Bass di+preamp or no?

S

Sunny Mahat

Mar 30, 2021
17
26
1,531
#1
Hi all,

Overthinking has put me in a situation I need help with.

I currently have an Xotic Bass Booster and Way Huge Pork and Pickles Fuzz/OD as my go to pedals. The Xotic is an always on pedal. I want to go direct to the FOH mixer to avoid using the bass amps that venues provide and to reduce the stage noise since we play in small venues.

Now my dilemma is, do I need to buy another bass preamp+DI or an active DI? Or can I just get a decent priced passive DI that runs in the end of my channel?

I play in a blues-rock trio for context. Also, I don't have try and buy options where I live and our money is really weak against the dollar.

Thanks for your help and suggestions so far.
 
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#11
I’ve performed with my Jazz bass straight into a passive DI to the board, and it sounded excellent.

Just be aware that some sound techs might tell you that your signal isn’t very strong. Remind them that your passive DI is outputting at mic level, not line level.
 
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#12
You don't need a preamp in that situation - but the reason you might want one is to have a little more EQ control than you'd get from a plain DI. Or, in some cases, the preamp adds a tonal character that you might like, which can be especially useful in no-amp situations. But you seem to have tone shaping covered with your pedals.

Personally I just use the DI out on my heads usually. I have a GK Legacy 800 and a GK MB Fusion, neither of which is much larger than a preamp+DI pedal anyhow. I have a Radial Bassbone as well, which is a great unit if I just have to have something on the floor.
 
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#14
Sunny Mahat said:
Hi all,

Overthinking has put me in a situation I need help with.

I currently have an Xotic Bass Booster and Way Huge Pork and Pickles Fuzz/OD as my go to pedals. The Xotic is an always on pedal. I want to go direct to the FOH mixer to avoid using the bass amps that venues provide and to reduce the stage noise since we play in small venues.

Now my dilemma is, do I need to buy another bass preamp+DI or an active DI? Or can I just get a decent priced passive DI that runs in the end of my channel?

I play in a blues-rock trio for context. Also, I don't have try and buy options where I live and our money is really weak against the dollar.

Thanks for your help and suggestions so far.
Click to expand...

I can't really say whether you need it or not. What I can say is that if you do plan to go DI instead of miking your cab, you will need some form of cabinet emulation/simulation, whether it's separate from, or built into, the DI. The booster and the fuzz have the potential to put out a lot of high frequencies, and while those high frequencies will largely be filtered when they come out of your amp, a PA can amplify those high frequencies to ear-bleeding effect.
 
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#15
jdjk7 said:
What I can say is that if you do plan to go DI instead of miking your cab, you will need some form of cabinet emulation/simulation, whether it's separate from, or built into, the DI. The booster and the fuzz have the potential to put out a lot of high frequencies, and while those high frequencies will largely be filtered when they come out of your amp, a PA can amplify those high frequencies to ear-bleeding effect.
Click to expand...

The fuzz pedal which OP owns (Way Huge Pork and Pickle) features Tone control...
 
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#16
Sunny Mahat said:
Hi all,

Overthinking has put me in a situation I need help with.

I currently have an Xotic Bass Booster and Way Huge Pork and Pickles Fuzz/OD as my go to pedals. The Xotic is an always on pedal. I want to go direct to the FOH mixer to avoid using the bass amps that venues provide and to reduce the stage noise since we play in small venues.

Now my dilemma is, do I need to buy another bass preamp+DI or an active DI? Or can I just get a decent priced passive DI that runs in the end of my channel?

I play in a blues-rock trio for context. Also, I don't have try and buy options where I live and our money is really weak against the dollar.

Thanks for your help and suggestions so far.
Click to expand...

I am setup with a rowin Di box, cheap simple and works fantastic . It has cab simulator , ground lift and -20,0,+20 db controls . So cheap and the +20db boost works fantastic if you need it. Very low noise I might add. I got my pedal from aliexpress for like 30$.

Rowin Di Box
 
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#17
Zbysek said:
The fuzz pedal which OP owns (Way Huge Pork and Pickle) features Tone control...
Click to expand...
Which might be fine, if he's only running through PA... if he's running through his amp as well, then the fuzz tone coming through his amp might sound overly dark. This would make it more difficult to set the tone control to where it actually needs to be.

And either way, the entire setup is relying on the EQ capabilities of the fuzz tone control and the treble/bass knobs on the Xotic. That could totally sound fine through his amp, but then sound bad through PA.
 
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#19
If it were me, and I was using a bunch of overdrive/gain, I'd probably want some sort of DI box with cab sim capability, but then that's just me and my own experiences.

@Sunny Mahat have you heard what it sounds like when you run your rig straight to a PA/board? If you have, and are happy with that sound, then yeah a passive DI like the Radial is the perfect option for you. Folks are right, in that your sound going through an amp/cab will likely sound VERY different running straight to a PA/mixing board. Mine sure does. Keep in mind though, at the end of the day, it's all personal preference! This is the kind of forum that will convince you to buy the newest, most expensive version of everything, but, well, that's the internet for you.
 
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