Chunk Systems Agent 00Funk thoughts

Kwesi · #1 03-03-2010, 02:43 PM

This is not a review just a few thoughts that I wanted to post to get out of my head

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I don't think anything bass related has caused so many different emotions/states of mind in me since I've started playing! Happy, sad, confused, frustrated, you name it, this pedal has caused it. I just got my 00Funk from a fellow TBer today and I've been playing on it nonstop for the past 2 hours and this thing has mentally fatigued me beyond what any gadget should! Firstly, this thing can get some AWESOME sounds, I mean best-filter-I've-ever-heard type sounds (well tied for first with the new MXR Bass Envelope Filter). Every filter sound I've pretty much ever wanted is right here in this little purple and yellow box. The problem is: I have no idea how to actually get them!!! I twiddle knobs and every so often I'll come across something awesome but then once I change it it gone forever! If I so much as change the volume on my bass all the sounds go out the window and I have to start from scratch.

I've read the manual and the descriptions of what each knob does is very easy to understand but they're so interconnected that without careful tuning you're more than likely to get a whole lot of nothing. Within the first 30 minutes of playing I teetered between wanting to put this thing on eBay ASAP and wondering why I'd ever need any other filter so many times that I've lost count. It's just so frustrating to use but it's so great at the same time. I just don't know what to do. My head hurts but I don't want to stop messing around on it... If someone could just put these sounds into a more intuitive control scheme (like the 3Leaf Groove Regulator) this could one of the most amazing pedals out there.

Anyway, I just wanted to get that off my chest.

kesslari · #2 03-03-2010, 02:52 PM

Every good filter I've played through (admittedly not *that* many) is very sensitive to the volume on the bass, and changes if the bass volume changes.
It's the challenge of the world of filters...

Can't speak to the specific complexity of the Chunk, other than to say keep your bass volume on full, and write down the settings you like!

RickenBoogie · #3 03-03-2010, 02:58 PM

+1 either keep a small log-book, or use a sharpie on the box itself. The tinyest tweak can change everything. Madness, but good clean fun. Enjoy.

Jared Lash · #4 03-03-2010, 03:43 PM

When I get home tonight and have more time I'll post some hints for working with the 00Funk.

markjazzbassist · #5 03-03-2010, 05:48 PM

haha, well put. yeah it's pretty sensitive to tweaks. here's what i usually use.

UP mode (i rarely use the down)
PITCH (usually between minimum and 11 o'clock)
SMOOTHNESS (if you want super fast quacks keep it around noon, if you want mutron-esque put it around 1-2 o'clock)
SWEEP (always keep this at noon)
Squelch (start around 1 o'clock and adjust to taste, i prefer it at 3 oclock to max, but it depends on how wet you want it)

that's a nice quacky mutron like tone.

Kwesi · #6 03-03-2010, 06:47 PM

See the problem with settings on this pedal is that is that based on the input signal from your bass EVERYTHING can change whereas with say a 3Leaf Groove regulator you just turn the sensitivity knob a bit and you're good. So far I've only played it with my 18V Fender FMT V. I've got 2 18V basses and 2 9V so it's gonna be a challenge to get it working great for all of them.

Jared Lash · #7 03-03-2010, 06:50 PM

Some hints for the 00Funk.

The Sweep knob is the key with this pedal. Put it all the way to the left to begin.

Start with the Pitch all the way to the left, the smoothness a bit past noon and the Squelch a bit to the left, around 10 o'clock.

Play through the pedal and gradually increase the Sweep until the pedal opens up the way you want. Too far and the filter is all the way open and won't respond at all.

Once the sweep is where you want based on your bass' input and your dynamics you should have a smooth, not too wet filter sound. This is closest to the Groove Regulator tone that you can get with the Chunk.

At this point you can turn up the tone if you want but you must dial back the Sweep a bit to compensate. Turning up the Smoothness gives a bigger, harder to open envelope and dialing it back gives a more "bubbly", easier to open filter.

Turning up the Squelch gives more synthy gurgles.

But again, the key is setting the Sweep and Tone (which requires Sweep adjustments when you change it) to where the filter opens up when you want.

At that point the Smoothness and Squelch just change the character and sounds you get out of the 00Funk.

Hope that helps.