Live Tweaking Of Pedals...

[Unrepresented]

So, who's doing this? I've always been a "set it and forget it" effects player live, and only bend down to adjust things when they've gone haywire.

BigO's got me curious about who else is doing live adjustments to pedals, and what the realities are of doing this.

I'm assuming there's two camps:

a) between song adjustments

b) midsong adjustments

I try to avoid both because it means I usually have to stop playing (squatting and standing up while playing is challenging to the lankier species) or potential dead time between songs (we've been focused on running our sets tight with lots of transitions and minimal dead time.

Tweakers share your methods!

 

[rratajski]

I have a HOG and BMS. The BMS won't let you save presets and I don't want to get the preset jawn for the HOG.

In b/w almost every song, I have to adjust one or the other. I have the settings memorized, but also printed out and attached to my board in case I have a brain fart.

I don't mind doing it. I'm not the singer and don't have/need a mic. My only job is to play!

So, my methods: memorize and tweak quickly. Practice makes perfect!

 

[coreyfyfe]

I like to think of myself as a between-songs tweaker, but thinking about it, I really do tend to go for the set it and forget it thing. I have the foot controller for my HOG, but that's pretty much necessary as I switch between presets within the same song for a few of our tunes. My DD-20 has presets saved for different songs, and I haven't needed more than the four available (yet). My dirt and boost pedals are all set up for the volume of the bass before we start, although I've had to adjust my greedtone on the fly more than once. The only thing I need to flip around between songs is my Prometheus, and I don't even really have to do that yet, as I've only got one song where I'm using it as of now, but that will change. soon.

Usually, when I do need to adjust a knob mid song it's by foot.

 

[MAMMOTHvolume]

i have to tweak my pog between songs since i use just octave down on some and octave up on others ;o

 

[rcubed]

You mean you don't have a dude in the band twiddling knobs for you? I thought that was the new trend.

 

[kevteop]

I like to just tread on stuff. I especially don't like having to change tone controls or filter settings between songs because even if I'm just a bit off it bothers me (although no doubt the audience doesn't notice).

 

[Luther Blissett]

midsong, (well, we don't really play 'songs'). Sometimes it goes so far i'm playing my effects in stead of my bass.

 

[antiochbass]

i go between and in the middle. we have one song where i have to get a loop going on my echo park and then do the speed thing near the end. it tends to get a little tricky since i have a mic and i'm a bit of a clutz with my bass sometimes, but i think it all works out ok in the end.

 

[Joe Gress]

If I had an analog delay or something else with oscillation or something that generates it's own signal, I would probably be spending a good amount of time on the floor.

 

[BioDriver]

The only real adjusting I do is killing the octave up on my microPOG when I don't need it and flipping switches. (mid boost, Up/Down sweep, etc)

 

[JimmyM]

I'm afraid I'm a tweaker, in the middle of songs, in between songs, whatever...I like several different settings on my Micro Pog and Whammy Pedal, and for some reason it always takes me a song or two to get the VT dialed in right. The other two pedals (Nano Small Stone and SYB-3) are set and forget for me, but those three make me jump through hoops.

 

[Unrepresented]

You mean you don't have a dude in the band twiddling knobs for you? I thought that was the new trend.

We generally prefer to have the hot groupies twiddle our knobs.

 

[neatobassman]

I try to avoid both because it means I usually have to stop playing (squatting and standing up while playing is challenging to the lankier species)

Just do some squats and you will be good to go. That's what I do. lol

 

[Joe Gress]

We generally prefer to have the hot groupies twiddle our knobs.

If only I was a rockstar...

 

[Unrepresented]

Just do some squats and you will be good to go. That's what I do. lol

I think some of the burden may lie in the fact that my bass hangs mid-sack in height, thus creating an excess of strap length when my frame is bent in two.

If only I was a rockstar...

This one chick named Mel seems to be really into our stuff.

 

[RCCollins]

I think some of the burden may lie in the fact that my bass hangs mid-sack in height, thus creating an excess of strap length when my frame is bent in two.

This one chick named Mel seems to be really into our stuff.

hahaha i hope that's not really her. you're such a meanie!

 

[Unrepresented]

hahaha i hope that's not really her. you're such a meanie!

Here's a better shot of her face:

Invalid Link Removed

She's a little clingy but really into the band. We keep running into her around town. In fact, really frequently come to think of it.

 

[CYDbass]

i think as long as someone else can keep playing then it can take some of the people's eyes away from you while your down and knob-twiddling.
we sometimes hav our dummer carry on from the end of a song with a solo while me and the guitarist get twiddling but i do agree, its not to easy when your lanky AND clumsy. surely i am not the only one that has stood back up and hit his head off the microphone after changing his effects...?! at least i hope not

 

[whoatherechunk]

i use lots of tape. ask ryan. ha.

 

[neatobassman]

I think some of the burden may lie in the fact that my bass hangs mid-sack in height, thus creating an excess of strap length when my frame is bent in two.

raise your bass. lol. Practicality over aesthetics, it's what separates us from the other gender.