Darkglass and Sansamp Tones Together | Comparison and Test

[@fistinair1979]

Every time I feel like I need to figure out a great distorted solution for my rig I always come back to a big clean with just a touch of grit. The very first sound you played in this video would be perfect for just about anything I ever could need.

[@JonnyDibble]

Yeah me too! I pick with so much attack too so my "clean" tone always has a bit of growl

[@fistinair1979]

@@JonnyDibble same here

[@demetriostsaros]

I do this same thing. I set my sansamp for a big, full, punchy clean sound and set the Darkglass for top end crunch. The Darkglass sounds a bit thin on its own. Together, it’s a beautiful thing.

[@JonnyDibble]

Totally agree! Darkglass are so good for distortion but not big in the cleans

[@Jihadbearzwithgunz]

I get punchy fat tones from my b7ku alone I'd imagine it has to do with how you have bite and growl set along with the eq. One thing I noticed with my x7 is if I have the lp and hp mirrored it sounds thin but if I blend them closer to each other it thickens up just got my x7 and haven't got to play with it too much yet to get exactly what I want out of it.

[@ileutur6863]

I use a similar combination, using my Sansamp as a base kinda-clean sound and a DI out, then into a B3K for distortion. Fattest sound I ever had

[@JonnyDibble]

Nice! I kind of want to get a B3k now!

[@trfmusic902]

That’s what I’m planning on doing, I am ordering X ultra, I already have a bass driver v2 sans amp set for EQ with slight overdrive, when I get the X ultra I’m going to set it with slightly more overdrive and I have a Boss DS-1 I’m going to set with high distortion, then I have a EHX bass compressor, tech 21 bass chorus and EHX bass wah, then I’m going to get a tremelo pedal and MXR bass octave deluxe.

[@Metalbass1979]

Excellent video. I'm considering a Darkglass one of these days. I've had my original SansAmp for around 20 years now. I can't ever part with it. I've recently found that mixing an EHX Bass Soul Food with all knobs at noon into the Bass Big Muff on the dry setting, volume at noon, tone at around 10 o'clock and drive at 10 o'clock produces a huge sound. It has clean, overdrive, fuzz and overdriven fuzz at the same time while remaining perfectly clear and not at all fizzy.

[@JonnyDibble]

Thanks! Oh man that sounds wicked. I'd recommend the Tech 21 dUg Pinnick pedal. I've done a video on ut more recently. Such an incredibly thick distortion!

[@pedrogalvez1029]

I currently have an alpha omega 500 head with an ampeg 4x10 cab. Then my sansamp pedal in the front and let me tell you. Warmth from the sansamp and clear highs from the darkglass is a match made in heaven

[@xdaniedx]

I run my Sansamp Bass Driver DI through my Darkglass 500 v2 with just a little distortion and the sound is phenomenal. I get so many compliments about it. Especially if it's paired with an Ampeg cabinet. 4, 6, 8 x10 it doesn't matter. All 3 together# the pedal, head and cabinet is where it's at!

[@JonnyDibble]

Incredible combo!!

[@jordancohen1759]

This was great! How would you set a sansamp programmable bass driver with a Darkglass B7K V2?? Which would come first in the chain?

[@JonnyDibble]

Thanks man! Personally I would put the sansamp first and then the Darkglass, I like to have my clean ton and then any effects like distortion afterwards 😄

[@absterok]

you're 'I need another sansamp soon haha' message made me laugh now.. you're vids are great ..

[@finbarrheather5718]

Glad it's not just me doubling up. Sometimes feel like it seems excessive but I use the Darkglass A/O Ultra AND the normal A/O. The Ultra as an "always on" preamp, then the Ultra's distortion on 90% of time for mildly overdriven, thick/growly tone, then I engage the normal A/O with different settings for fully distorted sound. Having both seems bit wanky but those are the 3 different sounds I need.

[@JonnyDibble]

Having the option turn the distortion on separately to the clean tone is essential imo! Love having multiple distortions to play with. I bet that sounds huge!!

