Geni Swing Guitars

Sansamp Bass

The ironic thing about the situation is the engineer admits now that he did nothing different on that bass sound than he had on the numerous other records he had done. Of course, no one cared much about the bass sound on the other records. It turns out that the only change in the equation was the song and the player. The engineer said that this one particular bass player just sounds that damn good. He has magic hands and no one else comes close.

This takes me to my review of the Sansamp Bass DI. I bought this pedal about the same time I bought my first microphone, so I've had it for years and years. Before I get into it's tone, I must say that bass is something that totally eludes me. Maybe it's just my guitar player instinct, but I never seam to record a bass sound that impresses me all that much. I'm not sure what the problem is, but more than likely the answer to my question was in the first two paragraphs of this article.

I wanted to blame my recording gear such as the Sansamp Bass DI for me not achieving a bass sound that I really liked. However, I'm starting to think that this is not the case. I read the forums where the big dogs hang out. Someone once asked about the Sansamp Bass DI. I was amazed at how many people truly loved it. I'm talking about engineers who had 20 platinum records on their wall. These guys usually refute anything that's not $3,000 but it seamed that no one had anything negative to say about the Sansamp Bass DI. Impressive.

So I sat down one day to play with my Sansamp. To be honest, I never played with the knobs too much on this pedal. I guess it's a little ridiculous, but I just haven't learned what truly sounds good on a bass. I think the biggest problem with my bass sounds (besides the variety of bass players) has been the quality of the basses. Almost every bass that I record with a DI has this over the top, unusable low end that just sounds like crap. While a few bass sounds do make the subs in the car go to town, I find that most of the time, the bass sound is up above the subwoofer level. It's in the low mids region.

I've been experimenting with knocking out a ton of the lows with the Sansamp and I'm getting closer to what I'm looking for. The tone controls on the Sansamp really do seam to do something cool. They do offer a lot of flexibility. I find it easier in my brain to twist a few knobs on a pedal to extreme settings ( if necessary) than I do using a parametric eq plugin.

So for me, I can't give the Sansamp a tremendous review. Honestly, I can't give a review at all right now. I've not hit the bass sound that I'm looking for, but I'm going to keep trying until I find it. I'm not sure that the Sansamp is the cause or the blame for the this.

With that being said, the best bass sound I've ever gotten was done with a very good bass player with a very good bass. We ran him straight into a Vintech 1272 preamp and it did sound excellent. For whatever reason the Vintech preamp did sound much better than the Presonus M80 I was using. The difference was night and day. It's very possible that the preamp you use the Sansamp DI with could make a huge difference in tone. I think the big engineers like it because it has all the knobs right there so they can fool with them as they choose.

Brandon Drury's home recording studio

has been booked solid for years.

Tech 21 SansAmp Bass Driver DI $199 Tech 21 SansAmp Bass Driver DI

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Tech 21 Sansamp 3-Channel Programmable Bass Driver Di $209.99 Tech 21 SansAmp 3-Channel Programmable Bass Driver DI

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Tech 21 SansAmp Character Series VT Bass V2 Distortion Bass Effects Pedal $169 Tech 21 SansAmp Character Series VT Bass V2 Distortion Bass Effects Pedal

Tech 21 SansAmp Character Series VT Bass Deluxe Distortion Effects Pedal $269 Tech 21 SansAmp Character Series VT Bass Deluxe Distortion Effects Pedal

Tech 21 Sansamp Character Series Vt Bass Deluxe Distortion Effect Pedal $269 Tech 21 SansAmp Character Series VT Bass Deluxe Distortion Effects Pedal

Tech 21 Sansamp Psa1.1 Preamp $659 The SansAmp PSA has been used on major releases and worldwide tours for multiple applications and instruments including horns, vocals, and drums. Players, engineers, and producers alike find the SansAmp PSA very simple to operate. To program, you just tweak the knobs and save. Parameters are adjusted in real time with traditional analog potentiometers. The digital memory stores the positions of the pots. With 256 incremental steps, each rotary control increases and decreases in a smooth linear fashion.The exceptionally versatile SansAmp PSA-1.1 offers 49 factory presets of the most recognized vintage and modern tube amp sounds for guitar and bass, plus 77 user-definable locations. A Universal Output Section enables compatibility with full range systems as well as guitar/bass speaker cabinets. With the SansAmp PSA-1.1, you can record direct to tape, as well as warm up existing tracks in mixdowns. For live applications, it can be used as a pre-amp, "monster direct box" to P.A. system, and as an outboard processor.49 factory presets with vintage and modern bass and guitar tube amp soundsMaster volume128 programsXLR ground lift switchXLR and 1/4" inputs and outputsPhantom power MIDI inputHeadphone out

