Alternate route to getting that Akai Deep Impact tone

vooch311 · #1 11-16-2011, 10:17 PM

Hey all

If anyone is at all familiar with Mike Gordon's synthy wet tone on the intro to Boogie on Reggae woman (very close to the original Stevie Wonder version)...I am looking to achieve someting close to this without having pay $900 for the Deep Impact.

After searching for a while I believe I have narrowed it down to the 3Leaf GR which is similar to the Meatball Envelope Filter he uses (also insanely overpriced). Im hoping to use a Source Audio Soundblox Pro Multiwave Bass Distortion with this to get that kind of synthy keyboard funk sound. Thoughts? Anyone have experience with these 2 pedals together?

Thanks for any info, I am finally taking the dive into the effects world and need something by this weekend hopefully. The local stores here suck and offer no variety of pedals to try.

sillyfabe · #2 11-17-2011, 05:27 AM

Here is a list of everything I use for synthy sounds I can honestly say there are very little synth sounds I CANT make....

3-Leaf Audio GR-MK-I
Boss OC-2 (with synth mod)
Wooly Mammoth Clone (fuzzy elephant circuit)
Behringer BSY-600 Bass Synth
EHX Bass Micro Synth XO
Way Huge Swollen Pickle
EHX/Sovtek Russian Big Muff (modded with gate and voltage knob plus self-oscillation switch)
Tech 21 Red Ripper
Boss PS-3 Digital Pitch Shifter/Delay
EHX POG2
Boss DD-7

wolffman · #3 11-17-2011, 08:50 AM

if you need a synth sound by this weekend look on your local craigslist for a digitech bass synth wah, boss syb3 or syb 5, or a behringer bsy600. None of which will get you a deep impact tone, but they work fine for synth sounds. If you haven't played with a synth pedal before I would suggest getting it ASAP because you might find you need to alter your technique to get them to respond the way you want (play somewhere between the neck & neck pickup, roll your tone down, use only the neck pickup, and depending on how you usually attack the strings you may need to change your right hand technique for clean deliberate playing)

if you want to get more in depth with it there are countless synth threads. yes you can use the mwbdp & befpro like gordo but he still has the di too... nothing sounds like a di, just like other synth pedals have their own unique voices too

DeltaPhoenix · #4 11-17-2011, 08:58 AM

Wow, I will do it for Wolfy. That Markbass super synth link in his signature...click on it. This is not exactly a Deep Impact but definately a good synth pedal. If you choose to explore the world of synth pedal you will find out that none of them do everything you would want. After acknowleding that, the MarkBass is pretty good, especially for the price.

RCCollins · #5 11-17-2011, 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vooch311

Hey all

If anyone is at all familiar with Mike Gordon's synthy wet tone on the intro to Boogie on Reggae woman (very close to the original Stevie Wonder version)...I am looking to achieve someting close to this without having pay $900 for the Deep Impact.

After searching for a while I believe I have narrowed it down to the 3Leaf GR which is similar to the Meatball Envelope Filter he uses (also insanely overpriced). Im hoping to use a Source Audio Soundblox Pro Multiwave Bass Distortion with this to get that kind of synthy keyboard funk sound. Thoughts? Anyone have experience with these 2 pedals together?

Thanks for any info, I am finally taking the dive into the effects world and need something by this weekend hopefully. The local stores here suck and offer no variety of pedals to try.

I think the ideas you have are good ones - the sound you're thinking of is more of a meatball filter sound than it is a deep impact synth sound. I would go with the GR and perhaps an octave pedal in front - no need to drop a ton of coin, a boss OC-2 and GR (2nd version) really ought to get you very close to that slippery Mike Gordon envelope sound

Basehead · #6 11-17-2011, 09:14 AM

Ed Friedland gets a nasty "Boogie on Reggae Woman" sound from the EHX Bass Micro Synth...

Electro-Harmonix Bass Microsynth & Blogger Distortion Pedals - YouTube

WJGreer · #7 11-17-2011, 09:23 AM

I had a SYB-5 for a while, and actually I found the tones to be very usable. I sold it when I bought a Boss GT-10B, before I found out that the synth capability is almost unusable in that otherwise excellent product. The SYB doesn't track really fast, but who really wants to do 32nd note flourishes with their synth pedal on.

The Bass Microsynth is good too; I still have one that I don't use much. It has a BUNCH of sliders, and it's near impossible to configure on stage, and IIRC it uses a non-standard power supply. Good sound, though.

I never liked the Digitech Synth Bass Wah. To my ears, it is trying to be a filter, a synth, and some kind of fuzz all at the same time and doing none of it really well.

wolffman · #8 11-17-2011, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WJGreer

I had a SYB-5 for a while, and actually I found the tones to be very usable. I sold it when I bought a Boss GT-10B, before I found out that the synth capability is almost unusable in that otherwise excellent product. The SYB doesn't track really fast, but who really wants to do 32nd note flourishes with their synth pedal on.

