I need some fx guidance.

[crazyBassClown]

I have hundreds maybe thousands of fx in the computer and getting a big fat sound in the box is easy as pie.

I'd suggest starting with whatever gets you the sound you want in the box. Get a pedal of the fx you are using there.

 

[edwinhurwitz]

When I began playing in high school, I was pick only. Wasn’t that good. Then made a choice to go finger style and made the switch. Now switching back to try pick some is not easy, but I think it’s an easier switch than going from pick to fingers. That’s just me though.

I think easier to go to pick because like was said earlier, little palm and maybe turn tone down. Going to fingers not as easy as OP is learning.

When I started in junior high school 50 years ago, I was also pick only. Fast forward a number of years and I decided to go to Berklee and thought I would get laughed out of there if I used a pick, so I did a crash course on finger style. For the next 35 years, I was fingers and slap. About 15 years ago, I decided to get back into picking and it took a while to really get it going again. I think we all go through very interesting paths with our bass playing!

 

[Parzival]

When I started in junior high school 50 years ago, I was also pick only. Fast forward a number of years and I decided to go to Berklee and thought I would get laughed out of there if I used a pick, so I did a crash course on finger style. For the next 35 years, I was fingers and slap. About 15 years ago, I decided to get back into picking and it took a while to really get it going again. I think we all go through very interesting paths with our bass playing!

Im just finding there are tones I want that are easier to get with a pick and vice versa. Also, there are some fast songs that I can play just as fast with my fingers, but it might hurt by the end of the song.

 

[edwinhurwitz]

The Dry Bell Unit 67 handles most of my sound sculpting needs these days. TB member Scubaduba has an in depth review if it over on his own site. Find it here.

Another nice tone thickening box I find a lot of use for is the [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] which basically gets the sound of an Ampeg B-15 on steroids thanks to the addition of an EQ contour and an input pre-emphasis switch.

I love the Linden EQ! It provides such a great deep tone.

 

[Aidenn7]

dude I love pedals but- I would get a used rack unit from dbx a compressor/limiter/expander for now.. or fork out the real cash and get this simple pedal..
The Schaffer Replica® - BASS-X

 

[pfschim]

I mentioned this in your other thread in Recording Gear. An 1176 type comp can add a nice upper mid sweetness. I use the excellent Cali76CB and besides being a great compressor, it does had some life/sparkle to the upper mids.

good luck

 

[Camarillo]

Fingers are very important.
Strings as well.
Said that, the fattest, thickest tone I ever had until now is from the cheapest (probably) preamp pedal on the market: Sonicake B Factory. Overdrive section always on, distortion set low, with dry signal blended in, compression and BOOM

 

[Chris Chong]

Aguilar tonehammer DI

 

[lunarpollen]

The easiest way to get more of a fat, rounder bottom end is through palm muting technique right in front of the bridge as you pluck the strings.

For a sweeter, more harmonic top end, I've found a lot of that comes from string type and cabinet voicing. You need both richness and clarity.

Of course you will need an amplifier that will let you achieve what you need.

For an EQ pedal, you might want to check out the Ibanez Pentatone Equalizer; you can get one brand new for $130
PTEQ | PENTATONE | EFFECTS | PRODUCTS | Ibanez guitars

 

[Ulf Buck]

Try to master both but play what works best for you in a particular song. You will find once you get some proficiency with your fingers that certain songs, bass lines, or certain grooves call for fingers. Practice a lot. Make sure you always play like you and you will start to develop

As far as effects, compression and overdrive/distortion is a good place to start. You will find some useful pedals but it is mostly just a fun addiction. Watch videos, read posts here and start trying pedals that sound good to you and make sense for you.

 

[Thumpin6string]

Since you haven't told us what amp you use, every suggestion is just that, a suggestion. If your amp sucks, throwing pedals at it won't fix it. To get what you want, adjusting the EQ on a decent amp should get you there pretty easily. A comp can help tighten things up a bit once you get your tone where you want it.

 

[Drop1]

If the tone is stale with your fingers, why not keep using a pick?

I've been using a pick to play metal for most my life. I was forced into using a pick to play. Use a pick or dont play is what I was told. I dis try to steak in fingers before , but that band had 3 guitars and I couldn't get heard on backlines. Mix was just oo busy.

Im.not playing metal any longer im no longer a part of any bands. I have free rain and want to use fingers for the the funk and church music. I think those sound better without that aggressive pick attack.
I like the smoother/fatter sound of not having a pick in these genres.

 

[HolmeBass]

I'm aware that my fingers aren't great but I do use myfingers in almost the identical area I used the pick..there are some finger lines i can play pretty darn well. I use those to check tone.
I dont want plies if pedals I can't afford them. I Have had A CRAXY amount if pedals with I stopped playing out. There are all gone though cause I thought i was quitting and didn't need all that to mix in the box. I have hundreds maybe thousands of fx in the computer and getting a big fat sound in the box is easy as pie. I'd just really prefer not to have to use a computer for processing with my practice amp if I can help it.