Tech 21 SansAmp RPM Rackmount Preamp $329 The SansAmp RPM is a versatile instrument preamp with parametric equalization and SansAmp technology. This single space rackmount model was adapted from the SansAmp Acoustic DI pedal, with the addition of a Drive control, and redesigned as an expanded multi-instrument tool. With a sweepable, semi-parametric EQ and variable gain, the SansAmp RPM is a supercharged tone shaper for any signal source. Partner it with a SansAmp RBI for the ultimate bass pre-amp system, or with a SansAmp PSA for total domination.Drive adjusts the overall amount of gain and overdrive. Active Bass and Treble controls cut or boost ±12dB Mid Shift is a parametric EQ control that allows you to select the center frequency of the Mid control. Its sweep ranges from 170 Hz to 3.0 kHz. This, then, enables you to notch out any specific frequencies that may be causing your instrument to feed back. Mid is also an active tone control, cut or boost ±12dB. Blend allows you to mix the direct instrument signal with SansAmp Tube Amplifier Emulation circuitry. Individual Level control for the XLR out to optimize your amp's output relative to the P.A. system. Effects Loop with Mix 50/50 switch to configure in series or parallel. 1/4" rear input and XLR output with selectable levels. Buffered uneffected XLR output to run a dry signal to a separate channel. Footswitch input to engage unit. Footswitch output to chain and toggle between another SansAmp RPM or SansAmp RBI.

Tech 21 Sansamp Rpm Rackmount Preamp $329 The SansAmp RPM is a versatile instrument preamp with parametric equalization and SansAmp technology. This single space rackmount model was adapted from the SansAmp Acoustic DI pedal, with the addition of a Drive control, and redesigned as an expanded multi-instrument tool. With a sweepable, semi-parametric EQ and variable gain, the SansAmp RPM is a supercharged tone shaper for any signal source. Partner it with a SansAmp RBI for the ultimate bass pre-amp system, or with a SansAmp PSA for total domination.Drive adjusts the overall amount of gain and overdrive. Active Bass and Treble controls cut or boost 12dB Mid Shift is a parametric EQ control that allows you to select the center frequency of the Mid control. Its sweep ranges from 170 Hz to 3.0 kHz. This, then, enables you to notch out any specific frequencies that may be causing your instrument to feed back. Mid is also an active tone control, cut or boost 12dB. Blend allows you to mix the direct instrument signal with SansAmp Tube Amplifier Emulation circuitry. Individual Level control for the XLR out to optimize your amp's output relative to the P.A. system. Effects Loop with Mix 50/50 switch to configure in series or parallel. 1/4" rear input and XLR output with selectable levels. Buffered uneffected XLR output to run a dry signal to a separate channel. Footswitch input to engage unit. Footswitch output to chain and toggle between another SansAmp RPM or SansAmp RBI.

Tech 21 Cs-Vtb-Dlx Sansamp Vt Bass Pedal Deluxe $269 The deluxe version Tech 21 SansAmp VT Bass Distortion pedal boasts a combination of a warm, all-analog signal path and convenient digital recall. There are 6 program locations and dual inputs for 2 instruments to be online, ready to go. Create 3 custom tones for each input or use all 6 locations for a single instrument. You can program the FX loop to engage your favorite effect each time you select its designated preset. The SansAmp VT Bass Deluxe is super-simple to operatechanges can easily be made on the flywithout having to refer to the owner's manual. You just turn the knobs to a setting you like, double-click on a footswitch, and it's saved in that channel. The Tech 21 SansAmp VT Bass Deluxe distortion pedal's level and drive controls work like a traditional, well-equipped amp. Low, mid and high are active controls, providing a wider array of tonal possibilities. The Character knob is continuously-variable moving seamlessly between different model voicings, covering vintage, high-gain, and face-melting lead tones. The Tech 21 SansAmp technology captures the warm, rich, natural tones of the most sought-after tube amplifiers. Within the parameters of each model's particular design, the controls provide you with access to specific tone-shaping characteristics within the tube amplifier sound spectrum.Tech 21 SansAmp products are designed to work seamlessly in both recording and stage environments. They can be used with almost any instrument, for any music style, and for multiple applications. Record directly to tape and disc or enhance previously recorded tracks. For live performances, they can drive a power amp and speakers, augment your existing amplifier setup, or run directly into the mixer of a PA system.True BypassLevel dialMid dialCharacter dialDrive dialLow dialHigh dial

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