Sansamp psa-1 is a magic pre or?

[separanets]

Hi,

I saw a Sansamp PSA-1 on sale on eBay for about $350. It's much more expensive than the ADA MP-1 and nearly as much as the Rocktron Piranha or Peavey Rockmaster or many other decent tube preamps. And it confused me so much, cause they say the PSA-1 a sort of SS. The most astonishing thing for me was some reviews in which people who owned triaxis', jmp's and stuff say the psa-1 is like the best.

 

some quotes:

I've put this up agains my Triaxis, and it held it's own. I'd say it was 98% as good as the triaxis preamp, and some settings were nicer.

 

I tried with others Pre-amps: Line6 PODXT PRO, V-amp PRO, Marshall JMP-1, ADA MP1&MP-2, and the best is PSA-1, maybe Tri-axis Mesabooguie is good, Voodo Labs is very good, Prophesy also good, piranha is good, but PSA-1 is more versatyle and the Distortion is vERY VERY BRUTAL...I?m play the guitar in a Fusion Band: Heavy Progressive,Metal Fusion, Funk, some Blues,ETC and PSA-1 is the winner. I tried record direct with PSA-1 and is very Brutal Pre, I?m session music, not POD XT is a TOY, NOT V-AMP, is a cheap TOY, Maybe JMP-1 is decent, Triaxis very Expensive, Vodoo Labs Expensive, try with PSA-1 is the best.

 

***

 

I compared it with A Mesa boogie Triaxis and Marshall JMP 1 as I was considering only preamps. The triaxis is one of the best there is but I did not like all the distortion sounds, I detected a mid range that was not very pleasing to me plus it is quite expensive. The JMP-1 was great on distortion but hisses too much. The JMP?s cleans were not to my liking. The PSA 1 was a no brainer. Best choice for me.

 

***

 

I've owned, tweaked and extensively tested the Mesa Triaxis, Mesa Studio, Rocktron Prophesy, Voodoo Valve, Piranha, Hafler Triple Giant, Egnater IE4, Voodoo Lab Preamp, POD Pro, and a whole host of various Digitech, ADA, and other related crap that I don't care to remember the names of.... not to mention a ridiculously long line of Marshall, VHT, Mesa and many other amps. I've spent countless hours running preamps through line-switchers through identical setups side-by-side for accurate comparison through a bevy of VHT and MESA poweramps and cabinets. My conclusions: If you're into tight, heavy, high gain guitar tones there's nothing out there that does this sound better than the PSA-1 IMHO, and it's clean and medium overdrive tones are very good and useable as well.

 

I'm shocked.

 

The PSA-1 makes remarkably good Boogie tones, but not quite as focused as I like them. Still, the PSA-1 is a VERY close second and will be remaining in my rack as a backup.

 

It's like 'read and buy asap'

 

So I'm kinda confused now, cause I've played a Sansamp Tri AC or GT-2 and I was not so impressed. So may be this psa-1 is the magic wand in a box? So, is it really as cool as the price and reviews say?

[HairyScaryMark]

I have one.

 

It is not as good direct as might be suggest elsewhere but it certainly can create a wide range of sounds, very well. It is best as part of a larger setup.

 

My setup is listed below, minus a solid state onmiphonics footprint power amp and a alesis midiverb 4. My next 2 purchases should be a Marshall 9200 and TC electronics G Major, which should get things sounding 98%, i would think. Also might replace my battered old speakers with a set of vintage 30s.

 

It does sound like a 'real' amplifier and is far more organic than any amp modeller.

 

Unfortuantly, I never quite get passed 90% of the tone being how I want it, at the moment. I think valve power amp + good effects processor should help this.

 

I used to own a jmp-1 before and got some good sounds with it but didn't do as wide a range of sounds. This device is also best with a valve power amp (which I didn't have money for, at the time).

