Hi everyone,

I've just finished a demo video for the StepABout. Because it's a preamp, I have first posted a hi-fi Quicktime version at stick.com:

http://www.stick.com/accessories/stepabout/

If you don't have Quicktime, you can download it for PC for free from apple: http://www.apple.com/quicktime/

I'm uploading a version to YouTube, too. It will be interesting to see how the sound compares.

If you have any questions about the StepABout after viewing the video, please post them to the forum instead of by PM so that everyone can benefit from the discussion.

Thanks to SE and to BassLab for making this project possible. I really like this preamp, and would love to see more of them getting out there.

Man what a great sound that thing gets!!!

I am completely ignorant to all things analog/digital so here is my ignorant question.

Can the stepabout eliminate other preamps for my rig?

I'm trying to downsize, Could I run the Stepabout into a line mixer and poweramp alone, and just use the tone shaping on the box? I know this would take away some of the routing options but I try not to use many effects.

Thanks
Brett

Hi Greg,
Nice presentation, I have used the Step-About as an EQ and I guess it is acting as a pre amp
as well though I am not sure how that works or what the difference is. But you seemed to be using it as a stomp-box
to control key effects . If it's not too complex could you explain how that worked post
SA. I think you have two SE-70's but any effect could work right? But then is there two "other"
separate lines for the clean sounds I am scratching my head but I suspect MIDI.
Thanks.
JRJ

Nice video indeed. Really brings home everything this unit will do.

I am currently test driving one and I am reasonably sure I will end up buying. To answer some questions ... yes this unit is a preamp and thus you can eliminate any other preamps from your rig.

The way I am currently running is Stick melody into input 1 and Stick bass into input 2. Then output A goes through my melody chain and output B goes through my bass chain. The chains essentially consist of a Boss VF-1 on each side for effects into a line mixer and then straight into the power amp on my SWR head. It really sounds great. It's a no frills box really. Just great sounding preamps.

First, the video is now up on YouTube:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YO-8SkgXaPU[/youtube]

for RSS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YO-8SkgXaPU


Hi Brett (and JRJ and Glenn),

I was blown away by the sound when I first ran my Stick into one of BassLab's BassXX preamps at the Frankfurt Messe a few years ago. The eq points are different for the StepABout than for their regular bass preamps, but otherwise its the same circuit.

I don't use any other preamps any more. Even toting around my SWR SM-400 to use as a stereo power amp (it has a really nice tube preamp), I still use the preamp in the StepAbout instead. They sound very similar (as Glenn is finding out...)

In performance, I'm running the StepABout into my TC Fireworx (for some compression and filtering) and then into the two SE-70s.

For the first 6:00 of the video I rand straight into my MOTU interface, and there's no eq, compression or any other processing applied to the signal. After 6:00 I just ran straight into the SE-70s then into the MOTU, again with no added eq or compression.

I really wanted to show the true sound quality of the preamps.

For your rig, you can run from the StepAbout straight into a line mixer, keyboard amp, powered cabs, whatever. you can even run it mono into an effects unit and mix in a little reverb or whatever you want, but it would be on both sides of The Stick in that case.



Post StepAbout, I'm just running into the two separate effects paths. The StepAbout is not involved in changing the effects, just how the signal is sent into them. All of the "mixing" within each effect path (dry/effect balance) is controlled within the patches themselves.

So at 7:20 I'm running the ambient effect on the A output, which is receiving the signal from both sides of the instrument. The melody side (input 2) is also going out the B side which has only a little reverb, but is otherwise clean.

Thanks for the interest, and for ther kind comments about the video.

Wow, Greg. Very nice. I can see why you said you wouldn't consider gigging without it.

I couldn't tell - what pickup were you using on the Stick that you did the demo with?

That instrument just has the Stickup on it these days. I really like what the preamp does with the melody strings with that pickup. The impedance matching and eq fit it perfectly.

The questions are really helpful to me. I may make another version of the video with more captions to clarify things, so thanks for the questions.

I LOVE my StepAbout. Wouldn´t want to live without it. Very musical and it does wonders with a Stickup. Very impressive device. I most often use it together with a Retrospec Squeeze Box compressor on the bass side and it´s a bass sound to kill for. Lovely.

//J

Really nice video, Greg. You have me wishing I had a Stickup instead of PASV4!

I have a really bad habit of leaving my Stick on the 'dual out of phase' setting, so in a way this video gave me new ideas and got me twisting my knobs again.

Anyway, I know I have been saying this forever, but I will surely get some videos up on the 'tube soon. Don't have a MOTU yet, but I will figure something out.

Steve

Thanks, Steve,

I have different pickups on different instruments. The Ten String Grand (which is coming this month I believe) has the PASV-4, as does my SG12. On the melody side, I really like the "neck" pickup position in the second filter position.

One obvious benefit of using radially different pickup and fiter settings on the PASV-4 is the sonic space created for each set of strings.

Do some experimenting, and make sure you're plugged into the right kind of impedance load.

If you plug a passive pickup into a line-level input, like the 1/4" jack on most mixers, it won't sound very good.

If you have an ACTV-2 you can also make good use of the eq and routing functions. I have the EMG on the melody of my hybrid pickups, and I think it works very well for that, too. Emmett uses his often (with ACTV-2), including at the Interlochen concert:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eg3RzmNrPAQ[/youtube]

You can see his sitting behind him on a chair, he just went straight into the board from it, in mono (through a DI)

And yes you're right. Nothing sounds like the Stickup. It's a great pickup for bringing out all the complexity and the full-range of tapped strings. The StepABout fits perfectly with both sets of strings with the Stickup, lots of clarity with no hiss, lots of warmth with no mud. The BassXX preamps are amazing!