Bass amp simulator question

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Bob's Mods

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Do any of the hardware bass DI bass amp simulators (POD, etc)....or bass amp software simulators really make a difference over just plugging your bass into a plain Jane DI box (no amp sims)? Do these tools really bring some character to your bass tracks that otherwise would be lacking in a no frills direct in?

Bob the Mod Guy.
 
Bob's Mods said:
Do any of the hardware bass DI bass amp simulators (POD, etc)....or bass amp software simulators really make a difference over just plugging your bass into a plain Jane DI box (no amp sims)? Do these tools really bring some character to your bass tracks that otherwise would be lacking in a no frills direct in?

Bob the Mod Guy.
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i have a bass podxt, and the answer is yes. i used to di all my bass tracks, and this thing really beefs 'em up. it's also really versatile (packed w/ effects). i'm sure there are better products out there, but i'm really happy w/ the pod.

that being said, i sometimes wonder if it was really worth the $300 i paid for it...but then again, yeah, it probably was. *shrug*
 
I had a bass pod and got rid of it very quickly several years ago as it detracted from, rather than enhancing, my bass tone. I find going through a good pre-amp and then direct into the board gives you the best, most natural tone.
 
Pretty much always shape my bass tone in the box with plugins, using different types of EQ, saturation, compression and (here's the thing) a hand full of different sounding distortions. Especially the distortion in combination with hi and low pass filtering (so that you can choose precisely what part of the signal you want distorted) works very well most of the time (and not just for rock/metal stuff! Pop, soul, funk, hiphop etc. work very well too).

Having said that, it works for me, and I've never really gotten into bass amp modeling. I tryed the Ampeg SVT plug once and wasn't very impressed, but perhaps I was expecting it to do more radical things than it did. It did color the signal in a very nice way though.
 
Yes they absolutely do add character. Whether it's a character you'll like is the question. I have a Sansamp RBI that I use in combination with an amp. Many times you basically want distortion on a bass. Not necessarily high gain, fizzy type distortion, but something where you're just dirtying up the pure DI tone to add some harmonic content. Then again, if you're recording a straight DI and are happy with it then you can just stay there. Nothing wrong with it.
 
i usually take a DI off of the amp and mic the cab and this weekend i got a really great tone with an american jazz bass with brand new strings off of the DI. the miced track wasn't so good, it had some wierd resonances from the room, but the DI track sounded so good that i didn't worry about fixing the mic track.


other times i use the ampeg SVX and it works great for me. i'm just starting to dig into the sansamp plugin but i like being able to shape the tone in the box.
 
I have a Behringer Bass V-amp (OK not the greatest....but not bad for the money). After using it many times........I've gone back to plugging my bass into a preamp and then into my A/D converters.

While the amp sim sometimes gave me a decent sound.....I spent waaaay too much time messing with it.

While I'm a fan of the most direct and simplest recording signal in general - I think with bass guitar the more simple the signal the better.
 
I go either DI from my amp (Trace Elliot) or mic on the speaker. I've never really been convinced by any form of emulator enough to pay money, the illusion somehow never feels complete to me but that could just be psychological.
 
I don't know about devices that allege to simulate the sound of specific amps, but I use both an Sansamp RBI and a GT Ditto direct box with my bass. In some cases I use the RBI to modify the sound of my bass before I run it into my Ampeg B15N. I usually mic the amp with an RE-20 if I'm recording the amp as well as using DI. Both the RBI and the Ditto work very well IMHO. I think the RBI is well worth acquiring and they are pretty reasonable on e-bay or used through the various audio forums. I think I bought mine through the GS board.
 
It seems no ones really raving about bass amp simulators. I would think they are iffy anyway as its tough to figure out what was used in a quality recording anyway. Listening to bass in a mix is not like listening to a guitar. There is less of a freq range to give it identifiable character. I basically want two bass sounds, bright and punchy or fat and dominating like the old disco tunes of the 70's. I don't care what amp or bass was used to get the sound. I just want to be able to recreate those sounds with a box or software. My needs are simple.
 
Not much to say to that other than take your bass to the store and sit down with a bunch of simulators and see if any of them meet your needs. Otherwise you'll have to do it the hard way.
 
Bob's Mods said:
It seems no ones really raving about bass amp simulators. I would think they are iffy anyway as its tough to figure out what was used in a quality recording anyway. Listening to bass in a mix is not like listening to a guitar. There is less of a freq range to give it identifiable character. I basically want two bass sounds, bright and punchy or fat and dominating like the old disco tunes of the 70's. I don't care what amp or bass was used to get the sound. I just want to be able to recreate those sounds with a box or software. My needs are simple.
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i'll say this about the line6: you can dial in pretty much any sound you're looking for. it'll just take a lot of time to do it. i can't imagine the podxt wouldn't be capable of delivering the exact sound you're driving at. if you enjoy hours of tinkering with such things, you're bound to be very happy with the results. it'll just be a frustrating journey. :o:D
 
The samples of the Tech 21 sound good, but I wonder how versatile the eq's are...can you beef up the mids? I read a review on mf, and one person said it was only good for a scooped mid tone, could be that he didn't know how to use it properly...I will have to go to the local shop and try one out...man they are pricey though.
 
I love the Ampeg SVX plugin. The great thing there is that you start by hitting it with a clean DI track so you are not limited. I find that the Ampeg plugin offers lots of great options that sound pretty darned good, but like I said, you still have your clean DI track to work with or even reamp later should you want.
 
I picked up a bass pod off ebay a couple years ago--mostly for my son to play with. Which means it's collected dust for two years! :D

I recently did a song with the bass going DI through one of my preamps. It sounded fine, but I did some rewriting which added some bass breaks--the DI sound wasn't funky enough. So I played with the POD. Gotta tell 'ya, I was pleasantly surprised. The amp modeling gave it the edge I thought it needed.

Here's the thread with the song--it's the second/new version and the bass breaks are nearer the end.

https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=271710

I know I'll at least consider some modeling in the future besides just DI.
 
I used a Tech21 GT2 for a while...and I liked the results...but I have one built in to my Line6 UX8 that has alot of versitility...plus it is allways patched in.
 
xstatic said:
I love the Ampeg SVX plugin. The great thing there is that you start by hitting it with a clean DI track so you are not limited. I find that the Ampeg plugin offers lots of great options that sound pretty darned good, but like I said, you still have your clean DI track to work with or even reamp later should you want.
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try turning off the cab simulation, and putting an ampeg cabinet IR after it

THUNDER
 
I LOVE my sansamp RBI. I prefer a cab, but in my opinion no amp going for less than about $650 sounds as nice as my RBI, and I'm a cheap bastard, got my rbi for 230 or so off ebay. Yes you can beef up your mids, it's beefy as hell however you need it to be. I never have to fix up my bass tracks later in the box. You can distort it, whatever you want, it's extremely flexible.
 
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