Need DI To Record My Bass W/ Active Pickups?

E

EIK

New member
I'm thinking about picking up the $190 Sansamp bass driver DI. Do I really need this though to record my bass that has active pickups? I have a hartke 200watt combo with a 15" speaker.

Some mics I could use: akg C3000B (would be kind of a hassle since I use this for vox. and ac. guitars), SM57 (won't realy pick up all the frequencies i want). I could also go straight to a VLZ Pro Mackie mixer as well.

Any suggestions?

Thanks
 
There might be an impedence mismatch when going straight into your Mackie vlz, try it first and see how it sounds.

The SansAmp Bass Driver is a great tool. It's a direct box with some tone-shaping capabilities. A good investment and it could sound great with your bass.

There are three good options for recording bass

1. direct device- a simple direct box or a modeler that simulates an amplifier ( Johnson J-Station, Bass POD, SansAmp Bass DI, etc.) Or a preamp that has a Hi-Z/high impedance input.

2. Using a microphone that is optimized for recording a bass cab.

3. A combination of 1 and 2, splitting the signal and recording a direct signal and a miced signal simultaneously. Many direct boxes will split the signal with an XLR out.
 
The things is basses with active pickups have built-in preamps. Would a $190 Sansamp improve the tone in some way over the built-in preamp? And would it even be able to handle the hot output?

I think active basses can go straight into a line input in mixers. I'd rather be able to tweak it a bit in the chain though.

I could use a bass microphone, but i'd rather not cause i don't think it would sound too good. Maybe the condenser ca. 12 inches away from the cab along with the sansamp.
 
I'm pretty sure a DI is unecessary for active basses, if neither your active bass or mixer has a 3 band eq i couldnt see the sans amp doing much for you. If all you need is a straight up DI box I think there are probably better options though I am not familiar with them
 
If your ACTIVE bass produces low-impedance (low-z) signal, you should not worry about a DI. Unless you tend to stand 100 feet away from the mixer, then a DI might clear up the signal.

Some DI devices come with Groundlifts, which is nice too ;)
 
EIK said:


I think active basses can go straight into a line input in mixers. I'd rather be able to tweak it a bit in the chain though.
Click to expand...

Yes I've ran my active Bass straight in. But the results (I'm not saying bad) are not up to using a good Pre. Buddy of mine tried a Sansamp and liked the sound but it picked up massive RF and he returned it. He lives close to power lines but I don't know if that was a factor. I'd consider a decent Preamp if you can afford it then you can always use the pre for other things too.
 
my sansamp picked up a lot of RF too.

I'm not extremely close to power lines or anything like that.

I could put the thing on and listen to AM radio over my monitors.

Thing was kind of flakey in general. I returned it, got an Avalon U5 and never looked back.
 
wes480 said:
my sansamp picked up a lot of RF too.

I'm not extremely close to power lines or anything like that.

I could put the thing on and listen to AM radio over my monitors.

Thing was kind of flakey in general. I returned it, got an Avalon U5 and never looked back.
Click to expand...

Wes,

then that starts to help me confirm they have done little to shield their design from RF interference. Not good. At the price they are getting for those they should be able to come up with a better shielded design.
 
therage! said:
Wes,

then that starts to help me confirm they have done little to shield their design from RF interference. Not good. At the price they are getting for those they should be able to come up with a better shielded design.
Click to expand...

That's strange. I've only heard good things about it. So what do you guys suggest I do? How about using the "send" as an output on my Hartke (no line-out) along with an SM57 up close and a C3000B appr. 4 ft. away from the cab?
 
EIK said:
I'm thinking about picking up the $190 Sansamp bass driver DI. Do I really need this though to record my bass that has active pickups? I have a hartke 200watt combo with a 15" speaker.

Some mics I could use: akg C3000B (would be kind of a hassle since I use this for vox. and ac. guitars), SM57 (won't realy pick up all the frequencies i want). I could also go straight to a VLZ Pro Mackie mixer as well.

Any suggestions?

Thanks
Click to expand...

What do you use as preamp for vocals? Can't you run thru that, just turning phantom power off?

Of course, that won't help you color the sound, which you may want to do. Neither mic you mention is ideal for picking up bass. For simple home recording I've found that going direct really is the best method, as it's the simplest and easiest way for me to get a decent sound. And my active pickups on my bass don't output enough signal to do away with some preamp boost. So ...

