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New Tech 21 XB Driver
- Thread starter BrentSimons
- Start date
That's something I struggle with using the VT Bass and DP-3X; the treble control range seems more focused on 3kHz clank, whereas I tend to prefer a bit higher treble zing... but not super-high fizz. Wonder if this might be one of the reasons why some find the BDDI easier to dial in than the XB Driver?
Thank you! I agree. I’ve had it since September, and I feel like I’m just getting it to where I want it. The real test is through a PA. I’m hoping to test that this week.
Just got my hands on the XB Driver and wanted to provide my assessment FWIW.
First some background:
I play Spector Euro's exclusively. I own several heads and cabs but my main rig is primarily the Mesa Subway 212 cab with either the Subway D800+ or the Quilter 803. In the past I ran ampless (and occasionally still do) using the SGT-Di. Signal chain on my board is:
Shure GLXD16+ Receiver > Cali 76 Bass Comp > Greer Lightspeed (Mild warmth and breakup) > Darkglass B3K (Mid Gain OD) > Henretta Black Hole Chorus
The reason for the XB:
My thought process was that I could replace the Cali 76, Greer and DG pedals. The XB would give me 2 channels as well as the mix and I could run an always on tuner from the tuner out and the Black Hole in the Effects Loop.
Thoughts on the XB:
I'll start by saying that I am sending it back and will not be keeping it. IME it was very easy to dial up a clean tone on the clean channel that was on par with my Subway D800+ or the Quilter (or even my V4B). That was where I started. Next I tried to set up the Dirty channel for some warm, mid-gain OD. I found the Drive on the XB to be very fizzy and that it was either nearly not present or it was overwhelming. As a result I started playing with the Mix channel. What I found was that without the LPF and HPF I could get some good tones but it required me to set the Dirty Channel to a point where it was pretty much unusable by itself. This meant that I could use the Clean and the Mix channels but the Dirty was useless on it's own. I played with the HPF and LPF and honestly did not find much usable about either. If I went back to utilizing the Clean and set the Dirty up so it was usable then the "Mix" was relatively useless and also MUCH higher in volume than either the Clean or Dirty which I had balanced.
Pros:
I could see this being a great studio tool for recording.
The Comp was much better than I imagined it would be and could definitely be used as opposed to a stand alone comp.
The EQ layout allows for dialing in a multitude of possibilities.
Summary (YMMV):
I was hopeful that the XB Driver could be used to effectively swap between 3 options "Clean", "Dirty" and "Mix" and provide me with 3 footswitchable options in a live performance. Sadly the best I could do was 2 and if I'm being honest I wasn't overly impressed. Honestly I think it's a great pedal for studio applications but it just didn't fit into my use-case.
First some background:
I play Spector Euro's exclusively. I own several heads and cabs but my main rig is primarily the Mesa Subway 212 cab with either the Subway D800+ or the Quilter 803. In the past I ran ampless (and occasionally still do) using the SGT-Di. Signal chain on my board is:
Shure GLXD16+ Receiver > Cali 76 Bass Comp > Greer Lightspeed (Mild warmth and breakup) > Darkglass B3K (Mid Gain OD) > Henretta Black Hole Chorus
The reason for the XB:
My thought process was that I could replace the Cali 76, Greer and DG pedals. The XB would give me 2 channels as well as the mix and I could run an always on tuner from the tuner out and the Black Hole in the Effects Loop.
Thoughts on the XB:
I'll start by saying that I am sending it back and will not be keeping it. IME it was very easy to dial up a clean tone on the clean channel that was on par with my Subway D800+ or the Quilter (or even my V4B). That was where I started. Next I tried to set up the Dirty channel for some warm, mid-gain OD. I found the Drive on the XB to be very fizzy and that it was either nearly not present or it was overwhelming. As a result I started playing with the Mix channel. What I found was that without the LPF and HPF I could get some good tones but it required me to set the Dirty Channel to a point where it was pretty much unusable by itself. This meant that I could use the Clean and the Mix channels but the Dirty was useless on it's own. I played with the HPF and LPF and honestly did not find much usable about either. If I went back to utilizing the Clean and set the Dirty up so it was usable then the "Mix" was relatively useless and also MUCH higher in volume than either the Clean or Dirty which I had balanced.
Pros:
I could see this being a great studio tool for recording.
The Comp was much better than I imagined it would be and could definitely be used as opposed to a stand alone comp.
The EQ layout allows for dialing in a multitude of possibilities.
Summary (YMMV):
I was hopeful that the XB Driver could be used to effectively swap between 3 options "Clean", "Dirty" and "Mix" and provide me with 3 footswitchable options in a live performance. Sadly the best I could do was 2 and if I'm being honest I wasn't overly impressed. Honestly I think it's a great pedal for studio applications but it just didn't fit into my use-case.
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While others’ experience and intentions re. The XB may differ, I’ll agree that the unit is best viewed as an always-on amp substitute rather than an effect that gets switched back and forth between sounds. In my case, I’m using it for signal capture into a DAW and it’s allowed me to nix a load of plugins, which was my hope and goal. Hooray. I’ve had it for a good while now and will eventually do a detailed write up on my impressions. I’ll say this, tho: not a huge fan of the nature of the OD, which I agree is pretty fizzy — this can be mitigated by keeping the mid frequency on the drive channel at around 600hz or lower and judicious use of the drive channel treble, especially if you have ‘bite’ engaged. But I’m getting into details, and these will be more fully described in time.