[@badger4361]

I'm running a BK7 Ultra through and Alpha Omega Ultra. I love the AOU for clean and full the eq works amazingly well, I love the BK7 for clean and clanky, I love them both for distortion, I use them both seperatley and together, and I play active basses, I set my pedals with the bass on neutral EQ and I can just adjust on the fly with the bass. yes it's a bit complicated, but its still simpler than using a computer.

[@JonnyDibble]

Very nice! I bet that sounds SO thick and gnarly 🙌

[@keefer88]

Thank you so much, I've been thinking about adding a microtubes to my sansamp recently. This was perfect.

[@JonnyDibble]

You're welcome! It's always a question I've had and combo I've seen but no one ever seems to talk about! Cheers 😊

[@antonycharest4719]

I also had that problem and now I run a vintage ultra with a bit of drive for my clean sound to mimic a tube amps and my drive sound is a alpha omnicron

[@JonnyDibble]

Double darkglass! Nice. Bet it sounds great!

[@zekt976]

Would have been nice to hear the dirt channels on the sansamp paired with the DG but oh well

[@louie8604]

Yet another great video with some more spectacular editing. I personally prefer the darkglass' sounds. Would you recommend the darkglass over the sansamp?

[@JonnyDibble]

Thanks again! I mean its all personal preference, but the sansamp is probably my desert island pedal. It just has a timeless sound, punch and presence that suits my style and taste, more so than the darkglass (which is obviously sick too!) 😊

[@xvii8693]

Whats the proper order to connect Darkglass Alpha Omicron Bass Preamp OD Pedal, sandamp bass driver di and a tone corset analog compressor to a Traynor 500H microhead amp head that has active/ passive inputs and send/return effects loop inputs. What would you do?

[@bbrowne]

I have the exact SansAmp which gives you 3 sets of tones, and a Darkglass Alpha Omega...lots of tone variations:)...I also have a Big Muff Deluxe and my latest SansAmp dUg Pinnick DP-3X:)

[@JonnyDibble]

So. Much. TONE! Love the DP-3X 😍

[@bbrowne]

@@JonnyDibble On your SansAmp, what settings are on #3 SUB

[@ggates2500]

A whole lot of comments here that obviously talk about only Sansamp and Darkglass products but please do branch out into everything else you can find because there are a hundred great options for huge tone these days! JPTR's jive, warlow, katastrophe, add violence are excellent, as are the DOD carcosa & meatbox, the Way Huge pork & pickle, Aguilar tone hammer, Le Bass, Jam pedals' Lucydreamer, Tubescreamers, Rats, etc. Go, play! Rent everything you can get your hands on ))) Edit: a fully featured compressor will really surprise you if you're not familiar with em yet.

[@1thess523]

i recently bought that sans amp but i didn’t like it because it was kinda dead sounding so i immediately sold it and found an MXR Bass DI like the one you sold and I like it so far. i was using a Hartke Bass Attack 2 but i wanted something with an actual “mid” control, the other day i did what you did hear and thats running them together. i don’t use much overdriven on bass but i’ve come to like a tad because it adds a nice touch of umph to it. I run a Hartke LH 500 head through an Eden 4x10 & 1x15 Ampeg into a TC Electronic Spark mini and then into the MXR. my goal eventually is to get a Gallien Krueger RB series or an Ampeg SVT 4Pro then I can do away with all my pedals 🤙

[@JonnyDibble]

I believe the newer sansamps have a mid control! Gallien Krueger RB is one of my favourite heads 👌 Paired with a sansamp through an ampeg cab tho... 😍

[@kevmac1230]

Hi Johnny, I am a preamp freak and own both Darkglass and Tech 21 2112, both wonderful pedals so this is quite interesting. I must say though my Bass Butler takes care of this sound very well as it is designed to do these sounds.Cheers from Rhode Island.

