Where do I put my money? An amp, or a preamp pedal? Looking at Darkglass gear...

T

TheDabbler

Jun 2, 2019
3
0
4,531
#1
Hi forum,

I’m brand new here and pretty new to bass. I’m a guitarist and a drummer looking to add bass to my skill set for the purpose of songwriting and recording.

Having said that, I’m really clicking with bass! Having the background as a drummer, turning guitarist, I find I’m probably a better bass player than guitarist already. So I may invest more in playing bass than just for basic recording.

I can’t find an answer to my question, or maybe it’s that the question is driven by the current wave of gear. Please help orientate me!

In short: do I buy a Darkglass Alpha-Omega 900 or the Ultra preamp pedal?

Pros of the amp for me are:
Preamp, comp power amp and effects loop all in one box. The biggest kicker is the aux in and headphone out. I learn off TrueFire, so this is invaluable!

Cons:
Possibly a lot of money and a lot of power i’ll Never fully use?

Pros of the AO Ultra:
Compact, does 80% of what the amp does. I can afford the pedal, a hyper luminal and something like a Scarlett 2i2 to start recording and have change from the cost of an amp.

Cons:
Not as plug and play. The computer setup sometimes puts me off practice if i’m Short on time.

NOTE: I do have a Yamaha THR10C which is great for super quick practice sessions, has nice clean sound and aux in capability.

What’s more sensible here, considering i’m Doing this mostly for my own home-based creative endeavours? I chose the AO as I like Jon Stockman a lot, I like the AO distortion sound a lot and bass makes me want to play heavy music again. I don’t play heavy stuff on guitar. More bluesy, rock type stuff. So the bass recording I would do for that is mostly clean. I’m using the AO as an example for any of the Darkglass gear, i’ll Play the different sounds and go with what I like, it’s the feature set i’m Looking for advice on here.

Thanks in advance friends! And sorry for being that dumb noob!
 
#2
If you want to record you need an interface, so that would be the priority.

You can't record an amp, no matter how useful it is otherwise, if you don't have an interface. So the choice seems pretty clear to me.
 
#3
guts said:
If you want to record you need an interface, so that would be the priority.

You can't record an amp, no matter how useful it is otherwise, if you don't have an interface. So the choice seems pretty clear to me.
Click to expand...

For sure! The Yamaha amp I have allows you to record over USB, you can use the bass amp in it, or just send it flat into software for amp models. So the basics are covered there. And if I bought an interface at this stage it would probably be a Scarlett 2 channel interface because they’re cheap and I have a LOT to learn about recording.

The upshot of the Darkglass amps is plug and play practice with music and apps on my computer or handheld devices through the Aux in and headphone out. But I’m aware you can achieve the same result using a simple interface.

An interface won’t restrict what I do with my bass “rig”, a basic one is cheap. So I’m trying to work out if an amp is a waste of power, money and space?

For guitars an amp is a must. (Did the modeller thing, hated it) but bass is a very different beast, so i’m Turning to you fine folk.
 
#4
Looks like you're really set on the Dark Glass. Thus, go for it. But to record, edit, mix and master can all be done with just a interface, DAW and instrument. Which is IME the simplest and most easiest way for a beginner to lay down great tracks and get the best out of them.

The challenge of home recording for me was learning to use the DAW, and conditioning my ears to the monitors/headphones. As well as mixing the sound with various instruments. This takes a lot of trial and error to get the optimal sound without mud, and low volumes. Digital is much different than tape, and there is much more you can do with digital. Hence, the complexity.

Nevertheless, there is no one right way to do it. There is no one specific gear that will do it all. There are many factors in recording and everyone will have a preference for what works best for them. Thus, start simple and progress.

Good luck on your new venture.
 
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