effects for tone?

LoveLostShuffle · #1 03-09-2010, 11:05 PM

I am trying to get a very distorted deep bassy octave tone and i want all the notes i play to come out really sharp and clear. any ideas on what i should use and how i should go about that? thanks!

bongomania · #2 03-09-2010, 11:10 PM

Sounds like you need a larger amp. Nearly every time we get a request like this, it turns out the asker is using a 15 W practice amp. What are you using?

Munjibunga · #3 03-09-2010, 11:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bongomania

Sounds like you need a larger amp. Nearly every time we get a request like this, it turns out the asker is using a 15 W practice amp. What are you using?

Ampeg SVT Classic, Ampeg 810 Classic.

LoveLostShuffle · #4 03-09-2010, 11:23 PM

i am playing out of a ampeg svt class and a ampeg 8x10

bongomania · #5 03-09-2010, 11:42 PM

Okay, a larger amp is not the answer this time.

In order to get a lot of distortion on the low end, with clarity and articulation on the highs and mids, you'll need to split your signal. Check out the ongoing threads about crossovers, splitters, and blenders. All of these can help you combine distortion with your clean tone.

Yakob · #6 03-10-2010, 12:02 AM

I'm pretty sure you could also squeeze some extra definition out by using an EQ pedal

...

LoveLostShuffle · #7 03-10-2010, 01:06 AM

Im not looking to have any clean tone at all. Im doing a bass drums and vocals band. I am trying to get a highly distorted octave tone and I want the notes to come through. Im trying to avoid sounding muddy at all costs. Any ideas on pedals to get to this is what I am asking

quigg · #8 03-10-2010, 01:18 AM

you want to do compression>octave>distortion, I do it all the time. It sounds like a church organ sort of. and bongo is right about splitting your signals. I go dbx160a>octaver on my gt-6b>sansamp rbi. Getting the signal blend right on the RBI is the hardest part.

René_Julien · #9 03-10-2010, 01:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by quigg

you want to do compression>octave>distortion, I do it all the time. It sounds like a church organ sort of. and bongo is right about splitting your signals. I go dbx160a>octaver on my gt-6b>sansamp rbi. Getting the signal blend right on the RBI is the hardest part.

I was about to suggest the same thing. (Well, very close)

a decent compressor pedal -> EHX microPOG -> Sansamp BDDI

Although I have no experience with an Ampeg SVT as amp. (At least no experience with effects + SVT)

The BDDI gives different results depending on your amp.
Maybe someone who plays an SVT can suggest a better distortion (overdrive or fuzz).

Mark Olson · #10 03-10-2010, 02:17 AM

Do you want octave up or down? That will make a big difference, obviously, and I can't really make a meaningful suggestion as far as dirtboxes go until I know that.

The Tech 21 products would not be on the top of my list of recommendations for dirtboxes when you're shooting for clarity, and since the Sansamps are Ampeg emulators, I think it's pretty pointless to run one into an actual SVT. Why can't you get the tone you want out of the SVT? Does it not get distorted enough for you, or do you not play loud enough to distort it enough, or does it just not have enough clarity or is it not smooth enough for you? I have experience playing as the only stringed instrument in a band situation, and in my experience I've gotten the best balance of clarity/heft and overall sound with a distorted amp as opposed to dirtboxes, and I've owned quite a few different dirtboxes. So maybe a smaller amp would actually be the answer, or if you insist on a pedal solution let me know about the octave and I'll see if I can come up with some recommendations.

fightthepower · #11 03-10-2010, 03:46 AM

Could you post a few examples (ie youtube videos) of the type(s) of tone you're looking to achieve?

bongomania · #12 03-10-2010, 09:26 AM

Also, the reason I said that about getting clean tone in your highs and mids is that if you want distorted suboctave tones only, you will not get "all the notes <you> play to come out really sharp and clear." That just ain't happening. You need something going on in the upper ranges, something usually not so distorted, in order to get sharp, clear articulation.

LoveLostShuffle · #13 03-10-2010, 09:27 AM

I wanna go octave down I wanna get a tone simeler but not excact like the dude in lightning bolt something along those lines

megadan · #14 03-10-2010, 09:47 AM

I like the Micro Pog because it tracks very well and doesn't glitch, and it tracks chords - very useful if you're going to be using it all the time and with no guitarists.

Personally, and this is just totally the sound in my own head and might not be applicable to you - I would start with the Micro Pog still sending dry, and with the octave down up maybe 12, 1 o'clock - plus a touch of octave up for 'tone' - definition that is.

Then I'd probably blast it through some crazy fuzz pedals, like the Brown Dog, the B:assmaster, or a nice muff clone. Something heavy and thick but with EQ options. Some compression on the end, and I'd probably want to have the option of a bit of chorus or some sort of modulation.

I think more so than pedals, technique is going to get you there. Well defined notes, properly muted, that's whats going to get you a clean and clear sound. Start with a good bypassed tone - again, just my personal vision, but I'd start with a Rickenbacker or a Jazz bass into the SVT stack set for a deep, raunchy tone. Then start piling on the effects.
It might take a bit of experimenting. I know a lot of people here have been buying and selling pedals for years (decades!) looking for just the right tone. Good luck.

René_Julien · #15 03-10-2010, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bongomania

Also, the reason I said that about getting clean tone in your highs and mids is that if you want distorted suboctave tones only, you will not get "all the notes <you> play to come out really sharp and clear." That just ain't happening. You need something going on in the upper ranges, something usually not so distorted, in order to get sharp, clear articulation.

I heard someone say something similar.
He had an amp that could biamp (can't remember what brand or type). A section for the low and a section for high, some sort of crossover in the preamp I guess. Effects loops for both low and high side.

The person who used this kind of amp said he had an overdrive/distortion pedal in the low-side effects loop and the high-side he kept clean.

I never tried something like this myself but it sounds very interesting.
Distort the lows and keep the highs (and high mids) clean for definition.

While it goes against what so many other bassists want, like a blend on an overdrive/distortion pedal to keep the lowend clean.
Or is this a misconception?

I never cared for a blend myself, and I never felt the need to crossover some effects.

Mark Olson · #16 03-10-2010, 09:22 PM

Well, if all you want is to sound like Lightning Bolt, that's easy. The dude from Lightning Bolt uses a Boss OC-2 Octaver, a Boss ODB-3 Bass Overdrive, and a Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive. You could pick all of those up pretty cheap used.

OilcanRacer · #17 03-11-2010, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark Olson

Well, if all you want is to sound like Lightning Bolt, that's easy. The dude from Lightning Bolt uses a Boss OC-2 Octaver, a Boss ODB-3 Bass Overdrive, and a Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive. You could pick all of those up pretty cheap used.

bass/strings and amp make up for tonal sound as well.

i was going to suggest compressor, oc-2, dirt pedal with the option of eq pedal if your amp does not have a good eq section.

boosting mids can give the impression that the lows are clearer.

Mark Olson · #18 03-11-2010, 08:00 PM

He's playing an SVT. He can get all of the tube compression and EQ he needs out of that.

LoveLostShuffle · #19 03-12-2010, 08:08 AM

what is the use of the 2 overdrives? bass and super? i have that octive and that bass over drive and that bass overdrive takes all the low end out i have to use a bass boster pedal to keep the low end in my sound

Mark Olson · #20 03-12-2010, 05:14 PM

Well the guy from Lightning Bolt stacks them to get his sound. If you're chasing a similar sound, you might want to start by trying the same.

And something might be up with your ODB-3, if that's what you've got. I've owned like four of them, never had any trouble dialing in enough low end on them, since they have bass EQ and a clean blend.