Max Your Amplified Upright Tone

In this video, we'll go through a super important topic to make sure you get the best tone possible from your upright bass, or any other instrument with a piezo pickup for that manner. I'll show you how to max your amplified upright tone!
Piezos and impedance is a murky manner, and it's easy to loose track of impedance matching and mismatching. This video aims to clear things up for the gigging musician!
A huge thank you to Ian DuRieu of the Leon audio company for invaluable help with the research for this video.
Check them and their active 33 m-ohm DI at:
www.leonaudio....
Also, a big thank you to Helge Ellingsen at Bassanova, a specialised double bass store in Oslo, Norway.
bassanova.no/

[@alfonsoalcala]

best impendance related video ever, thanks Frode! also hilarious as fuck...

[@gusswhat__]

Incredibly amazing! I can't even believe this lesson was given for free. Keep the amazing job and I'm sure this channel will certainly thrive. :)

[@frodebassist]

Thank you so much for your comment! I'm happy people are getting something from these videos! 😊

[@j.p.fitting9226]

What an on the money informative great vid! Going through this very issue with my realist pick up went to her audition last night and used the house basin and it sounded like your first example thin & midi! I have to find a DI/buffer preamp suited for the realist are use Eurosonic fake gut strings, and do fair amount of slapping in all honky-tonk Bakersfield sounds kind of country bands just wanted to sound like it sounds when I play it only louder any tips or suggestions or appreciate it. Thank you, JP.

[@JerboFotius]

​@@j.p.fitting9226 any luck with the Realist and a pre/buffer to achieve 'my bass only louder' sound?

[@jeffgutierrez8796]

I've been happy with my tone for years, until I watched this video. Thank you.

[@frodebassist]

Ops, sorry man.... But why change anything if you're happy? 😊

[@slinkyphil]

i'm 50 seconds in and already in tears. thanks!

[@frodebassist]

Sorry to hear that, ......🙂 Thank you for your comment!

[@tomadamantonsen6487]

One of the most thorough videos on this topic. And I`m impressed by your English. Your pronouncification is almost impeccable! Way to go Frode!

[@frodebassist]

Thank you very much! It means a lot to me that you say this. Having people get something from my videos is great motivation to keep going!

[@persinister]

Great explanation, demonstration, and application discussion. This was super helpful!

[@bjornness2137]

Tusen takk for en super opplæringsvideo 👍🎶😊

[@frodebassist]

Så hyggelig! Takk for tilbakemelding!

[@martyforrer9146]

Brilliant Frode. A much needed tutorial.

[@frodebassist]

Thank you very much! I hope can rake something away from it! 😊

[@thomascordery7951]

This is some great advice. I've long been a proponent of 10M ohm for piezo pickups, particularly for bass, cello and guitar. With the latter two it may be less critical, and for violin, mandolin or similar instruments with no bass fundamentals a 1M ohm input is likely adequate, but there's no harm in using a higher impedance. As for the pickups themselves, the impedances are more complex than can be expressed with a single ohm value, use of which implies that the impedance is constant across the frequency range of the instrument as though the impedance is only made up of resistance. Piezo pickups present a series capacitive reactance, so the pickup total impedance rises as the frequency of the signal goes lower. Magnetic pickups, on the other hand, present a strong series inductive reactance, so their impedances rise with frequency. The solution, as you say, is not to match these complex impedances, but rather to bridge them with one much that's much higher. Technically this is because we're looking to get a flat response based on the voltage that a pickup produces, not maximize power transfer which is what matching provides. A too low impedance input becomes a filter, reducing the signal as the pickup impedance rises with lower (piezo) or higher (magnetic) frequencies. I'd be interested in trying a high quality passive direct box, not because that's likely a successful approach, but because I'm curious how much the other frequency anomalies you noted are due to the cheapest small signal transformer some indifferent corporation could wind, or to what extent those were due to the kinds of complex impedances that even a high quality transformer will present to a piezo pickup. For me, the take away here is that, in order to minimize problems interfacing with different sound systems that may be encountered out in the wild, one would do well to travel with an active direct box. That ought to feature a 10M ohm input impedance along with a high quality output transformer and a ground lift switch. It should also have its own power (and carry spare batteries!) so you don't need to rely on having either phantom power from the main sound system or an AC outlet on stage. That way, even if all else fails you can still provide the sound system operator with a high quality, balanced signal. Basically it puts the bass player in control of everything they can control.

