I am looking for a new Octaver

[vbchaos]

Hi guys,

With new band and new style of music come new desires. I want to add an octaver to my board. In the past I just toyed with cheap ones (e.g. Behringer) and was not particularly impressed. But I want to give it a new shot.
Now I know from the past that the EBS octaver was much praised pedal. Want I am looking for is a pedal that is not specifically sterile, it very much may have a thing going on. And, and this is important, I wonder if there are octavers that have an adjustable lower limit where the pedal stops octaving? Because, octaving a low E or even low B makes no real sense. And, as cherry on top, are there octavers that may even octave UP and Down?

Thanks everybody in advance

 

[Polfuste]

Boss OC-5 has the up and down features, which are working perfectly together. Tracking is outstanding.
In my opinion way better than the EBS and MXR ones i've had by the past. The best of the OC- serie so far.
Plus it works as hell when i add fuzz and wha. Walls are scrambling.

 

[GMC]

The best octave on the market in my opinion is the Source Audio C4 / Spectrum Filter. You get all the best Octaves, filters in one box. If you go for a C4, you also get Synths and a step sequencer. The tracking is outstanding and the sounds are amazing.

 

[Derek Williams]

Hi guys,

With new band and new style of music come new desires. I want to add an octaver to my board. In the past I just toyed with cheap ones (e.g. Behringer) and was not particularly impressed. But I want to give it a new shot.
Now I know from the past that the EBS octaver was much praised pedal. Want I am looking for is a pedal that is not specifically sterile, it very much may have a thing going on. And, and this is important, I wonder if there are octavers that have an adjustable lower limit where the pedal stops octaving? Because, octaving a low E or even low B makes no real sense. And, as cherry on top, are there octavers that may even octave UP and Down?

Thanks everybody in advance

The Source Audio C4/Spectrum pedals also have a 'LoRetain' control, which should keep the lower octave out of lowest frequencies and keep them clean (I haven't really played with it much on the C4).

The C4 is the best octave pedal I've found, and the Boss OC-5 is my favourite 'simple' octave.

 

[Inconnu]

I really like using a TC Electronic Brainwaves. It does octaves, other pitches and a bunch more. I really liked being able to customize my sound.

 

[bassbrad]

Lots of interesting octavers and harmonizers these days that deliver anything from clean accurate pitch shifting to mind blowing alterations to your original sound. No pedal I'm aware of has the intelligent shifting to stop at a certain point. I certainly agree with @GMC & @Derek Williams about the Source Audio C4 and Spectrum being excellent octavers that can do -1, -2 and +1 the C4 even offers the ability for harmony. Both also have controllable distortion sections that can be combined as well as the other functions.
One of my favorite clean pitch shifters is the TRex Quint Machine because it plays well with my other effects.
NPD: TRex Quint Machine Octave+Fifth updated

 

[kevmac]

Hi guys,

With new band and new style of music come new desires. I want to add an octaver to my board. In the past I just toyed with cheap ones (e.g. Behringer) and was not particularly impressed. But I want to give it a new shot.
Now I know from the past that the EBS octaver was much praised pedal. Want I am looking for is a pedal that is not specifically sterile, it very much may have a thing going on. And, and this is important, I wonder if there are octavers that have an adjustable lower limit where the pedal stops octaving? Because, octaving a low E or even low B makes no real sense. And, as cherry on top, are there octavers that may even octave UP and Down?

Thanks everybody in advance

I'm very happy with Laney's Black Country Customs The 85'. Lot's of control over the parameters needed on an octave pedal.Very lush sounds.It's made for bass.

 

[Ryan in PDX]

Okay, C4 guys... I'm a prospective convert to your digital ways, but haven't taken the plunge yet.

I typically follow my MXR Bass Octave Deluxe with a high pass filter to avoid drowning in sub frequencies - I really like the MXR's growly tone on lower notes - and a dirty boost (Phat Phuk B or TC Spark) to just barely rough up the edges. It seems like the "low retain" feature is a pre-fx HPF. Can it be moved to post-fx, or can a HPF block be inserted in the chain or on the output? I RTFM, but there's a lot of info there. It sure seems like the C4 could approximate my little chain easily, give or take the HPF options.

@GMC you're a great resource for everything SA.

 

[Bassgeer]

The C4 and Spectrum can definitely place a static LPF, HPF, BPF, or really any other type of filter you could think of, and the internal routing is pretty flexible. The octave effects are before the filter effects, but if you get a bit creative with routing and run an extra patch cable between the second output and second input you could get a filter before the octave and after the octave if you wanted, I think.

