Good Cheap Envelope filter

[cheesemonkey]

Anyone know a good but not to pricey envelope filter... preferably one i can go to a guitar center and try out but if not i'll just have to try and take yalls word on it

 

[Trevor.A]

Check out the Micro QTron from EHX

 

[irvinz]

bassballs as well

 

[ChocolateTV]

IMHO, you won't get better than the Boomstick Devices Bottom Feeder.

http://www.tonefactor.com/proddetail.php?prod=bottomfeeder

 

[RickenBoogie]

Either of the above mentioned Ehx boxes will do nicely. The Bassballs is brash and in your face, while the Qtrons can be tamed more easily. Nano Bassballs is around $40 new.

 

[cheesemonkey]

hmmm i'm not really sure which i'm more looking for... something for some good improve funk jazz or rock... so i don't know if i want more tame or in your face... how much is the qtrons

 

[Swimming Bird]

Hmm... the Bassballs seems a little controversial -- some people love it, some hate it. Whenever I've tried one I've barely gotten any effect without its distortion switch on.

IME the Micro Q-tron is terrible. It's hard to get a good sound out of it and when you do it has a huge volume boost. Also, the settings (at least on the first run) were mislabeled.

Hey OP, why don't you just search Musicians Friend for envelope filters, then ask about ones in your price range?

 

[40Hz_of_Love]

Isn't Digitech BSW cheap?

 

[kevteop]

Hmm... the Bassballs seems a little controversial -- some people love it, some hate it. Whenever I've tried one I've barely gotten any effect without its distortion switch on.

I've got one here, and I can't decide whether I love it or hate it.

It's annoying because the knob acts as a volume knob if you switch the distortion on. That, right there, is annoying. And even with the distortion off you get a jump in level from switching it on. Quite a big jump.

Put after an octave pedal it sounds nice. Dirty as hell but nice. It's not a "normal" envelope filter though - it doesn't do the usual quacky noises, it's much less defined than that, so if that's what you want then don't get a Bassballs.

Edit: I've just ordered an MXR Bass Auto Q. That's how well the Bassballs doesn't fill the envelope filter role.

 

[WashburnBasser]

I say Digitech BSW, it will let you try out a bunch of different synth sounds, and it has a nice octaver too! $80 I believe

 

[Swimming Bird]

The BSW is indeed cheap, but the filter is weak sauce IMO. I know some people here love it, so I guess it's worth a try. Beware: those who don't like it (myself included) often found that out after we bought it -- it's one of those that sounds impressive in the store but ends up lacking depth when you really get into it.

ChocolateTV: for the Bottom Feeder, did Boomstick just make the BYOC bass mod of the DOD 440 (using .1uf caps instead of the usual .022uf) or is it a different mod?

 

[40Hz_of_Love]

Is envelope filter mode on BSW really that bad? Never tried it myself.

 

[Happynoj]

I quite like the filter on the BSW personally. I need to get my hands on an XO Q-Tron + and a DOD FX25 as well though - you can never have too many filters!

 

[WashburnBasser]

I thought the filter was pretty good, if not a little low in volume. I think it is a great way to get into the sorts of synth sounds you can do, and the price is worth it for the octave alone. You can here soundclips on the digitech website.

 

[syciprider]

BSW is a great filter for the money. It has great transient response that works good for fast slapping. And the octave is a bonus.

 

[Valerus]

bassballs as well

^^ awesome pedal

 

[phat daddy]

I have a BSW and an FX25 and I really dig the FX25 for fast slapping, while I use the BSW more for synth + octave sounds. Both are great pedals at great deals, just don't confuse the FX25 with the FX25B, the B sounds like poo with a bass IMO. Find a good 90's FX25 either lime green or dark green sparkle. I got mine for like $40 on TB in brand new condition, already velcro'd. Great for dub raggae too if you set the envelope to not open and keep the sensitivity low.

 

[superbassman2000]

i second the fx25--its pretty cheap and good sounding--if it works for bill laswell, it'll work for me haha!

 

[Ryan Mohr]

Here is a page from bassplayer magazine - http://www.bassplayer.com/article/envelope-filters/Dec-06/24672 - it has several envelope filters, among them the Digitech. There are also sound samples.

 

[Christian Waiau]

Either of the above mentioned Ehx boxes will do nicely. The Bassballs is brash and in your face, while the Qtrons can be tamed more easily. Nano Bassballs is around $40 new.

where is this $40 nano bassballs?