New Bass Pod XT...

[Bassomatic]

...is keeping me entertained and pretty darned happy, thus far. I'm really liking what i'm getting doubling the Pod up with a DI for tracks. Dialed in a beastly slightly crunched patch tonight, and could practically smell the tubes. (Well, almost).Not at all sure i miss a real amp in the equation (but the jury's still out on this one). Any other fans?

 

[jokerjkny]

not a fan...

still sounds canned, and everything i put into it comes out sounding the same.

but yea, it is entertaining, hence, IMHO, its more of a toy.

btw, for crunch tones, i just run my bass into one of y 18 watters w/ the bass at near zero, then i blend that w/ a second track of pure unadulterated Demeter Tube DI. not too shabby and sounds obese.

 

[Bassomatic]

not a fan...

still sounds canned, and everything i put into it comes out sounding the same.

but yea, it is entertaining, hence, IMHO, its more of a toy.

btw, for crunch tones, i just run my bass into one of y 18 watters w/ the bass at near zero, then i blend that w/ a second track of pure unadulterated Demeter Tube DI. not too shabby and sounds obese.

Let's hear what you're getting.

It would take more than a few 18 watters to get the range of decent tones available with some deep tweaking of the bass pod patches. Hardly a toy in the right hands.

 

[jokerjkny]

well, i'll see if my producer friend'll let me.

but again, the 18 watter into the "speaker in" of an avalon U5 (power soaked thru a THD Hotplate, no less) had just enough warmth, fatness and grind to give me a waaay better overdriven sound than the ol' POD.

still, ALOT of guys on TB seem to swear by it. i'm of the minority who just havent accepted it yet.

 

[Mak]

Ditched mine... not been out of its box for months. Found it too noisy to record with.

Mak.

 

[joseph]

I'm new at this, but I've been using a Matchless Hot Box (hi voltage tube preap with clean and dirty channels), mostly goosing the clean channel, direct in, with my software's speaker sims/EQ and it sounds great for bass and guitar. Fireface800/windowsXP/Cubase SX3.

 

[MichaelK]

Hey Basso - ! Nice to have you around. Don't be a stranger!

How do you feel it compares with the SansAmp Bass Driver's sound quality/breakup/tubishness? I'm aware that feature-wise there's no comparison.

Recently I've been running bass (G&L L2000) > Avalon U5 > Focusrite Compounder and it sounds tight as hell. I might try various combinations with the Sans Amp, or pushing an Avalon VT-737 for some tubiness, but I'm digging the way the clean bass sits in the mix so much that I might just stay there... for now.

The Compounder's a really nice little tool for bass. It has a special filter that allows some of the low end to bypass the compressor, if desired.

 

[LSchefman]

I've been getting so deeply back into electronica that I'd use one of those even with a synth bass for a fattening experience.

I probably wouldn't be as into it for rock, but...one never knows. Sounds like a box worth checking out.

 

[Bassomatic]

Here's a few clips to illustrate one sound of the bass pod. I wouldn't use it on its own but it combines nicely with the SansAmp (as in the 'Both' clip). Bass is an old bolt-on Steinberger:

http://www.soundclick.com/updateband/SongInfo.cfm?BandID=128233

I'll try to post up some of the dirtier tones i referred to earlier at some point.

Michael-

Thanks for the welcome. I've been posting a bit more of late.

Les-

Yes, a bass pod would make a colorful toneshaping tool for some electronica (where the purpose is, after all, often to sound like crap!:AOK).

 

[Bassomatic]

I might try various combinations with the Sans Amp, or pushing an Avalon VT-737 for some tubiness, but I'm digging the way the clean bass sits in the mix so much that I might just stay there... for now.

Actually, I rarely dial in any 'Drive' on the SansAmp. You might check out splitting the bass through the Avalon and SansAmp, as the latter seems voiced in an SVT-ish way.

 

[MichaelK]

the latter seems voiced in an SVT-ish way.

Sorry, you lost me with the acronym.

SVT = ?

 

[Wing]

I think the soundclick link is mean for the page owner only. It is not accesible for regular folks who haven't logged in.

 

[Impulse 101]

Michael,
Ampeg SVT tube bass amp. They are the world standard in rock and roll bass amps. They are as unrefined and unruly as any amp that you've ever heard, it's quite wonderful really.

I happen to like the Bass POD I've used them to recored a lot of tracks and they sound good as long as you realize what they are supposed to sound like. They arn't supposed to sound like the amp, they are supposed to sound like the amp after it's been mic'd and processed, and they pretty much nail it. They arn't perfect but in the right hands they can be extremely convinsing.

JT

 

[MichaelK]

Ampeg SVT tube bass amp.

Oh, THOSE. Thank you. The name never made its way to my memory.

I love Ampeg! One of my biggest gear-related regrets is the beautiful 15" Ampeg combo with the flip-top I bought around 1970 that I lent to a "friend" who absconded with it. I used it as a keyboard amp. Damn, it was fine! I eventually replaced it with a solid-state Acoustic head with a 5-band EQ. I ran it through a pair of 15" Yamaha cabs with treble horns. I still have both the amp head and the cabs gathering dust in the basement... that's another thing I ought to try. Don't know why I haven't. Those cabs are huge, heavy as all ****, but I have lighter "Club Series" cabs that I use in my PA rig.

Basso, thank you for that suggestion. Your batting average with advice so far is 300. I will try it and let you know.

 

[MichaelK]

Also:

Basso, Wing is correct. Do you have a public access site you can post them to?

 

[LSchefman]

>>Yes, a bass pod would make a colorful toneshaping tool for some electronica (where the purpose is, after all, often to sound like crap!)<<

You must be talking about my stuff - which is crappy from the moment of its conception!


...or is that misconception???

 

[tonefreak]

Actually, I rarely dial in any 'Drive' on the SansAmp. You might check out splitting the bass through the Avalon and SansAmp, as the latter seems voiced in an SVT-ish way.

I really like the Bass Drive DI... here's a sample backing:

http://www.theloungechair.com/music/Jelly_Backing.mp3

Very interested in the Bass PODxt. I'm not a bass player, so I would be able to tell if something sounds close to an Ampeg or SWR!