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Bass octave up - Pedal comparison

H

heitorcunhas

May 28, 2026
11
1
#1
Hello again,

I'm working on a fake guitar chain for my bass using the following:

[Octave up] -> ([EQD Data Corrupter] or [Stone deaf Rise n Shine]) -> Joyo Monomyth

I've seen more than one octave up pedals. I did also find this Stompenberg FX - Devices – Thomann UK to test the sound of bass with an isolated octave up in those pedals.

Thing is: The nano pog which was my pick for the plan sounded quite glitchy, the best sounding one was the tc electronic Sub'N'Up Mini Octaver

Can someone confirm if this is real? What is your experience creating this fake guitar with a bass?
 
#2
For octave up there are some choices as not all are equal. Many are looking for an analog octave up but the octave is an artifact of he distortion circuit and does not always deliver on bass unless specifically tuned for that like the Foxrox Octron3. Then there are the digital pitch shifters or harmonizers that track more accurately but can glitch if your technique is not precise and the sound is often harsh even unpleasant without further treatment.

I have used an Akai UniBass for this to add octave up, power chord and some overdrive for a long time. The same effect module is in the Furure Impact.
POG and Whammy are a bit chirpy and digital sounding to my ear as is the Donnner Harmionic Square that I also use.

Sub N Up has some really good tracking and sounding options especially if you explore the Tone Print options.

Analog octave ups aka Octave fuzz are good if your looking for more dirt but the results can be unpredictable, Octron3 works well for this and the new JHS Double Dragon is on my list to try.

Currently I have a TRex Quint Machine to get a more organic octave up on my jazz board, will have to see if it works better than the Donner Harmonic Square I have been using.
 
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#4
heitorcunhas said:
Hello again,

I'm working on a fake guitar chain for my bass using the following:

[Octave up] -> ([EQD Data Corrupter] or [Stone deaf Rise n Shine]) -> Joyo Monomyth

I've seen more than one octave up pedals. I did also find this Stompenberg FX - Devices – Thomann UK to test the sound of bass with an isolated octave up in those pedals.

Thing is: The nano pog which was my pick for the plan sounded quite glitchy, the best sounding one was the tc electronic Sub'N'Up Mini Octaver

Can someone confirm if this is real? What is your experience creating this fake guitar with a bass?
Click to expand...
Yeah, I moved on from the Micro Pog and the big one to a mini Sub’n’Up and also a TRex Quint(which adds the option of an added fifth for fake power chords), but…I haven’t forgotten EHX entirely. I’m quite happy with the Pitch Fork, which will add the octave up and much more, that being the pitch bend/‘whammy’ or detune/doubling capabilities(with an outboard expression pedal). Far more versitile, and the “up” sound is sufficient.
 
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#8
Michedelic said:
Yeah, I moved on from the Micro Pog and the big one to a mini Sub’n’Up and also a TRex Quint(which adds the option of an added fifth for fake power chords), but…I haven’t forgotten EHX entirely. I’m quite happy with the Pitch Fork, which will add the octave up and much more, that being the pitch bend/‘whammy’ or detune/doubling capabilities(with an outboard expression pedal). Far more versitile, and the “up” sound is sufficient.
Click to expand...

I couldn’t get along with the Quint. I traded it in and went for the Boss XS-100 to buy once and cry once. It’s pretty decent at octave up, though I can hear some occasional warbles in certain settings with other pedals in the chain. The XS-1 is a better budget option than the 100. There’s also the Harmonist PS-6 which I’m interested in for smart harmonies. I’m not thrilled with the octave down on the XS-100 so something like the OC-5 has my attention for that. The Foxrox sounds pretty good in demos but it is an analog monophonic pedal, making it more sensitive to sloppy playing. Digital polyphonic tracking is probably easier to adapt to. Tons of cool options out there. All are a little different.
 
#12
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#14
heitorcunhas said:
Thing is: The nano pog which was my pick for the plan sounded quite glitchy, the best sounding one was the tc electronic Sub'N'Up Mini Octaver

Can someone confirm if this is real? What is your experience creating this fake guitar with a bass?
Click to expand...
I went with the Sub'n'Up Mini for a number of reasons. The first one, and this is important, is the ability, via the TonePrint app, to EQ/Filter the input signal before the pitch-shifter. Whilst these input EQ could be used in a traditional way to shape the signal that goes to the processor, my first priority was to create a hefty HPF (Lo Shelf, -12dB/octave @ 80Hz) to essentially ditch everything below E2. This helps the pitch shifter with tracking and ensures a degree of separation when the bass-line is happening in the first octave. Obviously upper harmonics of those low notes get through, but that is fine. I also put in a low-pass filter (-9db.Oct @ 700Hz) to stop most of the upper partials above F5 from getting through - these tend to become shrill and 'synthetic' when shifted up. The second reason is the ability to post-process the Sub2, Sub and Up outputs separately with EQ and Drive. Modulation can also be applied globally, and it includes the excellent TCE Tri-Chorus algorithm. I've not experienced any polyphonic tracking or latency problems with the Sub'n'Up.

As of a week or so back, I replaced the Sub'n'Up Mini with the PlethoraX1. The included Sub'n'Up is identical to the dedicated pedal, with the exact same parameters available via TonePrint so it sounds the same, but it enables much easier patch switching via the footswitch and bank selector instead of having to twiddle multiple knobs. The PlethoraX1 can also host 'Brainwaves' and 'Quintessence Harmony' TonePrints, so I now have those options available. So far the Brainwaves is generating more 'Oooh, that sounds cool!' attention than I had planned.
 
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#16
The best octave up I’ve ever played is alongside the fuzz in the Vox Trike. It captures that White Stripes Icky Thump guitar tone on bass.
I would say the Sub N Up is a good choice that gives you a lot of variation. Octave up pedals are tricky in general, they all have different flavors whether it’s shrill, organic, dull or synthy.
The Boss OC5 also tracked well and has a couple of tricks up its sleeve tone wise.
 
#17
As mentioned earlier I've been going back down this path again as I got a bit annoyed with the Donner Harmonic Square I've benn using for a while. Ot worked fine but the digital-ness started to bug my ear. Tried several of my other options and the one I found that works best for my needs is the pitch chifter in the Zoom MS60B since it has the addition of a tone control that helps to tame that digital chirpyness. Having a tone control is one of the reasons Akai UniBass sounded more "organic" to my ear and is still on one of my boards, I would use it still were it not so large and irreplaceable.

I am working to incorporate an FI V4.5 into a compact board so may use that for the octave up function since it is close to the UniBass (same designer).
 
#20
NotColinGrigson said:
I use an octave up pedal to feed my mel9. I tried a few, but ended up with the mooer tender octave 2. I also kept the mini sub and up.
The niggle I had with the tc was that it always felt quiet compared to the clean sound.
Click to expand...
I haven’t tried the tender octave 2, but I used to have the Mooer Pure Octave pedal.
It was good, but I got a used Sub N Up Mini.
Tried both for a while, and the Sub N Up worked better for what I do.
So after considering whether I should keep both, I realized the Sub n Up does everything I use better, I sold it.
But I am okay with trying others as well.
 
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