[@JonnyDibble]

Nice one! If love to try the Bass butler 👌

[@ferox965]

I was in the market for a bass DI/Preamp...I A/B'd a Darkglass b7k ultra with a Tech 21 Dp3x....the Pinnick pedal...I left with the Tech 21. Best pedal I've ever bought. It emulates bi amping so I got what I was looking for...

[@JonnyDibble]

YES! I've reviewed the DP-3X on the channel and it's my favourite distortion pedal I've played. It gives you that gnarly saturation without colouring the clean tone too much, you can still hear it underneath which is what I look for 🔥

[@ferox965]

@@JonnyDibble I found with the Darkglass, all the ass end went right out of my sound. The dUg retained all the missing low end. Decision made, no regrets...

[@comannorbert]

I use similar setup: TC Electronic PolyTune 3 Mini, Empress Bass Comp Blue MKII, SansAmp BDDI v2, Darkglass Microtubes X Ultra. Comp and SansAmp always on, Darkglass when I need some distorsion in my progressive nu-metal band.

[@mamaluigi1579]

06:03

[@JonnyDibble]

Thank-you Luigi, Thank-you.

[@cccesarrr]

Sansamp gets a bit too gargly with the drive all the way up but I can’t let it go as my base tone. I’m tempted to try a similar setup but I’m curious of why you went with the X Ultra over your previous B7K

[@JonnyDibble]

Yeah I always pair it up with a separate distortion, I too can't let it go haha! I went with the Ultra because you could compresss the low end and that function really appeals to me. I like good compression that tightens up the low end for added punch without eliminating the dynamics of the top end. I had the B3K years ago but never paired it with the sansamp!

[@guyl9208]

Ive been doing something kinda similar, i split my signal one side with effects , the other with justna DglassX then sum it together and into the sans. The sans rules but the "drive" kinda sounds crap the louder it is...

[@mauriciomarchant8206]

Q: Is the sansamp hissing all the time? I do like the convenience of having 3 presets but not if the pedal requires noise canceling. Thxs

[@Davotunes]

awesome vid man!! , quick question.... the out put straight to the Scarlet comes from the noise suppressor, which is and the end of the signal path! I got that one, but where are you connecting the output coming from the XLR out of the Darkglass??? does it mean that if it doesn't come out of the XLR the cab sim won't work???

[@JonnyDibble]

Thank-you! Cant quite remember about the cab sim output, but its turned off for this video 😊 XLR out is also going into the Scarlet

[@kameronwraithd.k.5363]

HAve you considered trying their cloned budget versions: the JOYO tidal wave and the Monomyth?? :v

[@skinny_sam]

I’ve used a rack sansamp + a vtbass rack + the darkglass microtubes x7 lmao sound was crazy, I got rid of the rack tho, now I just ordered the sansamp di v2 as a pedal with just the darkglass, The VT was overkill IMO !

[@michael_caz_nyc]

Darkglass is so much Cleaner = more of: the True Bass tone (which I prefer). I just started my bass pedalboard and I'm getting the Becos Stella Compressor into a Tech 21 Q-Strip into a Source Audio C4-Synth. ( 3 pedals ). Enjoyed your demo. oNe LovE from NYC

[@bwrbassscreams]

I have the smaller sansamp, and it on its own is a solid pedal, but I never liked the distortion on it, I recently got the same darkglass and started running them together, after comparing them separately. The sansamp first into a small comp, followed by the darkglass gives you everything you could need. I DI out of my amp live (svt7 pro) because it has a low end booster that makes everything huge.

[@WeaponsRemorse]

Well I have a v1 sans amp and the bass player I love has a mxr m80 And use them both interchangeably over the years. So I will buy it and combo them now

[@elizabethromero6710]

I’m new with all this stuff so I’m going to write down everything I see here. I’ll definitely need later.

[@WeaponsRemorse]

i stack my SansAmp into my new to me MXR di and this is it i'm set for life now i have a KatanaSound Super Bass fuzz that i run and cascade all them together it is insane with my SVT-350 and Yamaha TRB

[@Longy_b]

sansamp on it's own (Y) - The darkglass distortion always just sounds a bit 'fizzy' to me I've recently been experimenting with a ProCo rat 2 into my sansamp VT bass DI with some pleasing results!