Just recreate what you use “in the box” outside of it. Done!

If you tell us what plugins and settings on them you use I bet people here can tell you a (some) reasonable facsimile pedal(s) to buy.

 

[Drop1]

Just recreate what you use “in the box” outside of it. Done!

If you tell us what plugins and settings on them you use I bet people here can tell you a (some) reasonable facsimile pedal(s) to buy.

It varies with every recording.

I use fab filter Saturn for a lot of saturation amd distortions just because I know it so well. It covers a huge variety of tones.

I mostly use fab filter pro 2 eq. That eq is digital perfection to me. If I could find something that capable in a pedal, I'd never even think of using another eq.

For the lows, I use all kinds of enhancers. Too any to list..they all do similar things, just slightly differently.

Comps. I have everything from super clean, invisible to comps full of character. They all have a slightly difffemet color and I don't have a preference. Using the right one for the track is how I choose them. I chose them almost specifcly for where the comp brings out harmonics.

I thought the same way you do. Just clone my in box signal chain, but after I got to looking across different tracks z I found I rarely do things the same way twice.

The only thing I see I do in common is usually processing the dirty side first and get the higher bass frequencies sitting right with the rest of the mix. That'd important for playing the tracks on smaller speakers. Once I have the dirty chain close , I'll add in the clean channel and get the low end working with the dirty channel and rest of band. I can get away with a lot of adjustments on the clean buss. I'll do things, bass enhancers and such, then have several mono plugs on the clean side to make sure I keep the lows nice and focused. Some effects unitenally spead the bass into the streo field a bit. Thats ok sometimes , but usually I want the bottom end super focused and no wider sounding than the kick drum unless it's an artistic choice.
I dont Lind rhe dirty buzz spreading a bit to give the perception of a bit of bass width.

This is a pretty typical approach for me. I don't know if there is enough info them to pull from though.

Sometimes it's even worse. I may have the bass split into 3 or 4 channels so I can process the lows, mids and highs all independently of each other.

So I put the thought of recreating my chain put of my head. Firstly due to not wanting to over compilation the pedal board. Secondly cost.

I think I can get 90%of what i want for a live sound with a 1 good pre that can saturate, a good eq, a hpf, ideally built into a pre and some kind of bass maximizer and defeat comp.
I'd like to avoid mixer/splitter pedals if at all possible..

 

[gregmon79]

I'd like to accomplish a few different things.

I was playing almost exclusively with a pick.

I'm trying to move away from using a pick and want to use fingers, but my tone is stale with my fingers.

Part of the stale, sterile vibe im getting is I'm just not as good with fingers as I need to be. A big part I suspect.

But there are a couple things I have identified I'd like to address tone wise.

I want a fatter , more round bottom end.

I want a sweeter, more harmonic top end.
But pretty. I'm not looking for distortion here. Some light saturation maybe, but again, "pretty" not harsh or edgy.

I want a better eq. Something where I can adjust the mids without biting into the bass or treble.
I have an east pre, but with the mid control centered, it affects everything from under 100hz to well over 1000hz. That's too wind for what I want.
This is fine for broad tonal changes and the east pre sound excellent, but I want finer control.

I may occasionally want a little drive. Not often, but it's fun to mess with.

Im currently playing mostly funk amd gospel if that helps. Not looking for rock sounds.

If there are "must have " pedals out there for one if these specific task that just dounds amazing, please share them. I'd prefer 1 pedal, but 2 or 3 wouldn't be the end of the world.

Thanks in advance. I just can't play any more funk with this sterile sound. It's sterile on multiple sets of monitors and absolutely TERRIBLE on my practice amp. I do find it interesting my practice amp is actually brighter than any set of my monitors. I'd have thought my white coned Yamaha hs7 monitors would have been the brightest. They are bright by nature, but not near a bright as my single 15 cab with not tweeter some how.


Tldr Short version wish list..............,,.................................
......................................................

Something to fatten the bottom

Something to sweeten the highs/upper mids

Capable eq with variable q if possible for the mids

Hpf.

The kicker, I'd like all that in one pedal If at all possible.

Whatcha think?

I know you said you don't want an OD, but (again ) I'm going to suggest something like the Damnation MBD or like a Fairfield Barbershop. Those kinds of pedals, especially the MBD, can add a nice fattening with some added saturation.

As for the EQ, I can't suggest the Whirlwind Bass X 10 band enough. I think almost any bassist who's looking for some added EQ should try that pedal at least once. It's amazing IMO. That could give you the top end and mid presence you're looking for.

 

[HolmeBass]

It varies with every recording.

I use fab filter Saturn for a lot of saturation amd distortions just because I know it so well. It covers a huge variety of tones.

