REDLAWMAN Posted November 27, 2011 Share Posted November 27, 2011 (edited) [size=4]I've searched all I can find, both on here and Talkbass and I can't find anything specific to this. I've just bought a Sansamp Bass Driver Deluxe. Passive P, flats, Littlemark III and Berg NV 412. The thing is 'hissing' like a rattlesnake, even on some of the 'pre-sets' in the manual, particularly on things like the 'SVT' emulation. I think I'm perhaps missing something here, because I appreciate that practically the entire bass-playing world loves it, but right now, my old Zoom B2 does the job far better without even a trace of hiss!! Many thanks.[/size] Edited November 27, 2011 by REDLAWMAN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddiehoffmann Posted November 27, 2011 Share Posted November 27, 2011 How are you plugging it into the Mark Bass? If you're plugging into the normal instrument jack, try to use the active input, or lower the Sansamp output, or both. But, if I were you, I would plug it into the effects return and bypass the amp's preamp. In my experience Sansamps work better like that. Also, how is your power? If you're not using batteries, make sure your power supply is of good quality and adequate for the job. There's also the odd chance your Sansamp is faulty. If you tried everything and it's still hissing that's probably the case... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
REDLAWMAN Posted November 27, 2011 Author Share Posted November 27, 2011 I'm plugged in in the Return Effects and on battery power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ojplaysbass Posted November 27, 2011 Share Posted November 27, 2011 mine did the same - it wasn't really audible live but for recording it was pretty much useless - i couldn't remedy it so sold it on in the end (the new owner only ever uses it for live work) my set up was p bass, ashdown mag 300 (are you noticing the hissing in your live sound? your eqpt is probably a bit more sensitive than mine was) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartelby Posted November 27, 2011 Share Posted November 27, 2011 Yep, my Programmable BDDI hissed too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
REDLAWMAN Posted November 27, 2011 Author Share Posted November 27, 2011 I've only used it practising alone so far, but it kind of ruins the whole experience, especially seeing as the Zoom emulates so well and is as quiet as a dead mouse! Can this surely be right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basstech Posted November 27, 2011 Share Posted November 27, 2011 It may help to get a good quality noise gate - mxr etc. or it may just be a case of keep changing your connector leads and the order in which any pedals are arranged - sounds crazy but can make all the difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
REDLAWMAN Posted November 28, 2011 Author Share Posted November 28, 2011 I'm not really that well up on leads. I'm using it as my only pedal and I've got one Elixir lead from my bass into the BDDI and the other I'm running out from the BDDI to the back of my amp is the one that came with my Fender. Might it be worth getting a replacement lead for the cheaper Fender one, or are they all pretty much of a muchness? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tech21NYC Posted November 29, 2011 Share Posted November 29, 2011 [quote name='REDLAWMAN' timestamp='1322394320' post='1450181'] I've searched all I can find, both on here and Talkbass and I can't find anything specific to this. I've just bought a Sansamp Bass Driver Deluxe. Passive P, flats, Littlemark III and Berg NV 412. The thing is 'hissing' like a rattlesnake, even on some of the 'pre-sets' in the manual, particularly on things like the 'SVT' emulation. I think I'm perhaps missing something here, because I appreciate that practically the entire bass-playing world loves it, but right now, my old Zoom B2 does the job far better without even a trace of hiss!! Many thanks. [/quote] The Bass Driver Deluxe as well as all our pedals have very low self noise. Is the hiss still there when you turn your bass guitar volume down? Are you plugging directly into the Bass Driver and then to the efx return or are you patching the pedal in the loop with the efx send feeding the input of the pedal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyclaret Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 Make sure the presence is relatively low. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markstuk Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 Impressive vendor response.. BTW my Samsamp Programmable is as quiet as a mouse.. [quote name='Tech21NYC' timestamp='1322587936' post='1453219'] The Bass Driver Deluxe as well as all our pedals have very low self noise. Is the hiss still there when you turn your bass guitar volume down? Are you plugging directly into the Bass Driver and then to the efx return or are you patching the pedal in the loop with the efx send feeding the input of the pedal? [/quote] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman20 Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 Impressive! Great to see Tech 21 are helping out. My BDDI is totally silent, used it for DI'ing, effects, and straight into the board recording and it was all REALLY good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
REDLAWMAN Posted November 30, 2011 Author Share Posted November 30, 2011 (edited) Tech 21- I'm going straight into the unit and then from the driver into the effects return on my amp. It's not the driver itself that's kicking out the hiss; it's the sound of the driver coming through my cab. It's not omni-present: it's more apparent on settings like 'Bassman' and 'Distorted' and as I'm altering the positions of some of the knobs (like Drive, Presence and Level). I appreciate that Level can have a propensity for doing this, but on some settings (notably those I've just described), I've got the background hissing even when I'm at unity gain. For the avoidance of any doubt here, I am talking about at-home practise levels and notwithstanding this, I actually really do like the different sounds I'm able to get a great deal! Edited November 30, 2011 by REDLAWMAN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmorris Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 I have the 'standard' BDDI and ime it's the 'Presence' control which can really dictate the hiss level If Drive and Level are adjusted to keep output level constant (ish) ie higher Drive = lower Level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tech21NYC Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 [quote name='REDLAWMAN' timestamp='1322681483' post='1454517'] Tech 21- I'm going straight into the unit and then from the driver into the effects return on my amp. It's not the driver itself that's kicking out the hiss; it's the sound of the driver coming through my cab. It's not omni-present: it's more apparent on settings like 'Bassman' and 'Distorted' and as I'm altering the positions of some of the knobs (like Drive, Presence and Level). I appreciate that Level can have a propensity for doing this, but on some settings (notably those I've just described), I've got the background hissing even when I'm at unity gain. For the avoidance of any doubt here, I am talking about at-home practise levels and notwithstanding this, I actually really do like the different sounds I'm able to get a great deal! [/quote] Does the hiss stop when you turn down the volume on your bass? Are you using the boost switch for the 1/4" output? Have you tried playing with that setting? It could be that your bass has a hotter output (this is quite common) than the bass we used for the settings and your settings are higher gain. The more gain you have the more noise. This will also be exacerbated when using non-hum-cancelling pickups. The only other thing that may be happening is that the efx loop on the Markbass amp is not working well with the SansAmp. I've tried to look at their manual but it doesn't seem to show a block diagram. It seems like there shouldn't be an issue. I read somewhere that the loop is parallel but there is a mod to make it series which would be better in this application. It's hard to know what exactly is going on without seeing a block diagram. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
REDLAWMAN Posted December 3, 2011 Author Share Posted December 3, 2011 I've tried both the boost on and off but generally off. It's a passive Precision with stock pups, so not that hot, no. Makes no difference adjusting volume on bass. I haven't heard of anyone else with a Littlemark having this problem. Might it simply be a faulty chip or something similar in my unit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
REDLAWMAN Posted December 3, 2011 Author Share Posted December 3, 2011 My saved settings are:- 1. Fat tube 2. Bassman 3. SVT 4. Reggae 5. Flip-top 6. Distorted. It manifests most on 'Bassman' and 'Distorted', so it would seem, at least, to be those settings where the Treble Control is, relatively, higher. Is this simply the normal, expected response and am I asking for too much to expect total silent operation like with the Zoom B2? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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