Basic pedals for a Funk/Synth board?

[Ryan Mohr]

I was thinking mainly Funk, but also some synth. Imagine a pedalboard you would need for a band like Jamiroquai. What would you need? I narrowed it down to these:

1) Blend
2) Compression
3) Envelope Filter
4) Fuzz
5) Octave
6) Phaser
7) Synth

Did I miss any? Opinions welcome

[Jared Lash]

Well, I know you saw Paul Turners board in the "Steal My Board II" thread:



But I think you've got things covered. If anything, you might want more than one filter/synth for different textures.

[markjazzbassist]

octaver
phaser
fuzz (more the merrier)
envelope filters (more the merrier)


should be good enough. the synth sounds can come from the octave-fuzz-filter combo.

[MakiSupaStar]

flange

[Ryan Mohr]

Right now I have an old Boss ME-6B, the one that Stuart Zender used. The filters and synths are great, but the tracking isn't the greatest. The fuzz isn't great and there isn't a dedicated octaver. A Boss OC-2 is in the near future for me.

What about chorus/other modulation or overdrive?

Originally Posted by TheBigO

Well, I know you saw Paul Turners board in the "Steal My Board II" thread:



But I think you've got things covered. If anything, you might want more than one filter/synth for different textures.

Yeah I saw it, Paul Turner is one of my bass idols. He has my favorite tone and his groove is amazing.

Originally Posted by markjazzbassist

octaver
phaser
fuzz (more the merrier)
envelope filters (more the merrier)


should be good enough. the synth sounds can come from the octave-fuzz-filter combo.

Thanks, your boards are always awesome and filled with great vintage pedals.

Originally Posted by MakiSupaStar

flange

Can you elaborate?

[MakiSupaStar]

Originally Posted by AqueousView11

Right now I have an old Boss ME-6B, the one that Stuart Zender used. The filters and synths are great, but the tracking isn't the greatest. The fuzz isn't great and there isn't a dedicated octaver. A Boss OC-2 is in the near future for me.

What about chorus/other modulation or overdrive?

Yeah I saw it, Paul Turner is one of my bass idols. He has my favorite tone and his groove is amazing.

Thanks, your boards are always awesome and filled with great vintage pedals.

Can you elaborate?

Well, I run a similar board. I have a split channel Ampeg BSP preamp and I run my FX loop through my dirty channel. I run a simple Boss DD-3 delay into my pre, but I'm thinking that I'd like to flange that to get some really spacey stuff going. I've been looking at the Maxon Fl-9 pedals. Those these are analogue and pretty sweet.

So it would look like this

Warwick Corvette $$ > Boss DD-3 > Maxon FL-9 > Ampeg BSP ^ {EHX Bass Micro Synth > Moogerfooger Lowpass Filter > EXH Q-tron > Digitech Bass Synth Wah > Boss OC-2 > Boss SYB-5} ^ Carver 2.0i Power Amp > Cabs.

I might noodle with the flange in front of the delay versus behind it, but I don't think I'd put it in my chain because I always have a clean blend and that would just sound bad having a clean unflanged sound blended with a crazy flanged synthy madness.

[Ryan Mohr]

Originally Posted by MakiSupaStar

Well, I run a similar board. I have a split channel Ampeg BSP preamp and I run my FX loop through my dirty channel. I run a simple Boss DD-3 delay into my pre, but I'm thinking that I'd like to flange that to get some really spacey stuff going. I've been looking at the Maxon Fl-9 pedals. Those these are analogue and pretty sweet.

So it would look like this

Warwick Corvette $$ > Boss DD-3 > Maxon FL-9 > Ampeg BSP ^ {EHX Bass Micro Synth > Moogerfooger Lowpass Filter > EXH Q-tron > Digitech Bass Synth Wah > Boss OC-2 > Boss SYB-5} ^ Carver 2.0i Power Amp > Cabs.

I might noodle with the flange in front of the delay versus behind it, but I don't think I'd put it in my chain because I always have a clean blend and that would just sound bad having a clean unflanged sound blended with a crazy flanged synthy madness.

