Hi, Bassmandudes! I've messed around with my effects board quiet a bit now and would like some outside feedback on what way is the (Textbook) way in order to get good smooth combinations of tones when lined up together. My pedals are 1) Tuner 2) Octave 3) Comp 4) Envelope filter 5) Fuzz 8) DI (w Distortion) Help me arrange my board!
I’d go 1. Tuner 2. Comp 3. DI/dist 4. Octave 5. Fuzz 8. ? Envelope DI would get moved to the 5th slot if you need your effects running to FOH. edit:moved tuner spot as I wasn’t thinking about how most people would use it
This is how I would initially set it up, but remember there are no hard rules in music... 1) Tuner 2) Octave 3) Fuzz 4) Envelope filter 5) Comp 8) DI (w Distortion)
I have been doing research on "How the compressor would affect different effect"...Its the main issue i face is how a compressor would work pre-filter,octave, fuzz or post! I still want to maintain the quakiness of my filter but even out the volume... I want my fuzz to smoothen out in the mix...i want my octave to be clean and powerful as can be..how a compressor would change that..technically? I'm not so sure?
Basically, i need answers for the below...Guys please feel free to input your feedback from the bass! 1) Compressor Pre Octave- 2) Compressor Post Octave- 3)Compressor Pre Filter- 4) Compressor Post Filter- 5) Compresoor Pre Fuzz- 6) Compressor Post fuzz-
The comp won't help your tuner much. So pop the tuner first and it can act as a mute switch if you need it to, right at the beginning of your chain. I like a comp before octave, it helps it track. But I personally don't like my filter pre-compressed it takes all the dynamics out and makes it not as fun to play. Dirt tends to like compression after and makes it sound a little more tube like. Squishing the signal like a tube amp hitting the rails. So I would go 1) Tuner 2) Compressor 3) Octave 4) Fuzz / OD 5) Filter
If you are working with the interaction of each of these pedals, it would help to know which versions you have. Some behave differently than others. I run an Empress Compressor at the start because I can shape my note envelope for the Xerograph Dlx filter. I have the SubT between them. Fuzz can be an odd duck. Depends on its need to interact with passive pickups or not... Or if you have a Ball Buster \ pickup simulator. Putting it before an envelope filter will almost always turn the filter sweep into an on \ off sound... Not always thought. Putting it after can make some cool sounds if you have a good interactive fuzz. I would go: Tuner Comp Octave Fuzz Filter Distortion I would never run the comp and fuzz at the same time, and I would likely want some clean tone to hit the filter, or at least trigger it when the fuzz is on.
from my experience and reading ... Comp before Octave would help the oct be more accurate by getting a strong steady signal level at all times . !!! other pedals , for me , is always trial/error ... in some setups things work in different orders better than others ... but Octave pedals need a clean strong signal to do their job their best .. !
I see exactly what you're trying to accomplish - but the answer will only disappoint. It simply comes down to taste. A comp before these effects will give that effect a much more stable, reliable sound. The comp will tame your peaks, thus creating a "stable" signal going into your effects. As such, the effect will sound mostly the same, every time you trigger it. The simple answer is taste. Do what sounds best. What did I do? Ofcourse I bought another pedal in the chain, as that I prefer light compression at the front (Diamond BCP-1) and hard limiting at the end (Boss LMB-3, because I can't afford a Cali76 yet). Happy hunting!
No real preferences not knowing a lot more about your specific devices and your playing style. A couple of thoughts: If your octave is digital, consider putting your compresdor in front of it despite the fact digital models track substantially better than they used to. If it's an analog octave pedal, definitely consider putting a compressor in front of it. They need all the help they can get. So bass>tuner>compressor>octave is a good starting point. Modulation and envelope effects usually sound better after a compressor. But YMMV. Distortion/OD/Fuzz can be anywhere and will probably require trying those devices out in various places in the signal chain to see what sounds best to you. I'd do: Tuner Comp Octave Envelope DI - and experiment with the placement of fuzz. Luck!
Id go with this: 1 3 5 And overall chain order 1) Tuner Because it gets a nice string signal 2) Octave Again, nice strong signal 3) Comp Because it'll help smooth out your signal before it hits anything else 4) Fuzz Because dist usually goes in the middle somewhere in my book 5) Filter So the filter can actually envelope anything before. See, you put the fuzz after the filter, you wont even really hear filter. Like my wah, it's like 6th to last in my chain. 8) DI (w Distortion) This is where it gets trickier, with the comp and DI. If you’re going to use the DI for your dist, then last would work, but it may not be ideal. However if it’s just a clean DI for you, last no contest. I seem to like my EQ and tone shaping at the end and then have a nice comp that plays the roles of light compression and exciter in the front. I’m no comp expert though. I only recently got one on my board, the TC Spectrecomp. It’s pretty cool. Even if I had a more involved comp though, it would most likely go very early. I put mine after my tuner.
Comp after octave and dynamic sensitive effects like a envelope filter. If your using a passive bass put the octave first, even before the tuner but maybe after a buffer if you choose to use one. I've never had a comp make a analog octave pedal track better, in fact quit the opposite. A comp raises the noise floor and volume of overtones/harmonics and things like fret noise that make analog octave pedals "glitch". Just my 2¢. Edit; I will add a couple things here. If you are running a super effect'y, ultra compressed tone my rules may not work. In that case you may have to run the compressor early because it may be detrimental to your other effects. My other reason I like running my comp last is to help control stage volume and protect your speakers from volume swells from an envelope filter and the octave pedal combo (especially with a loud rock band). A properly set up octave going into a compressor is a glorious thing...tighter and more punch. Also with the compressor last I feel like I'm not nailing the sound guy suddenly with this big crazy dynamic sweep and I can control my level better on my end.
I recently moved around all of my pedals after finding several did not do well in a certain order. I looked at a few different boards and posts and ended up following a lot of the advice from this page: Juan Alderete's Signal Chain Suggestions. I used to put my octave at the beginning to better track, but would lose the lows on a lot of other pedals. After listening to Juan, now it's at the end. Some of this will depend upon the exact pedal you're using, but I would go: 1) Tuner 4) Envelope filter 3) Comp 5) Fuzz (but fuzz and distortion could be switched based on which one works better first) 8) Distortion (with a DI? oh) 2) Octave but if you're using the DI on that distortion, it would have to go last. I have an couple of ODs before my comp because I want the filter to hit the dirt first. the comp is utility, but also a bit of a limiter for that filter. If it helps, my chain is: tuner filter boost mild OD comp fuzz fuzz/distortion octave
I'm not sure what the comp is doing for the OP. Personally, it did not do much for me, so I sold mine. I prefer to use compression in the studio and I run . I have zero issue with tracking besides the usual quirks and I use an OCT-2. More importantly, there is a filter there that needs to be tamed, so I would also put the compressor last. Instead of using a comp, I use a light OD that you can barely hear. Just adds a little bit of hair but controls all my pedals and I like the soubd a lot better than a compressor. I go Tuner- Oct- Filter-Fuzz- Comp. I prefer the sound of the filter into the fuzz a lot.