A gold mine of effects and sound options for bassists!

There's a storm on the horizon and it's called Blue Thunder. This Rocktron Bass Preamp with Multi-Effects is a live and studio tool that's been specifically designed and voiced for bass. The preamp has 128 pro presets designed for bass. A selectable hi-pass effects filter allows you to determine the frequency range being passed through the digital effects, delivering lush effects that won't muddy up your low end. Custom voiced bass effects including flanger, phaser, tremolo, delay, and reverb. Rocktron's dynamic compression is included and has also been specifically engineered for bass. If that's not enough, Rocktron's multi-voiced delay and chorus are specifically voiced for bass use in live and recording situations.

Want some distortion? The Blue Thunder rolls out built-in distortion designed specifically for bass which can be added to your dry bass signal and effect path independently as desired.

Rocktron's unique signal routing allows you to choose between an analog direct feed, or full effects routing. The Blue Thunder has a most powerful and flexible tone shaping tool with Rocktron's SIMbiotic 4-band parametric EQ consisting of 2 sections of band-limited parametric EQ and bass and presence along with 2 sections of full bass. Parametric mid and treble EQ sections. A Speaker Exciter with Sonic Clarity and Sonic Boom controls allows you to record direct, while adding a new tonal dimension to your live sound.

Whether using the Blue Thunder Bass Preamp with a power amplifier and speaker cabinets or while recording with the cabinet simulator engaged, the Speaker Exciter offers yet another extension of tonal expression allowing you to choose the speaker size (8", 10", 12", 15") then giving you even more tonal possibilities using the Sonic Boom and Sonic Clarity controls.

When the Cabinet Simulator is active the outputs are specifically conditioned for direct recording to produce a virtual miked cabinet response. This allows you to connect directly to a PA system or recording equipment and leave that heavy cabinet home! Cabinet Simulator works in conjunction with the Speaker Exciter to deliver lifelike direct recording. Separate input and output level controls on the Blue Thunder accommodate all kinds of basses with active and passive pickups.

Rocktron's unique signal routing allows you to choose the signal path type for the direct mix, analog or digital. For effect loop routing you may want to use the Blue Thunder in an effects loop of your existing preamp. In this case you can route the direct signal around the DSP by setting the Direct Path option. With Direct Path Analog, your direct signal is untouched and then mixed with the DSP effects only. With Direct Path Digital you are using the Blue Thunder as a dedicated preamp.

The Blue Thunder incorporates Rocktron's award-winning digital HUSH noise reduction.

All presets on the Blue Thunder are user programmable and can be restored to original factory settings. A tap button for delay and rate control is on the front panel and is MIDI programmable. The Blue Thunder has full MIDI capabilities when you use the optional Rocktron MIDI XChange, MIDI Mate or All Access footcontrollers). (See the accessory box on this page.) Using a MIDI footswitch and expression pedal will allow realtime control of virtually all effects parameters. The Blue Thunder uses 24-bit internal processing via Motorola DSP Engine for double precision 48 x 48-bit multiply with 96-bit result.

Rocktron Blue Thunder Bass Preamp with Multi-Effects Features:

• Preamp with live and studio effects
• 128 pro presets designed for bass
• Selectable hi-pass effects filter allows you to specify frequency ranges that are effected
• Won't muddy up your low end
• Custom voiced bass effects including flanger, phaser, tremolo, delay, and reverb
• Rocktron dynamic compression
• Multi-voiced delay and chorus
• Distortion designed specifically for bass can be added to your dry bass signal and effect path independently
• Unique signal routing allows you to choose between an analog direct feed or full effects routing
• SIMbiotic 4-band parametric EQ with 2 sections of band-limited parametric EQ and presence
• 2 sections of full bass parametric mid and treble EQ sections
• Direct out with Speaker Exciter and Sonic Clarity plus Sonic Boom controls
• Separate input and output level controls accommodate both active and passive instruments
• Can be used in the effects loop of your existing preamp
• HUSH noise reduction
• All presets are user programmable
• Tap button for delay and rate control is on the front panel and is MIDI programmable
• Full MIDI capabilities

The secret weapon for bass players! Order now.