Cool idea, yeah that Maxon looks like one of the best flangers out there, but the Hartman caught my eye too. Right now I have a Boss BF-2, but it's a little too metallic for my tastes. I like modulation to be deep and warm.

I also have a Digitech BSW, which has a lot of cool synth sounds, but I use it mostly for the octaver. But, the octave sounds too digital IMO and there is not enough flexibility with the octave.

My current fuzz is an EHX Little Big Muff, but it is a little too crazy/unrestrained for my tastes. I'm thinking either something gated or a Fuzz Face clone.

[markjazzbassist]

let me add more to my list and give you some specific "tones"

fuzz

big muff
gated fuzz (big cheese, subdecay flying tomato)
synthy fuzz (prunes and custard)

envelope filters

quack - (mutron, qtron, meatball)
deep filters - (fx25, meatball, moog lowpass)

synth

akai deep impact
chunk systems octavius squeezer

phaser

ehx stereo polyphase
jet phase (roland or maxon ph-350)

octaver

octave up and down (there are tons)

flanger

warm (maxon fl-9, ehx)

[MakiSupaStar]

Originally Posted by AqueousView11

Cool idea, yeah that Maxon looks like one of the best flangers out there, but the Hartman caught my eye too. Right now I have a Boss BF-2, but it's a little too metallic for my tastes. I like modulation to be deep and warm.

I also have a Digitech BSW, which has a lot of cool synth sounds, but I use it mostly for the octaver. But, the octave sounds too digital IMO and there is not enough flexibility with the octave.

My current fuzz is an EHX Little Big Muff, but it is a little too crazy/unrestrained for my tastes. I'm thinking either something gated or a Fuzz Face clone.

Markjazzbassist has some great suggestions for you there.

Just curious, what kind of amp are you running? Are you running an FX loop, or running the effects before your pre? Do you have a clean sound blending in with a DI or something like that? For those effects that don't track well (digitech bass synth wah, OC-2, SYB-5 et al), I've found that always having my clean bass sound blended into the mix really warms them up nicely and makes the tracking issues null and void.

[Ryan Mohr]

Originally Posted by markjazzbassist

let me add more to my list and give you some specific "tones"

fuzz

big muff
gated fuzz (big cheese, subdecay flying tomato)
synthy fuzz (prunes and custard)

envelope filters

quack - (mutron, qtron, meatball)
deep filters - (fx25, meatball, moog lowpass)

synth

akai deep impact
chunk systems octavius squeezer

phaser

ehx stereo polyphase
jet phase (roland or maxon ph-350)

octaver

octave up and down (there are tons)

flanger

warm (maxon fl-9, ehx)

Thanks, sounds like pedals and tones I would like. Any insight on using a Fuzz Face for this?

Originally Posted by MakiSupaStar

Markjazzbassist has some great suggestions for you there.

Just curious, what kind of amp are you running? Are you running an FX loop, or running the effects before your pre? Do you have a clean sound blending in with a DI or something like that? For those effects that don't track well (digitech bass synth wah, OC-2, SYB-5 et al), I've found that always having my clean bass sound blended into the mix really warms them up nicely and makes the tracking issues null and void.

Fender Bassman 150, yeah I know I need something bigger (Markbass Little Mark II and Aguilar/Avatar cabs in my future...). I am running them all before the pre. No I don't have a clean blend pedal yet but I intend on buying one.

[phat daddy]

I set up my pedalboard with funk/synth in mind, kind've a modern-day Bootsy sounds setup.

Boss ME-20B (for envelope filter, flange, delay, hi gain and tuner)
Boss SYB-3 (one of my favorite synth pedals ever, nails the Tom Sawyer deal)
Digitech BSW (for thick organ-like synth)
EH Octave Multiplexer (killer analog octave divider)
Boss ODB-3 (for heavy overdrive and use with the EH for another synth tone)
Trace Elliot Dual Compressor (to keep the phat sounds from killing my speakers)

That's all I run anymore, and I run them in that order. I use to have twice as many pedals, but my board was so big I rarely carried them anywhere. This board is easy to carry and I've got my sounds down to the bare essentials; I actually use all these pedals.

