SansAmp Bass Driver DI

Chicken Steve

Chicken Steve

Guest
Apr 1, 2014
34
22
4,551
#1
Apologies if this has been posted already , it's such a huge and diverse forum , i'm often lost visiting......

So my drummer sez this might be cool to play with>>>



For me, who has always played clean, it'd be a bold step

What do you think?

~CS~
 
  • Like
Reactions: SLO Surfer
#4
every bass player should have one, or the Para Driver DI (which is what I have)
in my last band I turned up to the recording studio, the engineer saw it and said "that's my job done then", and any gig where I can't use my own amp I pull this out of the bag and ask the sound engineer to DI it and boom, I have the perfect tone and the sound people love it too. no mics, and they know that the signal they're getting is what they should be getting
 
  • Like
Reactions: murphy, Spidey2112, eagle67 and 6 others
#5
Just be aware that the original first version of the Tech 21 Bass Driver D.I. that is displayed in that video you link to do not have a mid control, and further more it has a baked in rather notable mid scoop, which means if you like your bass tone with scooped out mids, then it might be for you, if you enjoy a bass tone, like me, with fairly present punchy mids, then it is definitely not the pedal for you and you should look for other bass preamp pedal options, like for instance the second version of that pedal Tech 21 Bass Driver D.I. V2.

Also you should consider weather you really have any use for a preamp pedal in the first place.

If you do already enjoy the tone you get from your bass and amp and have no needs to spice it up, or you don't need having the possibility for an additional extra tone option at your disposal, eventual with a bit of grid in it to your liking, then there is absolutely no reason to invest in a preamp pedal.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Gearhead17, Mike Marshall, shawshank72 and 3 others
#6
I would only say that ,even after decades at this, i'm still looking for that tone. Personally i don't like tinny or plucky , i like a beefy low end that comes outta the furniture. Does a pedal get me there? I seriously don't know.....~CS~
 
  • Like
Reactions: murphy
#8
NoiseNinja said:
Just be aware that the original first version of the Tech 21 Paradriver D.I. that is displayed in that video you link to do not have a mid control, and further more it has a baked in rather notable mid scoop, which means if you like your bass tone with scooped out mids, then it might be for you, if you enjoy a bass tone, like me, with fairly present punchy mids, then it is definitely not the pedal for you and you should look for other bass preamp pedal options, like for instance the second version of that pedal Tech 21 Paradriver D.I. V2.

Also you should consider weather you really have any use for a preamp pedal in the first place.

If you do already enjoy the tone you get from your bass and amp and have no needs to spice it up, or you don't need having the possibility for an additional extra tone option at your disposal, eventual with a bit of grid in it to your liking, then there is absolutely no reason to invest in a preamp pedal.
Click to expand...

Just so there's no confusion, the pedal in the video is not the Paradriver, it's the Bass Driver. While Version 2 of the Bass Driver does add mid control, the Paradriver has always had it.
 
#9
Fiset said:
Just so there's no confusion, the pedal in the video is not the Paradriver, it's the Bass Driver. While Version 2 of the Bass Driver does add mid control, the Paradriver has always had it.
Click to expand...

Right, sorry, I did of course mean Bass Driver, somehow I got the names mixed up.

I'll go ahead and correct that in my original post, just so there are no confusion or misunderstandings about it.

Thanks for pointing out.
 
#12
For those who own a conventional BDDI (no mid control): take a piece of masking tape, write "Mids" on it, and place over top "Level". You now have a 3 band pedal which can be balanced for tone and output. The controls are not intuitive...IOW, 12:00 is not flat. Use your ears and kick the pedal in & out to compare the affected and dry characters.

Riis
 
  • Like
Reactions: dsteinschneider, TAZ, SLO Surfer and 7 others
#15
To this day, I don't understand the fuss/hype regarding the Bass Driver, or VT pedals. I tried the first three times, not only because I got a discount working at a music shop, but just because I wanted to like it. Every time, at least with the original version, the tone sucked, at least for me. Like others have said, it was way too scooped, with just being clacky and boomy. The last time I used it, it actually started smoking...no thanks. I later, actually many years later, tried the DI V2. It sounded great at home, like the Bass Driver, and even the V2 royally sucked live...still too scooped, even with mid, frequency, drive, etc. These pedals just are voiced in a way that sounds like a blanket is over my sound. I went back to my GK head's sound, and all was good again.

There are many, many pedals, in my opinion, that bury Sans Amp stuff...Aguilar Tone Hammer (could get tones akin to my amp head) Darkglass Vintage Ultra Bass (currently using, and is sweeeet), and an absolute little gem of a pedal that I'll never get rid of, the Zoom MS60B. Yes, for $99 (cheaper than the BD), the Zoom basically has everything (except a di), and the amp and eq choices are mind-boggling and fantastic. There's also a firmware update that includes a bazillion more choices now, too. It's extremely flexible. You'd think I was paid by Zoom, but no, it's just that good of a pedal.

How's this for an ultra-compact rig that kicked royal butt at even big shows?

11406744_10206663299560594_4925833729289219626_o.jpg


You just need a good little di to go with the Zoom.

Zoom MS-60B Multistomp Bass Effects Pedal
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: lesliegl, Novarocker, BrentSimons and 3 others
#19
NoiseNinja said:
Just be aware that the original first version of the Tech 21 Bass Driver D.I. that is displayed in that video you link to do not have a mid control, and further more it has a baked in rather notable mid scoop, which means if you like your bass tone with scooped out mids, then it might be for you, if you enjoy a bass tone, like me, with fairly present punchy mids, then it is definitely not the pedal for you and you should look for other bass preamp pedal options, like for instance the second version of that pedal Tech 21 Bass Driver D.I. V2.

Also you should consider weather you really have any use for a preamp pedal in the first place.

If you do already enjoy the tone you get from your bass and amp and have no needs to spice it up, or you don't need having the possibility for an additional extra tone option at your disposal, eventual with a bit of grid in it to your liking, then there is absolutely no reason to invest in a preamp pedal.
Click to expand...

That's true to a point. It all depends on how you use it. If you crank the blend and boost the bass, treble and presence content then yeah...mid scoop. By cutting the Bass & Treble you're essentially bringing in more mid range. I've found that by running the Blend at noon, Bass & Treble at 10 o'clock and using the drive and presence to the point of achieving break up when I dig in, the mid range is present and I can hear myself fine in a mix/live setting.

The BDDI is one of those misunderstood pedals. If you really take the time to learn how to use it then you can achieve many great tones.
 
  • Like
Reactions: acleex38, SLO Surfer, torza and 11 others
#20
el murdoque said:
I have the programmable version and this feels so much more like a tool than a toy.
The moment I put it on my board was the moment I started getting praise for my tone on FOH from fellow musicians.
Every knob just seems to have the gigging bass player in mind. No BS, no nonsense, Just the plain stuff.
I love that pedal.
Click to expand...
It's always on for me. I have 6 very distinct settings I've set up on it. 4 get used all the time, all 6 are used at some point. The mids are not missing at all with my sound. I use the rack head too, and typically only run a 50/50 blend though. If I go a full wet sansamp signal, it can get pretty scooped.

It's not the greatest tool ever, but it's tried and true gear.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back