Cross-Over (Crossover or Splitter) pedals

[millahh]

Mine just arrived yesterday, I only got about five minutes with it, just enough to get it roughly hooked up and verify that it works. Got a Rat (specifically a 1312) and a Green Russian in the loop at the moment. I'll report back in a couple of days.

Ok, I've played around with it enough to have developed some first impressions.

• It is built very well
• It does exactly what it says it does on the tin. And the crossover, the balance between the high & low channels, plus the ability to blend in the full clean signal means that there is an amazing (almost intimidating) range to this thing.
• It seems to handle overdrive (OCD) extremely well, my preference is with the x-over at about 2:00. It was hard to fund a bad sound with the OCD, honestly. And running a VMT or a Spark boost in front of it sounded glorious...richer and heavier, but still very organic sounding. Sounded really good both with P-bass and L2K (set to outer coils)
• Distortion (in this case a Fat Rat) is a little fussier. Sounded great with the P-bass across a range of gain, and hitting it with a VMT or Spark gave it some extra oomph. It was definitely fussier with the L2K, had a harder time finding something that wasn't too trebly/harsh. Although my toddlers' penchant for playing with the knobs on my basses and pedals may have contributed! Low gain grind is pretty easy to dial in. I will definitely say that the x-over does it's intended job here, which is allowing me to blend without my top end sounding like I'm hitting a chain link fence with a baseball bat.
• Fuzz...I don't think I'll keep this in the x-over loop. I tried it with a Green Russian, and it got rid of all the creaminess and just left something nasty (in kind of a good way?) on top. I think some folks would like it, but it's not to my tastes. Certainly no doubt it would cut through.
• Delay...at 2:00, it was almost more of an ambient effect than anything else. Dialed a little lower it brought back more body, but without making it muddy. It was a good experiment, but not something I'll stick with, in part because I run this all in front of my compressor...

All in all, a step up from my LS-2, and there are a lot of sounds in here...it may just take me a while to find them!

 

[millahh]

Ok, I've played around with it enough to have developed some first impressions.

• It is built very well
• It does exactly what it says it does on the tin. And the crossover, the balance between the high & low channels, plus the ability to blend in the full clean signal means that there is an amazing (almost intimidating) range to this thing.
• It seems to handle overdrive (OCD) extremely well, my preference is with the x-over at about 2:00. It was hard to fund a bad sound with the OCD, honestly. And running a VMT or a Spark boost in front of it sounded glorious...richer and heavier, but still very organic sounding. Sounded really good both with P-bass and L2K (set to outer coils)
• Distortion (in this case a Fat Rat) is a little fussier. Sounded great with the P-bass across a range of gain, and hitting it with a VMT or Spark gave it some extra oomph. It was definitely fussier with the L2K, had a harder time finding something that wasn't too trebly/harsh. Although my toddlers' penchant for playing with the knobs on my basses and pedals may have contributed! Low gain grind is pretty easy to dial in. I will definitely say that the x-over does it's intended job here, which is allowing me to blend without my top end sounding like I'm hitting a chain link fence with a baseball bat.
• Fuzz...I don't think I'll keep this in the x-over loop. I tried it with a Green Russian, and it got rid of all the creaminess and just left something nasty (in kind of a good way?) on top. I think some folks would like it, but it's not to my tastes. Certainly no doubt it would cut through.
• Delay...at 2:00, it was almost more of an ambient effect than anything else. Dialed a little lower it brought back more body, but without making it muddy. It was a good experiment, but not something I'll stick with, in part because I run this all in front of my compressor...

All in all, a step up from my LS-2, and there are a lot of sounds in here...it may just take me a while to find them!

Did we lose the ability to edit posts and I missed it?

Anyway, addendum to the above. Once I got my L2K properly dialed in again, it was better behaved with the Fat Rat. Also, when I originally tried L2K/Rat, it was using a Black Mass 1312...which I've always had a hard time dialing in on bass. Either I am just bad at the 1312, or there is some subtlety to it that makes it behave slightly differently.