[separanets]

Well, thank you for giving your opinion. There are 3 of them on sale now one is $300 and the two others are $350. First, I found it was SS, but when I read through the reviews section, I got surprised a bit, because it appears to be the second non-tube preamp that people praise a lot for its sound. The first one for me was the Yamaha DG-1000. However, as people compare it with Mesa/Boogie preamps, I grew a bit stuck, because I'd found a Rectifier Recording Preamp on sale as well, but its price was $900, you see, nearly 2.5 - 3 times as much. So the best way for me could be to take the PSA-1 for my collection.

[dmk]

sorry to go OT but anyone who says the pod xt is a toy has probably never played one

[VSpaceBoy]

sorry to go OT but anyone who says the pod xt is a toy has probably never played one

 

 

 

 

Well, anyone who says bratwurst tastes bad can just go to hell.

[HairyScaryMark]

It has no valve in it.

 

This should not be a problem for particular sounds (even when direct) and if you get a valve power amp it will probably contain some pre amp valves also.

 

I can't really give an accurate opinion on it's potential until I purchase a valve power amp (and other parts of my setup).

 

I have also played other people's guitars through it, some sound better than I get mine to.

[separanets]

I dug up this demo

 

As for SRV sounds I'd say the preamp is not sprakle enough in that clip. Heavey rock sounds seem to be comparable to the JMP-1 or better. No crunch rythm was demonstrated.

[dmk]

Well, anyone who says bratwurst tastes bad can just go to hell.

 

your point is?

[John S. Shinal]

In the $300-350 range is a very good price for that.

 

It is an analog modeling preamp, instead of a digital modeler like most. Each stage in the PSA-1 simulates a particular portion of a "real" tube amp. The first control is similar to the preamp gain, then there are three controls that adjust how much gain is appplied to low, mid and high frequencies (this is where you make the PSA-1 simulate a Marshall, Vox, Fender, Boogie, etc). There is another control that simulates the master volume on an amp, or rather how "loud" you are simulating the amp being imitated. Lastly is a bass, treble and volume section to adjust the final tone and overall loudness sent to your rack power amp.

 

The PSA-1 does get a little over-compressed if you increase any gain control near maximum. If you add moderate amounts of gain in different stages, it stays very natural. I don't really like the "Boogie" or "Recto" settings, but most Fender, Marshall & Vox tones are really good at various levels of distortion.

 

It takes a few weeks to really get comfortable with all the settings and get it sounding like you want it to.

 

For a true "tone gourmet" it's probably not perfect enough. A lot of people will be happy with it, though and it is nice to have so many useable tones in a single rack space. :thu:

[separanets]

Yes, the Sansamp pedals seemed overcompressed too near maximum. And you were right: the item for $300 was sold at ones as the "buy now" option; thus it must be very cheap. I should have read your post a bit earlier.

 

off: sorry for my lack of knowledge of Germanglish, what the bell is bratwurst? A german sausage or its the name of a new rack processor model?

[John S. Shinal]

I'm sure he means the sausage, but if it's a rackmount unit, it's probably made by Danelectro - all their stuff is named for food.

[Elric]

Hi, I saw a Sansamp PSA-1 on sale on eBay for about $350. It's much more expensive than the ADA MP-1 and nearly as much as the Rocktron Piranha or Peavey Rockmaster or many other decent tube preamps. And it confused me so much, cause they say the PSA-1 a sort of SS. The most astonishing thing for me was some reviews in which people who owned triaxis', jmp's and stuff say the psa-1 is like the best.

Dude, go read the other Harmony Central reviews and then get back with us. Here's a basic summary though: :blah:

 

Summary: it's a good analog modeling preamp. But, don't let the price thing or the HC reviews confuse you. Used gear prices are weird and $$$$ does necessarily mean better.

 

The PSA-1 is a pretty cool unit but, for my tastes, I'd personally take ANY of the other units you cited before a PSA-1 and possibly even some more cheaper ones.

[HairyScaryMark]

I think one way you can say the psa-1 is different from other amp modellers.

