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fdecks HPF, Part II

#301
Tried watching a film with the sound played through my Big E 66 cab the other day -- headphone out from laptop summed to mono into the fDeck Series 3 then into a Crest Pro Lite 2.0. Volume was relatively low, but there was so much of the very low end I was afraid of rattling the neighbors. Turned the frequency sweep on the HPF up 'til the audio felt authoritative but not threatening/out-of-control. Not sure where, exactly, I was rolling off (70 Hz? 100 Hz?) but it was higher than I would playing bass.

Not the reason I got the HPF, but it was handy in this instance.
 
#303
I don't use mine on PA (you'll pry it out of my cold, dead hands before getting it off my bass rig), but I would NEVER run a PA without high pass filter on the subs. That way lies doom and blown subs...and bad woofy sound and wasted power.
 
#304
So I definitely want one of these filters, but the thing is, the only feature that ISN'T on the series 1 that I really feel would be useful to me is the ability to use it with my 1spot instead of a battery. My instinct says it should be almost trivially easy to drill a hole and wire a jack into the battery harness; anybody know if there's a reason that's a bad idea?
 
#305
M0ses said:
So I definitely want one of these filters, but the thing is, the only feature that ISN'T on the series 1 that I really feel would be useful to me is the ability to use it with my 1spot instead of a battery. My instinct says it should be almost trivially easy to drill a hole and wire a jack into the battery harness; anybody know if there's a reason that's a bad idea?
Click to expand...
If your using this for electric bass go for the v3. No mods needed.
 
#306
M0ses said:
So I definitely want one of these filters, but the thing is, the only feature that ISN'T on the series 1 that I really feel would be useful to me is the ability to use it with my 1spot instead of a battery. My instinct says it should be almost trivially easy to drill a hole and wire a jack into the battery harness; anybody know if there's a reason that's a bad idea?
Click to expand...

You can actually use one of those adapters that come with a 1spot kit or the like. It is an adapter that snaps onto the 9v clip on on the pedal and then can be plugged into the 1spot. I use it that way for my FDeck 1 and it works. I may go back to the battery power though. Im not too sure I like the wire being as exposed as it is with my setup. But again, it works. I have run it on battery only up until recently and its worked out great. I just have to remember to check that first thing if Im getting some distorted tones. The bad distorted tones I mean.
 
#310
YMMV-Your Mileage May Vary

I use the series 3 and have found nice uses for the volume knob lately, especially since my whole board seems to have higher output, I've been using it to dial the volume back on the whole board (hpf is last in my chain).
 
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#311
bassvirtuoso said:
YMMV-Your Mileage May Vary

I use the series 3 and have found nice uses for the volume knob lately, especially since my whole board seems to have higher output, I've been using it to dial the volume back on the whole board (hpf is last in my chain).
Click to expand...
Hence the acronym. Ive found the same as of late. Comming to grips with heavy fuzz in the chain somtimes less is more. Having the extra knee sweep is also a plus in tunability for the room your in. Can't wait to get to practice today after noodeling on my rig this last week.
 
#312
kzr750r1 said:
Hence the acronym. Ive found the same as of late. Comming to grips with heavy fuzz in the chain somtimes less is more. Having the extra knee sweep is also a plus in tunability for the room your in. Can't wait to get to practice today after noodeling on my rig this last week.
Click to expand...
I read a vintage muff thread earlier, YMMV meant "your muff may vary" due to old parts, knockoffs, etc. not being up to spec. Thought it was fun.
 
#313
M0ses said:
So I definitely want one of these filters, but the thing is, the only feature that ISN'T on the series 1 that I really feel would be useful to me is the ability to use it with my 1spot instead of a battery. My instinct says it should be almost trivially easy to drill a hole and wire a jack into the battery harness; anybody know if there's a reason that's a bad idea?
Click to expand...
Unfortunately... Series 1 and 2 (same preamp circuit in both) handle an adapter poorly. The circuit does not have good "power supply rejection," meaning that any noise on the power supply will be coupled into the audio signal -- much worse in one position of the phase switch than the other. I got a lot of high frequency "hash" with my 1spot powering a Series 1. That was one of my motivations for designing the Series 3.
 
