3Leaf Audio Club - Episode 2

[labeledbass]

As someone who used both the XD and Chromatron for a while, the Chromatron is always great. The XD is more versatile, but can never get that quack. Now I’ll have to e XD for synth and the proton for funk, best of both.

Yeah, I think I'm going to do the same, with enough resonance I can get both to quack pretty good, I just get a warmer feeling with the 3leaf. I have yet to express the XD though, and I think, like the Chromatron, will unlock some more range and possibly get closer to each other

 

[jdjk7]

For me, the Chroma was only a synthy filter until I started running it into the Azure Drive. I've tried running it into dirt before, but never liked the result. The AD just makes it sound exactly like a screaming distorted guitar wah SHOULD sound (but on bass!)

FWIW I'm not super into clean envelope filter sounds on dry bass, but maybe I just haven't found the setting yet.

 

[Jon Muir]

For me, the Chroma was only a synthy filter until I started running it into the Azure Drive. I've tried running it into dirt before, but never liked the result. The AD just makes it sound exactly like a screaming distorted guitar wah SHOULD sound (but on bass!)

FWIW I'm not super into clean envelope filter sounds on dry bass, but maybe I just haven't found the setting yet.

The Chromatron is not a synthy filter when compared to the XD.

 

[Charlie Tuna]

The Chromatron is not a synthy filter when compared to the XD.

4-pole on the Chromatron would make it bonkers.

 

[labeledbass]

The Chromatron is not a synthy filter when compared to the XD.

Yeah, I get a nice organic progression on the open and close with the Chromatron, but can a envelope pedal be synthy on it's own? I always get the synth going with the filter, a octave, and fuzz or valve drive.

4-pole on the Chromatron would make it bonkers.

Yeah, it would run really deep, but I bet the top end would be too much, maybe. I'm not sure what this makes me, with my preference and all, but I've kept the 2 pole on the XD since I've gotten it

 

[Charlie Tuna]

I've mentioned it before in this thread. I want a switch that swaps whether the clean blend present in the Mix knob is pre- or post- FX loop. Because normally, the clean blend is just bone-dry bass, unless I have effects before the Chroma. And the whole point of the fx loop is to keep effects from being before the envelope follower...

I remember that now but couldn't and still can't figure out what type of sounds/uses you are trying to get with it. This sounds like you would have your effected dry signal running in parallel with the same effects also running through the filter. Is that right? Which effects would you use like this? Sounds interesting.

 

[Charlie Tuna]

Yeah, it would run really deep, but I bet the top end would be too much, maybe. I'm not sure what this makes me, with my preference and all, but I've kept the 2 pole on the XD since I've gotten it

For lead synthy octave/fuzz stuff the 4-pole is the winner. Raise the XD's Frequency knob a bit and lower the Filter volume. And of course, dial the Sens knob back so it doesn't open up too quickly.

I've been jumping between the XD and Chromatron a lot over the past couple months. The CT seems to be a bit more controllable, but for me, the XD seems a bit more lively/dynamic in conjunction with other pedals. Both are great.

 

[Jon Muir]

4-pole on the Chromatron would make it bonkers.

Yes it would. Would make me want another Chromatron.

 

[Jon Muir]

For lead synthy octave/fuzz stuff the 4-pole is the winner. Raise the XD's Frequency knob a bit and lower the Filter volume. And of course, dial the Sens knob back so it doesn't open up too quickly.

I've been jumping between the XD and Chromatron a lot over the past couple months. The CT seems to be a bit more controllable, but for me, the XD seems a bit more lively/dynamic in conjunction with other pedals. Both are great.

4-pole on the Chromatron would make it bonkers.

My dream filter would be a Chromatron on a 2 pole side, with a Xerograph 4 pole on the 4 pole side. I’d want the controls and effects loop of the Chromatron, with controls for the filter frequency and the expression attenuation that the Xerograph has.

 

[labeledbass]

Does the sensitivity on the XD adjust the attack/release of the filter? or just match to the input like the Chromatron? I love the atk/decay on the Chromatron, I thought the 2 speed switch was the only way to adjust the XD

..dial the Sens knob back so it doesn't open up too quickly.

 

[jdjk7]

I remember that now but couldn't and still can't figure out what type of sounds/uses you are trying to get with it. This sounds like you would have your effected dry signal running in parallel with the same effects also running through the filter. Is that right? Which effects would you use like this? Sounds interesting.

To use a very basic example, say I have the Chroma with the Doom 2 in as the whole effects chain. Bass > Chroma (Doom 2) > Amp. In this configuration, if I turn on the band pass filter to get a wah sound and then turn the mix down to retain low end, what I get is the fuzzed-out Doom 2 sound with the completely unfiltered, unfuzzed clean bass sound mixed back in. What I would prefer (or would like to have the option for) is to mix the unfiltered return from the Doom 2 back in, so that it sounds more like a complete fuzzed wah sound (with the massive low end that the Doom 2 provides) as opposed to a fuzz wah sound with clean bass mixed in.

