dannybuoy Posted September 29, 2017 Share Posted September 29, 2017 Anyone ever try this or use it as their core sound? I’m a big fan of the VT Bass sound but always felt it overcompressed the low end and took away the thump of the note at medium drive levels. At least it does with my BB1025X, which has hot bassy pickups in it which only exacerbate this. The blend feature found on the DI and head versions remedies this somewhat, but it didn’t sound very fat just blending in a dry bass tone. So, inspired by the Tech21 Geddy preamp and Dug amp which blend two parallel chains, I tried a little experiment this evening. I split my signal to run through my Effectrode PC-2A compressor (which has a real fat thumpy low end for my ‘deep’ channel) and VT500 preamp section in parallel, then into the input and fx return of my Mosquite Blender to adjust the balance (which handily has a phase invert switch to counteract the polarity flip of the PC-2A), and finally into a PJB Bighead. Bloomin’ eck! One of the best bass sounds I have ever got into my headphones. So if anyone has a v1 VT Bass, BDDI, Oxford or Joyo Orange Juice for sale let me know, I’d like to play around with some more combinations! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sifi2112 Posted September 30, 2017 Share Posted September 30, 2017 Funnily enough I've been experimenting with a similar idea also based on the GED2112 .. I've had this idea since I first saw this preamp but haven't really tried my idea till this week .... I'm using my B7K for wet/dirty channel (blend on max) going to 'power amp in' of my bass amp & parallel out into another pa power amp but I need to boost this signal on the clean side so thought I'd use my Rothwell Love Squeeze compressor, not quite enough juice so added another pedal that has some boost which happens to be a Moog MF Delay (I also like Delay but not sure I'll get to use it within our band), anyway I was really pleased with the result ! Dirty / gritty sound into a Bagend 112 & clean (ish) compressed sound into Bagend 212 I didn't think the pedals would be able to drive the pa power amp sufficiently & also read the B7K suffers the same problem but not with blend on full .. I am running it in Darkglass M900 btw so maybe that helps. Only issue I see at the moment is for DI'ing as I only have one dirty signal but that's easily remedied with getting another DI box for the clean compressed channel. To be continued .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannybuoy Posted September 30, 2017 Author Share Posted September 30, 2017 Not looking at bi-amping, but my needs mean I could use a cheaper v1 VT Bass and then run the blended channels to a Radial JDI or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuzzie Posted September 30, 2017 Share Posted September 30, 2017 Do you reckon you could get close with your Two Notes? I am watching eagerly for myself as i May experiment... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sifi2112 Posted September 30, 2017 Share Posted September 30, 2017 I'm also not looking to bi-amp but am thinking this way I can run a few effects thru my clean channel whilst keeping the dirt channel 'effect free' .. this setup does require two amps (or one stereo power amp) & two cabs .. so far I'm looking liking it , so much so my M900 might appear in FS soon lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannybuoy Posted September 30, 2017 Author Share Posted September 30, 2017 [quote name='Cuzzie' timestamp='1506761373' post='3380907'] Do you reckon you could get close with your Two Notes? I am watching eagerly for myself as i May experiment... [/quote] The Two Notes does do a similar sound out of the box, but I don't like its speaker sim or the fact it only applies to the XLR output. The VT has a much nicer top end roll off. I'll have to compare both setups later! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannybuoy Posted September 30, 2017 Author Share Posted September 30, 2017 [quote name='sifi2112' timestamp='1506764454' post='3380937'] so far I'm looking liking it , so much so my M900 might appear in FS soon lol [/quote] Haha, snap! My trusty Orange Terror Bass actually performs very well as a power amp and if my tone shaping is all on the board including a B3K I may not need the M900 either... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuzzie Posted September 30, 2017 Share Posted September 30, 2017 Ok. I may be wrong in my thinking but run the B channel alone on the Two Notes and send your clean signal through another path to blend them at the final destination? So it’s still a split signal but not relying on the Two Notes doing it for you I may have my channels crossed tho.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyxtiger Posted September 30, 2017 Share Posted September 30, 2017 I used to run 2 VTbass racks in parallel with a CA6 for a similar thing to stop the bottom end going mushy. Also a VT bass rack and an RPM which worked better. To be fair a Geddy pre does this in a simpler easier platform. The saturation control on the "bass" channel is really good for fattening it up. Anyone curious to try a ged can get a basschat discount. Just let me know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0175westwood29 Posted September 30, 2017 Share Posted September 30, 2017 im starting to feel like im one of the only guys who has his compressor last? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuzzie Posted September 30, 2017 Share Posted September 30, 2017 Don’t I do unless I need a DI and I have a Two Notes last Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dood Posted September 30, 2017 Share Posted September 30, 2017 I used to blend an MXR M80 with a BDDI using a Nova Dynamics as a compressor for each path then mixed the signals back together at the front end of a TC GForce. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dood Posted September 30, 2017 Share Posted September 30, 2017 [quote name='0175westwood29' timestamp='1506800815' post='3381260'] im starting to feel like im one of the only guys who has his compressor last? [/quote] My new board will have on either end of the path doing different jobs mind, but should be a cool experiment! