- May 6, 2003
- 5,272
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- Proprietor Fifth Avenue Fret Shop. Technical Editor Bass Gear Magazine
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Double Bass How to balance Pizz / Arco volume? Volume pedal?
- Thread starter Rastus_01
- Start date
Boy, I sure didn't take it that way. Much respect for your experience and demeanor.
If you're using a piezo, arco is always going to be a lot louder than pizz. I don't think it makes sense to handicap your arco sound to solve an amplification problem. You should bow (and pluck) whatever way sounds the best and then find a way to amplify it effectively.
What I've been looking into as a solution for this is a high quality active volume pedal of the type used by professional pedal steel guitarists (the most highly regarded ones are by Goodrich or Hilton). Haven't picked a specific one yet, because of the challenge of matching it up to my existing DC power supply; however, my gig pedalboard was stolen a few days ago, so I guess I have more options now once I come up with a replacement.
A good clean compressor or limiter could work too and wouldn't require interacting with the volume pedal while playing, but if I was going to do that I'd want the threshold lower than where it would be triggered mostly by bowing (for the music I play where I need relatively little dynamic range). Also I like the idea of being able to mute or do volume effects without moving out of position.
What I've been looking into as a solution for this is a high quality active volume pedal of the type used by professional pedal steel guitarists (the most highly regarded ones are by Goodrich or Hilton). Haven't picked a specific one yet, because of the challenge of matching it up to my existing DC power supply; however, my gig pedalboard was stolen a few days ago, so I guess I have more options now once I come up with a replacement.
A good clean compressor or limiter could work too and wouldn't require interacting with the volume pedal while playing, but if I was going to do that I'd want the threshold lower than where it would be triggered mostly by bowing (for the music I play where I need relatively little dynamic range). Also I like the idea of being able to mute or do volume effects without moving out of position.
Greg Clinkingbeard
Commercial User
Yes, the Realist is more balaced this in this way than the FC. However, Toad's advice is sound. I don't know a bass player who hasn't experimented with equipment to help them get the sound they hear in their heads. The objective is to find gear that doesn't get in the way of your music. Just remember that in the end, the only element in the chain actually making music is you. Put the emphasis on that.
