Pure Softsynths vs. Tube Preamping Your Synths

Tone Deft · Post by **Tone Deft** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 3:56 am

leonard wrote:oh heres a good article about the transfer function of tubes vs transistors in amps if anyones interested
http://www.paia.com/ProdArticles/tubesnd.htm

that looks like a great page. I'll read it when the Oscars are over, thanks!

lunabass · Post by **lunabass** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 4:24 am

i'm only hearing a tiny difference but i am at work and listening thru a pair of senheiser HD280's which aren't the best.

to me there is a touch more fizz in the top end but like i said it's tiny.

i'll have a listen when i get home on my monitors.

i know you've posted this already but what outboard are you running it thru?

cbentley · Post by **cbentley** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 4:25 am

Getting back to the files...

The tube recorded track seemed to thin things out a bit as there is an overall eq difference across the two tracks and also the tube tracks have a bit less bass. It's most noticable in the stabs and the 16th note blips as both sound like they've been castrated. My ears tend to go for the non-treated track as it has a bit more weight to it since the elements I mentioned tend to sound a bit too bright by comparison in the tube tracks. Regardless of opinion, it's all about the context of how you want it to sound and how you want to work. Too many people want to impose their own sense of aesthetic on someone else and treat it as law. I'm curious to know what your signal path was and if there is any reason you chose a tube pre over solid state?

My own personal preference is to treat softsynths by running them through preamps(have both solid state and tube) or other hardware to help shape tonality and texture but will also avoid it if I find it lends nothing in the to the mix.

Tone Deft · Post by **Tone Deft** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 4:40 am

regarding tubes vs. solid state BASS amps...

that page is more about how each saturates, which is the top end of the gain region, a cool link.

I checked the wikipedia page

By the 1960s and 1970s, semiconductor transistor-based amplifiers began to become more popular because they are less expensive, lighter-weight, and require less maintenance.

I do remember a bass player telling me that, solid state are lighter amps. consider bass, it's a narrow bandwidth compared to, well, everything else, it's just bass. you don't need a flat frequency response over as wide of a range of frequencies. generally speaking, or pick your tone.

I know there are some monster bass players up in here, anyone?

stringtapper · Post by **stringtapper** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 4:48 am

Well I started playing through a tube amp in the late 90s because I was doing a lot of Primus-y sounding stuff that needed a lot of high end (slapping, tapping). After years of that I've gone back to a small solid state combo mostly for ease of carrying but at the same time now that I'm playing mostly Stick I need even more high end than even before (ie guitar range), and this solid state amp I'm using (Acoustic Image Coda) now has a good full range. So looking back I guess my ears were going for the tube sound because of the clarity in the high end. That's definitely why I picked it, I just didn't know that was specifically a characteristic of tubes and not that particular amp. I still use that rig if I'm trying to cut through a rock band but that's more to do with sheer power than anything.

Machinesworking · Post by **Machinesworking** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 4:52 am

Funny part is I was curious myself, all I know is that nebs bass sounds better to me in the non tubed version, but I do know that most bass players I've known have preferred solid state, every time.

So I googled and found this.

http://forum.ableton.com//viewtopic.php ... e12ca54296

Awww the forum!

Kinda funny, but that's probably the best answer. Smaller amps that don't distort as much the louder they get. Learn something new every day.

globalk · Post by **globalk** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 6:34 am

As a bass player I'd like to chime in and say I vastly prefer a well built tube bass amp over a solid state or hybrid amp.

An observation I have made is a lot of bands on the rock end of the scale seem to agree - the majority of international bands that stop by down under use either an ampeg svt2 or svtcl tube amp as the back line. A lot of the really big name acts may have endorsement deals or their own signature products to push which blur the picture a bit, but the bands one or two steps down from rock-super-stardom seem to hold to this.

In fact I went to a music festival in Sydney just yesterday where 80% of the bands I saw used a tube amp (again, svt2 or svtcl) for bass - and that’s with the reliability issues these two particular amps are known for. The road crew were swapping heads and cabs between sets for each band’s preference, there wasn't a permanent amp set up at each stage! (Did see a few svt8 heads too and a monster orange ad200 rig)

It’s all a matter of taste ofcause - I know a lot of players in other genres who love SS or Hybrid amps for their own unique characteristics’.

Not meaning to derail the thread or step on any ones toes, just thought I would speak up for the bass players who deal with the extra weight, higher maintenance costs, and reliability issues of tube amps just to get that sound.

Back on topic - nebulae looking forward to checking out your comparison when I get home tonight as it's something I'm pretty interested in. Sorry if this has been mentioned else where but what preamp were you running it back in through?

Pure Softsynths vs. Tube Preamping Your Synths

Re: Pure Softsynths vs. Tube Preamping Your Synths