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Envelope Filter Advice
- Thread starter Joaquin
- Start date
It depends what "overly expensive" is.
The new Keeley Neutrino I think sounds great from the clips. The new Tru-Tron is probably in the overly expensive category but is the real deal and much cheaper than an original. The moog is the bomb and is on my board - I wish they would make a mini-fooger out of it.
Personally I am not a fan of the MXR. The EHX stuff is in theory mike Beigel's circuit so that would probably be my vote on the cheaper end of the curve.
The new Keeley Neutrino I think sounds great from the clips. The new Tru-Tron is probably in the overly expensive category but is the real deal and much cheaper than an original. The moog is the bomb and is on my board - I wish they would make a mini-fooger out of it.
Personally I am not a fan of the MXR. The EHX stuff is in theory mike Beigel's circuit so that would probably be my vote on the cheaper end of the curve.
- Feb 16, 2008
- 21,240
- 23,633
- Disclosures
- John K Custom Basses
SA manta for sure. It's $170 brand new and has about any filter imaginable in it. That pedal rocks! Very versatile and loaded with tons of useful envelope filters as well as others. For the price, you can't beat it. For quality and content, it's really hard to beat.
Killing gods
Killing gods
Depends on the sounds you want. Some envelope filters tend more towards subtle effects and others can get pretty wild. Also, I've tried a bunch of envelope filters and what sounds good in the showroom doesn't always work so well on stage. My current favourites are the 3Leaf Groove Regulator (though I'd like to try the Wonderlove and Proton as the GR doesn't get as wet a sound as I'd like) and Agent 00Funk. I'm currently borrowing a friend's MXR Envelope Filter but I'm not convinced yet that I'll find it very useful.
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You have to experiment a good bit with the MXR to get the response you want.
At some settings, it produces crazy sub effects.
I like that one.
Moogerfooger is expensive.
I didn't love mine...sold it.
Mutron is expensive.
It's great for the Bootsy Collins thing, but I didn't find it to be versatile.
Worth a good bit of money...sold it.
Had an old Ibanez in the 80's.
That one was cool.
Not as "Hi Fi" as the MXR
At some settings, it produces crazy sub effects.
I like that one.
Moogerfooger is expensive.
I didn't love mine...sold it.
Mutron is expensive.
It's great for the Bootsy Collins thing, but I didn't find it to be versatile.
Worth a good bit of money...sold it.
Had an old Ibanez in the 80's.
That one was cool.
Not as "Hi Fi" as the MXR
I've owned several, and am currently a fan of the MXR. It's versatile and responsive--the separate Dry and Effect knobs are especially useful for tailoring the effect (as well as avoiding volume spike issues I've encountered with some pedals in the past).
I'm having the hardest time finding one I love too, they're either too lacking in the low end and just sound like a "quack", or they get too subby and can't be heard at higher volumes. Ugh
I've tried:
Bassballs (which I sorta liked, but it couldn't get bubbly and subtle enough to be really good sounding. Only made one sound. One decent sound, but not enough to stay on my board)
WMD SuperFatMan (which I didn't like much at all, I believe it's probably better for a guitar, and I hear that the original FatMan is much better)
DOD fx25b (which I LOOOOOVVVED through my amp in my living room, I thought I nailed the perfect EF, but once I kicked it on in a large auditorium, my bass disappeared. It had no balls in a mix at all. At home at decently loud volumes it was subby, bubbly, funky, and bassy. In real life, it was weak)
Next on my list to buy and try is an Emma Electronics discomBOBulator... I figure if Pino has one on his board, it must be good! Only others out there that interest me are the Aggy twin or the SA manta. If a bob don't do the job, I'll check them out too.
I've tried:
Bassballs (which I sorta liked, but it couldn't get bubbly and subtle enough to be really good sounding. Only made one sound. One decent sound, but not enough to stay on my board)
WMD SuperFatMan (which I didn't like much at all, I believe it's probably better for a guitar, and I hear that the original FatMan is much better)
DOD fx25b (which I LOOOOOVVVED through my amp in my living room, I thought I nailed the perfect EF, but once I kicked it on in a large auditorium, my bass disappeared. It had no balls in a mix at all. At home at decently loud volumes it was subby, bubbly, funky, and bassy. In real life, it was weak)
Next on my list to buy and try is an Emma Electronics discomBOBulator... I figure if Pino has one on his board, it must be good! Only others out there that interest me are the Aggy twin or the SA manta. If a bob don't do the job, I'll check them out too.
Man, do I relate to that! That mirrors my experiences with them, too. On the bright side, nobody's complaining that I'm not using envelope filter
but I would actually like to use one on a handful of songs we do. Unlike you, though, I gave up on them. I can smell a money pit a mile away.
Man, do I relate to that! That mirrors my experiences with them, too. On the bright side, nobody's complaining that I'm not using envelope filter
I'm trying to solve this problem with a 3-band crossover/mixer pedal, definitely a money sink.
As for the topic at hand, it's really hard to recommend specific envelope filters without knowing your preferences. I don't own too many "budget" filters, and quite a few the ones I've tried are either one trick ponies or do a bit of everything in a less than pleasing way.
My experiences for the stuff I use or have used regularly:
Iron Ether Xerograph Deluxe
- Does anything from mellow to extreme, the pedal I would use if I could only choose one.
3Leaf Groove Regulator
- Great for mellow stuff, though it can do more than just that.
Source Audio Bass Envelope Filter Pro (the Manta is probably a better choice now)
- Works for anything, but I prefer it for the mellower stuff, takes a ton of pedalboard space.
Strymon Mobius
- Great for anything, not a pure envelope filter, expensive.
EHX Nano Bassballs
- Pure lo-fi quackiness, cheap.
Jomox T-Resonator
- Absolute overkill, although it can do mellow too. Loads of knobs, hours of fun just toying with it, not really a "pedal" and not just an envelope filter. Pretty much un-giggable, but great for home/studio use. If you want EVERYTHING to go to eleven, and possibly lose your hearing in the process due to accidentally turning some knob a bit too much without a limiter, get this. (I'm not joking about the hearing-loss part, a limiter is essential)
HA! That's exactly it! There is a huge disconnect between what the music requires, and what we think we require.on the bright side, nobody's complaining that I'm not using envelope filter
The closest I've come to something I like so far is the 3Leaf Wonderlove, it is not as thin sounding as the MXR which I didn't like at all, and with the blend, tone and resonance knobs you can tone down the effect to taste if you want to. But, I agree it's one thing what we would like to use and what actually is needed or useful in a band setting; the guys in my band do not appreciate it when I try to use the envelope filter. 
It's fun to play with at home though, and you get an automatic workout for the face muscles too, can't help getting a bass face with an envelope filter. 
It's fun to play with at home though, and you get an automatic workout for the face muscles too, can't help getting a bass face with an envelope filter. 
