Do I want an OC-2 or an Octave Multiplexer?

[Holy War]

sell me on one or the other

[gibsualdo]

Unless you have a thing for very noticeable volume drop, go for the OC-2.

I really loved the sound of my Multiplexer though, it was just a **** to use live.

[SoonerMatt]

Is there any real reason to get the OC-2 over the OC-3?

[rollcall]

oc blah whatever is crap imo however the vintage multiplexer I once had could almost track as fast as I can play. The boss ones drop time

[fightthepower]

I'm not sure what you mean by 'drop time', but the OC-2 tracks as fast and well as you play clean.

OC-2 has a warmer & fatter tone than the OC-3, but it just has its one tone-- though myself and many others here happen to like that tone a lot. The OC-3 has a couple modes including a somewhat polyphonic mode, and dirt mode... though I was not a fan of it in any way. I'd go with a BSW as a digital octaver before I would an OC-3. I prefer analog octavers in most situations, and find them to work better with other effects(especially ones that rely on tracking and/or use envelopes), retain natural dynamics, etc much better than the digital variety, and are not prone to latency.

No personal experience with the Multiplexer, but it has more options than the OC-2 and its character is rounder and thicker than the OC-2-- the OC-2 has a synthier, more hollow tone to it.

[Happynoj]

Originally Posted by fightthepower

I'd go with a BSW as a digital octaver before I would an OC-3.

Except that you can't get rid of the direct sound, which is a big minus point in my opinion.

[fightthepower]

Originally Posted by Happynoj

Except that you can't get rid of the direct sound, which is a big minus point in my opinion.

Yeah I guess you have to use the Effected output for a 100% wet signal, which doesn't pass a dry signal when bypassed, correct? I had mine in a bypass loop on its own so it wasn't an issue, been a while since I had one.

[Happynoj]

IIRC, the effected output still has the dry signal as well as the octave down. I remember being like, "WHAT?!?!?!" when I found out.

[fightthepower]

Hmm.. I'm almost 100% sure that it at least the effected out sends a wet-only signal. If the 'effected' output sent a 50/50 blend, then there would be no benefit of using it and you would end up with less than 50% wet signal if using both outputs.

I just checked the manual and it confirms-

"9.Out 1 Normal (Dry) Jack
Use this output when only one amplifier or mixer channel is used.
When both Out 1 Normal (Dry) and Out 2 (Effect)are
connected,only dry,unprocessed bass signal is present at Out 1
Normal (Dry)when the Bass Synth Wah is on or bypassed.

11.Out 2 (Effect) Jack
Connect this output to a second amplifier or to a mixer channel for
effect signal only. When Out 2is connected,only effect signal is
present when the Bass Synth Wah is turned on. Out 2 is muted
when the Bass Synth Wah is bypassed."

[phatbass]

Originally Posted by fightthepower

I'm not sure what you mean by 'drop time', but the OC-2 tracks as fast and well as you play clean.

This.

I have no problems with the OC-2's tracking, and it has it's own particular sound. I'd never try to sell someone on one or the other - it's a bit apples and oranges.

[Happynoj]

Originally Posted by fightthepower

Hmm.. I'm almost 100% sure that it at least the effected out sends a wet-only signal. If the 'effected' output sent a 50/50 blend, then there would be no benefit of using it and you would end up with less than 50% wet signal if using both outputs.

I just checked the manual and it confirms-

"9.Out 1 Normal (Dry) Jack
Use this output when only one amplifier or mixer channel is used.
When both Out 1 Normal (Dry) and Out 2 (Effect)are
connected,only dry,unprocessed bass signal is present at Out 1
Normal (Dry)when the Bass Synth Wah is on or bypassed.

11.Out 2 (Effect) Jack
Connect this output to a second amplifier or to a mixer channel for
effect signal only. When Out 2is connected,only effect signal is
present when the Bass Synth Wah is turned on. Out 2 is muted
when the Bass Synth Wah is bypassed."

I'm going to have to try this out later.

[René_Julien]

Originally Posted by SoonerMatt

Is there any real reason to get the OC-2 over the OC-3?

Is there any reason not to get an MXR Bass Octave Deluxe instead?