 

[sunbeast]

Did we lose the ability to edit posts and I missed it?

Anyway, addendum to the above. Once I got my L2K properly dialed in again, it was better behaved with the Fat Rat. Also, when I originally tried L2K/Rat, it was using a Black Mass 1312...which I've always had a hard time dialing in on bass. Either I am just bad at the 1312, or there is some subtlety to it that makes it behave slightly differently.

There is only a window of some hours for editing these days, maybe so people are more careful what they write?

Have you tried putting a compressor in the low crossover loop? In my experience that can help fatten up the higher gain sounds quite a bit (similar to the Darkglass X7 approach)

 

[Zbysek]

The new version of my large pedalboard has two dirt pedals in crossovers/blenders:
1. Jive in the FFXL
2. Scorpion in Sugar Britches
Jive saturates mids (approx. 300-1500 Hz) and Scorpion overdrives high mids and highs (above approx. 1200Hz).

 

[Zbysek]

The new dual-band compressor from PJB features crossover with FX loop for each band...

P: X2C Multifunctional Dual Band Compressor | Phil Jones Bass

 

[sunbeast]

The new dual-band compressor from PJB features crossover with FX loop for each band...

P: X2C Multifunctional Dual Band Compressor | Phil Jones Bass

That looks very promising!

 

[Zbysek]

That looks very promising!

Indeed!

What I am concerned is that there is no phase switch...and no make-up gain...

 

[sunbeast]

Indeed!

What I am concerned is that there is no phase switch...and no make-up gain...

Good catch- no master volume control is definitely a major omission. Phase switches matter somewhat less with a crossover looper than a typical FX looper, but with likely a 12db filter on each side there is still likely to be plenty of shared signal between the two sides to cause issues (and the clean blend could cause issues with any phase-shifting FX). Kind of a bummer that they missed those features

 

[Zbysek]

Good catch- no master volume control is definitely a major omission.

I have asked the manufacturer. This is the reply which I received (from Phil Jones himself):

"Our compressor operates on the principle of unity gain, meaning that the output level matches the input level when the compression is applied. In our compressor,

the compression process is designed to maintain the signal level at unity gain, ensuring that the overall volume remains consistent without the need for adjustable

gain settings. This design approach simplifies the user experience by eliminating the need for make-up gain adjustments. Instead, the compressor automatically

adjusts the output level to match the input level, effectively controlling the dynamic range while preserving the original volume of the audio signal. By focusing on

unity gain, our compressor offers a straightforward and efficient solution for managing dynamic range without the complexity of additional gain controls."

This ensures that users can achieve optimal compression results with minimal effort, making it an ideal choice for various audio application.

 

[Tweea]

Just got my delivery of the XO variable crossover pedal this weekend. Given all of the talk about signal splitting and crossover functionality, I am surprised there hasn't been more discussion about this new pedal. The form factor is great and it works exactly as described. Love this addition to my pedalboard!! I have my MBD, Doom2, Proton, Anadime chorus and BF2 in the high pass loop and a compressor in the low pass and I am able to dial in some awesome tones. Can finally do a decent version of the Hysteria bass line (Muse)!! Also, I wasn't sure how the Octabvre and Proton would work not getting a full signal, but I run the Jive before the crossover and I think this helps maintain a decent signal to the high-pass loop. Hoping more people here get to try it - I took a chance and it worked out.

I would love to say that my pedalboard is finally complete - but that would be silly.

 

[Zbysek]

Just got my delivery of the XO variable crossover pedal this weekend. Given all of the talk about signal splitting and crossover functionality, I am surprised there hasn't been more discussion about this new pedal. The form factor is great and it works exactly as described. Love this addition to my pedalboard!! I have my MBD, Doom2, Proton, Anadime chorus and BF2 in the high pass loop and a compressor in the low pass and I am able to dial in some awesome tones. Can finally do a decent version of the Hysteria bass line (Muse)!! Also, I wasn't sure how the Octabvre and Proton would work not getting a full signal, but I run the Jive before the crossover and I think this helps maintain a decent signal to the high-pass loop. Hoping more people here get to try it - I took a chance and it worked out.

