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New Empress Drive

#22
henryjurstin13 said:
Took this answer straight from the Zak, via TGP

"It's not :( We wanted the gate after the boost to make sure that your signal is dead-quiet, but that made it so we can't have the boost be independent. I know some people are going to hate it, but it was at least a difficult decision if that helps! Hahaha"
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😒 ok then! Not that I was going to get one anyways
 
#24
dedpool1052 said:
This was definitely more compelling than the BTW demo.
Ordered.
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BTW isn’t about products, it’s about putting bass players on there and them flogging around on some of the whackiest lines you’ll hear. Their videos are not helpful at all.

On the Bass Stuff vid, I will say the Empress sounds better than I thought it would. I don’t trust non-bass drives but this seems to keep the bass intact pretty well.
 
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#26
FYI
IMG_5026.jpeg
 
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#27
I haven't had GAS in a while, but I just realized Empress released this pedal.

4 pedals on my board are Empress, and their MultiDrive serves as my drive effect. I love it! I even like it better than a Darkglass Microtubes I used to own.

Other than my Empress Bass Compressor, the other 3 are not bass-specific, but they perform super well with my G&L L2500 and P bass.

Too bad more bass demo videos haven't popped up other than the 2 already in this thread. I'd love to try it... Moog Audio in Montréal sells it, but I'd doubt they have it in stock for me to try.
 
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#29
I received mine today. I’m still trying to figure it out. The mids only affect the gain/drive (pre-gain). Bass and treble are post-gain. My gut is to cut mids like I did on the Aguilar Tone Hammer DI. But the knucklehead from Idaho (me) thinks it sounds better with mids cranked. 🤔

The boost can be set pre-gain or post-gain. I really like pre-gain so far. The VU meter is useful and makes me smile. Home studio use only with drum loop. Will report back soon.

The blend knob definitely makes this a bass friendly pedal. Not sure why the bass boost is set at 200 Hz. Not sure what I prefer, but it feels a little odd.
 
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#31
wolffire99 said:
It’s set there for guitar no?
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@rcmbass most likely. I've found that the character of the drive is on the darker side, and at lower gain settings I haven't needed to compensate the lows much. Although, I run a pretty hefty low boost at the end of my signal chain.

I've only needed to add lows back in if I'm really pushing the drive, and in that regard it works just fine.
 
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#34
Zak_Empress said:
OOP Sorry for being so delayed on this!! If your pot isn't affected then you're good to keep playing! Should it ever develop we'll take care of you, though
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Thanks for the response!
And standing behind your products.
This is my first Empress pedal, and I am sold. I may have to pick up a bass compressor next.
Very well thought out.
I brought it over to a buddy's place a few days ago, where we really put it through it's paces. I already loved it, but he was blown away. "That sounds really effing good" was his response.

Sidenote, I have a tendency to pop open pedals, just to look inside. Pure curiosity.
I've showed my dad screenshots of multiple pedals. He used to work for a U.S. based company, doing electrical and wiring.
A number of pedals, many done by popular builders here, he inspected, and commented "that would never fly. Too much flux. Look at all that excess solder."
I showed him the Drive, and it's the only one that's impressed him.
 
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#35
rcmbass said:
I received mine today. I’m still trying to figure it out. The mids only affect the gain/drive (pre-gain). Bass and treble are post-gain. My gut is to cut mids like I did on the Aguilar Tone Hammer DI. But the knucklehead from Idaho (me) thinks it sounds better with mids cranked. 🤔

The boost can be set pre-gain or post-gain. I really like pre-gain so far. The VU meter is useful and makes me smile. Home studio use only with drum loop. Will report back soon.

The blend knob definitely makes this a bass friendly pedal. Not sure why the bass boost is set at 200 Hz. Not sure what I prefer, but it feels a little odd.
Click to expand...
Bass and treble are shelving controls.
combined_EmpressDrive_EQ_min_EmpressDrive_EQ_noon_EmpressDrive_EQ_max-1024x512.png

This is white noise played into the Drive, measured with the Bass and Treble knobs at minimum, noon and maximum.

IMHO the bass knob delivers a solid boost down low and at least in my signal chain, I can easily overdo it. No complaints about it starting at 200Hz.
 
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#36
While at my buddy's place, I reassigned the boost to pre-gain.
Then got crazy and dimed the gain and boost.
This was the first time utilizing the gate feature, as I typically aim for low gain, so it's not needed.
My buddy commented that the gate function is very musical, and not "choppy" like the ones he used in the '80s.
 
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#40
I have it, don’t quite like it, I find it very high gain and a little harsh sounding, and lacks body and punch. I keep the drive and blend both at 25%. It works for bass guitar but doesn’t sound right, as is often the case with “all-instrument” effects pedals on bass.
 

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