 

You would tend to avoid using most amp modellers on recording (unless you are going for a less organic sound or something which suits the amp modeller better anyhow).

 

The psa-1 does however sound ~98% like a real amp.

 

Some people use it as a glorified distortion pedal, other people use direct. I think the best approach is somewhere inbetween where it is used in the place of your pre amp.

[separanets]

Finally I received it. But I have a couple of questions.

 

First of all, the Save button. It's not a button, there's a hole right there. And it reads above it "Push 2x". Well, should I use a sort of key or something to insert into the whole?

 

Secondly, I didn't find a button to turn on the power. It gets on as soon as I just connect the power cable to the power outlet.

 

That's all so far. I have an owners manual, but it's in Japanese

 

Thanks in advance.

[starsnuffer]

The sansamp unit was used to record a LOT of famous bands in the 80's. That is why it is so sought after.

 

You'll also need a lot of outboard studio gear and Bob Rock to get it to sound like those recordings, but hey, it's a start.

 

It's usefulness as a live amplifier is questionable.

 

-W

[John S. Shinal]

First of all, the Save button. It's not a button, there's a hole right there. And it reads above it "Push 2x". Well, should I use a sort of key or something to insert into the whole? Secondly, I didn't find a button to turn on the power. It gets on as soon as I just connect the power cable to the power outlet.

 

1. Use a guitar pick for the SAVE switch. Press once and it will start flashing at you. Press a 2nd time and it does a little dance and saves your settings to whatever patch number is displayed. So you can load preset patch 08 (Van Halen 1 ) make an adjustment, press SAVE (flashing), then the UP key to select slot #79 and press SAVE again to load your modified 08 into slot 79.

 

2. Correct, no power switch. Usually the power is controlled by the power strip for the entire rack, so they left it out.

 

3. Here is a listing of presets, at least.

http://www.popeye-x.com/tech/SansAmp_PSA-1_presets.htm

 

The whole manual is here :

http://www.eserviceinfo.com/downloadsm/18664/Tech21%20NYC_SansAmp%20PSA-1.html

 

Definitely don't miss #48, worth tweaking !

 

It helps to organize your saved voicings in some way. I have a Plexi-ish sound saved at #68, and a higher gain version at #69, for example. I got a little silly with it, Fender sounds in the 50s, surf in the low 60s, ad nauseum.

[separanets]

Thank you John. Exhaustive answer. Useful links.

 

No power switch, OK. The answer that I found in their FAQ looks somewhat stupid though.

 

Our research indicates that most rackmount units are wired up in a rack to a power strip that has its own on/off switch. Many studios leave the equipment on 24 hours a day anyway and experience no adverse effects. And if you examine the PSA-1, you may notice that we put so much in, there really isn't enough room for a switch!

Isn't enough room??? Gee, they didn't manage to run the power cable through a switch like this?

 

 

 

 

It's usefulness as a live amplifier is questionable.

I have already found that true.

[timrocker]

I really really like my PSA-1. Much more as a recording tool or for playing music at home though. It is, at low volumes, with the right fx and power amp/speakers, a quick way to get good enough home guitar tone.

 

My experience with taking it live is less useful. The tone doesn't cut through, and midi patch changing is a bit weird for live use in that every room interacts with your sound differently. So, if you have time to take your favorite patches and tweak them, and save a series of them during soundcheck to use throughout the gig, no problem. I haven't found that kind of time during soundcheck.

 

It is worth noting that Tech 21 does NOT recommend using tube power amps or, for that matter guitar range speakers. All of the things that people normally look for in a guitar rig are not at all recommended for use with the PSA-1. To get the most out of it, you need the final stages to be as full range and as linear as possible. Because, in theory, all of the tube sounds and all of the speaker coloration are in the PSA-1 already. Adding more of that is chancey. This would probably be a very good pre-amp to use with a Crown K-2 and a line 6 cabinet. Insert some kind of delay/reverb in there too and you'll be digging it, I think.

