Help with pedal order.

[bassbrad]

Hi @Cam Buchanan and welcome. I am with @Wood and Wire and @bholder in suggesting trying the effects before your amp. Most effects prefer a signal straight from the bass and your Music Man has plenty of oomph for nasty funk from all those pedals. Finding the right pedal order & synergy with pedal combinations takes a bit of exploration but it will be worth it in the end. I'm still exploring 50+ years in, that is the fun part, my latest bit of madness.

 

[Dabndug]

Comp first or last - or both. I like light (always on) compression at the start of a chain and the option of heavy compression on the final signal. I might be making up for lack of technique....

 

[Inconnu]

Hmmm… it all depends on what you want to hear.

My observations:
A compressor before an envelope filter will make the envelope less responsive to your playing intensity, because, well, the compressor compresses. A compressor after will roll off the unwanted peaks created by the envelope.

An octave after an envelope filter is likely to get tracking issues.

Fuzz vs. Envelope is a tricky thing. A fuzz compresses the signal. Before or after the envelope filter, it will squash your filter’s sound unless the fuzz has a clean blend (unlike an overdrive, which reacts to the intensity of the envelope filter).

Chorus is better at the end, before or after a compressor, it doesn’t make much of a difference.

For my personal taste, I’d just swap the fuzz and envelope in your current setup and see if I like it better.

 

[jdh3000]

I personally put the comp after the envelope to control spikes. I've tried it other ways and that seems to work.

 

[wintremute]

I have nothing to add. Welcome to TalkBass.

 

[Killing Floor]

There is no right or wrong order. That’s the first thing. What sounds great to me might sound like spilling silverware to you.
I start with compression because I use it as a boundary for peaks. So I use. It first but many people put it last. I think of it as the first layer instead of an effect. Just me. I prefer fuzz alone first Or directly after octave. Depending on the type of fuzz some react poorly to being anywhere but first. Some don’t. Then based on your kit I’d go filter then chorus. Try multiple arrangements Even Though it’s a pain in the bee-hind. You might stumble on your magic tone. Good luck.

 

[Killing Floor]

Maybe you need two filters...

This place is enabling! Haha you may also need a couple dozen really weird fuzzes and a fretless and a Telecaster with 2 humbuckers because that’s stickin’ it to the single coil man! And a Grease Juicer from WestCo and a tape delay and another tape delay because because. And an acoustic bass guitar and a Les Paul in something besides gold or cherry burst. And 4-5 flangers because how do you know what’s best and a PLL which you never use but you also wouldn’t sell it for 2X what you paid because it’s cool. And a nice strap.

 

[5StringBlues]

Where were you when Jaco needed all that?

This place is enabling! Haha you may also need a couple dozen really weird fuzzes and a fretless and a Telecaster with 2 humbuckers because that’s stickin’ it to the single coil man! And a Grease Juicer from WestCo and a tape delay and another tape delay because because. And an acoustic bass guitar and a Les Paul in something besides gold or cherry burst. And 4-5 flangers because how do you know what’s best and a PLL which you never use but you also wouldn’t sell it for 2X what you paid because it’s cool. And a nice strap.

 

[scott sinner]

For the synthy sound, the classic architecture for synths would be the fuzz like harmonics before the filter. As people note, that creates an issue with envelope detection. But one thing that can mitigate that a lot is some clean blend, especially of low frequencies.

 

[mobeme23]

with a high output pickup like you have on the stingray, it might be good to use your comp and envelope filter at the front of the chain. I use my comp in front of my (fwonkbeta) envelope filter as it needs a more pronounced yet controlled signal to get a full response (and because the fwonk response can get pretty wild). I tried it in reverse and it sounded better to my ears with the comp in the front.


from there, I go dirt, octave, modulation etc., then into my preamp.

The best way for you to dial your preferences is to switch the order around until you find the combinations that sound best to your ears. Though, the TB threads on this topic have been a huge influence in the direction of my personal experiments....and the draining of my savings account.

 

[fourstringdrums]

That's the order I run things. For me, fuzz sounds best going into to envelope filters, and envelope filters can benefit from compression after them.

 

[Cam Buchanan]

Thanks for all the help!

I’m going to take the pedalboard apart for now so I can easily swap them around and see what’s best.

 

[Spidey2112]

And a nice strap.

And that lamp, over there...

... and that's all I need.

