New (and improved?!) Bass Big Muff

[RCCollins]

Even at $118 or less, these features had better be GREAT to justify the big footprint IMO. I'm happy to see that they fixed the blend function, but the gate, HPF/LPF and DI for a dry out don't interest me at all.

[Simon Langley]

Just ordered one so we will see. Will try and post sound samples ASAP but it won't be here till after New Years.

[vegas532]

I got mine yesterday and finally got to spend a little bit of time with it today. So far, it seem like EHX got this one right. It's most definitely voiced a lot closer to the Russian Greens!
The crossover is very useful, but I did notice that the LPF gets way too thin sounding on the top half of the dial.

[Laurent]

Originally Posted by vegas532

I got mine yesterday and finally got to spend a little bit of time with it today. So far, it seem like EHX got this one right. It's most definitely voiced a lot closer to the Russian Greens!
The crossover is very useful, but I did notice that the LPF gets way too thin sounding on the top half of the dial.

Vega you got me salivating. Very interesting. Thanks for the feedback and for pioneering this pedal on Talk Bass.

[Bakkster_Man]

Originally Posted by vegas532

The crossover is very useful, but I did notice that the LPF gets way too thin sounding on the top half of the dial.

I would expect the HPF to get thin, instead... more details? Maybe rolling off so much that you're killing the mids as well and thus getting the scooped mids emphasised? Naturally you'll be lowering the volume on the clean as well.

Well, given that the LPF cutoff goes from 10kHz all the way down to 60Hz (!) the 12' position is probably around 1kHz, which would be killing your attack at that point. I'm guessing clockwise is more rolloff, instead of higher frequency? Not sure why the LPF needs to go so low (bottom fundamental octave for 5 stringers only) but I'm sure some people will set it up like that just for thump.

[vegas532]

Originally Posted by Bakkster_Man

I would expect the HPF to get thin, instead... more details? Maybe rolling off so much that you're killing the mids as well and thus getting the scooped mids emphasised? Naturally you'll be lowering the volume on the clean as well.

Well, given that the LPF cutoff goes from 10kHz all the way down to 60Hz (!) the 12' position is probably around 1kHz, which would be killing your attack at that point. I'm guessing clockwise is more rolloff, instead of higher frequency? Not sure why the LPF needs to go so low (bottom fundamental octave for 5 stringers only) but I'm sure some people will set it up like that just for thump.

I found the LPF most useful at minimum to about 1:00, past that not so much. it gets honky and nasally beyond that range. They definitely did voice the pedal much closer the the Russian Greens for sure this time. They claimed this high and low when the original Bas Big Muff came out but sorry, I didn't hear it.

[ryansalmond]

When using high and low pass filters like this, you generally want to set them to be complimentary to eachother. That is, the higher you have one set, the lower you probably want the other. Like gain and volume.
So the use for having the lpf go down to sixty hertz for example would be for people who want to set the hpf so that it's getting the rest of the signal- clean ultra lows with dirty everything else.

[Flux Jetson]

'Spose it all depends on the rolloff curve too. Are the filters 1, 2, 3, or 4 pole? (6db, 12db, 18db, and 24db).

And are they resonant at all? Meaning do they add any resonance to the tone?

If they have sharp enough rolloffs, they can be cross-set to create a scoop/notch, and de-crossed set to create a band pass filter. That is, if they are are in parallel. If they are in parallel and they have overlapping freqs, they can be used to create a number of useable sounds.

I read this whole thread, and I must have missed this info. Is there a link to the manual?

Thanks (sorry if I missed something obvious).

[Pandafist]

Bunch of people in this thread seemed to have missed the fact there is actually 3 outputs on this pedal, not two.
The direct (dry) output is above the input jack.
Output (wet) and DI are left side.

I/O AND POWER CONNECTIONS

INPUT – Musical instrument input. Plug your instrument into here. The input impedance
presented at this jack is approximately 2MΩ.

OUTPUT – This is the main output of the Deluxe Bass Big Muff Pi. Connect it to the input of
your amp or another effects pedal.

DIRECT OUT – This is a buffered output of the original bass signal. You can connect this jack
to an amplifier or different effects chain.

DI OUTPUT – Low impedance output capable of driving 600 so that you can plug directly into
a mixing console and recording equipment. This output’s signal is the same as that of the
OUTPUT jack.

http://www.ehx.com/products/deluxe-b...i/instructions

[Bakkster_Man]

The manual is on the ehx website. Says they're 2 pole filters, no notice of resonance. I would likely set them so the filters overlap around the midrange to maintain presence. Even HPF at minimum rolloff that still cuts below 125Hz to remove the mud and farty sounds. The HPF being too high sounding honky sounds about right as well.

