Boss OC-2 Octaver SOUNDCLIPS

Mark Olson · #1 01-22-2009, 04:55 PM

So I was bored and looking for something to do soundclips of. Enter my good old OC-2. I've done clips WITH it, but none of just it. So here they are! Also there's been a staggering amount of octave related threads lately so maybe someone will find these useful. Anyway, here's with an SG Bass, Direct and Octave 1 maxed:

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page...songID=7265499

And just the octave 1 now, I think I clipped out my recording device for part of this, that's not the pedal:

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page...songID=7265504

Very synthy. But where this pedal really shines is in front of a distortion box, here you can hear it with my Lovepedal ProValve (direct and octave 1 maxed):

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page...songID=7265521

So I haven't heard these yet so I don't know how they turned out, but I recorded them at low volume, so if they're anything but heavy that's why, though they should still be pretty heavy despite the low recording volume. Check 'em out, let me know what you think.

kevteop · #2 01-22-2009, 05:14 PM

I think they do a good job of showing the character of the pedal, but it would've been good if you'd played some lower, longer notes to give a good idea of what performance (or lack thereof) can be expected.

Toastfuzz · #3 01-22-2009, 05:20 PM

Man this hosting service is slooooow to load

Mark Olson · #4 01-22-2009, 05:49 PM

I think that's been talked about enough on here, the shortcomings of the Boss OC-2. My whole point is, it tracks fine for what I use it for, and if you use it right, it'll work great for you too. If you've got business trying to suboctave down to notes that aren't going to be reproduced by most speakers anyways, that's not really what I'm concerned with here.

kevteop · #5 01-22-2009, 07:45 PM

Talked about, but not heard. I think it'd be useful just to say "This is where it starts crapping out for me", give people an idea.

There are still players who don't know what to expect in the performance department.

Mark Olson · #6 01-22-2009, 07:48 PM

I suppose, and I suppose I've just been here too long. It seems to me the shortcomings of the OC-2 are all that really gets talked about here. I just wanted to have one thread where we could talk about the infinite number of musical possibilities there are that won't cause the OC-2 to glitch out

.

icarussmicarus · #7 01-23-2009, 12:34 AM

OC-2 fo life.

warwick.hoy · #8 01-23-2009, 12:49 AM

The 2nd and 3rd clips are great. Thanks Mark

dannybuoy · #9 01-23-2009, 03:28 AM

I've just discovered running mine after my Supercollider sounds great - you get the separated clean OC-2 sound mixed in with the fuzz, whereas running the OC-2 into the fuzz makes everything fuzzy and it sounds more blended together.

JohnDavisNYC · #10 01-24-2009, 01:35 PM

OC24EVA

Mr_Dave · #11 01-24-2009, 07:23 PM

I love the OC2. fat, synthy tones.

newbold · #12 01-24-2009, 08:03 PM

wish they'd bring it back.

Jared Lash · #13 01-24-2009, 08:07 PM

Mark, have you tried the EBS Octabass?

I've tried it, the OC-2, the micro POG, the Whammy and the PS-3 (in octave down mode), thethe Bass Synth Wah, the Octron and the straight octaver on the Octavius Squeezer. Of all of them, the Boss and the EBS are my two favorites.

The others are all usable (well except the PS-3) and the Whammy was better than expected (though I didn't expect much) but the OC-2 is thick and synthy and the EBS is really warm and gritty at the same time. I actually like the EBS better for funk or with dirt and the OC-2 better with a fretless. For what I'm doing now though, the OC-2 wins hands down.

Mark Olson · #14 01-25-2009, 02:27 AM

Thanks for the feedback, guys!

Dan: Normally I tune to Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, as well dropping the Eb down to Db, dropped D but a half step lower. These clips were probably recorded somewhere near standard tuning however, as I had just been to a jam with some people who tune standard. I only tune my bass to itself before recording clips, I'm not very scientific or consistent. But the thing to understand about dropped tunings and especially using suboctavers, is frequency response, which essentially governed my note choices for these clips.

