Your Synth/Dub/etc Tone(s)

[jufros]

I know there have been a lot of threads on synthy fuzzes and envelope filters lately, but I was thinking it would be useful to compile some of the scattered information and have people talk about their recipes, post samples, and give advice on sounds as well as gear. I feel like a lot of these help me find a synthy "insert effect type here" threads all really have similar goals in mind.

Feel free to post sound clips, reviews, links to your band, links to other bands, pedal settings, combos, etc.

Here's a list of synthy component pedals...

Allegedly Synthy Fuzzes/Dirt Boxes

Chunk Systems Brown Dog
Chunk Systems Octavius Squeezer
Zvex Wooly Mammoth
Zvex Mastotron
Subdecay Flying Tomato
Subdecay Noise Box
OLC Chunky Cheese
Lovetone Big Cheese
Devi Ever Legend of Fuzz (Bit)
Devi Ever Bass Fuzz
MXR Blowtorch
Crowther Prunes & Custard
Malekko B:assmaster
Guyatone TZ-2
EarthQuaker Devices Dirt Transmitter
Zoom Ultra Fuzz
MI Audio Neo Fuzz
MI Audio GI Fuzz
Electronix MessDrive
ColorSound ToneBender (and clones)
Source Audio Multiwave (Bass) Distortion
Lastgasp Art Laboratories Oscillo Fuzz 88
Copilot Mantis
Copilot Mantis II
Pigtronix Disnortion
Ibanez PD7
Boss ODB-3

Envelope Filters that get talked about on TB

Lovetone Meatball
Barge Grinder
EHX Q-Tron
EHX Mini Q-Tron
EHX Micro Q-Tron
EHX Q-Tron +
Chunk Systems Agent Funk
Moog MF-101
EBS BassIQ
3Leaf Groove Regulator
Emma Discombobulator
Line 6 FM4
Line 6 MM4
DOD FX25
DOD FX25B
Xotic RoboTalk
WMD Fatman
Digitech Bass Synth Wah
EHX Q-Balls
EHX Bassballs (not a traditional filter)
Subdecay Prometheus
Subdecay Noise Box
Maxon AF-9
Zvex Ooh Wah
Mojo Hand 442 (Red/Bass Version)
MXR Bass AutoWah (not technically a filter)
MS-20 Clones
BYOC 440 Clone
Maestro Filter
Lastgasp Art Laboratories Cyber Psychic
Robot Factory Meatwad

Octave Pedals

Boss OC-2
Boss OC-3
MXR Bass Octave Deluxe
EHX POG
EHX Micro-POG
EHX HOG
EHX Octave Multiplexer
Mutron Octave Divider
FoxRox Octron
EBS Octabass
Digitech Whammy
DOD FX35
Danelectro Chili Dog
Ampeg Sub Blaster

Synths

Chunk Systems Octavius Squeezer
EHX Bass MicroSynth
Pigtronix Mothership
Boss SYB-5
Boss SYB-3
Digitech Bass Synth Wah
Akai Deep Impact
Ibanez SB-7
FuzzHugger AB-Synth
Korg G5

Other (Ring Mod, Arpeggiator, Envelope, LFO Controlled, Weirdness, etc.)

Moog MF-103 12-Stage Phaser
Moog MF-105B Bass Murf
Moog MF-107 FreqBox
Copilot FX Orbit
Copilot FX Android
Copilot Antenna
Catalinbread Heliotrope
Pigtronix Attack Sustain ASDR
Pigtronix EP-1 Envelope Phaser
Source Audio Hot Hand Wah
Source Audio Tri-Mod Wah
Boss PS-3
Boss PS-5
http://www.midfielectronics.com/ - Peace Gun, Psych Bike, Random Number Generator, Clari(not)
http://lalweb.com/effects-e.html


This is what I can muster off the top of my head but let's keep this list updated and let me know if I missed anything important. I'll start adding review links after pedals.

[FreaqyFrequency]

I would add the Colorsound Tonebender (and clones) and Source Audio Multiwave (Bass) Distortion to the Fuzz category, and you might as well put up the Ibanez PD7 while you have the ODB-3 up.

[jufros]

I'd never seen the PD7 recommended as a synthy fuzz but up it goes.

My current "bread and butter" synth combo is:

MXR Bass Octave Deluxe + Subdecay Flying Tomato + EBS BassIQ + Boss CE-5

If I engage the mid switch on the BOD and boost the treble a bit on the FT, I can get great response from the IQ. The CE-5 REALLY fattens up the sound.

I also use...

Devi Ever Bit Fuzz + EBS BassIQ
MXR BOD + EBS BassIQ
Subdecay FT + EBS BassIQ
MXR BOD + Electronix MessDrive + EBS BassIQ
Electronix MessDrive + EBS BassIQ

+(Boss PH-3, BF-2, CE-5, or EHX Nano Stone)

I'll be adding a DOD FX25 (to use with the BOD for dubish sound) and an EHX Bass MicroSynth ASAP (this week). PH-3 is almost definitely leaving for the FX25 (in the mail). I love it to death, but my band plays a little too uptempo for me to get enough use out of it as a step phaser to justify keeping it on my PT-2. I'm a synth nut (and long-time keyboardist) so... less modulation... more filters, synth, etc.

[Mudfuzz]

Originally Posted by jufros

let me know if I missed anything important.

Well you misses all of Last Gasp Art Labs for one and mid-fi electronics for another.

[jufros]

Which models do you like? I definitely forgot Mid-Fi but haven't heard much about Last Gasp.

