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Looking for a tone sweetener

#21
Someone else mentioned this, but take the compressor out for a bit. Based on your attack settings can definitely sap some high mids and highs. A nice preamp pedal (Mesa, subway, origin effects). Get it dialed in and then add the compressor back and see if you can get the settings matched to get the compression you want without sapping tone.

I’ve been dialing in a new bass and did this recently. Compressor was in the way of me getting the tone dialed. After I really settled in I brought the compressor back and ended up with completely different settings than I had previously.
 
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#22
REV said:
You may want to try a Broughton Hi pass / Low pass filter. I originally bought mine to add some more control to my sound in difficult environments (hard walls, hard ceilings) but I was pleasantly surprised at what it could do to my overall sound. It can remove some of what I don't want and leave what I do want.
Click to expand...

I had one before and may get one again. It's a great pedal
 
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#23
BGroovy said:
Someone else mentioned this, but take the compressor out for a bit. Based on your attack settings can definitely sap some high mids and highs. A nice preamp pedal (Mesa, subway, origin effects). Get it dialed in and then add the compressor back and see if you can get the settings matched to get the compression you want without sapping tone.

I’ve been dialing in a new bass and did this recently. Compressor was in the way of me getting the tone dialed. After I really settled in I brought the compressor back and ended up with completely different settings than I had previously.
Click to expand...

The Empress is super transparent. I have tried it without, but I really like the way it fattens up my D and G strings a bit as well as tamping down the boominess a bit on my E string below the A. Didn't like it quite as much placed before the Revolt, but it really shines after it or in the effects loop, especially on the vintage dirt channel. It seems to add a little note definition as well.
 
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#26
As far as I can tell the clean channel on the ReVolt is based on an Ampeg SVT. The vintage dirt channel is based on a Marshall JMP Super Bass. These are VERY different sounding amps.

In the world of real amps I'm not a huge fan of SVTs but the Marshall Super Bass is one of my absolute favourites. Maybe your taste in amps is the same as mine and you simply prefer vintage "British" voiced amps?

If that's the case I'm not convinced that adding even more pedals, basically running preamps into preamps, will do much good. Making an SVT sound like anything other than an SVT is a lost cause in my experience. At least with the real SVTs.

I noticed that both "amps" seem to be running into an SVT810 cabsim on this pedal. These cabs are not exactly know for having an open tone, which is what you're looking for (although you seem to like the "Marshall" into the 810 cabsim). Maybe using a different cabsim can open up the tone a bit, if the cabsim on the ReVolt can be deactivated. The SVT810 is one of the least open sounding bass cabs you'll ever find. That cab is all about the mid growl.
 
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#29
The Origin DCX Bass will make your setup sound $1500 more expensive.

But my real suggestion would be the JPTR FX Jive. It does exactly what you are looking for.
Just flip all the switches to the off position and then turn up the gain until you can hear overdrive. Then dial back just a notch and you get that creamy saturation that sits just right with a P bass running TI Flats.
 
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#32
Jptr fx and dcx. For really no-dirt options I ended up with chase tone secret preamp and RMI Sonic Spark. Chase tone gives great evenness in the sound but not a compressor-like, more by slight phase shift which fattens treble strings response. OTOH sonic spark sounds huge and clean-creamy at the same time (not sure of this makes sense)

And JPTR FX is everyone's favourite and comes at a good price as well
 
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#33
JRMK said:
Jptr fx and dcx. For really no-dirt options I ended up with chase tone secret preamp and RMI Sonic Spark. Chase tone gives great evenness in the sound but not a compressor-like, more by slight phase shift which fattens treble strings response. OTOH sonic spark sounds huge and clean-creamy at the same time (not sure of this makes sense)

And JPTR FX is everyone's favourite and comes at a good price as well
Click to expand...

I'd love to try the Sonic Spark as well.
The Chase Tone did not work for me at all. It felt like a lot of bother to accommodate the pedal (because single knob) in my carefully balanced gain-knob-equilibrium, and very little return in terms of tone sweetening.
 
#34
I would start with HPF/LPF, I have the Broughton.

Then a compressor. I have Broughton, Empress, and Diamond.

Just this will allow your guitar and amplifier to work and sound their best. And it’s true that just the gain on these pedals enlivens the tone, it’s more than volume. In addition the Diamond Bass Comp EQ and Empress Bass Compressor have some EQ controls.

Only then would I consider adding tone pedals. I have the Broughton SVpre, Broughton Scorpion, and SolidGoldFX BetaV. But frequency filtering and compression is the foundation to the rest working properly.
 
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#37
I’ve good experience with a ‘91 DOD FX10 both for boosting and sweetening. The reissue version of the original (410), not as much, as my Tobias clipped its input stage in a not so great sounding way. Got tired of replacing the switch every 7 or 8 years, and replaced it with an Xotic Bass RC Booster this past year. Love it! Really nice sweeting and tone enhancement, plus grit if desired. And the tone controls are nicely “musical.” (That said, I am still annoyed by the Comic Sans font every time I look at it…)
 
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#39
What a lot of "sweeteners" do is eq your signal a bit. The problem is you don't know exactly what eq will give you the "magic" you're looking for - what works for someone else probably won't work for you. A really flexible eq pedal (I use Source Audio EQ2's on my boards) will give you the tools you need to find your version of "magic".

And yes, you should absolutely try rounds - to most folks, they have more "life" in them than flats.
 
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