[@m.hughes2521]

Note: The Radial PZ-DI has a passive thru buffer, it does not require phantom power.

[@francescocoppede1141]

High-level professional and very useful video. Thank you very much for this test! I own the Prodipe…

[@jalaniz9204]

Thank you Frode!!! This was super helpful.

[@GunnarHolmstad]

Veldig lærerikt! Supert!

[@frodebassist]

Så flott! Takk for kommentar!

[@cabandsorchestras3626]

This is the video i have been waiting for!

[@77Kaczoszka77]

Thank You for this explanations. God bless you. :-)

[@iandurieu9110]

Glad I could help you with this project. There is too much folk-law and myth (AKA bullshit) on the Internet. Its good to get some technically correct information out there. Cheers Ian DuRieu The Leon Audio Co.

[@frodebassist]

I couldn't ask for better help! Thanks for all your patience!

[@Gk2003m]

I have an Audix F90 gooseneck condenser that I’ve modded to friction-fit between the strings right by the tailpiece, and it sits under the strings behind the bridge and points at the soundboard directly below the bridge. It is powered (and controlled) by a Behringer mini mixer. From there it goes into (depending on the scenario) either a Crate BX100 combo or a Hartke HA3500. Both those amps have contour controls as well as multi band graphic EQ. And in both instances I’m very happy with the amplified sound. Is it perfect? No. But is it loud and clear enough across the entire range of the instrument, without intrusive resonant peaks, to work with small or large combo groups? Yes. It sounds more acoustic by far than any piezo-type configuration I’ve tried.

[@ibassnote]

I guess if I had to choose it would be the Radial 50. Each proceeding example gets more and more muffled. I really can't stand a pick up on my bass and will do just about anything I can to just use my microphone even if I have to have a low stage sound for myself.

[@Gandharvasauls]

Every bassist should watch this! Which pickup were you using in this - Wilson?

[@frodebassist]

Thank you! Yes, I used the wilson, but the same goes for any piezo pickup without its own included buffer.

[@joshmcdzz6925]

I use a mic and a preamp to power my mic.. I really don't dig that di/pickup sound on an upright.. I love the acoustic/ambient organic sound.. I guess that's what the Marsalis dig as well..

[@JerboFotius]

What's your mic and pre setup? I'm drifting more and more into the idea of mic. I just can't get these piezos to bring out the natural sound of the bass. Particularly in the upper freqs.

[@edenottignon3493]

Thank you so much for this. I wish I had seen this about 10 years ago... I have come to much of these same conclusions myself - however this has further cleared up some confusion. Tell me - do you know what the output inpedance of the Fishman Full Circle is?

[@gordongary3903]

Good video.

[@frodebassist]

Thanks! 😊

[@geckobaldy]

Great video thanks. It looks like you can't use the PZ DI with just a bass amp as there would be no phantom power. Can you recommend a different 10MEG buffer that has a power supply other than phantom. Thanks

[@nebulosapulsar]

Amazing Frode!!! Thank you so much for all the precious information. What's your line sequence between the doublebass and the amp?

[@frodebassist]

Thanks a lot for the kind words! I normally just plug the pickup into some sort of buffer as the first thing (I have plenty different ones, will publish a review of a new one next week) then into the amp. Recently I have been experimenting with a programme called Gig performer, I might start using this for gigs soon. It gives you limitless possibilities for effects in all forma and shape, with limitless routing capabilities. But mainly it's simply buffer-amp-

[@thomascordery7951]

The difference in tone between that passive DI and your preamp's 10M ohm input was obvious even on tablet speakers. Those tiny speakers couldn't even hide the bass rolloff caused by connecting to the transformer.

[@aslebrathen260]

Dødsbra, keep it up :-)

[@frodebassist]

Takk for det!

[@MichaelFClef]

Excellent, logically presented information. Thank you for sharing. But please learn how to record yourself. It was unbearable hearing your every breath and saliva in your mouth. Don't use that lapel mic and don't use compression.

[@frodebassist]

Thank you for your comment! I will look into voice recording techniques!🙊