Go figure Cheapest DI sounded best on my bass

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markjazzbassist
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Go figure Cheapest DI sounded best on my bass

Post by markjazzbassist » Mon Jan 18, 2016 1:33 pm

I've had a lot of nice direct boxes for bass over the years, i'm a bassist by trade so it's what i spend most of my gear money on. Had all the nice tube ones Summit, REDDI, Evil Twin, Tubeworks, and nice passive ones too Radial JDI, TAB Funkenwerk T71.

Go figure at the end of all that the one that sounds best is this beat to shit old vintage Whirlwind IMP2. It's got this in your face midrange and low mid punch from it's transformer that is just delightful for fender jazz bass.

spent thousands on the others and it's the little 25 dollar used jobby that sounds best. ah music gear you never cease to amaze me.

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joninc
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Post by joninc » Mon Jan 18, 2016 3:39 pm

through which pre amp?
the new rules : there are no rules

kslight
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Post by kslight » Mon Jan 18, 2016 3:44 pm

Proof that expensive gear is just smoke and mirrors and backlit tubes.


Or maybe it's the psychological effect of setting expectations. Can be blown away by how usable some cheap POS is but disappointed with $2500 preamp does not make you Sir Paul.

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joninc
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Post by joninc » Mon Jan 18, 2016 3:47 pm

kslight wrote:Proof that expensive gear is just smoke and mirrors and backlit tubes.
.
that may be overstating it a bit ... I don't think any piece of gear will write or perform a song for you or you make you a brilliant engineer - but they are all tools and help in crafting the overall picture.
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markjazzbassist
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Post by markjazzbassist » Tue Jan 19, 2016 6:54 am

through no preamp. i practice at night through a behringer ma400. it'a a headphone amp. did an A/B there and did an A/B at a church gig. no idea on the preamp there, maybe presonus digital board? i had them zero it out for me.

yes kslight i am realizing this as well. i've listening to some mic preamp shootouts and maybe my ears aren't trained for large frequency spectrum listening (since i focus on bass primarily) but i noticed some subtle changes but not life changing massive tonal differences.

i agree, it's not the gear its the player, the hands, the touch, the feel, etc. also sometimes cheap shit sounds good, just cause it's boutique and handmade doesn't mean that tone works for you.

end ramble

kslight
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Post by kslight » Tue Jan 19, 2016 8:29 am

joninc wrote:
kslight wrote:Proof that expensive gear is just smoke and mirrors and backlit tubes.
.
that may be overstating it a bit ... I don't think any piece of gear will write or perform a song for you or you make you a brilliant engineer - but they are all tools and help in crafting the overall picture.

Yup I was being facetious and countering the Gearslutz mentality that great gear is all you need to make a record. There is a point where cheap stuff doesn't cut it, but there's a lot of times where there's fancy artwork, ad lingo, and gross markup that don't line up with the 1 or 2% differences from some preamps to another.

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