V-Tone Bdi21 Bass Amp Modeler / Direct Recording Preamp / Di Box

I purchased the Behringer BDI21 V-Tone Bass DI Preamp as part of my quest for that iconic vintage Rock & Roll tone. Specifically, I aimed to capture the Rolling Stones' "Under My Thumb" Bill Wyman vibe, minus the fuzz. I'm a fan of the vintage Ampeg growl and Wyman's rolling bass tone, similar to what you hear in "Emotional Rescue." The BDI21 V-Tone does an impressive job of getting me in the ballpark. Paired with my Ampeg BA-110 V2, which has the Scrambler Overdrive, it delivers that extra growl I'm after. Using my MIM Fender Jazz Bass, this setup provides an affordable and good-sounding rig that's ready for small to medium venues, thanks to the BDI21's DI capabilities. If you're playing larger venues, you might have already invested in a SansAmp, but this box is more than capable and performs as advertised. It's important to note that the louder you can play, the more value and dynamic range you'll get from a unit like this. At lower volumes, the effects are less pronounced, but it's still a solid performer.

Great pedal. Sounds a lot like a tech 21 sansamp. About 95 percent. The plastic seems durable. The sansamp is more durable but it's over 200 dollars and this is 38. Great purchase if nothing else than for a backup or a desk di. Delievers what it promises. Great di bass tones

I will preface what I am about to type by saying that although I have been playing bass for 17 years, I am realtively new to audio engineering and digital recording, so please forgive any techncial innacuracies. Just got the BDI 21,and have learned that does quite a lot for small box at minimal cost. The amp emulation capabilities are subtle, but you can get just enough tube compression to take the edge off and get a fairly tight, smooth, and controlled sound (with just enough growl when needed). Nothing amazing here, but it does the trick. What the description does not mention is that the BDI21 also works as a signal splitter. There are two outputs (balanced XLR and unbalanced 1/4" line out), and they can work simultaneously with no noticable signal loss (even in bypass mode). I use it to send a nice clean signal to the audio interface/mixer using the balanced XLR output, and another signal to a dedicated bass amp using the 1/4" (to be used as a personal monitor). I can add whatever effect pedals I want to the monitor line and still send a clean signal to the DAW. It would be worth the $30 if this was its only function, but the BDI21 does a lot more. The BDI21 does work as preamp, but it is not an especially powerful preamp unless you crank the drive knob. This is actually a good thing, as most XLR inputs on mixers and audio interfaces have a built in preamp. If BDI21 preamp were very powerful, you would get a lot of extraneous noise by doubling up on preamps. The BDI21 XLR output going into a mixer or audio interface XLR input with built-in preamp generates no noticable extra noise, and is ideal for recording. The signal is crystal clear. I get a much cleaner signal this way than going 1/4" direct from the passive p-bass into the preamped 1/4" instrument input on the audio interface (true in both amp modeling and bypass mode). Any extra noise generated by going through 2 preamps is way more than compensated by the balanced XLR. I'm not saying the BDI21 does not work as a preamp at all. It does boost the signal just enough to use the 1/4" line level inputs on a mixer/audio interface. When you use the 1/4" out of the BDI21 into the line-level inputs on the mixer/audio interface, the signal level is relatively low, and there is tons of overhead (it is almost clip-proof; also ideal for recording). You get a litte more noise in this configuration, but much less chance of clipping when you are whaling on the low E, so it is a fair trade. If you are going to slap and pop or play very volume-dynamic music, this is a good way to go. You can always boost the signal in the DAW when mixing the recording (or crank the gain on the PA when playing live). All in all, a very cool little box. The amp modulation is nothing to write home about, but it is pretty good, and all the other amazing features more than compensate for any shortcomings in that department. For $32, there is no reason not to have this little guy in your bag of tricks.

