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Best envelope filter pedal (opinions)

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dogwillhunt80

Apr 13, 2012
54
1
#1
Hi.

I know there has been this exact question posted in this forum in the past but they are old.

I am looking for new opinions on what you guys think are the best envelope filter pedals available.

Please note that I am not interested in anything really high-end that would retail for over, say, $350.

Thanks in advance for your opinions.
 
#7
I havent tried the source audio stuff yet, but want to.

On my list of fav's

Mutron III
Lovetone Meatball ( Mutron III with mods )
Frostwave Funkaduck
Emma DIscombobulator ( MXR envelope filter clone with typical GGG mods )
Chunk Agent Funk ( OTA filter )
Mike Beigels new tru-tron
 
#9
there are many great ones.

i hate to say it (really) but this is the one example where i think nothing matches up with the original. i used one for years, and it was worth the power supply / real estate / awful bypass (i have all of my pedals in one master bypass loop so my clean is still okay)

one that is equally as good, but a very different type of sound is the lime green DOD. this one MUST have a limiter after it! nothing fancy- i use a boss one that i got for $40 on here i think. the filter itself can be had for like $60 pretty regularly, and 1spots come with the adaptor so it fits on my normal power supply.

considering the size/price i see no reason to not use the DOD. they're fantastic, super big and wet and funky and explosive.

if i was was going to buy another filter i'd go with the MXR purple one- thats a nice modern take on it that sounds just about as good as the others.
 
#10
An envelope filter is a very personal effect, it's response to your playing, bass, and rig make it impossible for one to be the best for everyone.

The three that I own that I like the best are: 3Leaf Proton, MXR BEF, EHX QTron +.

I have a Source Audio BEF, the non-pro, and it is good, but a bit quiet and loses some lowend. I am going to get the Manta, which has the "LoRetain" feature they added on the BEF Pro.

The 3Leaf Wonderlove, Iron Either Xerograph Deluxe, WMD Super Fatman, and Subdecay Prometheus (both DLX and regular) and Proteus are all worth mention, and worth checking out if you get the chance.
 
#11
They're all so different! My Groove Regulator has a great sound that allows me to set the important parameters and get envelope behavior just right for any instrument, no truly bad settings. My old Maxon AF-01 is the nads, especially if I want a little extra rasp thrown in, though it is prone to volume spikes. Lately I've been loving my Prometheus which is quite wet and gooshy, though it has available 'no sounds' settings to watch out for, plus the step mode is a lot of fun. And my 00Funk is awesome if touchy and when combined with the Brown Dog it is just pure heaven for my kinda synthiness.

So, you most likely need more than one depending on how many flavors tickle your fancy.
 
#12
dogwillhunt80 said:
The 2 most common highly-rated envelope filters I've seen on the net and in here is the MXR and the Source Audio.
Click to expand...

I'm no filter junky (though I do have a Source Audio Manta on order), but I would think that the 3Leaf Wonderlove, WMD Super Fatman, Iron Either Xerograph Deluxe, and a few others are in the conversation---at least as much as the MXR. That's JMO based on my perception of the rest of the board, not from personal experience.
 
#14
dogwillhunt80 said:
The 2 most common highly-rated envelope filters I've seen on the net and in here is the MXR and the Source Audio.

For anyone who has tried both, why does one surpass the other, in your opinion?
Click to expand...

As far as pure tone and response goes I like the MXR. The SA has far more flexibility though. I sold it off and kept the MXR. I may go in on a Manta though as I would like another option sometimes and another fuzz.
 
#16
You really need to try them out for yourself. I bought the 3leaf because it sounded so great on Spencers demo. When i got it i couldnt use it. I didnt like the MXR demoes at all, but i bought it and i love it.
 
#17
here's a pic of most of the envelopes that I currently own. the two source audio ones are by far my favorites:

11BassEnvelopes.jpg
 
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#18
The Meatball circuit is my favourite, it's very 'playable' and the effects loop for taking a fuzz pedal makes it more reactive when playing dirty bass through it than most envelope-followers.

But you'd need a clone since the Meatball is out of production. Mine was a Robot Factory Meatwad and it was killer, but the 3Leaf Wonderlove also gets rave reviews.

I also really rate the Chunk Agent 00 Funk. And at the cheaper / mass-produced end the Q-Tron is a really good pedal too.
 
#19
my fav filter (that almost got dethroned) is the WMD Super Fatman. I was very close to getting a Manta but found (after I A/B'd it last night with my cousin's)that the low-end held out better and overall functions of the WMD closer to my needs. It can be synthy,funky,burpy,wet,subtle,quacky and everything in between. Also I tried my cousin's HH3 on it to control the LFO rate and had a very controllable and adjustable dubstep sweeps. But with that said the Manta really can cover an insane amount of ground and has the built in drives (in an internal effects loop type set-up), but with the WMD I just adjust threshold control,blend,fuzz/dirt volume, and my own dynamics to have loads of control over my filter/LFO/auto-wah needs.
 
#20
I have almost 50 different envelope filters (+ doubles, triples and more of some of them), my favorites are the Mu-Tron III and copies: Tru-Tron3X, Shin-Ei Mute Box, Mu-Tron III, 3Leaf Proton, Melos Funky Filter, Funky Fish,...

The new Tru-Tron3X is really good and has more features than the original, so that's my favorite at the moment :-D

It all depends on taste and goal, so sometimes a different filter is more suited. Of the other circuits my favorites are my Ibanez and Maxon AF-201/AF-9/AFL/AF-F1's, the (cheap) Koda KD-21 Dynamic Filter and Source Audio Soundblox Bass Envelope Filter.

I didn't try the new MXR yet, I really should :D
 
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