A decent cabinet may respond down to 35 Hz, sometimes lower, more average would probably be somewhere around 40 Hz and even higher. For a cabinet that responds down to 40 Hz, which is around the low E, or the suboctave of an octave E, those notes will work fine, but below that by tuning or suboctaving, the fundamental won't come through clearly, making the low or suboctaved pitch a bitch for the human ear to recognize properly, often causing it to sound "out of tune" or muddy and indistinguishable.

I can always tell when someone is using a cabinet with an inappropriate frequency response with a five string bass, as the lower register sounds "out of tune" or muddy, especially with a dark tone being used, which has less harmonics to help the human ear analyze the pitch of the note (harmonics are the key to pitch recognition). Also as you can imagine devices that add a lot of harmonics, like a fuzzbox, can make a tone harmonically complex to the point where it becomes hard to distinguish the pitch as well.

Also, since I use a microphone, you have to take into account the frequency response of the microphone. I'm using an SM57, which only responds down to 40 Hz, so even if my cab responds below that, you're not going to hear it in my clips.

So the only way I got away with using the chromaticism in the first clip from C# to E was that the direct signal was still there to help pitch recognition. The clip with just the suboctaver is moved from E up to F#, and as you may have noticed, I don't do any chromaticisms. Because of the frequency response of my equipment, one note is pretty indistinguishable from the next down low enough. I can testify that attempting the same chromaticism as the first clip with just the suboctaved pitch, even moved up a whole step, sounded bad. So like I said, the frequency response of my gear plays a big role in governing how much I can get away with with a suboctaver or low detuned pitches.

TheBigO: I've been meaning to pick up an EBS Octabass for a long time. Just never got around to it I guess, always blowing money on other stuff, since the OC-2 has always seemed to suffice. I'm not a true bypass nut, but my producer is, and I think he'd probably be pleased if I showed up with a new Octabass (the new ones have true bypass, right?) as opposed to the OC-2. Not that he didn't really love the OC-2 though. The way the OC-2 can make the band sound HUGE on the choruses must outweigh any imagined "tone suck" to him.

kevteop · #15 01-25-2009, 05:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBigO

Mark, have you tried the EBS Octabass?

I've tried it, the OC-2, the micro POG, the Whammy and the PS-3 (in octave down mode), thethe Bass Synth Wah, the Octron and the straight octaver on the Octavius Squeezer.

Haven't tried the Octave Multiplexer? Pfft! Part-timer.

PunkRocker33133 · #16 01-25-2009, 07:37 AM

I loved it Mark, I've been meaning to get either an OC-2 or an OC-3 for a really long time.

smeet · #17 01-25-2009, 09:15 AM

Nice Samples Mark.

I had an OC-2 about 20 years ago, sold it about 15 years ago and now think maybe I shouldn't have. I now have an EBS Octabass, one of the old gray ones with no range switch. I don't find the tone too usable.

How does the sound of the new Octabass compare to my old one and to the OC-2?

kevteop · #18 01-25-2009, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DanielTulip

Is it just me or does MO just really seem to follow my lead.

Did you invent pedal demos? You the man.

Mark Olson · #19 01-25-2009, 01:43 PM

Thanks for the feedback guys!

Dan: If I was trying to one up you, I guess I've been doing that since before I even read any of your posts on this forum. Just do a search for threads with the word soundclips in the title. I've been demoing pedals for quite some time, I've demod a lot of pedals on here, and nothing has changed about my demos since your grunge clips. Don't flatter yourself, if I was going to try to one up somebody, it wouldn't be you. Between you and me, I don't feel like I have anything to prove, understand?

But why would you feel I'm trying to specifically one up you? Either you're just paranoid, which believe me, you're not, or you really believe I'm succeeding at one upping you. If that be the case maybe it's in part because I've taken the time to consider the science behind what makes a sound good and musical. You can meh at it all you want, but it's hard to argue with science, even when it disagrees with your ears, but I'll tell you that science agrees with mine. For what that's worth.

Jared Lash · #20 01-25-2009, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DanielTulip

Is it just me or does MO just really seem to follow my lead. He seemed to do it with the thread I did with the large variety of Grunge clips, and IIRC katri called him on it and BigO defended, but this is really starting to make me wonder.

Don't get me involved in whatever the two of you have going on.

All I did was state the fact that Mark/assboglin has posted more dirt sounclips (especially ODs) than anyone else on this board.