[@JonnyDibble]

Yeah it sort of takes over the tone if the bass I find and comoletely changes the shaoe of the clean tone. Nice! I've been using a rat clone on my HX Stomp recently, splut signal so the low end is still clean

[@Longy_b]

Jonny Dibble yea I use a LS2 to retain my low end; the Rat sucks the bottom end right out doesn’t it! I also ended up using my old Boss ODB3 (which I hate as an overdrive pedal) in the clean loop with the distortion all the way off and just used the EQ knobs to boost the lows a bit more 🤘 sounds great, and saved me having to buy an EQ pedal 😂

[@JonnyDibble]

@@Longy_b I used to have an LS2 setup! Had an octave and distirtion in one channel and just ran a cable from send to return in the other to blend the clean signal 😝 Nice!

[@Longy_b]

Jonny Dibble top tip: you don’t even need to run a cable from send to return if you just want your clean, unaffected signal in on channel. Just make sure it’s on A+B mode and it’ll be there, and you can play around with the channel volume knobs to check/blend it in

[@JonnyDibble]

@@Longy_b Thanks man! I didnt realise that. I only ever used the A+B channel. Such a useful pedal, dont currently own one!

[@aaronl7669]

This is such an incredibly useful video. Thanks so much, and I love your humor, cracks me up constantly! Anyway, I am interested in getting a DI finally and have a couple questions. Do you think the reason the SA clean sounds perhaps better than the DG is b/c on the SA you can put a little drive/distortion onto it whereas with the DG you can't have any distortion unless you engage the distortion? So you can't really be a foot switch away from clean to dirty on the DG if you are looking for a clean that contains some dirtiness and you can on the SA. Seems like the DG would be superior if they had 3 foot switches, similar to the switches on the SA that are programmable. I think the DG could have at least as good of a clean sound if you could use some of the distortion channel perhaps? I cut out all of your sound tests in Audacity and normalized them and have been comparing back and forth. The DG seems to have the edge in distorted due to the beautiful low end with distorted highs (as everyone talks about.) The SA distorted sounds pretty good to me but it definitely has a fartier/less defined bass component. It's not bad it's just very different from the clean lows of the DG. It still sounds cool though for sure. Do you think the DG X Ultra has a good enough compressor to use it as a single pedal? I don't really use pedals but want to do a preamp/di and had been thinking of the sequence you outlined with tuner, compressor (was thinking of the Bassist one) then preamp/di, but if i get the DG I might be able to just keep using my clip-on tuner and use the compression on the DG and the distortion obviously without getting any other pedals. I know the compression only works on the lower frequencies in distortion mode on the DG, but I thought that might not be a big deal. I guess the question is which would I miss more, the clean of the SA or the distortion of the DG, as a SA with a compressor costs similar to the DG. The cabinet feature on the DG seems pretty critical too to my ear as the DG with no cab sim was a LOT clankier up top, which may or may not be desirable I guess. I like it a lot better with the cab sim on. Love your videos!

[@JonnyDibble]

Hi! Thankyou so much. That's a really cool breakdown you've done there! Depends what you're after honestly. Totally agree that the DG takes the cake with distortion, but the SA with the cleans. For me, I play super hard with a pick so my attack tends to push clean tones hard to get that fresh string clang. Hence why I love compressors. They work well with my playing style, not to combat and "fix" it, but to enhance it 😊 To me, a solid clean tone is most important. From there I build effects around it and I don't use distortion as an "always on". So overall, it really depends on what your goals are and how you want to use the effects! They are what you make of them 😊 Appreciate this isn't really helpful or answers anything. Just all based on opinion really! Thanks so much for the support 😄

[@jcburn1973]

Hi Johnny - I realise this is an older video now so maybe you no longer have the gear or the memory required but do you know how you set your Sansamp for the Channel 2 "Sansamp only" distortion tone? I knoiw you say in this video you weren't that fussed over it but I really dig it. It's not quite as smooth as the Samsamp plus Darkglass distortion but never the less I think it has a real Rex Brown character to it that I'd try to emulate.

