Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Help with pedal order.
- Thread starter Cam Buchanan
- Start date
You want the comp after the envelope, because you want to connect the envelope filter's response most directly to your hands.
I don't run an always-on comp, and like you sometimes use it for slap, though I'm finding my technique settling in so that I don't heed it. Chorus and other modulation last.
Welcome to talk bass. You ask questions like a seasoned pro. This is a good place to be.
I just got a MXR87 Compressor,and only thing I have been using. Never used pedals before,been wanting that solid thump,that I hear from listening to different video's. Been just experimenting and watching demo's of how to set the controls. I have it plugged into a Ampeg B2,and Ampeg ext cab also. I had a Boss Compressor Sustain before I the MSR87.
Any advice,on settings?
Yeah. That would work. I suggest a fast attack and release, about a 4:1 compression ratio, and set the threshold to just light up on the peaks. I would then back off on the attack to let some of the slap/pop attack through.
You’re more than welcome.
Best place for overall peak limiting is near the end IMO too. But for just slap limiting I’m not entirely sure.
One thing to be aware of is unwanted noise buildup when compressing at the end of your signal chain. We sometimes lose sight of the fact a compressor doesn’t just reduce high levels and peaks. It also boosts quiet signal levels and artifacts. Anything noisy or sloppy in front of your compressor is also going to get boosted. So I’d also try experimenting with it more towards front if you’re looking for your slap tone to also be processed by some of the down stream effects.
Slap feeding into chorus can produce a pretty cool sounding effect. Slap into envelope into a compressor can also get pretty wild and synthy depending on the settings and the player. As others here have already said, there’s no absolute right or wrong way to do it. What’s right is what gets you the sound you’re after. So it pays to (sometimes) ignore conventional wisdom and experiment.
Luck!
this is the way
what works for me may not work for you. i like chorus (depth almost maxed, speed all the way down) into reverb into blues driver, sometimes followed by more dirt and delay. there is no wrong way as long as it sounds good for you
In this order: Octave, Filter, Fuzz, Compressor, (chorus?). I have always preferred the compressor at the end as more of a limiter to control volume swells. Octave up front as it needs a clean signal. IME filters tend to work well after octave pedals, and fuzz at the end before the compressor because why not. Don't know where to put the chorus !
!
I originally thought comp > octave > fuzz > filter > chorus but found a few things out:
1) my comp, a Cali 76 CB, adds so many harmonics is was ruining the octaver’s tracking. The MXR comp is much cleaner and shouldn’t cause that problem.
2) I was worried the comp would squash the dynamics down and ruin the response of the filter. Turns it it was the exact opposite - reigning in the dynamic range made the filter respond much more uniformly over the entire range of my bass’s neck.
So now I do octaver > comp > OD > fuzz > filter > chorus > phaser > reverb > clean boost.
What I have realized is to get the fuzz sounding right on its own it needs a fair amount of gain. Ditto for the octaver too. So they blow out the envelope follower in the EF, slamming the filter wide open.
This is where the OD comes in handy. It can add harmonics and be much closer to unity.
But the real answer is two filters, one for solo use and one tuned to work with the octaver and fuzz together.
You can put some tape on the sensitivity knob locations that work best for clean and with the octaver/fuzz running and just adjust based on what you want for the upcoming tune. But two filters is better. Plus two filters in series can be pretty darned funky too.
1) my comp, a Cali 76 CB, adds so many harmonics is was ruining the octaver’s tracking. The MXR comp is much cleaner and shouldn’t cause that problem.
2) I was worried the comp would squash the dynamics down and ruin the response of the filter. Turns it it was the exact opposite - reigning in the dynamic range made the filter respond much more uniformly over the entire range of my bass’s neck.
So now I do octaver > comp > OD > fuzz > filter > chorus > phaser > reverb > clean boost.
What I have realized is to get the fuzz sounding right on its own it needs a fair amount of gain. Ditto for the octaver too. So they blow out the envelope follower in the EF, slamming the filter wide open.
This is where the OD comes in handy. It can add harmonics and be much closer to unity.
But the real answer is two filters, one for solo use and one tuned to work with the octaver and fuzz together.
You can put some tape on the sensitivity knob locations that work best for clean and with the octaver/fuzz running and just adjust based on what you want for the upcoming tune. But two filters is better. Plus two filters in series can be pretty darned funky too.
I personally have mine 2nd in my chain. Well, I guess 3rd now. 1st is the AB pedal, 2nd is my Drop pedal. 3rd is comp. Then everything else.
I found this somewhere years ago…
Which (Wah)
Chain (Compressor)
Of (Overdrive)
Effect (EQ)
Pedals (Pitch)
Makes (Modulation)
Life (Levels)
Easy (Echo)
I replaced all my analogue MXR pedals (similar set to yours) with a Boss GT-1B which sounds as good and is so much more convenient. You can swap pedals in a chain with the twist of a dial.
Comp > Octave > Fuzz > Chorus > Envelope
Though one could argue for switching the placement of the fuzz, chorus and envelope anyway, according to personal preferences, so try different placement between those 3 pedals to see which order you prefer.
The reason why I placed the compressor first is that it is likely to improve the tracking of the octaver, placed right after it, but otherwise the octaver would need to be first in the chain, as it needs as consistent signal as possible for optimal tracking (which the compressor in front of it will help with), one could argue for placing the compressor last in the signal chain too instead though.
Though one could argue for switching the placement of the fuzz, chorus and envelope anyway, according to personal preferences, so try different placement between those 3 pedals to see which order you prefer.
The reason why I placed the compressor first is that it is likely to improve the tracking of the octaver, placed right after it, but otherwise the octaver would need to be first in the chain, as it needs as consistent signal as possible for optimal tracking (which the compressor in front of it will help with), one could argue for placing the compressor last in the signal chain too instead though.
Last edited:
I find (lower) octave pedals don't do dirt any favors; I always put them after fuzz. Never had a problem with even analog octaves tracking following fuzz either; if anything it's better, and has the added advantage increasing the sustain of the octave. Also at least try filter before fuzz.
Best way to approach it.
We’ve got a ton of pedals in our house since my SO is a guitarist. There’s something like 70 last I counted.
Despite all that, I tried doing my very first “real” pedalboard this year with six devices. And it took me over a week of messing with the pedal order before I settled on an arrangement that I’m still not completely happy with. Because the only way I could possibly get it exactly the way I want everything connected is with a matrix switch. And I’m not about to drop close to a grand for one just to make it happen. I’d go with one of the new DSP driven modeling multi-effect units like a Helix or Cortex if I ever wanted to spend that kind of money.
Since I’m not currently gigging I think I may just go back to laying things out on the floor as needed and not bother with a semipermanent pedalboard at this point. Bass guru Janek Gwizdala, who uses a lot of pedals, does it that way even for his live shows. So beyond convenience and ease of transport, there’s nothing that says you absolutely need to dual-lock everything down on a board.
Last edited:
Cam - As you continue playing, the effects order you like best will become more apparent, but you're getting some good advice from TB. I don't have a particular opinion on the pedal order, but I did want to say that you bought some fine effects. Although I have other brand pedals, I really like my MXR effects. They are solid, predictable, and fairly priced. Great choice on your part!
Last edited:
^
This.. When I first added a comp, I added it at the beginning of the signal chain. Took me a while to figure out why my filter stopped working properly. The compressor is now after the envelope filter and life is good again.
Regards
Mark
