Sampling guitar and bass?

Can anyone give me a good device to use as a DI into a MPC4000 for sampling. Like, if I wanted a guitar part recorded as a sample into a MPC4000, what would be a good direct box? Maybe a POD?

Asy suggestions?

What you want is a preamp not a DI, a DI converts an instrument or line level to balanced mic level, the 4k needs line level in. The Pod is a good choice though, or the Adrenalinn, or any amp modeller that has a line out.

for cheap : behringer makes great gear. i personally vouch for the BVamp Pro $150 but i route it through a tube ultrafex (another $150) > still cheaper than the pod.

Vox makes a hell of a great little tube unit for $300 or so.

but for real if you're into the whole tone thing, pick yourself up a mesa boogie or other quality tube preamp device cause the simulated digital stuff sounds simulated and digital.

dudum wrote:for cheap : behringer makes great gear. i personally vouch for the BVamp Pro $150 but i route it through a tube ultrafex (another $150) > still cheaper than the pod.

Vox makes a hell of a great little tube unit for $300 or so.

but for real if you're into the whole tone thing, pick yourself up a mesa boogie or other quality tube preamp device cause the simulated digital stuff sounds simulated and digital.

What about the Tech 21 Sansamp stuff? Like the GT-2 or the Classic? i hear good things about those.....I have the Tech 21 Bass Driver DI and I love it and I hardly "love" any peice of gear.

dudum wrote:for cheap : behringer makes great gear. i personally vouch for the BVamp Pro $150 but i route it through a tube ultrafex (another $150) > still cheaper than the pod.

Vox makes a hell of a great little tube unit for $300 or so.

but for real if you're into the whole tone thing, pick yourself up a mesa boogie or other quality tube preamp device cause the simulated digital stuff sounds simulated and digital.

oh, and about the BVamp Pro.....a buddy of mine had that thign and we both agreed it was not very good, at least not by itself....

I've used the VOX, tech 21 sans amp, and line 6 products....they all do a pretty darn good job. The Vox unit has a tube it it but surprisingly doesn't seem to be as good as the others due to excessive noise. One of the problems with using a real amp is you need a decent sounding or dead room, and also need a mic and the skills necessary to mic the thing which is a project worthy of an entire forum. That being said, an SM57 about 2" from the grill is one of the most common ways to go about it. Experiment with setting the mic dead center and then listening with it off axis as well. In a larger room I also use an additional mic 15 to 20 feet away and then run a stereo mix with the two signals...Amp modeling has gotten really good in the past few years though. If you can afford it, the line 6 vetta II has several simulated mic and mic placement options and also lets you apply re-amping which basically sends a dry signal to your multi track machine and then allows you to route it back into the vetta on playback giving you the freedom to change amp, effects, and mic settings on playback....some other cool features of this amp are that it allows you to use two different amps at once and it also has a double track feature that is pretty cool. It's also a great amp in its own right with 2x12" celestions and 150 watts which is enough to drive 4 - 4x12 cabs and blow the house down! ..the downside is......$1600. The least expensive quality option in my experience is the tech 21 sans amp. I used it for about 10 years and was very happy with it.

fader-pro wrote:I've used the VOX, tech 21 sans amp, and line 6 products....they all do a pretty darn good job. The Vox unit has a tube it it but surprisingly doesn't seem to be as good as the others due to excessive noise. One of the problems with using a real amp is you need a decent sounding or dead room, and also need a mic and the skills necessary to mic the thing which is a project worthy of an entire forum. That being said, an SM57 about 2" from the grill is one of the most common ways to go about it. Experiment with setting the mic dead center and then listening with it off axis as well. In a larger room I also use an additional mic 15 to 20 feet away and then run a stereo mix with the two signals...Amp modeling has gotten really good in the past few years though. If you can afford it, the line 6 vetta II has several simulated mic and mic placement options and also lets you apply re-amping which basically sends a dry signal to your multi track machine and then allows you to route it back into the vetta on playback giving you the freedom to change amp, effects, and mic settings on playback....some other cool features of this amp are that it allows you to use two different amps at once and it also has a double track feature that is pretty cool. It's also a great amp in its own right with 2x12" celestions and 150 watts which is enough to drive 4 - 4x12 cabs and blow the house down! ..the downside is......$1600. The least expensive quality option in my experience is the tech 21 sans amp. I used it for about 10 years and was very happy with it.

Thanks for the advice. But, can you "record" or "sample" your guitar or bass directly into the MPC4000? I think thats what you were getting at. Appoligies if I am misunderstanding you.

yeah the BVamp was pretty useless until i bought the buffer stage. i like it for the ability to mix the keyboard amps with a bass head for some glitchy lo-fi stuff.

you need to preamp your signal prior to the 4K input.

my favorite bit of preamp gear is a Mesa Boogie Studio 22+ strip. a lot of pros endorse the tech21 stuff but i don't have any experience.

You will not be able to sample directly to the MPC with guitar and bass and have it sound good...You need an amp or an amp modeler.