(Or a MicroPOG if your after that digitalness.)

[bass.bert]

depends on the sound you want. for faking a deep sounding bassguitar the multiplexer may be the right one, for synthsounds get the oc2.
i own both and just use the -1 oct signal. in this setting even the oc2 has a slight volume drop. with the multiplexer, it depends on the particular setting . on some it will be much louder as your bypassed signal, on others it will have that volume drop.
the ehx is pretty versatile, you can get everything from rather distorted sounds to dubby subbass tones. even if the tonal character will stay the same.
also the playing response is quite different. i mean both are analog and acquire controlled plugging as stated before, but they still react slightly different. i never played a tighter octaver than the oc2. it feels quit accurate, has a sudden response and gives a very good control over the tone. the multiplexer feels softer, deeper and is much more on the growlier side.
i think you can compare the oc2 to a jazzbass and the multiplexer to a precision a little bit.

i started another thread with soundclips, you can compare at least one setting there (3rd clip):
some cliche d&b sounds...

[jufros]

I think the OC-2 is the best value bass effects pedal for anyone that a) wants a reasonably priced octaver and b) would like to combine their new pedal with other effects and experiment with new sounds. It does indeed track very well and I guarantee that after you plug it in and hear how thick it sounds, you'll be scratching your head over how it was so cheap as have many others here. That being said, if I was on a desert island and had to bring one octave pedal, I would definitely pick the Aguilar Octamizer. I've tried my fair share of octave pedals (the two you mentioned included) and the Aguilar just tracked my flatwound P-bass soooo much better than anything else I tried. It's also very versatile with its tilt EQ. If the Aguilar is out of your price range, you should definitely check out a used DOD Octoplus. My roommate bought one last year and it's definitely fuller-sounding than the OC-2, though you may find this to be either a good or bad thing depending on what sound you're going for. I found the tracking difference between the two pedals to be negligible, though others may disagree.

[bassman1185]

Originally Posted by fightthepower

Hmm.. I'm almost 100% sure that it at least the effected out sends a wet-only signal. If the 'effected' output sent a 50/50 blend, then there would be no benefit of using it and you would end up with less than 50% wet signal if using both outputs.

I just checked the manual and it confirms-

"9.Out 1 Normal (Dry) Jack
Use this output when only one amplifier or mixer channel is used.
When both Out 1 Normal (Dry) and Out 2 (Effect)are
connected,only dry,unprocessed bass signal is present at Out 1
Normal (Dry)when the Bass Synth Wah is on or bypassed.

11.Out 2 (Effect) Jack
Connect this output to a second amplifier or to a mixer channel for
effect signal only. When Out 2is connected,only effect signal is
present when the Bass Synth Wah is turned on. Out 2 is muted
when the Bass Synth Wah is bypassed."

The way they describe it, you should be able to get only wet through the effect output on the BSW, but from what I could tell from mine, there was still the dry signal blended in, and the blend doesn't go to 100% wet.

As for the original post, I've been using my Octave Multiplexer for a couple of weeks now, and I really dig it. I haven't noticed the volume drop that some people gripe about, but I also have mine running parallel to my dirt and blended with an LS-2. There is a lot of tweaking you can do with the octave tone on it, which I like. I ended up dialing in a much more gritty, growly octave sound than I planned on, but it sounds killer.

I haven't tried out the OC-2, but I would probably go with the OM just for the extra versitility.

[RobertPaulson]

I don't have a ton of experience with the octave multiplexer, just played around with it in the guitar shop for a bit. I wasn't horribly impressed with it, seemed to sound kind of weak. On the other hand, I love my OC2. I'd say try them both as they are totally different animals, but if you aren't in a position to do so, i'd say go for the OC2.

[Jonyak]

I used to own a vintage octave multiplexer. I found it very difficult to use, but it sounded great!

[3toes]

What was the final verdict on the MXR Bass Octave Deluxe? Would that be a contender amongst these two?

[René_Julien]

Originally Posted by 3toes

What was the final verdict on the MXR Bass Octave Deluxe? Would that be a contender amongst these two?

It's a BOSS OC-2 and an EBS octaver in one unit.


IMO off course.

[DonnyDanger]

It is a wee bit more expensive though