Bass DI box $100-$150 (Going into mixer )

WERNER 1

Member
Hey guys, in this particular application I am going through a couple of pedals straight into a mixer (through a basic DI box).

Now I was set on getting the SansAmp Tech 21 Bass DI (Or preamp if you will), and I actually did purchase it, but when I went to hook it up in place of my "cheap" DI box it made a whole lot of noise.

What I ended up doing was running things like this: Bass (Fender Jazz / Geddy Lee sig. :) ) > SansAmp Tech 21 > Boss GEB EQ > Boss Bass compressor/limiter > Boss Base Chorus > Cheap DI > Mixer.

Now the above set up sounds pretty darn good, but my question is what would replacing my cheap DI with good/better one have......I'm thinking around 100-150 bucks.

The flip side of this is WHY THE HECK AM I GETTING SO MUCH NOISE when I use the Sansamp for a DI? (I tried all of the switches and what not.......still noisy)

Thanks in advance for your help!

Rick
 
WERNER 1 said:
Hey guys, in this particular application I am going through a couple of pedals straight into a mixer (through a basic DI box).

Now I was set on getting the SansAmp Tech 21 Bass DI (Or preamp if you will), and I actually did purchase it, but when I went to hook it up in place of my "cheap" DI box it made a whole lot of noise.

What I ended up doing was running things like this: Bass (Fender Jazz / Geddy Lee sig. :) ) > SansAmp Tech 21 > Boss GEB EQ > Boss Bass compressor/limiter > Boss Base Chorus > Cheap DI > Mixer.

Now the above set up sounds pretty darn good, but my question is what would replacing my cheap DI with good/better one have......I'm thinking around 100-150 bucks.

The flip side of this is WHY THE HECK AM I GETTING SO MUCH NOISE when I use the Sansamp for a DI? (I tried all of the switches and what not.......still noisy)

Thanks in advance for your help!

Rick

That's a lot of stuff in the chain for recording. The DI/Preamp should come before the effects, not after. That may be part of your noise problem. I would suggest Bass --> SansAmp --> Recorder. I'm a big fan of the Keep It Simple, Silly (KISS) method. Don't put stuff in the chain unless it absolutely has to be there. Add most of your effects after tracking. The SansAmp brings the signal up to line level and has some built-in effects modeling. You really don't need anything else.

If you want to spend more money, I hear the Radial active DIs are good.
 
Some points:

Yes, get rid of everything that doesn't absolutely have to be in your signal chain.

If you're recording bass, you can nip off the high end with the EQ. That's where most noise lives and it has nothing to do with your actual bass signal.

I have heard lots of complaints about Sansamp noise, which is why I've never bought one.
 
Uhmm. I sort of forgot to mention that this is for a live application.....Sorry.

Yeah for recording I'd (KISS) it, but it really sounds pretty good like this live. I figured that the noise was from the EQ and effects infront of the SansAmp, but I don't know why it's not present with a regular DI?

I'll check out the MXR one.

Thanks,
Rick
 
I'm not sure why you're getting so much noise out of the SansAmp...I've never had any problem with mine, or with a friend's SansAmp I borrowed before I had one. When you've tried using the SansAmp as the DI, which output have you used?
 
We used the XLR output as this is what goes into our board (This is the way our original and current DI is being used.)
 
Not sure

WERNER 1 said:
I'm thinking around 100-150 bucks.

Isn't the SansAmp one more $$ than that? My friend runs his Geddy Lee through one with his Ampeg and it is dead silent, no noise at all. I think he has his patched through the effects loop.

I would think it's the way you have it setup or the order in the chain or something.. The SansAmp is one of the best Bass drivers IMO..
 
Yeah, that's what I mean,.......it's very quiet in a loop or as a stomp box, but when I use it as a DI with the XLR out, it buzzes/hums to no get out!

The Sansamp is around $180.00 new..........and it is great! I've heard of guys saying that they were noisy and that they distorted very easily, but I've not had any problems using it as a "Stomp box". :)
 
Like I said earlier, if your Sansamp isnt working, go with the MXR M-80. I forgot to mention that it has a distortion button on it.
 
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