Why a specific preamp‑/looper‑/DI‑pedal
for bass instruments? The reasons are ob‑
vious: the frequency range of bass instru‑
ments goes from very deep fundamentals
(e.g. 30.87 Hz for low B or 41.20 Hz for low E
on an electric bass) to very high overtones
that have a crucial impact on the timbre
of the bass instrument even though they
are approaching the upper limits of the
audible spectrum (from 18 Hz to 20 KHz).
On top of this, bass instruments have a
characteristic attack with a very steep ini‑
tial transient followed by a weak electri‑
cal signal. These characteristics of bass
signals make enormous demands on the
electronics, with the result that the han‑
dling of bass signals by most equipment
is unsatisfactory and inconsistent in qual‑
ity. Only equipment specifically designed
for the purpose is able to handle such a
demanding signal pattern adequately. The
advantage of the Basswitch IQ DI, which
meets these demands, is that it can also
be used in many other areas (e.g. to handle
the signals from acoustic instruments).
Functions and applications overview
- The Basswitch IQ DI as A/B input
switcher
Input „Instrument A” allows you to con‑
nect either a low‑impedance instrument
(e.g. passive or active electric bass) or a
high‑impedance instrument (e.g. piezo‑
pickup of an electric bass or double bass
or other acoustic instruments without
preamp). Input „Instrument B” allows you
to connect a second instrument. The A/B
footswitch permits toggling between the
two inputs, whereby the signal from in‑
put A is routed to Channel A of the pedal
and the signal from input B is routed to
Channel B. If no cable is connected to the
„Instrument B” input, the signal from In‑
strument A can be routed to Channel A or
Channel B by using the A/B footswitch.
- The Basswitch IQ DI as high-end
preamp with parametric EQ
Channel A of the Basswitch IQ DI features
a high‑end preamp and a 4‑band EQ spe‑
cifically designed for bass instruments
and featuring bass, semiparametric low‑
and high‑mids, and treble controls. This
means you can either efficiently match the
sound and volume of two instruments con‑
nected to the Basswitch IQ DI or have a sec‑
ond sound‑setting for a single instrument
available at the push of a switch. Alterna‑
tively you can use the pedal, together with
its other features, as a flexible high‑end
preamp. As a stand‑alone preamp, the
Basswitch IQ DI can drive a power amp,
an active monitor, an active bass speaker
cabinet or an in‑ear monitoring system.
Note: The design of Channel B follows the
philosophy of not routing the instrument
signal unnecessarily through electron‑
ics but leaving it as pure and natural as
possible. Channel B therefore has neither
a preamp nor an EQ. If two instruments
are connected to the Basswitch IQ DI, the
matching of the volume is done exclusively
via the controls on Channel A. The Channel
A preamp therefore has a volume cut and
boost function.
- The Basswitch IQ DI as FX Looper
The Basswitch IQ DI has two effect loops:
a passive serial loop and a switchable
infinitely variable mixing loop, that en‑
ables you to go from a completely dry
signal (100% original; 0% FX), via paral‑
lel (100% original; 100% FX) to FX‑only
(100% FX; 0% original). A phase‑inverter
Introduction
