does not! Still perfect for your needs though. The colour switch is always on on channel 2, so that's ideal for your slap sound.

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23 hours ago, xroads said:

I would get a good preamp, which has all the connectivity you need (for in-ear, DI etc.), and has a great basic sound. This is IMHO the most important factor.

Then I would add a booster/eq pedal in front to change to the slap sound. There are many out there (BB, MXR, Moer...).

This, Eq is the way to go.

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9 hours ago, Jack said:

It does not! Still perfect for your needs though. The colour switch is always on on channel 2, so that's ideal for your slap sound.

Really? Wow. You would have thought the two pedals had similar guts. Great news about the colour switch on channel 2 though 🙂

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3 hours ago, willgatesbass said:

Really? Wow. You would have thought the two pedals had similar guts. Great news about the colour switch on channel 2 though 🙂

The M80 predates the M81 by about 10 years. They're very different in their ideology: the M81 tries to be very clean and very transparent, it's essentially a DI box with an EQ; the M80 is colourful, characterful and very obvious.

I personally prefer the M80, I actually pre-ordered one when it was released, so maybe 12-15 years ago? I actually hate that the colour switch is always on on channel 2, it makes using the second channel a real chore to be honest! Different strokes for different folks, it'll be perfect for what you need.

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3 hours ago, King Tut said:

Anyone have any idea why the M81 has an output AND input level?

I imagine the input level is more of a gain thing, like the front end of an amp. It allows you to get the input level right depending on what bass you’re using. The output level would be how much volume you send to the amp and/or desk.

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 15/03/2019 at 12:28, Jack said:

The M80 predates the M81 by about 10 years. They're very different in their ideology: the M81 tries to be very clean and very transparent, it's essentially a DI box with an EQ; the M80 is colourful, characterful and very obvious.

I personally prefer the M80, I actually pre-ordered one when it was released, so maybe 12-15 years ago? I actually hate that the colour switch is always on on channel 2, it makes using the second channel a real chore to be honest! Different strokes for different folks, it'll be perfect for what you need.

I got the M80 a while back and the 'clean' channel is very transparent and non coloured to my ears; very flat sounding so great for small EQ touches. The distortion channel on the other hand... 

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1 hour ago, Jazzmaster62 said:

Just saw their Micro DI box for £29 - do you have one? Interested in purchasing one for gigging. 

Have one of their regular ones. Used them loads at a church I used to go for. Read the reviews 

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I will take one more approach.

Do you use pedals? Do you want to take the line out after effects or before? Basically all effects outputs are lo-Z (low impedance) so practically their output fit any mixing board.

If you want just the bass output to the board, a DI-box is reasonable. Many lo-Z (so called "active") basses can be connected directly to mixers.

Some kind of a splitter (so a DI-box) is needed if there is a need for an amp, in both occasions.

HIgh impedance (so passive) bass output loves DI-box (so a hi-Z to lo-Z conversion) before connecting it to a mixer.

Preamps, yes, I think I will write a short book about them and how they behave.

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