Instead of getting a Sansamp, you could consider a cheap preamp ... some rave about the ART Tube pre (what, like $99?), but if you ask me, the cheapo PreSonus BlueTube sounds better (for $149). And yes, I've tried them both. Both let you dial in tube flavor ... in this eschelon of pres I'd euphemistically say it's tube "grit." But it does warm it up and fatten it up some.

Actually, there are so many low-cost pres out there worth considering as a DI ... then you'd have a decent pre for other uses to boot. I'd think you'd want a "color" pre, either something with tube or with a distinct flava. I now use a racked Neve as bass DI, and in my limited setup, that's definitely my preference. It's certainly a preference over going into the more neutral pres I have as inputs going into my soundcard.

I think most pres accommodate DI use ... every one that I've used, in my limited experience, has ...

Well, I hope this is useful.
 
I run vocals straight into the VLZ Pro as I've read numerous times that preamps under $500 wouldn't sound any better.

I know live at least i've seen bass amps mic'd with SM57's. C3000 isn't adequate? Then how come some people swear by large diaphragm condensors for bass amps?
 
EIK said:
I run vocals straight into the VLZ Pro as I've read numerous times that preamps under $500 wouldn't sound any better.
Click to expand...

Where did you read that at?

VLZ pre's are no comparison to my Meek pre, especially for vocals. But if it sounds good...go with it.
 
EIK said:
I run vocals straight into the VLZ Pro as I've read numerous times that preamps under $500 wouldn't sound any better.

I know live at least i've seen bass amps mic'd with SM57's. C3000 isn't adequate? Then how come some people swear by large diaphragm condensors for bass amps?
Click to expand...

It's not that large diaphragm mics are necessarily a bad choice; it's the *specific* LD. For instance, I have a Rode NT2, and I'd never use it to record a bass cab, if I were going that route. Why? Well, it's scooped and hyped in all the wrong ways for that application. The 3000B ain't exactly neutral, either. Besides, I can use a D112 instead -- a dynamic kick drum mic known to translate well on bass cabs.

Actually, though, for miking bass cabs it seems that using the dynamic kick drum mic is a very popular choice. Check out Harvey's "big thread" in the Mic Forum (the stickied thread at the top, poster is Chris F). It's quite an education.

As for mackie vs. other preamps, in a sense you kinda have to forget what you've read; you have to demo units for yourself. Interaction of voice, mic, and preamp, and yes, even room, will yield you the right combination ... that's been my experience, albeit limited. (Of course, it may not be practical for you to demo lots of units ... don't know the availability of places that rent studio units in your area ... and it just may not be that much of a priority for you.) Also, if you want some kind of color to your sound -- like the Meek -- the mackie isn't going to provide that for you.
 
therage! said:
Where did you read that at?
Click to expand...


Tons of places, pro audio mesagge boards, books, etc. Usually written by so called "professionals"
VLZ pre's are no comparison to my Meek pre, especially for vocals. But if it sounds good...go with it.
Click to expand...

i'm talking about the VLZ Pro with XDR preamps. There's actually a pretty big difference between the "VLZ pre's" and the VLZ Pro's.
 
i'm pretty sure he WAS talking about the VLZPro pre-amps.

i purchased an RNP for christmas and the mic-pre is much better than the 1604vlzpro mic pre. but the DI is only slightly better. as a matter of fact, i had an m-audio duo (usb d/a/d) and the DI on that good too.

i used my 1604 mic-pre's for years before i outgrew them.

in regards to my Sansamp, i've never had a problem with RF. i use it on a conklin groove tools 5-string which has active electronics when i'm going for a deep r&b or reggae sound.

i also use the Sansamp classic on guitar, but when i need a real bluesy bell sound with som-o-dat classic spro-i-n-g reverb i gotta go with the fender hotrod amp and an sm57.

when i'm going for more of a jazzy bass sound, i go straight into the RNP.
 
geekgurl said:
Why? Well, it's scooped and hyped in all the wrong ways for that application. The 3000B ain't exactly neutral, either. Besides, I can use a D112 instead -- a dynamic kick drum mic known to translate well on bass cabs.
Click to expand...

Don't you think the D112 is a little "hyped" and "scooped" in the wrong places? Ok, it's got the low, lots of it too. If that's all you're using you're probably using a lot of EQ, unless you want Reggae Dub Bass.
 
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