Pre amp pedals and bass amp advice

[Callumjord]

Got a question for you gear heads out there! 

I am running a DHA VT1 Di pedal into an eden wtx264 bass head and then into a 2 x12 bass cab at 4ohms. I'm trying to add a small amount of tube saturation into my bass tone so I am running the pickup input and and gain on the DHA pretty hight (around 3 o'clock). I'm finding that I am then having to reduce the gain input on my amp significantly (around 8 o clock) to keep if from overloading. Also, when I run this setup and use effects such as octave and filter I am also hitting the amps internal limiter. 

I am trying to figure out the best way to run this setup but it's leaving me stumped at the moment. I want to get the most out of all my equipment and particularly get a lot of volume out my bass amp. I feel that running a hot pre amp pedal is actually forcing me to reduce my volume as away to avoid hitting the gain and master volume limiters. Would running the DHA separately into the effects loop help with this? Or would I be better to just plug directly into the effects return and skip the eden pre amp? Only thing is I love the amps bass boost and flexibility of the Di as well. 

Any help and advice would be much appreciated 

[dannybuoy]

Just reduce the master volume on the DHA so that it's roughly the same volume when on or off, then you will be hitting your amp with the standard instrument level signal.

[bazzbass]

dannybuoy got it in one, do it for all pedals

[bassmachine2112]

That's the answer-unity gain in one.

I always use a preamp pedal with the output level the same as without it switched in