API TranZformer LX Transformer / Compressor / EQ Bass Pedal Reviews

It has not focused on many singular EQ's or Comp , But its API made and the limited qualities of each is in such high standards. They made something that isn't radical but rather focusing on clarity, warmth and fatness. A great pedal although its more to me.

First off, this thing is a tank. It's built like a brick sh!t-house. I spent about 30 minutes dialing it in with my amp. It's so wonderous. Then I put it in front of my SansAmp, and I almost started crying like every time I do at the end of Rudy. So heartwarming. So happy. 12/10 would recommend.

I'm still getting used to it, but it consistently sounds amazing. It gives me a great, legit "API" channel strip I'm using to track bass lines. Right now, I don't think I'll track direct without it!

Cons?? Probably not con's about this is that it's big! ...and tall... ...and heavy... That said, it's built like a TANK! Metal everything. It's going to outlast me... ...and probably my children...

I've been playing and collecting pedals for 16 years now. I currently own about 60 pedals, I've owned about 80 or so pedals in my life and I have used about 200. I am not speaking lightly here: I now own the best pedal I have ever played, full-stop: The API TranZformer LX preamp/compressor- the LX is the bass version and the GT is the guitar version. It is essentially an API preamp, a 535 EQ and a 525 compressor in a pedal with a DI output, and it's perfect- and I mean *perfect*- in every way.

I have used preamp pedals because I only use passive basses. I've learned a long time ago that a passive bass through an outboard preamp and compressor sounds better than a bass with an inboard preamp and compressor. I used an MXR M81 Bass Preamp pedal for a while, but it sounded too colored, less transparent than I wanted. For a while, I modified a JHS Colour Box for the purpose, and it sounded "bigger" than the M81, but it had a poor output, as I had to limit the input gain to keep it clean. It then went into an MXR M87 Bass Compressor to knock-off the peaks and fill in the valleys, and it was nice, but I was missing something. Sure, it sounded "bigger," than the M81, but it sounded kinda "dead" compared to the M81.

This API unit, on the other hand, is it. It livens the sound up, excites it, but it's not uncontrollable. The gain adds *ummph,* the bass is big like the Colour Box but the treble is alive but NEVER piercing, even at the highest settings. The compression is light and airy at level 1 and squashed, but not lifeless at 6 and just makes my amp come alive, It's just... I can't describe it. It is the perfect pedal.

The "bypass" switch turns the EQ, compressor, gain and buffer off so one can use a germanium fuzz after it, which is a handy little feature to have. I mainly just keep the EQ and Comp buttons on and just use the bypass switch to be able to use the fuzzes after it, then turn the unit back on when the fuzzes are turned off. With the EQ and Comp switches off and the bypass disengaged, the gain knob and buffer are still engaged, just good to know.

I'm going into the studio on January 26th, and this is definitely going with me. It's my favorite pedal, the best pedal I have ever used, but most importantly, it actually makes playing bass more enjoyable.

My short list of my five favorite pedals ever:
1.) API TranZformer LX- best pedal I've ever used
2.) Ibanez PD7 Phat Hed Bass Overdrive- Best bass distortion pedal ever
3.) DOD Gunslinger- Best guitar distortion pedal ever
4.) BYOC Silver Pony- Go-to overdrive, a part-for-part clone of a Klon Centaur
5.) MXR M80 DI+- Most useful bass pedal, a preamp/DI/distortion peda

This is a very sturdy pedal. It is definitely well built and offers noticeable tonal varieties which I do enjoy.

I have been a sound engineer and bass player for 30 years. The DI"s I have personally owned and used extensively over the years include the Avalon U5, the A Design Reddi, the Acme Motown DI in addition to the DI in my trusted Thermionic Culture Nightingale. High end audio manufacturers routinely claim that their equipment prioritize accurate, color free and artifacts free reproduction as opposed to imparting a sound of its own. Having gone through many high end DI"s and preamps over the years I can tell you that contrarily to these claims these units all sound noticeably different. All the units I mentioned are great and will deliver (in the proper hands of course). That being said my preference is for the API Tranzformer. Why? The U5 sounds too polite and polished for my taste. It lacks "b****". The Motown DI may offer the best plug-and-play experience as it offers a sounds that readily "sits" perfectly in the mix but it does not offer nearly as many features as the API. The Reddi does not offer more features than the Motown DI but at 4 times the size it still doesn"t sound any better. The API also is heavy and enormous by guitar pedal standards. That being said, it is very small for what it really is: a channel strip in pedal form. The sound of each section in its topology is to die for. In live situations where one usually has only seconds to make tweaks in between songs, the simplified controls for the EQ and compressor are a god sent. It can be just as polished as the U5 but on demand will offer "b****" for days.

Ok, I'm not going to ramble here, I'll shoot straight. This is by FAR the best tone I personally have ever gotten to my computer interface PERIOD.

I did a blind test with all of my personal gear based DI outs including:

An Eleven Rack (Blue Line), a BBE Bmax-T, Sansamp GED-2112, Ashdown Drophead 200 & 30, Ashdown (British made) CTM-30 & 100, Ashdown Original Preamp Pedal, Ashdown ABM 400 NEO & ABM 1000, Direct into a Persons Quantum interface, Art MPAII, Ampeg Heritage STV, (Too many to list) heck even my Ampeg B15n mic'd with an SM57 (The standard in bass recordings since the 60's) could not touch the warmth, clarity and punch of the api Transformer. Friends, this is what you want for your recordings and/or when going into a PA Period!

The compression on this unit is quick and easy to set, as there are 6 settings each one offering a little more compression, making finding the perfect compression setting cake. If you want the country plunk (NP!), if you play slap n pop (Simple), Metal, classic rock, it all sounds better here. Love overdrive? (then crank up the gain and let the tone fly), seriously, this is the golden egg of recording bass, as it cuts through the mix like a hot knife. It even plays well with my pedals, sounding great before and after depending on your arsenal.

The EQ settings (3 Band) which are setup for bass frequencies are amazing however, I found that 12 o'clock across the is the "set it and forget" setting. Plus, you can take your studio setting(s) and tone on road!!!


Buy one ASAP. (I recommend Joseph Secu as a sales engineer, great dude!)

I've always been a big fan of the API tone on bass. Whether plugging directly into an API console or using the 500 series units, API's tone is consistent and clean. I bought this pedal as a quick fix because my primary tube Pre/DI was being repaired. This unit just blew my mind the moment I plugged it in. Solid construction, beautiful clean tone, extremely usable frequencies in the EQ section and a super tasteful, "airy" compression section that API is known for, in what essentially is a stomp box/effect pedal. Whether I'm tracking in a studio or playing live, this unit delivers classic API tone. Audio engineers always compliment me on my tone and when I tell them what I'm using, their response is "No wonder your bass sounds so good!". It's an API channel strip for bass. You can't go wrong!!!