DI bass and guitar

[KuruPrionz]

Good kinda friend to have then, for each other.

My PV is the Audition 110.

Silver Stripe Transtube, the first official iteration. Good amp!!!
The later Teal Stripe amps were using an early TransTube circuit, Peavey has been at this one for a long time.

I've owned quite a few Peavey amps, LA 400, 3 Backstage Pro with the brushed aluminum side stripes, 1 Backstage Pro Teal stripe, some other Teal Stripe 1-12, a Studio Pro Transtube silver stripe, Envoy, Bandit and Studio Pro Red Stripe, 2 original "fanged" Vypyr 15s, one fanged Vypyr 60 watt tube 1-12, a VIP 3 and a now a VIP 1. Most of them are other people's amps now, probably all of them work too.

If it's the stock speaker, a Scorpion 10 will add a few pounds but it will sound huge. Quick and dirty upgrade.

Seems the word is out on the Scorpions, I used to get 10s and 12s for $40-50, now they are quite a bit higher. Worth it, an overlooked truly great guitar speaker.

[vvv]

After a little research (some forums, PV's site), Transtube appears to be analog, S/S emulation with transistors and diodes, what mine is.

The Vypyr, from what I can tell, adds digital effects, and is described as having, "TransTube® analog/digital hybrid technology"

Also, WARNING: do not google "TransTube", unless yer into that kinda thing.

Exactly that. The Red Stripe Bandit and Studio Pro models are famous examples of all analog TransTube amps. Spring reverb, yo.
I gigged with a Red Stripe Studio Pro with a 12" Scorpion speaker in it. Sort of wish I still had it...

Here's what the Peavey Transtube Audition 110 sounds like - lotta EQ in mixing - I shoulda used a ribbon instead of a 609, heavy distorted tones are a pedal (Idiotbox Blowerbox) ...

https://vlayman.bandcamp.com/album/only ... tway-a-3-p

viewtopic.php?f=14&t=44605&p=725436&hil ... od#p725436
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=44605&p=725436&hil ... od#p725439

[trodden]

I usually just use a DI (usually an old Retrospec Juice Box tube DI), because it sounds ridiculously awesome and I can then dedicate my iso booths to either amps and vocals or drums and vocals or whatever. If there's room, I LOVE recording an amp and have a beautiful B15N or will use whatever. But it usually winds up being that Juice Box. If I need to in the mix, I can reamp, use something like Decapitator or a SansAmp plugin, or use one of the UA Ampeg amp simulators. If I'm just doing a simple bass overdub in the control room, I'll usually just plug directly into the front of either an API 512V, a Buzz Elixir, an AwTAC, or in some cases, a Neve 1272. I haven't really had any complaints about the bass sound at mix time in years.

I usually compress a bit on the way in, usually with an AwTAC Channel Compressor, Federal AM-864/U, an 1176 (I've got the Purple MC76), a GML 8900, an ADR Compex, or a Distressor. I rarely EQ on the way in, but if I do, it's usually the AwTAC, an API 560b, a Blonder Tongue Audio Baton, or a Pultec.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

I've been using the Retrospec Juice Box as my go to bass DI for years now. I'll usually record the amp or reamp it later and blend the two. My next bass session i'm going to try to just use the Juice Box and a Sans Amp Bass driver, two separate tracks and see if that works just as well.

[standup]

I often run a DI track and a miked amp when isolation is not an issue.

Lately I’ve been using the mic’ed amp more, a Phil Jones Super Flightcase with an RE20, into RND 511/Daking Comp 500/Iron Age LH95.

The mic track sounds great, usually.

[markjazzbassist]

I've been using the Retrospec Juice Box as my go to bass DI for years now. I'll usually record the amp or reamp it later and blend the two. My next bass session i'm going to try to just use the Juice Box and a Sans Amp Bass driver, two separate tracks and see if that works just as well.

are you using the compression part of the juice box or just the preamp part? i've always heard about those but i'm not a compressor on bass kinda guy.

[trodden]

I've been using the Retrospec Juice Box as my go to bass DI for years now. I'll usually record the amp or reamp it later and blend the two. My next bass session i'm going to try to just use the Juice Box and a Sans Amp Bass driver, two separate tracks and see if that works just as well.

are you using the compression part of the juice box or just the preamp part? i've always heard about those but i'm not a compressor on bass kinda guy.

I believe you talking about the SqueezeBox. Juice box is just a tube DI, with a gain stage.

[markjazzbassist]

I've been using the Retrospec Juice Box as my go to bass DI for years now. I'll usually record the amp or reamp it later and blend the two. My next bass session i'm going to try to just use the Juice Box and a Sans Amp Bass driver, two separate tracks and see if that works just as well.

are you using the compression part of the juice box or just the preamp part? i've always heard about those but i'm not a compressor on bass kinda guy.

