Bass overdrive with gain low cut

[Erithon]

Damnation Audio MBD or earlier versions MBD-1 and MBD-2 have a Low passed Clean blend that should do the trick.

They also make a Dirt Fixer Pedal that you can use with any OD/Distortion/Fuzz etc to accomplish this as well.

Broughton Filter FX Loop is also a great way to achieve this with any OD or Dirt pedal you may otherwise like.

I'm sure there are a few other all in one pedal solutions, but the feature you are looking for is a "Low Passed Clean Blend" in case that helps!

This is the answer the OP is looking for.

Only thing I'd add is the Damnation Audio "Bloop" (Low-passed Loop Blender), which has now been reiterated the Dirt Fixer, is also a viable option (if you can find one secondhand). The Bloop is simpler and smaller; the Dirt Fixer offers more tone-shaping possibilities and features the contoured blend that's been mentioned in this thread already, but is also housed in a bigger enclosure.

Some pedals, the CMC Audio Proto Type, offer a bake-in low-passed clean blend: the amount of dry signal is fixed, but it is low-passed. I prefer the MBD because I like to determine the amount of dry myself, but if you, OP, don't need to adjust that and simply want it to be low-passed, then this could also work. This might be how the Broughton Scorpion works as well. (I'm unclear on this.) Some folks have pointed to the Scorpion's Depth pot as a way to control how much of the frequency spectrum is distorted--and it does work that way--but moving a HPF on the wet signal isn't quite the same thing as low-passing the dry signal. I'm sure Josh built some dry signal into the Scorpion's circuit, but just what that signal path actually is is not denoted in the Scorpion's description. Regardless, the MBD offers pots for both Depth and a low-passed/contoured clean blend so it seems the best fit for what you are seeking.

In case it helps contextualize my answer, I used to use an MBD-2 and also a Bloop (for other dirt). Now I have an MBD and my other dirt is in the loop of a Broughton FFXL.

 

[Lammchop93]

The new Ashdown Megadrive does that and then some. Lets you select the HPF and LPF that get distorted.

Ashdown James LoMenzo Mega Drive Bass Drive Pedal

 

[bste9]

Darkglass X is what you are looking for

 

[Domespeed]

Tech 21 DP-3X has that feature, but with a very specific aggressive sound.
I like it, but it‘s certainly not for everybody

 

[JES]

Source Audio Soundblox OFD Bass had it. I used it for quite awhile. Can be had cheaply used. [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[Jantelagen]

The Damnation Audio MBD can work if you set the Depth at 0 and use the blend for lows. The Diftfixer is more along the lines of a Xotic X-blender but offers a low pass, though the LPF isn’t adjustable

There are pedals like the DG X-series, Tech 21 Dp-3x, etc that are designed for this and have a low comp, eq, and di. Another option mentioned, are the YYZ pedals. Similar to running parallel preamps. One clean channel and a dirty channel. The clean is slightly compressed and pre-eq’d and very cohesive. The SA Ultrawave is also worth a look

 

[Mr. voodoobass]

Source audio ultrawave can do exactly this and much more. Clean low and overdrive on highs, or fullrange on the dirt and clean bass with or without compression.

 

[Jaaan]

I'm overwhelmed with your response and insight. Thank you all so much.

You're chasing a sound from a recording? You'll never achieve it, especially if it's vintage. Nothing like 2" tape. Sounds like what you're trying to do can be done with a parametric EQ in front

I think you're missing the point. I already have the sound, and it has nothing to do with tape or recording. It just takes splitting the signal into two amps which isn't very practical. Besides, I can't afford to even stand next to 2" tape, which I think is the case for most of us.

To those of you suggesting the Darkglass X, thanks but Darkglass stuff has its own sound which unfortunately does nothing for me.

To sum up, I find the Sansamp YYZ to be the most interesting, simple and readily available route to take. Huge thanks for this suggestion.

Other than that, I think it's extremely confusing that the knowledge you share cannot be had from looking at pedals or even reading their descriptions. I mean, it turns out it's quite impossible to tell what manufacturers have in mind when they call something a "blend". Or am I missing something?

 

[Nephilymbass]

Hi all, hope you're doing well

I'm looking for a specific type of bass overdrive which I'm not sure exists. If it does, I hope you could point me to such equipment.

I was wondering if there is a pedal/preamp/rack unit (form doesn't matter) that lets a portion of dry signal come through. Not by blending a balance between wet and dry, but by allowing a selected range of low frequencies to come through dry while the rest of the range is being overdriven/distorted.

Has any of you ever come across such piece of equipment? I found that for finding my live tone I'm actually looking to reproduce my favourite recording setup, where I combine a low-cut (or high passed) track from an overdriven valve guitar amp (Orange TH30 in my case) with a high-cut (or low passed) track of pure dry Direct Input. The resulting tone remains huge and clear in the low end, while having a very angry an harmonically rich top end, which for me benefits both attack and sustain and simply makes playing a load of fun. I use tunings like drop C and B standard for a band with a heavy sound but with lots of dynamic twists, which require my bass tone to remain bouncy, fast and responsive while the sizzle and dirt stay at the top.