I agree with the others, the C4 or Spectrum is your best choice. Tracking is incredibly good, way better than any other octaver I've used.

 

[getBAK]

I run a EHX Nano POG with a Broughton HPF at the end of the chain to dump out all the sub tonic crap. Having the ability to mix dry/-1/+1 gives a lot of options

 

[Nashrakh]

Boss OC-5 has the up and down features, which are working perfectly together. Tracking is outstanding.
In my opinion way better than the EBS and MXR ones i've had by the past. The best of the OC- serie so far.
Plus it works as hell when i add fuzz and wha. Walls are scrambling.

+1 on the OC-5, I love mine as a "solo boost" (a la Pratt, dry and -1 mixed).

In poly mode, the octave 2 SHOULD be able to determine a "cut-off" point if I understand the manual correctly, but I haven't gotten around to playing with it. Vintage mode is just so much fun.

 

[Derek Williams]

+1 on the OC-5, I love mine as a "solo boost" (a la Pratt, dry and -1 mixed).

In poly mode, the octave 2 SHOULD be able to determine a "cut-off" point if I understand the manual correctly, but I haven't gotten around to playing with it. Vintage mode is just so much fun.

The cutoff on the poly mode goes the wrong way, as it is meant to make sure that it tracks only the lowest notes during a chord. I find it adds latency as well, I prefer to run the range at 100% when using poly mode.

 

[Nashrakh]

The cutoff on the poly mode goes the wrong way, as it is meant to make sure that it tracks only the lowest notes during a chord.

All right, thanks for clarifying - so it does exactly the opposite of what OP wants. Nevermind then...

 

[monti2889]

I'm happy with the mxr deluxe bass octaver, but it only gives you sub.
For what your post wants....I'd recommend the TC electronic sub'n'up (full size version). You get a dry blend, octave up, octave down and 2octaves down. It has a switch for mono, polyphonic, toneprints and two internal switches for buffered or true bypass and dry kill. The tone prints are what I would expect you would be interested in, because you can add modulation, change the parameters of the knobs, add 2 octave up if you like...all sorts of stuff. Plus all the premade made patches.

A close second I would recommend would be a version of the POG, for the control you want, the full size version may suit you better, but the small versions are nice and allow for dry blend, octave up and/or down.

 

[monti2889]

I forgot to include this bit on my original reply, but a bit of "out of the box" thinking. You could look into a digitech bass whammy, it only gives one effect at a time, but you can play up or down in 3rds,5ths,octaves, etc. Used as an octave, you'll get a hint of the intial attack as the tracking is a millisecond sluggish. The treadle would allow you to ramp into the effect, which could be fun.

 

[GMC]

@GMC you're a great resource for everything SA.

Yeah, I get that a lot. I think it's because I'm one of the early trail blazer Midi guys on Talkbass. I'm pretty strong on Eventide, EHX and Syrymon too. The Source Audio gear is a lot more flexible and easier to set up.

 

[Standalone]

I run an OC2 for the classic sub synth low octave vibe. And an MXR Bass Octave Deluxe for that bass solo octave sound.

 

[Standalone]

Hi guys,

With new band and new style of music come new desires. I want to add an octaver to my board. In the past I just toyed with cheap ones (e.g. Behringer) and was not particularly impressed. But I want to give it a new shot.
Now I know from the past that the EBS octaver was much praised pedal. Want I am looking for is a pedal that is not specifically sterile, it very much may have a thing going on. And, and this is important, I wonder if there are octavers that have an adjustable lower limit where the pedal stops octaving? Because, octaving a low E or even low B makes no real sense. And, as cherry on top, are there octavers that may even octave UP and Down?

Thanks everybody in advance

Oh, and part of the trick of enjoying octave pedals is to NOT play in the low range of the bass. Fatter sounds are to be had above the fifth fret A on the E string....

 

[cnltb]

Queequeg.
Link Removed

Really good tracking and not sterile sounding.

 

[Polfuste]

All right, thanks for clarifying - so it does exactly the opposite of what OP wants. Nevermind then...

But it's really magical on electroacoustic guitar: i use it on a dobro which i play like a guitar, as a low boost: when set up correctly, the pedal add -1 only on E and A string of the guitar. Awesome result with chord comping and arpeggios.