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#315
I may be the only happy fDeck customer who doesn't use it all that often!

I understand how a hpf works, why it is a valuable tool, and when to use one. It just seems to me that maybe upright & U-Bassists are overusing them? (Frankly, I'm seeing more filters on electric bassists pedalboards as well....) There are times, in really boomy rooms, that I use mine, but more often than not I love feeling all that sub energy! It helps fill out music too! I don't think that the sub-lows of an upright are so much of a 'problem' (most times) than an asset. I can also see folks trying to save their speakers/maximize amp power, that's certainly legit. I just hope everybody gets a chance to hear & feel the full majesty of their amplified instrument once in a while. :-)

When playing a large venue, I know the foh has plenty of hpf ability. I generally let them decide where to chop out the subs. If I have a problem on stage, I'd rather tweak my monitor or thin out at my amp than deny the house all those subs (in case they want 'em, which I've found they usually do).

I guess I feel towards hpf's the same way I do compression. It's a great tool & important to learn how to use, but man- it can be such a breath of fresh air to turn em off!

Don't get me wrong, my fDeck hpf3 is permanently a part of my upright/U-Bass setup! It's a wonderful piece of kit. I just bypass it unless I KNOW it's needed.

End friendly rant. :-)
 
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#316
M0ses said:
Yeeeeah but it's double the price and I really don't see myself needing better than -12db/octave, or another volume knob.
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The biggest advantage of the Series 3 for me is the increased input headroom- I like to use mine at the end of my pedal chain going into my amp and found that I could clip the Series 1 with too much signal with my hotter basses. The Series 3 hasn't been an issue at all in that regard.
 
#317
fdeck said:
Unfortunately... Series 1 and 2 (same preamp circuit in both) handle an adapter poorly. The circuit does not have good "power supply rejection," meaning that any noise on the power supply will be coupled into the audio signal -- much worse in one position of the phase switch than the other. I got a lot of high frequency "hash" with my 1spot powering a Series 1. That was one of my motivations for designing the Series 3.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info Francis, and of course everyone else. I trust you to be real with me about your stuff, so when I have the cash I'll spring for the big one. I have no patience at all for batteries. Still a way better value than the [sfx] unit.
 
#318
troy mcclure said:
Battery life is probably not bad but mine died after 40 hours...not sure what is normal and at least it did nothing to my signal when it went. I do need to get a power supply.
Click to expand...

I'll check this with my own (seems an obvious thing to check, but I haven't), but am I reading correctly that the HPF will still pass a signal without power?
 
#319
scotch said:
There are times, in really boomy rooms, that I use mine, but more often than not I love feeling all that sub energy! It helps fill out music too! I don't think that the sub-lows of an upright are so much of a 'problem' (most times) than an asset. I can also see folks trying to save their speakers/maximize amp power, that's certainly legit. I just hope everybody gets a chance to hear & feel the full majesty of their amplified instrument once in a while. :)
Click to expand...

Interesting. I use this thing exactly so I can hear and feel the full majesty of my amplified instrument. YMMV :)

This past weekend it basically saved the day on a couple of different gigs with a couple of different setups. The first was a small acoustic trio where I played an acoustic-electric bass direct through the PA. Was getting bad feedback on most of the low notes til I threw the fdeck hpf III inline. Beautiful, warm tone for the whole gig with many complements on how good the bass sounded in the PA. The second gig was an outdoor stage with a rather janky PA setup with subs that kept farting on the lows. As a result, I was also having to push my amp hard to compensate, which was kind of nerve racking since one of my cabs isn't rated as high as the wattage my amp is capable of outputting (I've burnt up speaker coils before on drivers that WERE rated to match the amp). Nary an issue the whole gig, just pounded away and the cabs were fine. Also didn't have the annoying low freq stage resonance that can often happen...cabs were up on casters, but I know the hpf helped there, too.

The peace of mind I get hitting the lows hard with full confidence is worth every cent for me and my setup.
 

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