The Bass Microsynth is good too; I still have one that I don't use much. It has a BUNCH of sliders, and it's near impossible to configure on stage, and IIRC it uses a non-standard power supply. Good sound, though.

I never liked the Boss Bass Micro Synth. To my ears, it is trying to be a filter, a synth, and some kind of fuzz all at the same time and doing none of it really well.

arent the syb-5 and boss bass micro synth one in the same?

WJGreer · #9 11-17-2011, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolffman

arent the syb-5 and boss bass micro synth one in the same?

Oops. In my post above, "bass micro synth" = "synth bass wah." Fixed, sorry.

**jmattbassplaya** · #10 11-17-2011, 10:04 AM

I went the synth pedal route for a while and was never happy. I recently purchased two real synths and have been smiling ever since. IME and IMHO, it's not worth the time, effort, or money to try and make a bass sound like a synth. YMMV.

wolffman · #11 11-17-2011, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WJGreer

Oops. In my post above, "bass micro synth" = "synth bass wah." Fixed, sorry.

ahhh gotcha.... fyi it's actually made by digitech

wolffman · #12 11-17-2011, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmattbassplaya

I went the synth pedal route for a while and was never happy. I recently purchased two real synths and have been smiling ever since. IME and IMHO, it's not worth the time, effort, or money to try and make a bass sound like a synth. YMMV.

There's no argument on my end that a synth sounds synthier than a bass guitar approximating a synthesizer, I often get very close to going this route... However the OP is referring to coping a bass players effected tone so in this instance a synthesizer isn't the proper tool. Personally I'm stubborn, kind of enjoy the difficulty of getting my bass to sound like a synth, and love having 99% of the population look at me with a puzzled expression when I'm playing the bass and sound like a computer/keyboard, and would rather be "different" than most by using a pedal board instead. If you want easy, faster, more versatile, and some might argue "better" sounds I'm all for suggesting using a synth.

itswac · #13 11-17-2011, 12:39 PM

Mike Gordon has been using the Source Audio pedals since last Summer and he's definitely incorporated them into Boogie On Reggae Woman.

jbednarski · #14 11-17-2011, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmattbassplaya

I went the synth pedal route for a while and was never happy. I recently purchased two real synths and have been smiling ever since. IME and IMHO, it's not worth the time, effort, or money to try and make a bass sound like a synth. YMMV.

+1

Got a Mopho and couldn't be happier.

Floridabwoy · #15 11-17-2011, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmattbassplaya

I went the synth pedal route for a while and was never happy. I recently purchased two real synths and have been smiling ever since. IME and IMHO, it's not worth the time, effort, or money to try and make a bass sound like a synth. YMMV.

+2... I still have a BSY600 and a BSW (I just use the BSW for the envelope).

Funkinthetrunk · #16 11-17-2011, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vooch311

If anyone is at all familiar with Mike Gordon's synthy wet tone on the intro to Boogie on Reggae woman (very close to the original Stevie Wonder version)...I am looking to achieve someting close to this without having pay $900 for the Deep Impact.

How about this...

Electro-Harmonix Bass Microsynth & Blogger Distortion Pedals - YouTube

vooch311 · #17 11-17-2011, 07:08 PM

Thanks for all the great input guys. I am also stubborn and would prefer to use the bass rather than flat out buy a real synth.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RCCollins

I think the ideas you have are good ones - the sound you're thinking of is more of a meatball filter sound than it is a deep impact synth sound. I would go with the GR and perhaps an octave pedal in front - no need to drop a ton of coin, a boss OC-2 and GR (2nd version) really ought to get you very close to that slippery Mike Gordon envelope sound

I am def trying to cop the Stevie Wonder/Gordo sound.
I am definitely leaning towards that 3Leaf GR. Not sure which version to get, the first or second though.
Also I think you are right about pairing it with an octave pedal. I did try an MXR octave pedal along with a MXR envelope filter. Didnt really like either of them. The octave pedal didnt do well on faster stuff and the envelope filter crapped out on me in the store and I couldnt really get it to alter the sound at all after just 5 mins of playing on it. Pricey too. Tried a Qtron as well. That was pretty nice, though didnt quite get that super wet sound.

Im thinking the Boss OC-2 or OC-3 will be my best bet for an octave. The store owner also recommended the POG I believe it was?

rr5025 · #18 11-17-2011, 10:31 PM

I don't know much about the mike Gordon sound but I have a deep impact and a Behringer. The only place I've found them to overlap is setting 2 on the deep impact (think Time Is Running Out synthy fuzz).

wolffman · #19 11-18-2011, 02:13 PM

OH SEA TOO is the ONLY way to go.

imo, ime, ymmv, etc

Funkinthetrunk · #20 11-18-2011, 06:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vooch311

I am def trying to cop the Stevie Wonder/Gordo sound.

Well that link I provided of Ed Friedland's EHX BMS video shows how close the BMS sound like Stevie Wonder....as he actually plays Boogie on Reggae Woman's bass line with it. I'd still own the BMS if it can save presets. Instead, I now own Markbass SS....totally different vibe, but preset-able.