All told, it’s a powerful unit that comes with a not unsubstantial learning curve.
EDIT: many of Tech 21s excellent products come with advisement that small movements of the knobs can make a big difference in sound, and that is very much in evidence with the XB. Very sensitive and interactive controls.
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Definitely see some cool possibilities with the pre/post midrange control. Setting it to pre allows one to focus the distortion in a specific midrange area, somewhat like a wah pedal, Cliff Burton style. Putting the grind at a sweet spot with pre-midrange, then adjusting the other controls to compensate should allow for some gnarly tones that slot well into a mix.
As for people who might be disappointed that the XB Driver is not ideal for switching between three tones on the fly, I'm not surprised. The controls are are highly interactive, and without storable presets, I'm not sure how it could work, especially if using the LPF/HPF. Should be able to get two usable tones on the fly, however.
Yes. For the first time. And it costs 745 USD...
THAT is insane.Yes. For the first time. And it costs 745 USD...
Arrived today, will check over the weekend.
Hm, maybe my expectations were too high.
After about two hours with it, I can say it is a pedal that can produce good sounds.
Just again, at least for me, not usable at the same time.
I need a fairly aggressive metal tone. The pedal can do that in mix mode. It is a bit different from my favorite dug sound, but very good. I prefer the dug though.
I didn’t expect three good sounds usable without knob turning.
Just an aggressive mix sound with distortion and one clean aggressive.
I have yet to find that setting. Given my mix sound is a bit more extreme, right now I don’t think it’s possible.
I find it easier in CharlyGrove‘s examples when the sounds are not too different.
Imo the mix mode produces the best results for every scenario.
I will keep trying since I have plenty of time before returning, but so far I am underwhelmed.
On the plus side it is good build quality, very low noise in drive mode and it looks great.
Yet if nothing changes, I cannot justify 699€ for one sound at a time.
Presets like on the vt bass deluxe seem to be the only way against all the modelers on the market for less money.
After about two hours with it, I can say it is a pedal that can produce good sounds.
Just again, at least for me, not usable at the same time.
I need a fairly aggressive metal tone. The pedal can do that in mix mode. It is a bit different from my favorite dug sound, but very good. I prefer the dug though.
I didn’t expect three good sounds usable without knob turning.
Just an aggressive mix sound with distortion and one clean aggressive.
I have yet to find that setting. Given my mix sound is a bit more extreme, right now I don’t think it’s possible.
I find it easier in CharlyGrove‘s examples when the sounds are not too different.
Imo the mix mode produces the best results for every scenario.
I will keep trying since I have plenty of time before returning, but so far I am underwhelmed.
On the plus side it is good build quality, very low noise in drive mode and it looks great.
Yet if nothing changes, I cannot justify 699€ for one sound at a time.
Presets like on the vt bass deluxe seem to be the only way against all the modelers on the market for less money.
Gather that dialing in two different usable sounds on the XB is difficult if one of them uses Mix/Crossover mode. The XB Driver's strength seems to be in having a lot of adjustment range to really dial in distortion sounds, but not so much in terms of having the flexibility to dial in two or three tones that can be switched on the fly. Two good sounds may be achievable with a bit of compromise. However, perhaps it might be worthwhile to play to its strengths, and focus on creating the best single distortion tone possible. Gather that, similar to the DP-3X, many people are disappointed to find that the XB really works best either on or off, not as a channel switching drive pedal, which seems a tad less than expected given the cost. Broken record here, but it really seems like a pedal like this needs presets to offer that sort of flexibility.
I am thinking of just getting a used 2nd dp-3x… around 200€ here.
This may seem elementary, yet bears reiterating: a good mix or mix+crossover sound will often not be a combination of a clean signal and a drive signal that each sound great on their own.
Approaching/applying the XB as a pedal version of the dUg Ultra Bass head rather than a programmable switcheroo effect can help set more easily achieved expectations.
Exactly, it would be sheer luck if one of the separate channels is the right sound or even the right level.
I really liked the mix/HPF-LPF sounds CharlieGrove posted!
Although I am not going to buy this device I am still looking forward for more demo's, just because it is inspiring : )
Thanks very much for your review, especially because you are a fellow dUg user. My expectations are lower than yours: I am usually set it and forget it, and therefore perfectly happy to pay 500 USD to use mix mode alone.
My hope has been that the XB is essentially a dUg plus, with more versatility in the mids. It is on paper: variable filters and a couple/few other additions. Side note: that justifies the price IMO, because the dUg is $325, not terribly far below the XB.
It's disappointing that you still prefer the dUg, however as you say you might need more familiarity. The variable filters might be a factor: they will provide an enormous range of tones, but as with any device with high versatility, only a small subset of those tones will be pleasing/usable. I frequently have to remind myself of this.
Anyway, I look forward to more comments from you and others.