Api DI+Ampeg SVX vs REDDI for Bass

[Astrain]

Im trying to improve my bass sound, right now Im recording/mixing bass using an API 3124+ DI > Ampeg SVX plug in and I wonder if buying a REDDI would improve this setup?

From what Ive read is that tracks recorded with the REDDI sit very well in the mix.

I already have a good bass (a Stingray) an style of music is mainly rock-pop

Thanks

[Jack Ruston]

Yes and no.

The Reddi is an awesome DI. It's thicker sounding and less pingy than most DI's and it sounds very nice on bass. It still sounds like a DI, not an amp.

The Ampeg SVX sounds like an Ampeg. But like all amp simulation it seems to lack the sense of air moving that you get from a real amp. It's impressive but the real amp seems to both sit better and reveal itself more in the mix.

For me, the plug in is the weaker part of the equation for rock. That's where the amp sound matters more. In most rock tracks you're going to favour the amp in your blend, and perhaps not use the DI in some cases.

So if I were you I'd look for a real ampeg. Not the new ones, the American made ones. An SVT, SVT II with 8x10 or portaflex perhaps.

The problem of course is that not everyone has an environment to record those amps in.

Maybe there's a local studio or rehearsal place with an Ampeg who'd do you an amazing deal to reamp a few parts through theirs?

Jack

[Astrain]

Thanks a lot for the response.

I understand what you meant by using a real amp , but I ve been reading so many reviews about how the REDDI is awesome and that some session players are now recording only with it that I tought in giving it a shot.

Im trying to find as many samples of rock songs recorded just using a REDDI to make my mind..

I do have a room where I used to record drums, it isnt very big but its full of bass traps .. so I may just follow your advice and go directly to an amp.


Thanks

[cowrange]

I used a REDDI with a sansamp pedal in parallel set to 100% wet and blend to taste. Close enough for me on most stuff, and I used to always use a 60's Ampeg B15n. The REDDI compresses the signal a lot more than a standard DI. I like to run it into the line in on my LTD-1 and then a distressor.

[RoundBadge]

Originally Posted by Jack Ruston

Yes and no.

The Reddi is an awesome DI. It's thicker sounding and less pingy than most DI's and it sounds very nice on bass. It still sounds like a DI, not an amp.

The Ampeg SVX sounds like an Ampeg. But like all amp simulation it seems to lack the sense of air moving that you get from a real amp. It's impressive but the real amp seems to both sit better and reveal itself more in the mix.

For me, the plug in is the weaker part of the equation for rock. That's where the amp sound matters more. In most rock tracks you're going to favour the amp in your blend, and perhaps not use the DI in some cases.

So if I were you I'd look for a real ampeg. Not the new ones, the American made ones. An SVT, SVT II with 8x10 or portaflex perhaps.

The problem of course is that not everyone has an environment to record those amps in.

Maybe there's a local studio or rehearsal place with an Ampeg who'd do you an amazing deal to reamp a few parts through theirs?

Jack

i mirror you 125%
i've used the reddi/svx plug on off for years and have a console full of api pre's/di's.
the reddi is rounder sounding..api's more mid forward punchy.
getting the di/svx thing to sit in a mix right was always challenging.

lately it's just a mic'd ampeg b15 or svt 6/10 cab and littlelabs di into pre of choice[api,neve,daking]

nothing beats the real amp/mic thing..air/punch/dimension,size etc.
soo much easier to deal with in the mix.

[Astrain]

Thanks for the responses.


I just experimented recording my bass thru my guitar amp/cab and mixed that with the DI and inmediatly it felt more organic and integrated with the other instruments, I can only guess that its going to get better with a good bass amp/cab.



I found a 60s b15n for around $850-$900 , the seller says that it is completely working, and it haves everything original as purchased in the 60s(I guess including the tubes) , heres the link

Ampeg B15n Para Bajo, De Los 60's - U$S 1,150.00 en MercadoLibre

I ask him about the condition of the tubes, but dont know if its there something else that I should ask?



Here where I live I can also buy these ampegs:

B115
B115HT
BA210

what do you think ?


Thanks!

[elambo]

Wouldn't an Ampeg DI be great?

