"Gated" Fuzz with Micro POG Wet

[jufros]

I need to learn how to do this for a song we're working on. I couldn't get the sound I needed with my BBM and wasn't using it much so I sold it. I'm looking for a fuzz that can get very articulate and will respond well to the Micro POG @ 0% Dry, 100% sub-octave, and about 75%-100% octave up. The Brown Dog seems like a decent choice but it sounds a bit too aggressive and its a little out of my price range.

Contenders that I need some info on:

Subdecay Flying Tomato
Devi Ever Cherry Pop
Devi Ever Bit
Devi Ever Vintage Fuzz
EHX Graphic Fuzz
Sinister Analog Soul Provider

Any others I should look at? I can't really find much info on this and am kind of shooting in the dark.

www.myspace.com/dredg
First track: "I Don't Know"
This is a really good example of the kind of sound that I'm shooting for. Punchy, precise, double octave synthy goodness to get my bass to sound like my MS2000 with two saw waves through a LPF and distortion.

[TheMutt]

Not to sound like the eternally broken record that haunts the effects forum, but have you done a search? There's a plethora of information on each of these pedals out there. Check the wiki for the effects database as well.

Also, I'd look at the B:Assmaster and Wooly Mammoth as well.

[jufros]

Haha yeah I read up for good long time actually and read practically every thread from start to finish that I could find. The Wooly Mammoth is out because 2/3 of my basses are active.

[JimmyM]

You've been to www.bassfuzz.com, right?

[jufros]

yep. no reviews anything on that list though and the devi ever bass fuzz is a way too industrial sounding. i like the bit much more from what i've heard so far.

[TheMutt]

The Wooly isn't unusable on actives, just sounds different. Out of those choices however, I'd probably go with the Brown Dog since it's what has been giving me the most GAS. That or maybe an OLC Chunky Cheese.

[JimmyM]

Picking out a fuzz is apparently harder than picking out a wife. I'm just going to stick with the Fuzz Face simulator in my Zoom B2 Really doesn't sound like a Fuzz Face to me because it's not mushy enough, but that's fine by me.

[jufros]

Not mushy enough and I'm looking for something that's anti-mushy. This whole personal tastes thing on bass is truly absurd. I've actually tried the wooly with my emgs and the two didn't agree. I'm kind of a modern tones freak at the end of the day. My only passive bass is a double P and I'm actually keeping my ODB-3, Sparkle Drive, AND Gemini Drive to use for other dirt purposes. I'm not much of a typical fuzz user as I like to play pretty staccato a fair amount of the time. I think I'm going with the BIT though unless someone talks me into something else. My final chain is going to be something like:
EHX Micro POG
Dei Ever BIT
EHX Micro Q-Tron
Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive
Electronix Gemini Drive
Boss ODB-3
EHX Nano Small Stone (donated from guitarist today and sounds amazing with the Gemini)
EHX Stereo Electric Mistress

If there's something I need that I can't get out of that setup, I'm not sure what else I could possibly buy to get there. The Gemini definitely works if I use it for synth with the POG, but I'm liking it too much as my go-to middle gain pedal to sacrifice it for synth-fuzz usage.

[icarussmicarus]

I played around getting that tone last night when you linked it in another thread. I personally think its dry signal and 1 octave down. Rather than octave down and up and no dry.

I copped it convincingly two ways.

2 pedals - OC-2 into a BBM with a lot of dry mixed in
1 pedal - EHX BMS has all the features to capture that sound in the same pedal

[jufros]

hmm interesting. i immediately regret selling the BBM haha. maybe i'll try to dig up another or pick up an oc-2. i don't notice too much difference between the oc-2 and the micro pog subs though.

[icarussmicarus]

Theres a synthy character to the OC-2 that makes it perfect for this application. I swear I'd record some clips for you but I just bought a new computer and the annyoing process of reinstalling drivers for everything has only just begun!

[monsterthompson]

I've had good luck with the MXR Blow Torch. Not a gated fuzz, so if that is exactly what you need, then I see how that is a deal breaker. I've used mine with a Micro POG in various settings, and I can try the one you listed later tonight. They do play well together. The blend knob helps keep things pretty articulate and the mid-range control (3 position voice switch) gives some nice options. The price isn't bad either.

[jufros]

Cool let me know. If the samples are good it's really not a deal breaker at all. I don't have sloppy muting technique or anything like that. The 18V is kind of a bother but I'm willing to work with it if the pedal is rad.