Rocktron Blue Thunder Bass Preamp with Multi-Effects

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As with most digital effect processors,...

Posted by Anonymous Musician from Dallas on May 28, 2008

Experience w/product: I own it

Reviewer's Background: Active musician

Reviewer's Play Style: Prog rock, funk, fusion

As with most digital effect processors, all of the presets suck. If you want something with good presets that you dont have to mess with, get a line6 pod, but if you are trying to create your own tones this thing is great. I am very glad it has the Hush circiut, because without it the unit is quite noisy. With hush it sounds fine. The compressor and chorus (at low levels) sound great, which is good because these are the two effects i use most. all of the other effects sound pretty good if u know how to use them, with the exception of the phaser. (something I never use anyway) Overall this is a very good product.

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Great Bass Preamp

Posted by Anonymous Musician on Dec 28, 2006

Experience w/product: I own it

Reviewer's Background: N/A

Reviewer's Play Style: Rock

I bought the Blue Thunder after being disappointed with the Behringer Bass V-Amp. The Blue Thunder is almost everything I had hoped for.

The compressor sounds great and does not pump. Set all parameters to their minimum values for great bass compression. Much better than the V-Amp. The four band parametric eq is also far superior to the limited eq in the V-Amp.

The best features are the highpass filter (pre distortion and fx, but not on the direct signal) and the distortion. The distortion is in parallel with the clean signal and can have a hp filter before it. When adjusted properly, you can get the perfect amount of grit in your sound (think 70's Yes and Rush). The only way I could get this sound before was with a biamped setup, hp filtering then distorting only one of the signals. The V-Amp could not produce this sound, no matter what model I used. The V-Amps 'distortion' section is a joke compared to the Blue Thunder. It sounds awful in comparison. Rocktron's mistake in this department was putting WAY to much distortion gain in the factory presets.

The Rocktron presets are useless. You have to create your own and know what you are doing to get the best result. It sounds great direct. Great MIDI control. Easy to navigate and program.

My only gripe is that Rocktron uses a sine wave instead of a triagle wave on the LFO used to sweep the modulation effects. This means that the sweeps on the chorus, flanger, etc. 'hang' for a moment at the top and bottom of the sweeps. The chorus intensity is not uniform as a result. That is, the pitch change in the chorus goes to zero for a moment twice each sweep period. Note to Rocktron: USE TRIANGLE LFO'S!

Though it doesn't 'model' other amps, this product is superior to the V-Amp in every way that matters to me. It costs more, but in this case you get what you pay for. I can't get it to sound nearly as good as the Blue Thunder no matter how hard I try.

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Not a good choice

Posted by BASSVERTIGO from Minneapolis, MN on Nov 8, 2006

Experience w/product: I have used it

Reviewer's Background: Active Pro

Reviewer's Play Style: ROCK, Jazz, Alternative, Studio

I am a professional bass player. I chose the Blue Thunder as a tool to help me have more consistency of sound, tone, and effects. I play theater, Jazz, rock, and studio gigs almost every day. Some of my sessions need in-ear monitoring, some are full rig shows, and some are in radio or TV studios. My hope was that this unit would provide a programable balance for quality levels, effects, and sounds. The floor noise of the unit was high and came through on tracking and live. The presets are foolish. The compression is not even useful. All of the effects are toy-like. I can’t imagine a professional bass player worked with Rocktron to make this happen. BUT, if this company can clean the signal path, offer some real sound designs, remove the blue blinking light, and design signal path options, they may be back on track. One good thing: EQ passing before the effect is a good tool for distortion and could be applied to chorusing AND even better MULTI - BAND COMPRESSION!!! Rocktron Blue Thunder, go home and grow up.

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One Massive Tone

Posted by hurleygrl666 from Marshall, MO on Jul 31, 2006

Experience w/product: I own it

Reviewer's Background: musicain

Reviewer's Play Style: glam rock

I have had the Blue Thunder Bass Preamp with Multi-Effects for about 3 months now and i love it. the tone is sooo thick and creamy!

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Rocktron Blue Thunder Bass Preamp with Multi-Effects

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