With my acoustic Guitar I Have that built In pre amp…so that sounds good…But what about when I want to plug In the old Bass or the Les Paul?? Do I need some kind of preamp?
Plug into what?
Into the mixer 
Ok - what’s your mixer? Kitchen Aid or Cuisinart ?
The vintage 1980’s Sunbeam’s sound better than KitchenAid or Cuisinart! 
LOL…
Your mixing console probably only has line inputs and mic inputs. An instrument like a bass or electric guitar puts out a very low level signal and needs a very high impedance input to achieve the best signal to noise ratio. While you can plug your LP into a line input on your mixer, you’ll have to crank the input gain up so much to get usable signal it will be as noisy as Poppa practicing his werewolf calls with a bad cold.
Short answer? YES. You need something between your bass or guitar and mixing console. I use a multi-effect pedal designed for guitar. I have an el-cheapo Digitech RP something or other that stays plugged in all the time but I use my Line 6 POD XT Live for almost all of my actual recorded tones.
D
Yeah, give us more info. There are 100 inputs on a mixer… balanced, unbalance, line level , mic level… 1/4", XLR.
Now let me hand hold a bit here as I already know the answer but was trying to make a point about providing detail… mostly because I am a cranky jerk. The Les Paul and I am guessing the bass are both passive high impedance instruments. This means that they will not work going into low impedance inputs of a typical mixer. To deal with this, you must use a DI box. A DI contains a transformer that bridges the impedance allowing you to plug in without weirdness.
For further reading:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DI_unit
However, Dubious is also correct as units like a POD convert the high impedance instrument signal on the input to a low impedance line level signal on the output. It all comes down to what you want to do and what you want to spend. If you are going to use an amp simulator plug in or reamp later, a DI will be fine. (With bass, I often use nothing but a DI and just compress/EQ in the box.) If you have no amp plug ins, an external amp simulator is all you need.
Aaaa OOOoooooo cough hack - Yea what Dubious said.
Quote: (Poppa Willis @ Jan. 15 2009, 1:48 PM)
Aaaa OOOoooooo *cough* *hack*
- Yea what Dubious said.
Bubba is of course correct on the DI box. But having a handy little gadget like an inexpensive modeling FX pedal like the Digitech or more expensive Line 6 stuff is sort of double duty gear. If I'm using FreeAmp3 or another amp sim plugin, I just kick the Digitech into bypass. My levels are matched up and I'm good to go.
Everybody NEEDS a DI box (or three) in their bag of tricks though...
D
I was away for a bit …trying to change my advitar…I gave up on that
You guys sure love having your fun with Us new Mixer Cowboys…yaaaaaaa
Its like - 38 here with the windchill and my tractor wont start…had to feed the horses by hand.
Hope yaa all feel bad way out there In Texas with the sun shining on yaa
Ok this Kitchen Aid thing I got here (The Mixer) north of the pond talk…Its a Yamaha MW-12 usb mixer…7 speed …7th gear Is great for fast drinks
It has line and mic Inputs In It…But I have a Boss Peddal…with the 9v battery…will this give me some juice to the mixer??
Quote:
.But I have a Boss Peddal...with the 9v battery....will this give me some juice to the mixer??
Probably! The Boss stuff are not true bypass pedals, meaning even if the effect is bypassed the signal is still buffered. Try it and see! It won't hurt a thing...
D
PS It's 27 Deg F here in Nawth Alabammy... BRRRR...
You need to install a USB block heater on yer tractor!
I will give the fx pedal a try…By the way whats a DI box?
Quote: (Poppa Willis @ Jan. 15 2009, 2:20 PM)
You need to install a USB block heater on yer tractor!
Hee Hee...already got one on
err...but she keeps shutting down on me
I hear a song coming out of this
Thanks for chiming In on this Guys
Daner
DI = Direct Input - direct box.
Hi Daner,
Happy you fed the horses, they’ve got to love you for that!
Hey man it’s freezin down here in Big D.
Wind chill is around +19 and in shorts and a wife beater man that’s cold.
Look Daner try to shop a Vamp or something like that if you want options.
One that will allow you great cabinet amp combos for both the bass and guitar (and sub tones).
I have a cheep vamp for my bass but don’t like it from my axe.
I have a digi tech for my axe but don’t like it for bass.
There both pretty cheep
150. or less (desktop versions).
It all depends on what your trying to achieve.
A DI will be like pluggin your bass directly into the recording console for processing later.
If your into pure natrual sounds, a DI is fine.
And a lot less expensive.
If you didn’t know, you can shop this stuff and have it delivered via zzounds and musiciansfriend.com… Both can deliver to your stable.
Althought test drives might be a little difficult.
Most guys here have exp with many prods out there or have heard about them and can answer Qs.
plug the guitar into any MIC INPUT - same signal level from both, no need to use anything between the instrument and the mixer -
M.R.
If you go straight into the mic input of a soundcard -
Remember - some soundcards have three conductor input jack.
signal - tip
5v - ring (for electret mics) and ground - sleeve
So if you want to plug your guitar straight into the mic input - you should
use a stereo 1/8 plug and wire up just the tip and sleeve. Otherwise you short
5v ring to sleeve. A total short is avoided with a resistor inside the soundcard,
but you will be adding resistance to your mic input.
seven, daner has the good fortune to have a perfectly decent Yamaha USB mixer to run through, so that should not be a problem for him. Daner, I am pretty sure that mixer has 1/4 inch inputs on the microphone channels, for use with less expensive dynamic mics; you can run your acoustic straight in safely, but it may or may not sound great. Be sure you have the your mixer’s fader all the way down when you plug in, or out, to avoid unwanted (and speaker blowing) pops. Then you can adjust your levels until it sounds right. Keep your eye on your meters, both the Yamaha, and your DAW (ntrack has great meters - you can see them all the way across a medium large room). You can also run your bass in that way, but I really recommend getting either a direct box or an inexpensive pre-amp, like the ART MP1, which sells for about $30US at all the on-line stores. Not only will your levels match better, but you will have more tonal options with the pre-amp, to make the sounds you hear in your head come to life. It amazes me how even the simplest gear can sound great if you are careful with your settings…
Good luck!
'til next time;
wynot
Quote:
You can also run your bass in that way, but I really recommend getting either a direct box or an inexpensive pre-amp, like the ART MP1, which sells for about $30US at all the on-line stores. Not only will your levels match better, but you will have more tonal options with the pre-amp, to make the sounds you hear in your head come to life. It amazes me how even the simplest gear can sound great if you are careful with your settings...
Absolutely. Also, the level matching is part of the issue and related to impedance matching. You'll get better tone out of electric guitars/basses if they are driving a higher impedance input. Any additional gain you have to add to bring up a low level electric guitar pickup signal introduces more noise which you don't want. While you CAN take a Strat or Les Paul and plug straight into a mic input, it may not be ideal.
IMO, 2 pence, etc...
D