I mostly use fab filter pro 2 eq. That eq is digital perfection to me. If I could find something that capable in a pedal, I'd never even think of using another eq.

For the lows, I use all kinds of enhancers. Too any to list..they all do similar things, just slightly differently.

Comps. I have everything from super clean, invisible to comps full of character. They all have a slightly difffemet color and I don't have a preference. Using the right one for the track is how I choose them. I chose them almost specifcly for where the comp brings out harmonics.

I thought the same way you do. Just clone my in box signal chain, but after I got to looking across different tracks z I found I rarely do things the same way twice.

The only thing I see I do in common is usually processing the dirty side first and get the higher bass frequencies sitting right with the rest of the mix. That'd important for playing the tracks on smaller speakers. Once I have the dirty chain close , I'll add in the clean channel and get the low end working with the dirty channel and rest of band. I can get away with a lot of adjustments on the clean buss. I'll do things, bass enhancers and such, then have several mono plugs on the clean side to make sure I keep the lows nice and focused. Some effects unitenally spead the bass into the streo field a bit. Thats ok sometimes , but usually I want the bottom end super focused and no wider sounding than the kick drum unless it's an artistic choice.
I dont Lind rhe dirty buzz spreading a bit to give the perception of a bit of bass width.

This is a pretty typical approach for me. I don't know if there is enough info them to pull from though.

Sometimes it's even worse. I may have the bass split into 3 or 4 channels so I can process the lows, mids and highs all independently of each other.

So I put the thought of recreating my chain put of my head. Firstly due to not wanting to over compilation the pedal board. Secondly cost.

I think I can get 90%of what i want for a live sound with a 1 good pre that can saturate, a good eq, a hpf, ideally built into a pre and some kind of bass maximizer and defeat comp.
I'd like to avoid mixer/splitter pedals if at all possible..

Sounds like you need a true two-channel amp, so you can use one chn for the highs/crunchiness, and the second channel for the clean lows.

Or you could try a splitter, like the Boss LS-2, to set up a clean and dirty channel. But you’ll need two EQ pedals, one for each channel.

So also think about: I do it differently for each recording. Maybe try to pick ONE way that will work and recreate that. You’re going to have to be pragmatic about this, or just take your computer to the gigs.

 

[Drop1]

I know you said you don't want an OD, but (again ) I'm going to suggest something like the Damnation MBD or like a Fairfield Barbershop. Those kinds of pedals, especially the MBD, can add a nice fattening with some added saturation.

As for the EQ, I can't suggest the Whirlwind Bass X 10 band enough. I think almost any bassist who's looking for some added EQ should try that pedal at least once. It's amazing IMO. That could give you the top end and mid presence you're looking for.

I'm not against od for light saturation at all. I commonly use that in the box to get tones. Iw would prefer the drive be built into a pre amp pedal though. Trying to keep the number of pedals to a minium

 

[Drop1]

Ok. I ditched my old cab and solved 90% of everything I said in my original post. The top end now sounds EXCELLENT!!! Just lovely!

The only thing I'm lacking now is an hpf and something to fatten the lows without making things boomy.

Thoughts?

 

[gregmon79]

Ok. I ditched my old cab and solved 90% of everything I said in my original post. The top end now sounds EXCELLENT!!! Just lovely!

The only thing I'm lacking now is an hpf and something to fatten the lows without making things boomy.

Thoughts?

an fdeck HPF works well. Or a broughton HPF I’ve heard is superb.

 

[lomo]

Ok. I ditched my old cab and solved 90% of everything I said in my original post. The top end now sounds EXCELLENT!!! Just lovely!

The only thing I'm lacking now is an hpf and something to fatten the lows without making things boomy.

Thoughts?

For an HPF I recommend something adjustable, because where you want to set your shelf will vary with bass/cab/amp/room, etc. Once you have that, any "low fattener" can be tamed. If you don't want OD, a good EQ pedal will be the the best clean fattener....and you could get both of these functions with an added boost in an Empress ParaEQ deluxe or Source Audio EQ2. That said, if you want the potential to add (or not, as you like) an edge of tube breakup (or even heavier OD) along with the "fattening", a Sushi Box Underground Accelerator instead of a specialized eq pedal) will do both........and if you wanna get spendy, all 3 is how I roll, so it's my bias......and where I have landed after exploring the rabbit hole Another option is the Source Audio Zio preamp which will kill the HPF, "fattening" and OD birds with 1 stone....it combines a variable HPF (which it labels "Focus), powerful 2 band EQ and a "grit" toggle that can add some pleasing harmonics if/when desired AND a DI, as well as a scoop toggle which IME has limited utility but is a neat option. The disadvantage of the Zio is that the grit knob is less musical and versatile than other OD options IME, and its' eq is far less versatile and precise than either eq pedal previously mentioned. Happy thumpin'.......and what about compression , LOL?