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Help needed! Bass & Guitar Pedalboard. Signal chain order + issues.

Evangelina

Evangelina

May 29, 2021
15
8
50
Argentina
#1
Hi there!

I just built my first and very rudimentary DIY pedalboard for my bass and guitar. I just want to play around with sounds at home for now, while I study and get better at playing bass.

I set up everything and it all works and sounds just fine. However...I don't think I'm using the best signal chain order possible + when I turn on the reverb pedal, the signal level drops about 50%, and I don't understand why.

If you have any advice, I'm all ears and will appreciate it!

I have a luthier made 5 string bass: passive/active, with an Aguilar OPB-3TK/PP circuit (OBP Preamps).

The rig includes these pedals, which I have (for now) placed in the following order:

1) RADIAL- Tonebone Bassbone (1st version) - Pre/DI (Invalid Link Removed).
I love it. I have no complaints. I can use it all alone and be content.

2) Behringer - Hell Babe HB01 - Wah Wah
([Invalid or Expired Link Removed]).
I don't love it at all. I think it sucks. Although I still need to investigate a few of its features. Advice will be welcome!

3) Aguilar - Filter Twin - dual envelope filter
([Invalid or Expired Link Removed]).
Fun, fun, fun! All is good :)

4) Aguilar - Octamizer - analog octave
([Invalid or Expired Link Removed]).
All fun, no complaints.

5) tc electronic - June-60 - chorus
(TC Electronic | Product | 22068).
Extreme but fun.

6) ProCo - Turbo RAT - distorsion
(Turbo RAT - Rat Distortion).
Not getting out of it what I expected, but need to play around more and see what happens, for now it sounds dull...

7) ElectroHarmonix - #1 Echo - delay
(#1 Echo | Digital Delay - Electro-Harmonix).
Mneh...kind of :( But will definitely play around with it more and see what happens.

8) MBS Efectos - Hummingverb V2 - reverb
(https://mbsefectos.wixsite.com/mbs-efectos/hummingverb).
Made in Argentina. I strongly recommend it if you can get one, for the sound and built quality of it. Plus, it has a SHIMMER function that flies... You can hear it in the link above. However, I have the volume-dropping issue when it's on, but it may have to do with and input/output volume trim that I have not yet inspected.

9) Hartke HL77 - loop pedal
(Invalid Link Removed).
I love it and hate it. It has some great features for practising, but it's kind of difficult to use because it has many, many features and options.
The sound quality of the playback feature SUCKS. But I could, of course, be doing something wrong. So, I wrote to Hartke's HelpDesk and got bogus and canned replies that led nowhere. The playback track quality is really bad, with a "sissing" background noise. Plus when you download the recorded audio tracks into a pc, the signal is tiny, and I mean TINY, with very low volume. Help?

This is my first attempt at using effects, so I assume I must be making many mistakes. Any help/advice to make the most of the set up will be much appreciated!! Thank you! Cheers. Eva
 
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#3
I'd throw the wah and filter twin after the rat, the chorus after those (I think, but it may be better to swap the wah and chorus), and put the DI at the end of the chain.

That would be my general choice unless I had a specific tonal need that required a different order.

But even if you don't change anything, if you think it sounds good then it is.
 
Last edited:
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#5
Could you fix your problem with the Hummingverb V2? I've just looked it up, looks promising. In regards to the volume drop, it realy seems to be that you just need to use the input/output volume trim. ;)

For the Pedal order, there is really not much to say other than to experiment a lot! Some people suggest to place Time based effects at the end of your chain and EQ/ Distortion at the beginning. This derives from habbits of effects use in the Studio, but really makes not so much sense in the Guitar/Bass world. For example: Placing your Drive before a Delay will result in having all repetitions distorted at the same amount, even when they (the repetitions) get quiter. Doing it the other way around (Delay into Drive) will also reduce the amount of distortion for every repetition since a quieter signal will not drive your Drive (no pun intended) so hard.