[FreaqyFrequency]

Originally Posted by jufros

I'd never seen the PD7 recommended as a synthy fuzz but up it goes.

The ODB-3 isn't a fuzz either, and if you ask me the PD7 is better for that type of snarly overdrive anyway. Just sayin', if you've got one, you should have the other. They're the only two pedals I know of that have that sound.

[jufros]

Thanks for the heads up so far guys. Agreed on the ODB-3 but when I still had mine, I was able to get fairly precise articulation when paired with an octave and filter. It's definitely not a fuzz but I would recommend it as the lowest budget option. It's not really an overdrive either and the distortion is decidedly fuzzy in my book. If you all take issue with it being on the list though I'll remove it.

[FreaqyFrequency]

Oh I don't take issue with it, I have no doubt they can reach fuzzy territory, but so can many overdrives with the right settings. All I was saying that the ODB-3 and PD7 are similar enough that if you have one up, you should have the other.

Also, the Pitch Pirate is glitchy modulation, not fuzz. Consider putting up some Death by Audio pedals too, though they do generally get a bad rap around here (poorly put together, overpriced are the two main gripes I believe.)

Devi Ever, too. I wouldn't bother putting any particular models, they almost all sound similar in one way or another.

More Mid-Fi: Peace Gun, Psych Bike, Random Number Generator, Clari(not).

FM4 should also go under Synth. It's got a number of synth patches which TBers such as whoatherechunk use regularly.

[warwick.hoy]

Wait, I thought the Octavius Squeezer was a synth???

Looks like I need to do a google search.

EDIT: Well The Chunk System sight says it's a synth. Someone correct me if I'm mixed up in semantics.

[jufros]

AFAIK it has the Brown Dog Circuit in it so I have it listed twice. Maybe that's confusing though.

I have Devi's Bit and Bass Fuzz up there.

[whoatherechunk]

You gotta include frostwave gear son.

[Jared Lash]

Just to clarify, a normal dub tone doesn't require any effects, just technique and a good rig. A Moog Low Pass works well (envelope off, fixed cutoff) as do a few filters with the sensitivity rolled back - the FX25 is the most talked about but others do it just as well. For that matter a bass with an ACG pre will perform the same function while putting the controls at your fingertips.

Occasionally I'll use an OC-2 100% wet and play a line an octave up or use a phaser, but most of the time that's all I use in terms of effects for straight dub.

But some old and modern dub does feature synths, but I'd say that's the minority rather than the majority. One band that comes to mind is Fat Freddy's Drop who don't even have a bass player. Everything is synth bass, though it's not all that apparent most of the time. About 3 minutes into this song is one example of where it is.

Dubstep features pretty much exclusively synth bass but often dub and dubstep share only a passing resemblance.

The reason the distinction is important is that filters used for "dub" sounds and filters used for "synth" sounds are generally very different. A couple of the ones that work for dub (FX25, Robotalk 1 & 2 etc) are terrible for synth sounds when combined with a fuzz. They give much more of a stuck wah sound than a synth combo. I have yet to find a filter that works great for both applications.

[Pstewart]

Fat Fred's bass is all either keyboard or sampled through the mpc, and is generally clean, just quite fat.

[jufros]

To clarify, I was referring to synth dub sounds in the title ala Brazilian Girls, Miloopa, and friends.

[Mudfuzz]

Originally Posted by jufros

Which models do you like? I definitely forgot Mid-Fi but haven't heard much about Last Gasp.

The Hachihachi shiki kebadate hizumaseki SUPER OSCILLO FUZZ 88 has been my go to sythy fuzz for a while, it is really over the top and yet subtle at the same time it does buzzy rather then subcrushing with the oscillation off but when oscillation is in use things get crazy.

Bassfuzz.com did a very nice review on the CYBER PSYCHIC
parametric oscillo filter too, veryb synthy.

I really want to get my hands on or hear a good sample of the "TONE AXE" on bass too, the guitar, synth and metal noise rip on the sites clips!

[Jared Lash]

Originally Posted by jufros

To clarify, I was referring to synth dub sounds in the title ala Brazilian Girls, Miloopa, and friends.

I see. I guess that's the difficulty of trying to classify music as I don't hear anything remotely dub related in either of those groups.

Personally I'm always torn when it comes to synth bass sounds. I am primarily a bass player and I love effects, but I often feel like all the time and money spent trying to approximate those sounds with pedals and a bass would be better spent dusting off my keyboard chops and getting more convincing sounds with my real synth or learning to use software. I struggle with that a fair amount

[jufros]

I would definitely consider Brazilian Girl's self-titled album to be rife with dub elements and influences. However, the synth "dub" bass use is irregular. Their other releases.. I agree not so much. Yeah classifying music is difficult. When I played keyboards in a tech-death metal band and told people what genre I was in, I got asked about a lot of hilarious bands.

Does anyone have any OC-2 + FX25 (or other "low pass" filter) clips?

[Jared Lash]

I've probably got some OC-2 into the Moog LPF clips somewhere. I'll see if I can dig them up.

I didn't have a ton of success with the OC-2 into the FX25 for whatever reason. As a side note, I'm pretty sure the DOD is actually a band pass filter.

[jufros]

Yeah so I've heard. I'm still going to give it a shot with the BOD before I cave in and redesign my board with the Moog and a lot less other stuff on it. Somehow I feel like that's where I'm headed though.

[Costyou]

I would add the MF107 FreqBox. It is an absolutely amazing gadget.