I would love to say that my pedalboard is finally complete - but that would be silly.
View attachment 5462694

Great pedalboard!

I am surprised you put MBD in the high pass loop though. With the clean (contoured) blend, I don't feel the need to put it in crossover...

 

[Tweea]

You are right. Not a huge need, but I wanted to experiment with the crossover so I keep the blend low. The Doom 2 also doesn't really need the crossover but I really like running these pedals in the crossover in front of the BF2. Also, I like how the Octavbre works in the crossover.

 

[millahh]

There is only a window of some hours for editing these days, maybe so people are more careful what they write?

Have you tried putting a compressor in the low crossover loop? In my experience that can help fatten up the higher gain sounds quite a bit (similar to the Darkglass X7 approach)

Ok, circling back having spent some additional time with it:

• I didn't put a compressor in the lower loop (though I may throw a bass dynacomp in there if I can free up the room), but I did move my Empress comp to the front of my chain, and made the settings more aggressive, it helped
• The perfect Rat sound in the loop (for me) is actually the Bass Rat model in the Aftershock.I can't even remember if I tweaked it in Neuro or not, but it's all of the Rat goodness without the unpleasantness in the very high end. Loving the OCD model in the Aftershock as well.
• Running delay in the loop keeps it out of the way, and generally gets me some pretty musical results. And at some settings, it's almost more reverb-ish
• The most pleasant surprise has been wah (I use the Geezer wah that came out a few years ago). I get great sweeping, quacking and filtering without the sudden loss of body. And it sounds incredible with my Green Russian (not in the x-over loop) ahead of it. It's like getting punched in the face and in the gut at the same time. And yet it's not obvious that the low is uneffected. I feel like I can finally use wah more musically rather than as the occasional stunt pedal.

So, very very happy with this, I doubt it is ever leaving my board.

 

[Tweea]

The compressor in the low pass loop makes a big difference. Like you, I think this pedal will be on my board for the duration.

 

[sunbeast]

You are right. Not a huge need, but I wanted to experiment with the crossover so I keep the blend low. The Doom 2 also doesn't really need the crossover but I really like running these pedals in the crossover in front of the BF2. Also, I like how the Octavbre works in the crossover.

I love crossover loopers for making synthy tones with a lot of depth!
Do you have the Octaver in the low-passed loop? I've made some cool synthy tones doing that, and with analog octaves (and most digital ones I've tried), the roll-off of high-end fed to the octaver helps with clean tracking too which is a bonus. An alternative approach I like is to put the octaver before the crossover looper which then makes a filtered version of the octave tone once it is sent to the low-pass while still sending the octave tone to the other loop. My crossover looper (Omnilooper) allows me to move the filter before or after the loop or remove it entirely, so I can keep a low-passed loop with octave underneath a full-range synth tone up top which can sound huge.

 

[Justyn Brando]

came across this thread while considering buying a XO Crossover.
Question for those here who have one;
Have you tried placing a pre-amp ahead of the XO? I typically run my Darkglass Vintage Deluxe prior to hitting my gain stages to better use my blend knobs. I like the punch of the darkglass on the bottom end and dont want to lose that by only placing it in the HP loop in the XO, but was curious if it effected the tracking of the filters if the signal is saturated before hitting the XO.

Thoughts?

 

[sunbeast]

came across this thread while considering buying a XO Crossover.
Question for those here who have one;
Have you tried placing a pre-amp ahead of the XO? I typically run my Darkglass Vintage Deluxe prior to hitting my gain stages to better use my blend knobs. I like the punch of the darkglass on the bottom end and dont want to lose that by only placing it in the HP loop in the XO, but was curious if it effected the tracking of the filters if the signal is saturated before hitting the XO.