This basically only only applies to using the band pass mode, but for me it still impacts the sound enough that my solution was to run my Octabvre before the Chroma for only the purpose of affecting the clean mixed signal.

 

[Charlie Tuna]

This basically only only applies to using the band pass mode, but for me it still impacts the sound enough that my solution was to run my Octabvre before the Chroma for only the purpose of affecting the clean mixed signal.

Thank you for the explanation! I hardly use band pass so that completely makes sense now. I think I need to spend some time with BP mode now...

So to achieve what you want you would basically need a blender and two Doom 2's. A lot more real estate and dinero. Nice suggestion.

 

[Jon Muir]

Does the sensitivity on the XD adjust the attack/release of the filter? or just match to the input like the Chromatron? I love the atk/decay on the Chromatron, I thought the 2 speed switch was the only way to adjust the XD

2 speed is the only way

 

[jdjk7]

Thank you for the explanation! I hardly use band pass so that completely makes sense now. I think I need to spend some time with BP mode now...

So to achieve what you want you would basically need a blender and two Doom 2's. A lot more real estate and dinero. Nice suggestion.

Yeah. It's like... I hesitate to add even more switches to this thing, but I just happened to run into the exact wrong situation.

 

[labeledbass]

I really want to mess around with different envelope triggers, and using the Chromatron's return as my bass input - has anyone ventured into that option?

 

[76jazzbass]

To use a very basic example, say I have the Chroma with the Doom 2 in as the whole effects chain. Bass > Chroma (Doom 2) > Amp. In this configuration, if I turn on the band pass filter to get a wah sound and then turn the mix down to retain low end, what I get is the fuzzed-out Doom 2 sound with the completely unfiltered, unfuzzed clean bass sound mixed back in. What I would prefer (or would like to have the option for) is to mix the unfiltered return from the Doom 2 back in, so that it sounds more like a complete fuzzed wah sound (with the massive low end that the Doom 2 provides) as opposed to a fuzz wah sound with clean bass mixed in.

This basically only only applies to using the band pass mode, but for me it still impacts the sound enough that my solution was to run my Octabvre before the Chroma for only the purpose of affecting the clean mixed signal.

What about-
Doom2 > active splitter
Splitter A > Chromatron input
Splitter B > FX loop return

 

[76jazzbass]

You will have Doom going through filtered/Doom but can blend to taste haha, worth a shot

 

[jdjk7]

What about-
Doom2 > active splitter
Splitter A > Chromatron input
Splitter B > FX loop return

I think this would actually not really do anything, because it's essentially the just same as if I ran the Doom 2 in front of the Chroma with no blender and just... used the mix knob built into the Chroma.

But it also doesn't agree with the point of the fx loop, which is to keep from having to run dynamics-destroying effects in front of the envelope follower.

(Unrelated side note: I think blenders are a cool utility, but I think the popularity of them has possibly made it harder to get stuff like low passed clean blends on bass fuzzes. Because I ask people if they know of any pedals with that feature, and the answer is "just use a blender pedal". Like... cool, that's great, but sometimes I want the features in one box instead of two boxes.)

 

[76jazzbass]

I think this would actually not really do anything, because it's essentially the just same as if I ran the Doom 2 in front of the Chroma with no blender and just... used the mix knob built into the Chroma.

But it also doesn't agree with the point of the fx loop, which is to keep from having to run dynamics-destroying effects in front of the envelope follower.

(Unrelated side note: I think blenders are a cool utility, but I think the popularity of them has possibly made it harder to get stuff like low passed clean blends on bass fuzzes. Because I ask people if they know of any pedals with that feature, and the answer is "just use a blender pedal". Like... cool, that's
If you're using expression pedal for wah style control you don't need

I think this would actually not really do anything, because it's essentially the just same as if I ran the Doom 2 in front of the Chroma with no blender and just... used the mix knob built into the Chroma.

But it also doesn't agree with the point of the fx loop, which is to keep from having to run dynamics-destroying effects in front of the envelope follower.

(Unrelated side note: I think blenders are a cool utility, but I think the popularity of them has possibly made it harder to get stuff like low passed clean blends on bass fuzzes. Because I ask people if they know of any pedals with that feature, and the answer is "just use a blender pedal". Like... cool, that's great, but sometimes I want the features in one box instead of two boxes.)

Oh right, confusing myself. But also I thought you were talking about using expression pedal like wah and BP so not needing dynamics for envelope. I'm a long time Wonderlove fan and the fx loop is my fave part.

 

[Naack]

So any word on Spencer? Last update was early September. Hope the fella is doing alright.