[@JonnyDibble]

Hey man! Not a clue I'm afraid 😪 Sorry! I reckon eq was fairly flat (12 oclock) and then turning up the drive on the sansamp, balancing it with the level to not overload the output. Luckily that sansamp is fairly simple so replicating any sounds shouldn't be TOO much of a pain! Sorry I could be more help

[@jcburn1973]

@@JonnyDibble haha, all good man. It was some time ago - I was just testing my luck. Currently using the VT Bass Deluxe (with 6 presets) but listening to your BDDI programmable clips makes me think I might prefer the unit you used to own better.

[@raphaelcote3577]

Thank you for this great video! I do kinda the same thing on my rig, but I do it with the Tech 21 VT Bass and the Darkglass Alpha Omicron! The VT comes after the Darkglass and it just blends sooo well! I use my VT as my Clean/More Bitty sound and the Darkglass for more violent Distortion ahah! I will probably try to blend the 2 in parallel as a future experiment, just to hear what it sounds! :)

[@Alexdaroz]

I have the Alpha/ômega and the Sansamp, and i prefer so much more the Dg before the Sansamp on the chain

[@Bobby_Uterus]

Bi amp these preamps. run the sans to a low cabinet and the dark glass to a high cabinet. high pass the the top cab and low pass the bottom cab. if you don't have a stereo power amp and two cabs you can do the same set up with your interface and DAW. assuming you have two inputs on your DAW. just be sensible with your studio monitors.

[@Garrett-In-Canada]

i wonder how that would sound with the Sansamp Bass Driver DI v2 and Alpha Omega would you put the Sansamp at the end of the chain in that case or the Alpha Omega i might have to play with this I was going to sell my Alpha Omega but maybe i need to give this a go.

[@williamomarrivera7703]

I do have similar set up BUT whenever I try the cab sim, no matter how many times I change the settings (darkglass suite) it never sounds a bit different. I heard you talking about the XLR cable when using the cab sim. Can you tell me more about it?

[@DadoSimicStudiostriver]

Sounds examples are on 6:46 minute .

[@FoamSquatch]

I run the B7k clone of my HX Effects into the VMT setting of my Darkglass head. To preamps work well together.

[@danbaer2688]

Id try running the darkglass first and the xlr out of the sansamp

[@owalls918]

My dude, what kinda music/bands do you play in??? I've got like a shockingly similar setup, like watching some demo my own board lol. Also subbed!

[@JonnyDibble]

Thanks very much! My band is called Nova Mora, but we're not really active anymore

[@alexskibicki2262]

Awesome clip. 😎🤘🏻🎸 both preamps sound good on their own and together. Personally I like the darkglass x7 ultra the most. Especially since I’m a huge darkglass fan.

[@alexskibicki2262]

However they sounded killer together. For a clean preamp, I like the sansamp. For distortion, I like darkglass.

[@kanesmith4961]

This is exactly my conundrum, finding a way to combine an X7 with a Sansamp/VT so that I can take the same board to my death metal and pop gigs. The settings here are not very useful to me, but it gives me hope that tech21 into DG won't be pure bee buzz.

[@JonnyDibble]

I've not experienced the bee buzz when combining them, I've always got a noise gate on my board though. Have you already got the X7? Check out my video on the Tech 21 DP-3X 😁

[@kanesmith4961]

@@JonnyDibble I've messed around with DP-3X and agreed that it's great overall, but I found the controllable x-over frequencies of the X series and that semi-synthetic DG flavor is key to the face-melt tone I need for metal. Now, I'm really interested in seeing more of the PSA 2.0. 100+ analog EQ presets sounds awesome on paper, but there isn't a lot of bass demos out there.

[@incomodinc]

Hoping that archetype makes a bass plugin tbh!

[@almostliterally593]

I plan on getting a sansamp VT to go with my original bass driver DI.