In fact it is. The SVP-CL. I've been using it for years. It's essentially a tube-powered DI designed for bass. Plug your bass into it directly, send the output to your recorder, it does the rest. Easy breezy. Sounds huge, tight, warm, everything Ampeg is known for, and it has some tone-shaping options that are completely useful. They stopped making it a few years back but I'd heard from a good source that they were going to replace it with a newer version, something they might have done by now.

[elambo]

Looks like they haven't released a replacement but there's one on eBay:

Rack AMPEG SVPCL All Tube Bass Preamp | eBay

(it's a pawn shop, though apparently a reputable one)

[jitterybit]

I've heard some awesome bass tracks through a retrospec juice box. They had several at the studio my wife worked at. On my short list....

[Melgueil]

Using Great River here (Modulus Fretless bass). No thought of ever leaving. The DI is breathtaking, though you may be looking for a bit different sound. NO experience with the Reddi, though the reviews seem to be rave.
cdlt

[jitterybit]

the reddi is supposed to be based on a b-15, right?
I used to work at a studio here in town where we had a ampeg svtmp mic pre. it was a 2 tube(ax7 and ay7) pre/di. It had the ampeg sound, but wouldn't get to dirty. Wooly, yes, but not dirty. Don't confuse it with the svtdi that looks almost the same.

[Jack Ruston]

No, it's not based on a BN15. It was remarked that it was reminiscent of one. But make no mistake, it's a DI. It sounds like a DI. It's thicker and extremely nice but it's not band limited or compressed like an amp and speaker. It can't replicate or replace the amp. It's just a lovely DI.

J

[pan60]

i use a Ampeg B-15 here, but from what i have heard and seen, the A-Design REDDI is on my short list.
it just seems like the natural way for me to move.

[RCM - Ronan]

I do not think there is a one or the other answer. I use the REDDI on most of my bass tracks. It has a great tone and sits really well in the mix, but its not really a tool for manipulating the sound like SVX. The better question would be API vs REDDI and then you can tweak with SVX from there.

[Astrain]

Thanks a lot for the suggestions!

I was under the same impression that the reddi was designed after a b15, I even recall someone saying that it was because the designer was a bass player...

None the less Ive been listening to the basstaster audios, and I have to say that the reddi is by a good margin the best DI, I just wish there were an API sample

[RCM - Ronan]

Originally Posted by Astrain

Thanks a lot for the suggestions!

I was under the same impression that the reddi was designed after a b15, I even recall someone saying that it was because the designer was a bass player...

I am not sure if that is what it was designed after, but it does have a bit of a B15 vibe to it.

[Astrain]

Great to have you here Ronan, your video is in part the reason for me to want a reddi..

Short story(a little off topic): today I was seeing your video again and saw that you also got a video of how to use a Pultec Eq. Years ago I tried the bombfactory plug and it didnt do anything for me, I dont know if it was the plug or that I didnt knew how the controls interacted and the tricks,.. I losed interest and after that I never tried one again. Today after seeing your video and learned how to set the eq I decided to try the waves Puig one and wow amazing big bass sound without mudiness without being analitical just plain musical eq that sits in the mix, something like the u47 kind of magic thing. Thanks a lot Ronan for taking the time to explain and share all these tips.

[jrakarl]

Originally Posted by RoundBadge

i mirror you 125%
i've used the reddi/svx plug on off for years and have a console full of api pre's/di's.
the reddi is rounder sounding..api's more mid forward punchy.
getting the di/svx thing to sit in a mix right was always challenging.

lately it's just a mic'd ampeg b15 or svt 6/10 cab and littlelabs di into pre of choice[api,neve,daking]

nothing beats the real amp/mic thing..air/punch/dimension,size etc.
soo much easier to deal with in the mix.

What mic's do you guys use? (sorry to be OT)...

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Gearslutz.com App

[Kelly Cameron]

Empirical Labs Mike-e is awesome for bass DI. We use it straight in: elec bass, cable into Mike-e and then straight to the convertor and wow, no amp required.

Regular house bass player in my studio brought this GK bass pre, kinda cool...but when we were tracking all the sudden he couldn't hear himself. Plugged him back into the EL Mike-e and shizam! Everything was fine again, plenty of definition and I could bring him back down in the mix and the bass sat perfectly.

I use the Mike-e strip for other stuff but purchased it specifically for elec bass DI and would buy one again just for that application.

Cheers