What do you guys think about my idea for a distortion pedal?

[Willem]

First a little background...
I have read threads about, listened to clips and watched videos of blending clean with dirt, the fender sublime pedal, sfx X&M, single and multiband compression... I have fiddled alot with the multiband mode of my EBS Multicomp. I tried to make a few distortion pedals work in my band. I'm convinced that, eventhough a dirt pedal retains (or adds) low end, some clean in the signal is needed in a band mix. I also learned from clips and video's that I like full range blending much less then using an x-over. Yesterday I was again fiddling with my multicomp and thought it might be neat if it was a three band instead of a two band. I started thinking about distortion that way too...

Splitting the signal in three with crossovers. Lows, mids and highs.
The lows (something like 100 Hz and below) totally clean. The mids (100 - 400) on the edge of clean/overdrive depending on attack and/or volume knob. The highs (400 and up) full on grind, metal muff style, cranked BB preamp (you get the idea).
How useful could this be for a guy, like me, who sucks at pedal stomping (too late, forget turning them on/off, not stepping on them properly because I'm looking at my fingers, ...)?

With this setup and just using fingerattack, volume, balance and tone controls on the bass can get you clean, overdriven and full on grind without stepping on something. With the tone you roll off the highs and the raging distortion goes away. Back the volume down a bit, play light, clean sound. Tone down, digging in, heavy overdrive. Knobs wide open, grind away with punch and articulation through cleans and mids. If you had something like the submarine onboard of your bass, you could even get a neat cutting through lead tone for soloing.

Anyways, that's the way I picture it in my head. If you have read all the way to this point... thanks, but would it work like I picture it? I think it could be versatile for the player who likes his cleans AND his dirt in various amounts but wants them all in one pedal...

[ga_edwards]

I do something like this with my Attitude bass. I send the neck 'woofer' p/up through compression only and is full range but bass heavy by nature. The p/up goes through an eq pedal to remove low end and some low mid, then through overdrive (which I switch on or off depending on the tune), then into compression. Both signals are mixed to the amp.

This way with overdrive engaged, the low end is clean and bassy, you can detect overdrive, but it's more gritty than overbearing distortion. The higher I play, the more obvious the overdrive is to the point the higher mids have a quite guitar like quality but still with a fat, clean low end underpinning it all.

Perhaps with something like the sfx spilt and mix and an eq used in line with overdrive you could get close to the sound you're after.
http://www.sfxsound.co.uk/mainpage.asp?page=sm

or although it's only 2 band, the sfx crossover and mix might work better:
http://www.sfxsound.co.uk/mainpage.asp?page=xm

[Jazz Ad]

It sounds like a very complicated solution for a simple problem.
Instead of stepping on a switch to get grit and stepping on another one to get even more, you're going to fiddle with knobs.

[guroove]

It sounds like a good idea in theory, but I don't think you want the low end to be completely clean. A lot of what makes a good fat overdrive or distortion sound so mean is the low end distorting.

I think that something similar might be in use already in the tech 21 character series pedals, but I may be wrong.

[Darkglass]

It depens, if you want distortion, but no "fuzzyness" you should leave the range under 400Hz clean... then you can control de gain ont he other bands, according to the "character" you want to achieve... more guitar like distortions, usually do what you suggest, but in a much simpelr way, just by cutting bass gradually (capacitor's impedance is higher, the lower the frequency) between stages.
If you have access to enough gear, you could try it (spliter, two overdrives/distortions for your mids and treble, 3 graphic EQs, and a 3 channel blender, or mixer) it sounds like a good idea to me.

Regards

Doug

[ga_edwards]

Or there's the Soundblox multiwave bass distortion:

http://www.sourceaudio.net/products/...distortion.php

By the looks of it, you can set how much distortion you want in 7 frequency bands - so you could have less in the low end and more in the highs/mids. And also mix in the clean sound too. Not to mention a ton of other features.

Could be a tweakers delight.

[grygrx]

Not 100% what you are asking for, but partway.

[Willem]

Originally Posted by Jazz Ad

It sounds like a very complicated solution for a simple problem.
Instead of stepping on a switch to get grit and stepping on another one to get even more, you're going to fiddle with knobs.

I know, but I'll have those knobs wherever I am on stage
It's not an ideal setup, but I'm not one to change tone a lot during a song/gig.

Originally Posted by guroove

It sounds like a good idea in theory, but I don't think you want the low end to be completely clean. A lot of what makes a good fat overdrive or distortion sound so mean is the low end distorting.

I think that something similar might be in use already in the tech 21 character series pedals, but I may be wrong.

I don't necessarily need a mean distortion as much as some grind when guitarists dual/solo. So only higher frequency distortion seems logical (for me).

Originally Posted by ga_edwards

Or there's the Soundblox multiwave bass distortion:

http://www.sourceaudio.net/products/...distortion.php

By the looks of it, you can set how much distortion you want in 7 frequency bands - so you could have less in the low end and more in the highs/mids. And also mix in the clean sound too. Not to mention a ton of other features.

Could be a tweakers delight.

I thought it was just a sevenband EQ? So lowering the bassshelfs won't give you clean low end, but no low end, is how I interpret it's description. I could be wrong, but I hate big pedals and baby blue


Thanks all for taking the time to think along with me and posting.
I'm going to think about it some more!

[Eric!]

FEA Dual Band Distortion?

[Willem]

I've been following that thread... but I'm thinking about a preamp/DI built by [SFX] and maybe I'll ask him if he can build my distortion idea (when it gets final) into that unit.

[Jake of Bass]

If you have the gear and money you could do what Chris from Muse does. He runs 3 separate rigs, one is always clean and the other two run different effects. Then the sound guy mixes it from there. So it's essentially a double tracked bassline.

[Willem]

Yeah, the thread about his rig inspired this idea too

[ga_edwards]

Originally Posted by Willem

I thought it was just a sevenband EQ? So lowering the bassshelfs won't give you clean low end, but no low end, is how I interpret it's description. I could be wrong, but I hate big pedals and baby blue !

Yes, although used in combination with the clean blend you might be able to dial in a sound with distorted highs and clean lows.

[Jake of Bass]

So you really just want an overdrive/distortion/fuzz that has a LPF? I'm pretty sure the Markbass Distorsore has these features.