Thanks for popping in!

Was a bit confused by the thread title for a second but as I read your post I immediately thought of my darkglass microtubes X. The darkglass x series which includes the microtubes x, x7, x ultra, and infinity can all do clean lows like that. The tech 21 dug pedal would be another option. I like that sound for fast metal galloping/shredding type riffs. Where the clanky clean highs of more traditional drives with bass is somewhat distracting from the song. But I would recommend getting a traditional drive like a sans amp bass driver with a full range clean and blend for slower parts where you want to really hear the natural string attack of the bass.

 

[eeyorebass]

The Idiot Box Blower Box Deluxe not only has a low-passed blend, you can choose the cut off frequency of the filter with the PASS control. Like the Damnation MBD, it's not technically an OD, but you can run it with the gain down.

 

[Dave W]

I have no personal experience with it, but maybe this:

Fantastic dirt pedal. The XD-1 from Brimstone Audio

This is what I came to recommend too. It's a great pedal, so much that I own two
I'd be willing to let one of them go if it's something that interests you...

 

[klattman]

I still think you should look at the Dsm Humboldt bass simplifier.

 

[lowmid]

This is the answer the OP is looking for.

Only thing I'd add is the Damnation Audio "Bloop" (Low-passed Loop Blender), which has now been reiterated the Dirt Fixer, is also a viable option (if you can find one secondhand). The Bloop is simpler and smaller; the Dirt Fixer offers more tone-shaping possibilities and features the contoured blend that's been mentioned in this thread already, but is also housed in a bigger enclosure.

Some pedals, the CMC Audio Proto Type, offer a bake-in low-passed clean blend: the amount of dry signal is fixed, but it is low-passed. I prefer the MBD because I like to determine the amount of dry myself, but if you, OP, don't need to adjust that and simply want it to be low-passed, then this could also work. This might be how the Broughton Scorpion works as well. (I'm unclear on this.) Some folks have pointed to the Scorpion's Depth pot as a way to control how much of the frequency spectrum is distorted--and it does work that way--but moving a HPF on the wet signal isn't quite the same thing as low-passing the dry signal. I'm sure Josh built some dry signal into the Scorpion's circuit, but just what that signal path actually is is not denoted in the Scorpion's description. Regardless, the MBD offers pots for both Depth and a low-passed/contoured clean blend so it seems the best fit for what you are seeking.

In case it helps contextualize my answer, I used to use an MBD-2 and also a Bloop (for other dirt). Now I have an MBD and my other dirt is in the loop of a Broughton FFXL.

Actually, the clean blend is completely flat in my design, I tried to Low pass it, but i found it less natural, again, YMMV and taste is subjective. my idea was to have the effect of a blend without sounding like a blend. Low passing the clean sound made it sound like a blend.

 

[InkCow]

Fender trapper

It has a crossover

I just got one these delivered yesterday, and if I’m understanding the OP’s question correctly (big if), drive 2 does exactly what they’re asking for.
Half off right now on the Fender site, as well.
Should also be closer to a vintage-y overdrive than a Darkglass.

 

[InkCow]

Half off right now on the Fender site, as well.

Scratch that. Looks like it’s back to normal.

 

[whoismarykelly]

Other than that, I think it's extremely confusing that the knowledge you share cannot be had from looking at pedals or even reading their descriptions. I mean, it turns out it's quite impossible to tell what manufacturers have in mind when they call something a "blend". Or am I missing something?

It can be tough to explain everything about a pedal right on the face of the pedal. I like to label a control as the purpose it serves in the sound you hear rather than what it is explicitly doing in the circuit. I know there are folks that would a the level of detail like "Volume of a parallel JFET preamp with a 1st order low pass filter at 1053Hz" but that just doesn't fit nicely below a knob.

 

[Wood and Wire]

Actually, the clean blend is completely flat in my design, I tried to Low pass it, but i found it less natural, again, YMMV and taste is subjective. my idea was to have the effect of a blend without sounding like a blend. Low passing the clean sound made it sound like a blend.

Yeah, personally I think it sounds like a great idea on paper (and can be a really useful solution in the studio), but in most users hands ends up sounding like harsh resonant metal scraping & simultaneous rumble, with all the midrange scooped out.

As you say, taste is subjective, so maybe those users are intentionally choosing that result, rather than just putting up with it.

For my purposes, some proportion of clean broadband blend, coupled with an overdrive / fuzz / distortion with a flexible EQ section usually does the trick ;

But I sometimes wish somebody would come up with additional diffusion control (much like a reverb unit) that would interlace the wet & dry components together in a more musical way.

 

[Beheroth]

Orange TH30

orange bass butler

 

[Nunovsky]

Also check the Tech 21 YYZ.
The deep channel is a low passed clean signal with some compression that can be blended with the drive channel.

 

[Jeff Bonny]

A Boss LS-2 with a HPF>OD in one loop and the unprocessed (or LPF) signal in the other loop. Blend to taste.
This route doesn't lock you into a particular OD. Can be useful with other types of fx too.