[Mr. Pickles]

The Soul Provider gets me the gated fuzz/synth sound quite nicely. It already has octave down, so you won't need the low octave on the POG. The POG's octave up into the Soul Provider would be killer as it would flesh out the high end (which I find lacking on the SP). Be careful with placing the Q-Tron at the end of this combo because of the Q's volume spike. Best to run it in a blend loop. The Soul Provider sounds excellent blended.

I have a Noisebox and the Soul Provider in the parallel loop of my LS-2 with the Micro Q-Tron in the VFB's blend loop after that. Sonic Mayhem!

Just thought of this - the ElectroniX Messdrive does the gated fuzz sound and it's inexpensive. I've run that after a Micro POG and it was MASSIVE.

[jufros]

Dude. You have to make a sound clip I'm shaking in my boots right now. I've heard MessDrive clips and while I thought the fuzz was definitely awesome, "articulate" was not a word I would use to describe it. I actually haven't had volume spike issues with my Micro Q-Tron but I run all the pedals into a DBX 166A in my preamp loop.

[Mr. Pickles]

Originally Posted by jufros

Dude. You have to make a sound clip I'm shaking in my boots right now. I've heard MessDrive clips and while I thought the fuzz was definitely awesome, "articulate" was not a word I would use to describe it. I actually haven't had volume spike issues with my Micro Q-Tron but I run all the pedals into a DBX 166A in my preamp loop.

I sold my POG, so I can't do a clip. What I found was that the octave up provided additional treble content to make the melodic/harmonic information more recognizeable.

Also, if you turn up the tone knob (mine is cranked) on the Messdrive, it gets much more articulate.

I'm sure your DBX takes care of that spike, so no worries for you.

[jufros]

Can you show me an example of what you're talking about with the messdrive on a more articulate setting? I mean no offense to the bassfuzz website but I just wouldn't ever play anything that sounds even remotely similar to his demos and it's really difficult for me to gauge my opinion of a pedal from his clips. My current band doesn't do sludgy, stoner, muse-esque, or really anything that resembles most fuzz clips out there. We do an uptempo dance/groove thing with a lot of atmospheric stuff going on and a lot of rhythmic pattern manipulation that is subtle enough that I need to be articulate and super locked in with the band. I'm not going to be busting "gnarly" bass riffs but I do play busy and I do play the full range of the bass. Let's say I take advantage of a lot of rests to keep the music groovy and breathing though. I really wish I had a recording for you guys but we're not in the studio until next week. Influences would be: Mew, Dredg, Cave In, Shinichi Osawa, Daft Punk, Justice, M83, Oceansize, a little Red Hot Chili Peppers, and we borrow some rhythmic ideas from Meshuggah. I don't know if that helps at all haha.

[Mr. Pickles]

OK. I have a wake to attend tonight. Give me a bit to familiarize myself with some of your influences and I'll come up with something more useful for you.

[jufros]

Ok I am REALLY feeling the attack goat right now but am thinking I can get similar sounds with an ODB-3. It would definitely not be as compressed though. I'm thinking I might just do this setup/signal chain.

Looper (Micro POG->Attack Goat/ODB-3/MessDrive?->Devi Ever Bit->Micro Q-Tron)->Sparkle Drive->Gemini Drive->Nano Small Stone->Stereo Electric Mistress.

Leave the POG on and switch the fuzz to a more or less preposterous box depending on the need. I could also swap the ODB-3 in for the BIT or maybe a MessDrive for the BIT, assuming it can actually do something else besides the wall of sound thing that, while totally cool, I have no real use for.

I don't mind tying the POG up in the looper because I can always disengage the fuzz or the POG for a song where I won't be using them together.

I'm anticipating using the SEM a fair amount for the synth too. Basically, if I did all this, I would have the ability to use everything individually if I just left the looper on, but I also get the ability to bypass the entire synth chain (minor modulation) and have a fairly standard "rock" chain with some dirt, a phaser, and the SEM, and then switch the whole chain on when I needed it. This is looking good but....

It's all just speculation at this point because I still don't have the perfect fuzz... Fuzz has got to be the most subjective and agonizing bass effect. I have the BIT in the mail to me because I scored a fantastic deal on it and I've heard it create some truly unique sounds that I'd like to have in my arsenal. It's definitely not going to be the goto synth dirt though as it's just too industrial sounding for that sort of thing. I have all the rest of the pedals except for the looper and the other fuzz.

[jufros]

I'm thinking a Fuzz Face clone might work fine. New Electronix FaceDrive potentially? Too messy of a circuit for synth?