 

[el murdoque]

I agree that the general starting point is to go comp-oct-fuzz-filter-chorus.
But while you're at it, reverse the order of fuzz and octave and see what happens.
I've had stunning results with a big muff and a micro POG.
And be careful with the comp - one does tend to set it hard for synth sounds, but IME the M87 adds a bit of a thin fart when it compresses too hard and sounds much fatter when you don't have it clamp down ultra hard.

 

[CryingBass]

Welcome aboard Cam - you came to the right place.

 

[40Hz]

Hi you too!

Welcome to TalkBass. Always nice to see a new member. I think you’ll find us a friendly and supportive community for all things bass/music related. So welcome and well met!

I’d like to comment on comp placement. But before I could I’d need to know exactly what you’re looking to accomplish by putting a compressor in your signal chain. (i.e. level control, tone and/or sustain enhancement, peak limiting, conditioning your signal to work better with a specific other pedal, etc.) Compressors are kinda a chameleon like device that can do different things depending on the type of compressor and where it’s placed in the chain. So any insight you could offer us on that point would be very helpful.

 

[mb94952]

Hi Cam !!! Welcome to Talkbass where you will find the BIGGEST bass nerds in the world. I know there are TONS of Youtube videos describing the order of pedals.

 

[monkeyfinger]

Hi @Cam Buchanan

Welcome to talkbass.com

Typically octave likes to see the unmodified bass signal. Some light compression before octave can work too.

Compression, fuzz, and filter are all dynamic effects. This means the intensity of the effect depends on how pronounced the attack is. Unfortunately, they also alter the dynamics of your signal. So they sometime will not interact well. For example compressing the signal before the filter may cause the filter to always be open. This is probably not the sound you are looking for. Fuzz also tends to compress the signal quite a bit. So compression after fuzz may choke the fuzz too much. Compression before fuzz may cause the fuzz to lack dynamics, causing it to lack responsiveness. This may be desirable, or not.

In general, if you plan to use the effects together, you will need to work on getting a little out of each to get the desired sound. Unfortunately, the settings may be underwhelming when used alone.


Generally speaking, I think octave, then fuzz, then filter is probably a good place to start. Another option would be to switch fuzz an filter. The later setup works well on guitar, but not so much on bass IMO.

In either case I would put the chorus, (not a dynamic effect BTW), at the end.

Now for the compressor:

I am a huge fan of compressors and own several. I have two on my board now. One is at the beginning of the signal. It is set for light compression. The result is a sort of fattening of the sound, but it still has a great deal of dynamics. The one at the end, (after dirt, but before chorus), is set for a more obvious kick-drum-like dynamic effect. It sounds great with my overdrive, chorus, etc., but not so good with my fuzz.

Given that you have one compressor, I recommend you think about how you want to use it. If you want heavy compression, put it after your other dynamic effects. You may want to turn it off before activating fuzz or the filter. If you are looking for a mild fattening effect, set it up for very dynamic response and put it at the beginning of the effect chain.

 

[Standalone]

Hi,

first post here!

was wondering if anyone could lend their wisdom on what they think my correct pedal order should be?

right now I have

2021 musicman stingray special 4H.

markbass combo amp.

And for effects I use the markbass pre DI. Through the Preamps fx I have in the following order.

mxr bass octave deluxe
Mxr bass fuzz deluxe
Mxr bass envelope filter
Mxr bass chorus deluxe
Mxr m87 compressor

All of the pedals sound great on their own, but I feel like the envelope filter must be misplaced. The filter sounds great Alone, but loses its groove when played in combo with the fuzz or octave. Going for a nice 70’s/80’s synth bass sound with the pedals all together.

mxr bass octave deluxe -- 1
Mxr bass fuzz deluxe -- 4
Mxr bass envelope filter -- 2
Mxr bass chorus deluxe -- 5
Mxr m87 compressor -- 3

 

[Cam Buchanan]

Hi you too!

Welcome to TalkBass. Always nice to see a new member. I think you’ll find us a friendly and supportive community for all things bass/music related. So welcome and well met!

I’d like to comment on comp placement. But before I could I’d need to know exactly what you’re looking to accomplish by putting a compressor in your signal chain. (i.e. level control, tone and/or sustain enhancement, peak limiting, conditioning your signal to work better with a specific other pedal, etc.) Compressors are kinda a chameleon like device that can do different things depending on the type of compressor and where it’s placed in the chain. So any insight you could offer us on that point would be very helpful.

Hi, thanks for the reply.

I got the compressor pedal mainly for slap. I’ve noticed anytime I go from finger style to slap I’m always lowering the volume, which I believe is just me trying to control the high peaks from the plucks.

from the YouTube videos I’ve watched I think I just need a little at the end of the chain for peak control.