[Ryan Mohr]

Originally Posted by phat daddy

I set up my pedalboard with funk/synth in mind, kind've a modern-day Bootsy sounds setup.

Boss ME-20B (for envelope filter, flange, delay, hi gain and tuner)
Boss SYB-3 (one of my favorite synth pedals ever, nails the Tom Sawyer deal)
Digitech BSW (for thick organ-like synth)
EH Octave Multiplexer (killer analog octave divider)
Boss ODB-3 (for heavy overdrive and use with the EH for another synth tone)
Trace Elliot Dual Compressor (to keep the phat sounds from killing my speakers)

That's all I run anymore, and I run them in that order. I use to have twice as many pedals, but my board was so big I rarely carried them anywhere. This board is easy to carry and I've got my sounds down to the bare essentials; I actually use all these pedals.

Cool, great setup. How do you set the the BSW?

[markjazzbassist]

Originally Posted by AqueousView11

Thanks, sounds like pedals and tones I would like. Any insight on using a Fuzz Face for this?

sure. the fuzz face would be a nice third. big muff and gated fuzz are a must. especially if you don't have a synth and are doing the octave-fuzz-filter for your synth tones. if that's the case, the synthy fuzz isn't needed. BUT, a nice NASTY fuzz is. that's where the fuzz face or univox superfuzz (or clones of either) come in. they are great for jet phasing (sound like hendrix) or just really biting fuzz bass lines.

[Ryan Mohr]

Originally Posted by markjazzbassist

sure. the fuzz face would be a nice third. big muff and gated fuzz are a must. especially if you don't have a synth and are doing the octave-fuzz-filter for your synth tones. if that's the case, the synthy fuzz isn't needed. BUT, a nice NASTY fuzz is. that's where the fuzz face or univox superfuzz (or clones of either) come in. they are great for jet phasing (sound like hendrix) or just really biting fuzz bass lines.

Cool. Generally, I like octave -> envelope filter for effected funk tones. When I want some synthy tones I will add the fuzz but the octave and envelope filter are essentials for what I am trying to achieve. Perhaps OC-2 -> Micro Q-Tron for a budget setup? I like the envelope filter on the ME-6B, but I don't like running other pedals into multis.

[OrionManMatt]

subscribed.

[3toes]

Mine consists of:

Octave (Micro POG)
Synth (SYB-3)
Envelope (Micro Q-tron)

And I get fantastic results from all of them.

A pox on everyone who owns a Deep Impact (I'm just jealous... ).

[Aquila0507]

Originally Posted by AqueousView11

Fender Bassman 150, yeah I know I need something bigger (Markbass Little Mark II and Aguilar/Avatar cabs in my future...). .

I used to use a Bassman 135 and my effects sounded like crap coming out of the amp. I would upgrade the amp before you get serious with the pedals because IMO the pedals will sound totally different from one amp to the next. I got the GK backline 600 and noticed the difference in the clarity of the effects from the GK right away. Its a cheap way to go and you get a good little amp.

I like the way an octave and the Q-tron sound when both are on. Very funky. Add fuzz and its heaven.
Arion makes a cheap $20 octave and its decent.

[thefid89]

Personally i like little board for what it does its just cheap and awsome!
Boss-TU2
DigiTech X-Series Synth Wah Envelope Filter
Behringer BDI21
Danelectro FAB Metal
I run them into a kustom 600watt head and a Gk 410 cabinet.
It sounds great the digitech just rock the good synth sounds and if you combine it with the distortion and preamp! oh and i use a standard mexican jazz with flea boomers.

[kevteop]

Originally Posted by 3toes

A pox on everyone who owns a Deep Impact (I'm just jealous... ).

TBH I think the Deep Impact sounds like a Deep Impact, and that's what it does. It's not really a building-block FX unit, not something you think "Oh I'll take this part and feed it into something else", it's more something you just use in and of itself.

That's why I've never really been interested in buying one. It does sound cool, but I can't use those sounds I don't think.

[JohnDavisNYC]

i totally agree about the deep impact. pretty overrated, i think. jojo had one, and i used it on one gig, but the latency was bad, and it just sort of does it's thing and is incredibly non-expressive. it just does that synthy thing...

but, to each his own...

john