looking to get a go to bass rig for silent recording....

[melovine]

ok so im pretty happy with my guitar tone (mesa dual recto out of the fx send into my interface with impulses) and im using SD2.0 for drums, but i am not a big fan of the bass tone im getting (running straight into the D.I. on my chameleon labs 7602 MKII)

a good buddy of mine is selling a Sansamp RBI for $250 and im considering picking it up but im just looking for a few second opinions to see if there is another route i should investigate. whether it be a better DI or amp sim plugins (i hear amplitube and softube are nice for bass) any ideas?

 

[C-Martin]

If i was in your situation i would grab that RBI. If it's in good condition you'll have everything you need to get some solid bass tones out of it. It's basically a rackmount version of the BDDI pedal and it's pretty much a standard for Bass, many people use and will recommend it.

 

[DanLights]

I agree, it's a good price for the RBI, you could split your signal with a DI and record both clean and RBI signals which should be a good basis for mixing. Other than that, there are many pedals that works as a tone shaping preamp for bass, like the Sansamp VT bass to simulate a tube type of tone, an MXR M80 Bass DI+ which is especially good for distorted tones, I've never tried but heard good stuff about the aguilar tone hammer as well.

Plugin-wise, I love Ongel's sim of the BDDI, I've used it several times and it always find its place in a mix, be it the main track or at least a mid-centered track blended in with other stuff. I also have Ampeg SVX and it can be nice depending on what you're aiming for, but in my experience it can be quite lacking, flashy graphics and names but I can't seem to get the Ampeg goodness out of it.

 

[JonWormwood]

I'd get a BDDI and then use something else for lots of dist. I'm using amplitube.

 

[Scottxx]

Audiffex' Gallien-Krueger Amplification 2: Bass amps simulation is really great.

 

[melovine]

thanks for the suggestions! so between the rbi and the mxr which would be the wiser choice?

 

[DanLights]

thanks for the suggestions! so between the rbi and the mxr which would be the wiser choice?

depends, check youtube videos of both and compare the tone to what you want, they're quite different.

 

[LoftMusicRob]

I also have Ampeg SVX and it can be nice depending on what you're aiming for, but in my experience it can be quite lacking, flashy graphics and names but I can't seem to get the Ampeg goodness out of it.

Any tube based DI or preamp before the Ampeg is a really good combo. That is my pre-pro tracking setup before I actually mic up a bass rig.

 

[TheUnknown]

Wait so you guys are saying you use the BDDI on the main track then another plug or what have you on another track for the distortion? I thought the BDDI was the one being used on the distortion track.

I'm in the same situation melovine...so I just wanted to clarify, don't mean to hijack.

 

[melovine]

what you suggest for decent priced tube di? also what would be the main audible difference between a regular di and a tube di?

 

[C-Martin]

Wait so you guys are saying you use the BDDI on the main track then another plug or what have you on another track for the distortion? I thought the BDDI was the one being used on the distortion track.

I'm in the same situation melovine...so I just wanted to clarify, don't mean to hijack.

You can do it however you want or sounds good to you. Me personally, i do what DanLights suggested. With the DI you'd be able to mix it up however you want. If the initial setting don't work so well in the mix, all you have to do is re-run it through the RBI.

 

[BLUElightCory]

How's your bass? If your bass sucks then upgrading your recording chain isn't going to help much. If it's a good bass with new strings I'd grab a Sansamp Bass Driver pedal (for some reason I like it better than the rack version).

 

[melovine]

ive got a pretty killer MIM Fender P bass, great tone, what would you say the main sound difference is between the pedal and the rack?

 

[mva801]

I've found that pretty much no matter what, a good bass tone is all in the fingers and the guitar. If you can play and your bass is awesome, then you should be able to just plug straight in and get a heavy tone already. Watch Ola's tutorial thing. He just copies the di track and distorts one all to hell for blending.

That said, you can't go wrong with the BDDI pedal. I've never tried the rack version though... You'd just use the parallel output on it. That comes out clean, then the output on the other side would be distorted. Record both, blend/ compress/ limit to taste

 

[melovine]

Thanks guys I'm thinking im going to go with the Sansamp BDDI rack unit, I figure it's a good deal for the price. And I agree about the bass being 95% of the tone, I AB'd two basses I have (a warwick 5 string and the MIM fender p bass) and surprisingly the fender blew the Warwick out of the water. I'll post some clips as soon as I grab the Sansamp. Again thanks guys!

 

[jeid]

I've got the RBI, I bought it to replace the pedal as it was neater and I think it sounds better. It's great. I DI the bass and split it into the RBI. It handles all my grit and the DI does the low end stuff. If I want some drive in there, I copy my DI track and distort it with an ampsim.

 

[LoftMusicRob]

what you suggest for decent priced tube di? also what would be the main audible difference between a regular di and a tube di?

A tube DI will color the sound by exciting harmonics. It will generally give it a much fatter sound. There are advantages to either type of DI based on what the song (or the rest of your processing chain) needs.

They are going to be more expensive than your average DI, but I think it is a good thing to have one around the studio.

Demeter makes good ones at the best price range ($400-$500). You can find the REDDI by A Designs which is a really good one on Amazon for the best price on one of those. Stay away from Art and Presonus tube DI units as there is a serious difference (lack) in quality.

My advice is if you can, save up for a used Avalon 737 because it is DI/Mic Pre/EQ/Compressor and is a really handy piece of gear to have in the studio. It really allows you to shape the DI tone how you want it. Then, you can also use it for vocals or anything else that need a warmer tube sound to it.

 

[mva801]

^^ Love the Avalon for DI. I use their DI only thing a lot, but I never really use the 737 we have in the studio... Not that it's bad, it's just that I go to the neve's and API's first usually...

 

[Charlie E.]

I was just gonna ask this. I used to be happy with my Pod preset but not anymore. Was able to get a better sound with a DI and the logic bass simulator.
I take it the Sansamp pedal would yield better results? I'm eyeing a used one on craigslist for 90 bucks. Should I go for it?

 

[DanLights]

I was just gonna ask this. I used to be happy with my Pod preset but not anymore. Was able to get a better sound with a DI and the logic bass simulator.
I take it the Sansamp pedal would yield better results? I'm eyeing a used one on craigslist for 90 bucks. Should I go for it?

90$?? It's like 300 new so I say go for it and see if it's to your liking, and seeing how 80% of the population loves it and the rest think its good but not great, you'll probably keep it.