I was very skeptical about this piece but the price was so low I had to try it and I must say it blew away any expectations I had prior to purchase. I have a LOT of direct boxes, some are custom made with Jensen transformers and even a couple of Countryman FET DI boxes. For the first time ever me and my Fender '51 Precision bass can travel without an amp. I plug my bass into this V-tone Bass Driver and use the XLR (mic level) output to feed to the PA, I control all my tone on the pedal and on my instrument. This only works when you're playing somewhere that has a PA and monitors that can handle reproducing all the bass, but these days we're finding many more clubs with good PA systems in them. When it comes to guitar I'm a tube amp guy, I own 11 Mesa Boogie amps and five Marshalls, but normally I like a super powerful clean amp for my bass rig. With this little pedal I can get some "beef" and some "grit" into my sound without it becoming fizzy or blurry. It's a very pleasant non-DSP sort of sound, dare I say it, analog tone? Not exactly tube but very musical and good sounding. I've disliked the battery compartment door on Behringer pedals in the past, this one cures the problem, it's easy to open and replace the battery. Battery life seems good so long as you disconnect when not in use. This would be a good D.I. box at $99 but at $30 it is an over the top amazing deal. Good luck and good music to all!

I am amazed at how good this pedal is, and then factor the price($$) and it's crazy. I am the KING of BUDGET BASS GEAR. Harley Bentons, BRICE and DOUGLAS from rondomusic.com, Glarrys, IYV's. I had tried 2 CALINE Wine Cellars, and they are very similar, if not exactly the same clone. But both of mine had a bad ground hum that made them unusable. Returned twice. Bought this. 3rd one is the charm. It's great. I shoulda known. I have their Compressor Sustainer, Chorus, and Limiter Enhancer, and they are all great pedals. This has a DRIVE circuit(knob) that gets thick and aggresive without too much distortion. It has a PRESENCE Circuit(knob) that brightens and tightens the overall sound. It really is a cheaper version of the SansAmp. Just Do It!! You will not be disappointed.

If you’re as old as me, you’ll remember when Behringer were a total joke. All the gear hissed and popped and blew up all the time. But they have pivoted into making solid products, and have absolutely changed the market. Their synths are exceptional. And this pedal is exceptional. I’ve been struggling with bass sounds in my home studio, I usually use UAD’s amp sims, or record clean and process in the DAW. But then I can find myself fannying about using dynamic EQs and saturators, filters and all sorts of nonsense to try and fix the bass sound. This is in stark contrast to when I have used a SansAmp in pro studio settings. So I thought I’d get a SansAmp, but this thing caught my eye. A SansAmp is $300, this thing is $50. So I gambled on it. There’s not much to say really, plug it in, turn up the drive a bit, blend it in, all problems solved. Really. No more time wasted on fixing the bass, because now so get instant professional recorded bass sound. All you need to do is stick an LA2A on it and you’re done. Or shove it through the thermionic culture culture for fun. It costs as much as a pizza and a beer with your boy/girl/themfriend. So it’s a no-brainer. Buy it now. Really. Then paint it, because it’s really ugly. A

GARBAGE. Does not operate on battery. Bought it in March. In July it is broken. Support site is third party discussion board. If I could throw it back in their faces, I would.

Played with this unit for a few hours and could not get a good sound out of it at all. I bought it to use when recording electric bass directly to Garage Band, because the volume was too low and weak when recording directly. I had hoped this would compensate, but the only thing this unit seems to do is add a hideous fuzz when the drive knob is turned up (and I don't mean a nice, vintage fuzz bass sound, I mean like an old stereo with frayed wires). Other than that, no matter how the other knobs are set, there is no noticeable difference in the sound, whether it is on or off. For reference, I am playing an Ibanez 6-string bass (active pickup with a brand new battery), into this unit, then into a Behringer U-Phoria UMC22, then into Garage Band via USB (criticize my gear or setup all you want, but the point is that this did nothing to increase volume, fatten the tone, or add any presence at all). The irony is that this DOES provide a reasonably good sound when recording my guitar (hence the 2-star rating), but alas, the sound is still not significantly different than when not using it. Will return, if that isn't too much of a hassle.