Input pad box ideas

Tony Flow MMMM · #1 01-10-2013, 05:51 PM

I'm looking for all around ideas. There's two pedals that sound like crap with active basses. But with 4k ohms of resistance infront they sound amazing.

I'm trying to consider how to do this. I considered putting a pad switch on both pedals, but would rather leave them as is. If its going to be a separate box I'd like for it to be compact, all it needs to do is be a resistor, with a foot switch.

Maybe it doesn't even need a foot switch? If my passive bass runs through it fine Any ideas?

I'm having a hard time finding very tiny enclosures. I even considered putting it under my board a leaving a little toggle switch to hit.

boomertech · #2 01-10-2013, 05:57 PM

How about just installing the resistor in the plug shell of your cable?

-Frank

Tony Flow MMMM · #3 01-10-2013, 06:03 PM

....... See I'm new to all this.. Is this viable? So I'd have to carry around a modified cable.

What's better.

Separate modified pedal

Modified cable

Or modifying the bass to have less output,

Tony Flow MMMM · #4 01-10-2013, 07:14 PM

I think ill just add a 4k pad switch to my q tron, since my woolly will run behind it it'll already be padded.

Tony Flow MMMM · #5 01-10-2013, 07:33 PM

I think ill just add a 4k pad switch to my q tron, since my woolly will run behind it it'll already be padded.

So I need a switch that either bypasses or runs through the resistor correct? And last but not least. Do both tip AND sleeve have to run through a resistor or just the tip?

father of fires · #6 01-10-2013, 07:35 PM

How are you running the resistor now?

Tony Flow MMMM · #7 01-10-2013, 07:53 PM

I'm not.

Not sure if I mentioned. I ran through a boost/cut pedal found the perfect setting and it was 4k resistance. I'm sure I can accomplish what I'm trying to do, but I have never done it.

father of fires · #8 01-10-2013, 08:23 PM

You're gonna have to go back to the beginning. What you posted doesn't make much sense. I find it hard to believe that there is any pedal on the market that would make a huge difference with either 4k series or parallel resistance. Plus you'll have a hard time finding 4k resistor.

What is the boost cut pedal? How did you come up with 4k? 4k doesn't mean much on its own. There are 100 other parameters that are involved in how your bass interacts with a pedal.

Have you tried one of there:

http://www.ehx.com/products/signal-pad

Tony Flow MMMM · #9 01-10-2013, 08:44 PM

After confusing myself I figured it out thanks!

Knettgummi · #10 01-11-2013, 06:46 AM

I'm interested in this topic, do you mind elaborating what you've found out, Tony?

I'm considering getting a passive attenuator to adjust the signal level after my dirt pedals before going into a Xerograph deluxe filter. I find that the Xero produces distortion at certain settings with a loud input signal (from both my passive and active basses). I could adjust the volume on my bass, of course, but that results in much tamer sounds from my dirt pedals, not to mention it is somewhat cumbersome to find the exact spot on my bass' volume control on the fly.

Does anyone have experience with using an attenuator for this purpose? Would a 25k resistor be appropriate for this (it would be placed after a TAFM fuzz, before the Xero)? If not, what kind of resistor (or other gear) would you recommend?

father of fires · #11 01-11-2013, 06:56 AM

Just having a resistor won't do much without knowing the output and input characteristics of all the pedals involved. I'm really still quite confused as to what the OP was doing.

Why can't you just turn down the output volume of your dirt pedals?

Knettgummi · #12 01-11-2013, 07:20 AM

Mainly because I don't keep them on at all times. The Xero will occasionally distort with just the clean signal from bass (I'm starting to think that this is an issue with the filter -- I'll make a separate thread about that later, when I've had a chance to record a clip of it in action).

I was thinking of using a small passive volume pedal (something like this) to dial in a suitable level before the filter, though I'm not entirely sure what kind of resistor to order, or if this is even the best solution to my problem.

father of fires · #13 01-11-2013, 07:31 AM

Check out the pedal I linked in post #8.

Knettgummi · #14 01-11-2013, 07:47 AM

Yep, that one's on my radar as well, though I'd prefer to have an even smaller footprint since I don't really need the bypass and LED...

Tony Flow MMMM · #15 01-11-2013, 11:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Knettgummi;13702708 (something like [URL="http://this1smyne.com/shop/mv-mini-volume-pedal/"

this[/url])

THATS what I'm talking about.

However I spoke to a wooly mammoth clone producer and believe Influenced them to experiment with this and add a pad switch for active basses, hopefully I'd be the tester for it too!!

cheapbasslovin · #16 01-11-2013, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tony Flow MMMM

THATS what I'm talking about.

However I spoke to a wooly mammoth clone producer and believe Influenced them to experiment with this and add a pad switch for active basses, hopefully I'd be the tester for it too!!

I don't know how relevant to this thread this is, but I know that the Music Electronix/ Ziebek fuzz pedals had an audio transformer in series with the input of the signal path, with nothing connected to the secondary of the transformer, to make them play better with active bases. Until Os got flaky, those pedals were very highly thought of.