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osiris Posted September 30, 2017 Share Posted September 30, 2017 [quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1506727598' post='3380794'] Anyone ever try this or use it as their core sound? I'm a big fan of the VT Bass sound but always felt it overcompressed the low end and took away the thump of the note at medium drive levels. [/quote] Likewise, I love the VT bass sound(s) but I found them to be way too compressed out of the box (and I like a healthy dose of compression), certainly too squashed to use in a band situation. Are you sure adding in more compression is the right thing to do??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0175westwood29 Posted September 30, 2017 Share Posted September 30, 2017 [quote name='dood' timestamp='1506802911' post='3381277'] My new board will have on either end of the path doing different jobs mind, but should be a cool experiment! [/quote] Cool, I have the blend on my Cali 76bc cranked so it's doing a kinda parallel comp thing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dood Posted September 30, 2017 Share Posted September 30, 2017 [quote name='0175westwood29' timestamp='1506809834' post='3381329'] Cool, I have the blend on my Cali 76bc cranked so it's doing a kinda parallel comp thing [/quote] Ahhhh yes! You know me well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannybuoy Posted October 1, 2017 Author Share Posted October 1, 2017 (edited) [quote name='Osiris' timestamp='1506808702' post='3381320'] Likewise, I love the VT bass sound(s) but I found them to be way too compressed out of the box (and I like a healthy dose of compression), certainly too squashed to use in a band situation. Are you sure adding in more compression is the right thing to do??? [/quote] I know what you mean, but if I just wanted to blend clean bass in, the VT500 / VTDI have a blend knob already. But it sounds much better putting the 'clean' side through this Effectrode unit - it's an unusual compressor in that as well as having a tube in to fatten things up, at low compression levels it adds low end, so perfect for using as a 'deep' channel! I think a low gain BDDI in parallel with a higher gain VT would work really well too, closer in concept to the Geddy pre I guess. I'll have another go with the Two Notes into the OmniCabSim too. Edited October 1, 2017 by dannybuoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osiris Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 [quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1506838057' post='3381369'] I know what you mean, but if I just wanted to blend clean bass in, the VT500 / VTDI have a blend knob already. But it sounds much better putting the 'clean' side through this Effectrode unit - it's an unusual compressor in that as well as having a tube in to fatten things up, at low compression levels it adds low end, so perfect for using as a 'deep' channel! [/quote] Give it a go and see what happens [size=4] [/size] [size=4]I've not come across the Effectrode PC-2A before, it looks very interesting. [/size] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krispn Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 This thread needs video clips......and schematics 😀 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elephantgrey Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 This all sounds interesting, but while reading I kept think about using a crossover to split, sending the high signal to a pre, and the low signal to a compressor. Preferably having the HPF set about ~200htz, and the LPF at ~300htz. Then blend together to taste, and send to the FX return and/or DI to the PA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannybuoy Posted October 1, 2017 Author Share Posted October 1, 2017 I've tried that in the past wirh SFX X&M but didn't like the results I was getting at the time, mainly because the dirt reacted so differently without any low frequencies going into it, and the different dynamics from having dirt on one side but not the other. It would be interesting to try again though several years later! I'd been neglecting the Two Notes lately due to doing a lot of headphone practice (even with the band) where I preferred the VT or B7K due to their speaker sim / filtering. But adding the OmniCabSim after the Two Notes sounds incredible, I'll just need to see how it compares when played through my rig! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuzzie Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 That’s the spirit, can’t wait to hear, i am a big two Notes fan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigwan Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 [quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1506898773' post='3381921'] I'd been neglecting the Two Notes lately due to doing a lot of headphone practice (even with the band) where I preferred the VT or B7K due to their speaker sim / filtering. But adding the OmniCabSim after the Two Notes sounds incredible, I'll just need to see how it compares when played through my rig! [/quote] Didn't know you had an OCS! Had GAS for one of those for a while! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dood Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 Oh wait! Dirt in parallel with Compression? Why did I not think to mention the EBS Sheehan Signature Drive and Sheehan Signature Drive Deluxe? I stare at the thing pretty much every day on my own board ha ha ha!!! Ok, so technically it's clean and dirt blended with compression at the end, but that's similar. This is my favourite drive pedal ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannybuoy Posted October 2, 2017 Author Share Posted October 2, 2017 I tried the original Billy Sheehan... I reckon it might have been my email to them complaining how the clean and dirt sides were out of phase that made them release the Deluxe! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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