I believe you talking about the SqueezeBox. Juice box is just a tube DI, with a gain stage.

my bad, makes sense now

[vvv]

Jay Ruston in the July TapeOp talks about using a tiny amp distorted and a bigger amp to record bass, what I must try someday.

[markjazzbassist]

Jay Ruston in the July TapeOp talks about using a tiny amp distorted and a bigger amp to record bass, what I must try someday.

stanley clarke used to tour in the 70's with his signal split between a bass amp (clean) and a guitar amp (dirty). cool concept.

[Recycled_Brains]

I've been using the Retrospec Juice Box as my go to bass DI for years now. I'll usually record the amp or reamp it later and blend the two. My next bass session i'm going to try to just use the Juice Box and a Sans Amp Bass driver, two separate tracks and see if that works just as well.

are you using the compression part of the juice box or just the preamp part? i've always heard about those but i'm not a compressor on bass kinda guy.

I believe you talking about the SqueezeBox. Juice box is just a tube DI, with a gain stage.

I love squeezing juice boxes.

[Recycled_Brains]

I may have already posted this, but this thread is too long for me to check...

Hamptone JFET DI made me actually like DI's. I dare say it's the closest to an amp sound (in context) to any of the other's I've tried, which isn't many.

GT Brick is pretty sick too and doubles as a really good mic pre.

[vvv]

GT Brick is pretty sick too and doubles as a really good mic pre.

+1

Not only do I love it as a straight DI (and as a mic pre), but I like to run AIAB pedals into it.

It seems, to exaggerate what I hear as the effect it has, to smoove out the signal, take off some of the fizz or whatever ya wanna call the unrealistic top end some pedals give.

OT: a quick story I may have told before but over 10 years ago now I called Groove Tube for some question I had about an amplifier, and Aspen Pittman (RIP) answered the phone. We had a really cool conversation, he was very informative, slightly pedantic (which was appreciated in context) and kinda funny. I had to end the phone call after about a half hour because he would have kept talking all night and it was long distance - great guy. Besides the The Brick, I own a cuppla GT tube mics and a Convertible mic (pretty sure because Nick S. reco'd it for snare?).

[Recycled_Brains]

GT Brick is pretty sick too and doubles as a really good mic pre.

+1

Not only do I love it as a straight DI (and as a mic pre), but I like to run AIAB pedals into it.

It seems, to exaggerate what I hear as the effect it has, to smoove out the signal, take off some of the fizz or whatever ya wanna call the unrealistic top end some pedals give.

My only gripe is the weird logarithmic taper of the pot. It's like nothing until 3:00, then all the gain is right at the end. But I agree with you about the top end thing, now that you mention it. Clean DIs on bass are great for low end but the top always sounds terrible to me, but thinking on it I've never had that issue with the Brick. JFET is the same if you make sure it hits red on the note attack (I have the 500 series with the meter).

Besides the The Brick, I own a cuppla GT tube mics and a Convertible mic (pretty sure because Nick S. reco'd it for snare?).

I have an MD1a and I love it. It's a unique and great sounding mic that also does not have that garbage top that similarly priced mics have. I've put it up against significantly more expensive mics and it is either as good or pretty goddamn close every time. I got mine from FM Joel Hamilton. Still has the "Joel H." sticker on it. haha.

[winky dinglehoffer]

I have an MD1a and I love it. It's a unique and great sounding mic that also does not have that garbage top that similarly priced mics have.

The MD1, and I'm pretty sure the 1a as well, feature an electret capsule similar to the Transsound capsule that Scodiddly uses for the Alice mic. This might be a big factor in the difference you hear in the top end vs. similarly priced condensers.

*****I actually have some stuffed PCBs & various parts for the MDx series mics that I picked up from someone that bought them at the Groove Tubes garage sale years ago. Sadly, I've never been motivated enough to do the hard work of turning them into mics.

[trodden]

GT Brick is pretty sick too and doubles as a really good mic pre.

+1

Not only do I love it as a straight DI (and as a mic pre), but I like to run AIAB pedals into it.

It seems, to exaggerate what I hear as the effect it has, to smoove out the signal, take off some of the fizz or whatever ya wanna call the unrealistic top end some pedals give.

My only gripe is the weird logarithmic taper of the pot. It's like nothing until 3:00, then all the gain is right at the end. But I agree with you about the top end thing, now that you mention it. Clean DIs on bass are great for low end but the top always sounds terrible to me, but thinking on it I've never had that issue with the Brick. JFET is the same if you make sure it hits red on the note attack (I have the 500 series with the meter).

Besides the The Brick, I own a cuppla GT tube mics and a Convertible mic (pretty sure because Nick S. reco'd it for snare?).

I have an MD1a and I love it. It's a unique and great sounding mic that also does not have that garbage top that similarly priced mics have. I've put it up against significantly more expensive mics and it is either as good or pretty goddamn close every time. I got mine from FM Joel Hamilton. Still has the "Joel H." sticker on it. haha.

And if you scream into the wrong side, it's really "dark" ahahahhahah.