Good to hear the voicing is good. Definitely looking forward to some audio examples and giving the pedal a try myself.

[willbassyeah]

no demo yet? I pleasantly demand for a video!!!

[Mattbass97]

Originally Posted by willbassyeah

no demo yet? I pleasantly demand for a video!!!

Same here haha

[brendanbassist]

I got mine in... I'm actually really disappointed. The crossover has a sharp resonance, so the LPF on the clean sounds more like a "parked wah" than a low pass. Related to this, there is a LOT of noise at the Q point of the LPF, which is not there when the pedal is off or even if the pedal is on but the crossover is bypassed. Maybe I got a dud.

Regarding the DI, the "Tone" control for the distorted signal makes the DI output quite useful, without being too harsh.

[aledeville]

I think this is important, the DI shouldn't be to harsh. Some kind of high frequency kill thing should be applicable. If the tone control can do this - fine with me.

Isn't the parked wah, when the two controls are overlapping? This would then mean, that they exist as distorted and as clean ones. This - at least in theory - could lead to a parked wah sound, an enhancement in that small frequency area.

Could you do a soundfile?

[brendanbassist]

Originally Posted by aledeville

I think this is important, the DI shouldn't be to harsh. Some kind of high frequency kill thing should be applicable. If the tone control can do this - fine with me.

Isn't the parked wah, when the two controls are overlapping? This would then mean, that they exist as distorted and as clean ones. This - at least in theory - could lead to a parked wah sound, an enhancement in that small frequency area.

Could you do a soundfile?

The parked wah sound I was talking about was when the blend is fully off, so it's the clean signal only. Here's a quick video: http://www.flickr.com/photos/74346974@N08/8307688892/
The video only has the noise, because actual bass playing makes my camera mic fart uncontrollably... but even in the noise, you can hear the resonance that makes the parked wah sound.

[Bakkster_Man]

It sure seems to be adding noise, but does it do that in the lower ranges of the dial as well? I will be interested to see if others pedals have the same noise issues, hoping for yours to be the exception rather than the rule.

[Flux Jetson]

Originally Posted by brendanbassist

The parked wah sound I was talking about was when the blend is fully off, so it's the clean signal only. Here's a quick video: http://www.flickr.com/photos/74346974@N08/8307688892/
The video only has the noise, because actual bass playing makes my camera mic fart uncontrollably... but even in the noise, you can hear the resonance that makes the parked wah sound.

DAYUM that's a noisy bastid! There is absolutely a resonant peak going on there. A HIGH resonant peak, just short of self oscillation .. I mean JUST short of self oscillation.

I thought my own resonant filters were noisy when I cranked up the resonance controls to just below self oscillation, but compared to that thing they're as quiet as a church mouse.

Y'know somethin .... I've search the world over for ~the~ fuzz. I've come to conclude that using a decent basic fuzz unit with very simple (or even no) tone controls used in combination with one of the better parametric EQs is the way to go. A DIY combo pedal with (let's say) a FuzzFace and a BMP in it (two footswitches .. one for each fuzz circuit) and a voltage sag control (to reduce the power voltage to simulate a dying battery) run with a (let's say) WMD PEQ .... friggin done. There's just about any fuzz sound available right there.

I mean, look at that Tech 21 Boost Fuzz ... not the bass specific one, the guitar one ... it has a sortof basic fuzz circuit with a pretty danged good EQ .... that thing has a lot going for it.

This one here makes ya wanna go Hmmmmmmm.......

[Flux Jetson]

So the way I read it, the LPF is acting on just the dry signal, do I have that right? If so, MAN did they crank up the resonance on that LPF! (I just watched brendanbassist's video a couple more times).

Maybe ... hopefully ... it's a control setting issue, or even better, it's a "dud pedal" issue.

[MetroBass]

Originally Posted by vegas532

I got mine yesterday and finally got to spend a little bit of time with it today. So far, it seem like EHX got this one right. It's most definitely voiced a lot closer to the Russian Greens!
The crossover is very useful, but I did notice that the LPF gets way too thin sounding on the top half of the dial.

IF this is truely voiced "like" a Green Muff - wow, then they did get, finally, something right for bass. I'm still sketchy though.

[Bakkster_Man]

Originally Posted by Flux Jetson

So the way I read it, the LPF is acting on just the dry signal, do I have that right? If so, MAN did they crank up the resonance on that LPF! (I just watched brendanbassist's video a couple more times).

Maybe ... hopefully ... it's a control setting issue, or even better, it's a "dud pedal" issue.

Yeah, the LPF is just for the clean, and the HPF is going into the fuzz. The HPF I could understand, but I have no idea why they would have resonance on the clean LPF...

Perhaps a trim pot inside to control resonance?