Thoughts?

I've used a Darkglass Vintage both before and after my Omnilooper, ditto with some other dirty preamps, and it works just fine. There is no "tracking" of the filters really, so a dirty signal before or after works well

 

[Justyn Brando]

I've used a Darkglass Vintage both before and after my Omnilooper, ditto with some other dirty preamps, and it works just fine. There is no "tracking" of the filters really, so a dirty signal before or after works well

I ordered one today. I'm really excited to get it on my board and dial my chain in. Specifically interested in having my JC Wah in the HPF loop. The fuzz sounds sooooo nice, but it gets lost in a band context. Keeping that low end clean will be a game changer

 

[Bastijnv]

Time for an update after two weeks of fiddling with the XO. I'm still very impressed with the upgrade it gives to my dirt pedals. I even dusted off a bunch of pedals that were collecting dust because of not being able to hold the low or making the low end too muddy. In my low band there's the comp (always on) in my high band there's the VT Bass always on for adding character to the clean sound, and adding a bit more volume and high frequency content to the drive pedals up next. Into the Hustle Drive for a wide open distortion, the Fog for a gated fuzz that sounds a bit thin on it's own but massive with the XO. Them I reintroduced the Joyo Orange Juice (Tech 21 Oxford inspired) to the board, witch makes for a great low gain OD on its own, and adds character to the forementioned dirt pedals. This one was also collecting dust because of It not handing the low end well, but sounds very musically now with the XO. So I'm using a 'character' pedal now before and after dirt, which a big upgrade to the dirt pedals, as if they all have been upgraded with a 3-way 'colour' switch. Last in the high frequency band is the AO, which I always found a bit too muddy but sounds very clean and crisp now with the lows cut. This is a massive update from the LS2 which I used for mixing a clean and a dirt chain together with the same pedals.

The only small negative point is the absence of frequency marks on the XO button. I emailed GE FX about it. David responded, said he had the same question last week and drawed a diagram which I'm happy to share here. So we can share our thoughts on which freq the best crossover point is for various means. (I mostly find the 150hz xo point to brings the best out of the dirt pedals). Looking forward to see what other users think.

 

[sunbeast]

Time for an update after two weeks of fiddling with the XO. I'm still very impressed with the upgrade it gives to my dirt pedals. I even dusted off a bunch of pedals that were collecting dust because of not being able to hold the low or making the low end too muddy. In my low band there's the comp (always on) in my high band there's the VT Bass always on for adding character to the clean sound, and adding a bit more volume and high frequency content to the drive pedals up next. Into the Hustle Drive for a wide open distortion, the Fog for a gated fuzz that sounds a bit thin on it's own but massive with the XO. Them I reintroduced the Joyo Orange Juice (Tech 21 Oxford inspired) to the board, witch makes for a great low gain OD on its own, and adds character to the forementioned dirt pedals. This one was also collecting dust because of It not handing the low end well, but sounds very musically now with the XO. So I'm using a 'character' pedal now before and after dirt, which a big upgrade to the dirt pedals, as if they all have been upgraded with a 3-way 'colour' switch. Last in the high frequency band is the AO, which I always found a bit too muddy but sounds very clean and crisp now with the lows cut. This is a massive update from the LS2 which I used for mixing a clean and a dirt chain together with the same pedals.

The only small negative point is the absence of frequency marks on the XO button. I emailed GE FX about it. David responded, said he had the same question last week and drawed a diagram which I'm happy to share here. So we can share our thoughts on which freq the best crossover point is for various means. (I mostly find the 150hz xo point to brings the best out of the dirt pedals). Looking forward to see what other users think.

View attachment 6983034View attachment 6983036

Nice! I actually also really liked the Tech 21 Oxford in a crossover looper- that was probably my favorite drive used that way so far. I need to revisit that!