In the Land of Effects, Creativity is King. So go and change your Pedal order as much as possible, there is a lot to discover here. Also, listen to every Sound you find carefully and try to imagen what his "role" might be in a Song. Even "bad" Sounds can be great when used in the right situation.
 
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#6
Evangelina said:
8) MBS Efectos - Hummingverb V2 - reverb
(https://mbsefectos.wixsite.com/mbs-efectos/hummingverb).
Made in Argentina. I strongly recommend it if you can get one, for the sound and built quality of it. Plus, it has a SHIMMER function that flies... You can hear it in the link above. However, I have the volume-dropping issue when it's on, but it may have to do with and input/output volume trim that I have not yet inspected.
Click to expand...

You'll definitely want to look at those trimpot settings and make some adjustments. It would be nice if pedal builders made all gain and make up volume controls accessible from the outside of the case. But so it goes. :)

Also, a belated welcome to Talkbass! Nice to see a new name on the forum. :):thumbsup:
 
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#7
The short answer is "if it sounds good, it is good!" I highly recommend that you experiment with each pedal combination to see how each order works.

For instance, filter into distortion and distortion into filter sound very different, and are both very cool. Normally, delay and reverb come at the end, but My Bloody Valentine did reverb into distortion and got a super cool tone. Looper at the end is most common, but you can do neat knob-twiddly soundscape stuff if you put it first!

For what it's worth, right now I have Synth > Filter #1 > Fuzz > Wah > Chorus/Phaser > Octave > Distortion > Filter #2 > Delay > Reverb > Looper. This is always changing though :)

Two stronger suggestions:
1) Bassbone could go last, especially if you want to include your effects in your DI signal. I don't use one, so I don't really know though. Others can chime in here.
1) I'd probably put the octave earlier in the chain. Probably first, or right after the bassbone if you keep that at the front. For polyphonic octaves, this is less of an issue, but for analog octaves you can run into tracking issues if you do effects before the octave.
 
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#9
Klangfarbe said:
Could you fix your problem with the Hummingverb V2? I've just looked it up, looks promising. In regards to the volume drop, it realy seems to be that you just need to use the input/output volume trim. ;)

For the Pedal order, there is really not much to say other than to experiment a lot! Some people suggest to place Time based effects at the end of your chain and EQ/ Distortion at the beginning. This derives from habbits of effects use in the Studio, but really makes not so much sense in the Guitar/Bass world. For example: Placing your Drive before a Delay will result in having all repetitions distorted at the same amount, even when they (the repetitions) get quiter. Doing it the other way around (Delay into Drive) will also reduce the amount of distortion for every repetition since a quieter signal will not drive your Drive (no pun intended) so hard.

In the Land of Effects, Creativity is King. So go and change your Pedal order as much as possible, there is a lot to discover here. Also, listen to every Sound you find carefully and try to imagen what his "role" might be in a Song. Even "bad" Sounds can be great when used in the right situation.
Click to expand...
Thanks a lot! Will do that. I will play around and let you know!
 
#10
Thank!
jefkritz said:
The short answer is "if it sounds good, it is good!" I highly recommend that you experiment with each pedal combination to see how each order works.

For instance, filter into distortion and distortion into filter sound very different, and are both very cool. Normally, delay and reverb come at the end, but My Bloody Valentine did reverb into distortion and got a super cool tone. Looper at the end is most common, but you can do neat knob-twiddly soundscape stuff if you put it first!

For what it's worth, right now I have Synth > Filter #1 > Fuzz > Wah > Chorus/Phaser > Octave > Distortion > Filter #2 > Delay > Reverb > Looper. This is always changing though :)

Two stronger suggestions:
1) Bassbone could go last, especially if you want to include your effects in your DI signal. I don't use one, so I don't really know though. Others can chime in here.
1) I'd probably put the octave earlier in the chain. Probably first, or right after the bassbone if you keep that at the front. For polyphonic octaves, this is less of an issue, but for analog octaves you can run into tracking issues if you do effects before the octave.
Click to expand...
I am actually using all the fxs via the LOOP function of the Bassbone DI.
 
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