Walrus Audio Badwater Bass Preamp

Consider this your next bass rig! The Walrus Audio Badwater is a bass preamp DI, optical compressor, EQ, and more all in one spectacular-looking enclosure.
The Badwater is a bass tone magnification device sonically highlighting what makes bass so crucial to music. The all-in-one bass pre-amp and DI features optical compression, overdrive, and a four-band EQ section. Enhance your bass rig's capabilities and dial in everything from warm cleans, gritty chords, punchy drive, or bright and crisp slap sounds.
The Badwater features an internal optical compressor. It's first in the signal path and is always on, though its strength is adjustable. Use the Sustain knob to add compression for long sustained notes and chords while smoothing out your transients. At a minimum, you will have a minimal effect, but as you increase the knob, you will hear more extended notes and squashed transients.
Give your sound some teeth by adding a subtle breakup or a tastefully driven distortion. Use the Voice toggle to select one of three options for how much low and high-frequency content is allowed into the drive section, then use the Blend knob to blend between your fully clean and fully distorted signal. Blend your clean and driven signal to taste for increased note clarity as the clean and dirty channels run parallel. The drive control also features a separate Level knob to boost or cut the drive signal.
Cover just about any musical genre needs with the extensive EQ options from the Badwater. Dial-in your base tone with boost/cut low, mid, and high frequencies, then zero in on your perfect tone by sweeping between 500 Hz to 2.4k Hz with the Low Mid Frequency knob (LMF) or 3.5k Hz to 7.5k Hz on the High Mid Frequency knobs (HMF).
Badwater features both 1/4 inch and XLR out options, so you're always ready with a usable bass rig. Use the XLR to connect directly to the front-of-house or use the 1/4 inch out to run to and amp. Both outputs can be run simultaneously for direct and live amp stage monitoring. The Badwater Does not accept power from phantom power. Phantom power will be blocked out and not damage the Badwater, but it is best to avoid turning on phantom power when the unit is connected.
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Audio Badwater Bass Preamp DI Direct Box:
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[@thewetterbass]

Love the clarity of this preamp and the voice switch for the drive is a great idea. Also, I am glad that finally someone has the audacity to talk about the “uncommon” mid frequency ranges… kudos to you!

[@t.j.meechan682]

The quality of these videos just keeps improving. Nice work Bass Channel!

[@jamesryanhodges]

I swear, I love this channel, and all that you guys bring to the table, but damn if Josh’s thick meaty tone doesn’t make a person want to move uncontrollably! Definitely brings new meaning to “feel the bass!”

[@nicolasbeaudry6158]

Damn every week they come out with new preamps 🤣🤪I bought the micro tubes v2from Darkglass and super happy with it you guys are creating wants and it’s not fair 🤣🤣🤣❤️👍🏻🖤

[@WhichBass]

"Hey man you know your" riffs are okay! Killer review always!

[@CountNetsrac]

It's a nice pedal, but I wish the low mid EQ would go a bit further down. I often like/need to dial out the 250Hz range. Actuall I would like to have all the three upper EQ bands a bit lower (e.g. low 250Hz-1kHz high mids 1kHz-4kHz and the high band around 5kHz). The way they are now it's maybe more suitable for guitar.

[@markkarwan9360]

Agreed, those are weird choices for bass.

[@ggates2500]

M! If you're into slap you're usually carving out 400 or so. Still sounds great for rock though.

[@davidwendland5696]

Really wish the had some cab sim on this. From walrus this guys are so good at that kinda stuff, you would have thought they would have put in something like 2 cab sims to switsh between

[@ryanpeterson9562]

Bought a Darkglass B7K over this not only because I love the plugin and had experience with the drive and eq but the 250hz switch is REALLY important for shaping a stingrays tone. I really do love walrus and was leaning more towards this but I think the eq makes it a pass for me. Hopefully this will see a v2 some day because at this price point I really think this has the potential to be awesome

[@indetigersscifireview4360]

Definitely getting some Alan Parsons vibes and some Nirvana vibes asking with some other things out of the various performances. A good showcase of what the pre amp can do.