 

I'd really like to try mine with a good graphic eq. I haven't had the chance yet.

 

I've had the tech 21 sansamp original pedal. Found it useful. I find the PSA-1 to be much more useful and has better sounds. I really really actually like the bypass setting. It's just like going right into the board of a good mixing desk. And that's worth something. When you want clean, there is not much more clean than that. That still remains musical, anyway.

 

My 2 cents on the PSA-1. I'll probably put mine on the market in a year or two, when my Rockmaster-tape delay-Marshall EL34-Marshall 1960B rig is complete. When it gets right down to it, I don't like patch changes and I hate editing and saving. Give me three channels and I'll do the rest with FX, EQ and with my playing.

[DavidFisher]

The PSA-1 freaking rocks. I've had two now, and I wish I had two more.

I love it for 'different' guitar tones and layering up multiple tracks. I have used just about every product by Boss and Line 6 (had a short stint working at GC that I worked for a bit in accessories) and really, the PSA-1 kills them.

Also, it's simply one of the best flexible ways to get killer bass tones in the studio. I've used some better preamps and DIs in general, but they generally give you a 'single sound'. The PSA-1 covers so much ground.

 

Really I'd give it a 7.5/10 for guitar, but a 10/10 for everything else. You can do some simply magical things to a kick drum with it (get an octave down if you do it right), vocals, keyboards, etc. I couldn't think of mixing a session without at least one.

[Boganova]

I have the PSA 1.1 as my preamp and run a TC G major through the effects loop. I then run this into a tube poweramp.

 

On its own, its average. Good but aint great. But add the EQ in the G major and then some power tubes for warmth. and {censored} me it sings mate. Love it. Its more part of a great package than a awesome piece of kit.

 

Ive used it with Solid State power amps too, and still great. I love it. Whole set up is 3000nz new and it is perfect for me, and better than my all valve Marshal stack.

[django5]

That doesn't seem that cheap, my Rockmaster was $300 I think.

[separanets]

I play directly through a computer and it's awesome (I have a vht 2902 and a mesa studio pre btw). It seems as if they were taking the signal from a real speaker and like I was listening it though a studio monitor in the other room, so realistic. But... my multimedia acoustic system is too quiet (10 watts at max). And I hear the sound that's coming from the strings in the air. So I'm thinking of wether it's possible to use the psa-1 through a tube guitar power amp and a broadband loudspeaker, hi-fi or something. Or the amp should be non-guitar as well? What do you think?

[timrocker]

 

I have the PSA 1.1 as my preamp and run a TC G major through the effects loop. I then run this into a tube poweramp. On its own, its average. Good but aint great. But add the EQ in the G major and then some power tubes for warmth. and {censored} me it sings mate. Love it. Its more part of a great package than a awesome piece of kit. Ive used it with Solid State power amps too, and still great. I love it. Whole set up is 3000nz new and it is perfect for me, and better than my all valve Marshal stack.

 

 

Boganova, would you mind telling me what power amp and what speaker cabs you're using? Sounds like you're getting really good results there. I've been wondering if just all of the advice/recommendations that Tech 21 gives is working. Thanks!

[Elric]

 

Or the amp should be non-guitar as well? What do you think?

 

 

I'd strongly recommend the PSA-1 be used through a non guitar system. Look at studio monitors, a Keyboard amp, a powered PA, or Tech 21's own power engine system.

[separanets]

 

I'd strongly recommend the PSA-1 be used through a non guitar system. Look at studio monitors, a Keyboard amp, a powered PA, or Tech 21's own power engine system.

 

Does it mean that using the psa-1 live will stop being questionable? Why am I asking? Evening-party caffes offer only a system (600-1000 watts) for playing DVD's, singning and using a keyboard to play something life. No equipment for guitarists. So I need to come and plug my preamp directly into the mix. It could very convinient because the mix usualy has an echo/delay effect in-built, a noise gate too etc. It means that I can bring only the guitar and the psa-1.