[@JonnyDibble]

Nice! The more Tech 21 the better haha. Will you use it as distortion or just for more preamp?

[@kylemundy8871]

I have a question: The darkglass bottom end sounds too thin. People are trying solutions, yours was great. But why not just adjust the amp? Maybe more bass and low mids? I'm missing something

[@JonnyDibble]

You can do, I just don't really care for the darkglass clean tones. Always end up going back to Tech 21! 😊

[@basshoh]

I have run 2 different effects/preamp units at the same time for years....an OLD KorgAX30B and a Bass VAmp Pro (use just one setting on this unit)...but it sounds KILLER ...i even have other bassist asking me what in the world i play through cause my TONE IS SICK!!!!...also i have a question on these new multi effects/preamp units such as the HX Stomp,Hotone Ampero,the Pod Go,even the NUX M30 or whatever it is ...lol...and the NEW Harley Benton unit...SO do you have any experience with anything other than the HX Stomp for BASS guitar???...whats your take on the subject???...are they worth the money???..the last 2 units are under 175.00 NEW!!!

[@GugaRamone]

I really liked your sansamp distorted sound. Would you share those settings? Cheers!

[@GugaRamone]

Those are the settings for the clean sound...

[@MyVideos-fm7ug]

All of that is running into MIDI it sounds like. So that changes things drastically

[@erickraulescamillaolvera9997]

It's a pedaltrain Novo or Classic?

[@carlucho1012]

nice bro!! is it possbile to get that sound only using the Sansamp (Bass + SansAmp + Interface)? I am struggling to set it up or find my perfect tone. I have an Ibanez 5 string. What do you suggest me? PS: I am using headphones.

[@JonnyDibble]

Hi! I'd recommend getting a cab simulator to give you a more realistic amp sound 😊 without it it can sound a bit too pokey but some people enjoy that!

[@carlucho1012]

@@JonnyDibble thanks bro!! Definitely will try it!!

[@jorgefalcones1753]

Mate, my setup is really similar.. Multicomp + sansamp + Earthquaker devices hof for distortion, but I should check out those Darkglass, but they are quite expensive... Honestly I think that the secret sauce is multicomp and sansamp... Classic shite..

[@JonnyDibble]

Can’t go wrong with the classics! It’s recommend checking out the Ashdown Triple Shot. I’ve posted a short on this recently

[@jorgefalcones1753]

@@JonnyDibble I had an Ashdown amp for ten years and it always delivered... I still have a Mag cabinet that at home for practise. I will check the Triple shot, although I wasn´t planning on buying any more equipment recently, hehehehe...

[@sumanpariyarofficial7363]

Hey man do you pass your sound through di or mic through cabinet during live gigs

[@JonnyDibble]

Hey man! DI through the back of my head (my bass head), always. Don't think I've ever had a cab mic at a venue!

[@sumanpariyarofficial7363]

@@JonnyDibble thank you man 🤘🤘

[@JonnyDibble]

@@sumanpariyarofficial7363 no worries!

[@RodrickLodowica]

well.. you are on to something combining both... sheesshh ahhahaha

[@JonnyDibble]

Sheeeeeeeesh

[@NateThunder]

SanAmp sounds better to me. Nice video

[@lillib5930]

Great video 😁

[@JonnyDibble]

Thanks!

[@300ampeg]

i know this (had better) been said but SOCKS?????

[@JonnyDibble]

SOCKS!

[@SebastianBleak]

👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽

[@MyVideos-fm7ug]

I will say that the sansamp bass driver is the incomplete rushed to market version of the paradriver. The bass driver plain old SUCKS on its own. I HATE that and the RBI as stand alone units

[@loganknapp8905]

What do you use alongside RBI/BDDI? I’ve got an Ampeg PF500, I prefer to plug RBI into the front of my Amp. But only for the compression knob and some mid tweaking. They sound similar. But the gain staging definitely helps. RBI has more output options then the PF500

[@quezadamorande]

Zzzzzzz

[@JonnyDibble]

Yawn