[@chris-um2zm]

shadows of the cross/all nightmare long demo riff i love that 😁

[@TheBassChannel]

I love that you noticed it! I think that riff finally found its home in Spit Out The Bone.

[@MegaBeardo]

Came here to comment the same thing! Always loved that groovy riff.

[@chris-um2zm]

@@TheBassChannel huh never knew that riff was in spit out the bone! good eye.

[@chris-um2zm]

ear rather

[@jamescoderre9595]

Nice bass pre amp ! ... but how many can a bass player own ???🤔 I currently own 14 😅 it soon might be 15 after this video 😁

[@kevmac1230]

I thought I was the only crazy one.

[@jamescoderre9595]

@@kevmac1230 No you're not alone & not the only crazy one . 😉 This preamp thing can become an addiction 🤣. You're among friends .... I should start a support group for bassists who suffer from G.A.S. ( gear acquisition syndrome) 😁

[@kevmac1230]

@@jamescoderre9595 It gets a bit $$ but how I love them.I just got the Flex by Shiftline,nice B-15 ish tone.And I've become a big fan of both Bassrigs, Super vintage and the Black Panel.I could go on and on.I would have loved these babies in my salad days but back then all we really had was the Alembic and I couldn't afford crap back then . Life's so unfair 🤣

[@jamescoderre9595]

@@kevmac1230 Yeah I hear ya ... I could go on & on as well when discussing gear.

[@kanesmith4961]

Obligatory comment: What happened to the DI/Preamp Shootout series? Badwater: No rhyme or purpose to several design decisions here. I couldn't find a reason to pick this one over any one of the staple preamps.

[@TheBassChannel]

The DI-2112 production delays initially put it on hold. Then when it finally came, it just continued to slip my mind. I’ll probably do something else similar soon

[@Joeawesomeperson]

Will this thing take a fuzz or other pedals well? If so I could throw out my Amp (Jk)

[@BassRacerx]

it sounds GOOD i'm just not in love with it based on this review . then again I havn't tried it on my bass / my rig. It seems worth checking out!

[@WingMane52]

Any major advantages over the sansamp VT? I am debating between the two for tone variety and live/studio.

[@Wido08GP]

This thing has a built-in comp and adjustable freqs (lmf to hmf). Sansamp has speaker simulation. I'd probably get the sansamp because I dislike heavy distortion on bass and prefer something softer.

[@WingMane52]

@@Wido08GP thanks. This one you can use without the drive as just a DI/preamp too though it looks like

[@Wido08GP]

@@WingMane52 Yes. This one has a switchable drive. I guess it all comes to what you like more.

[@ryanwarsh]

@@Wido08GP I’m super happy with my Sansamp paradriver but I do wish it had a drive button/switch instead of a single knob to blend it. I’m still working out how to use my OD pedals with it onstage.

[@uturd]

The lack of clips of this into an amp leaves me feeling like I still don’t know what this thing sounds like. There wasn’t a lot of variation in tone in this demo n

[@wheresallthezombies]

Dang, now i get why I don’t love it. Lol. I figured the di out had some kind of cab simulation going on

[@jimmychristensen7112]

VERY interesting 🤔

[@SillerJorge]

I plug it in to my pedal board .. play with it 15 min Then was gone… Didnt like the eq at all.. I use Darkglas Vintage Deluxe v1 and this Badwater Doesnt get any close … The drive channel sound weird .. like an unstable static.. Pedal look very durable and cool.. Maybe i have a defective unit..🤷🏻‍♂️

[@seanoxton5572]

Nothing more off putting in a review than the Dingwall/gain maxed combo. I guess if the intent is to show how it can sound exactly like every other distortion pedal on the market.

[@bflo1000]

The bass playing is great, but all I hear is scooped, trebly clank.

[@stevedunch581]

First guy playing … Needs to play so we can hear it more

[@ReignCharger]

Walrus Audio stuff is well-made but this just doesn't sound that good. The drive's characteristics don't sound that useful and suck a lot of low even with the blend. The EQ options presented here sound downright anemic.