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New to bass pedals - Effects chain advice?

DakotaA93

DakotaA93

Jan 17, 2020
8
4
#1
Hey guys,

Ive been playing guitar in my church band for years, but our bassist left so ive picked it up. Starting to build a small pedal board.

We're a small church. We have a Bose Stick system, and I run a DI into it.

Never really played with amp or effects on the bass. Always just went strait in, EQ'd at the board and just played. Now I've started a small pedal board. So far I just bave my Boss TU-3, the TCE Sub n UP, and the TCE SpectraDrive (Preamp, Drive, Comp).

If I wanted to add more to this, say a chorus, or a synth, or another drive, how would I run the chain? I know on a guitar board I run Comp>Vol>wah>Drives>Mod>Delay>Reverb. Do I follow this same chain? How would that work with the preamp at the end (its got an XLR and a 1/4" out.)
 
#2
DakotaA93 said:
Hey guys,

Ive been playing guitar in my church band for years, but our bassist left so ive picked it up. Starting to build a small pedal board.

We're a small church. We have a Bose Stick system, and I run a DI into it.

Never really played with amp or effects on the bass. Always just went strait in, EQ'd at the board and just played. Now I've started a small pedal board. So far I just bave my Boss TU-3, the TCE Sub n UP, and the TCE SpectraDrive (Preamp, Drive, Comp).

If I wanted to add more to this, say a chorus, or a synth, or another drive, how would I run the chain? I know on a guitar board I run Comp>Vol>wah>Drives>Mod>Delay>Reverb. Do I follow this same chain? How would that work with the preamp at the end (its got an XLR and a 1/4" out.)
Click to expand...

Hello, and welcome to TalkBass.

Two things come to mind:

1. Read and cross-post in this thread: Worship Bass Pedalboards

2. What are your functional objectives? If you understand them well, then your decisions about inclusion and sequence of pedals on your bass pedalboard should follow.
 
#3
Snaxster said:
Hello, and welcome to TalkBass.

Two things come to mind:

1. Read and cross-post in this thread: Worship Bass Pedalboards

2. What are your functional objectives? If you understand them well, then your decisions about inclusion and sequence of pedals on your bass pedalboard should follow.
Click to expand...


I’ll check that out. I’m not sure what you mean by “functional objectives” I just want a good tone out of it. I wasn’t sure how the pedal order changes as I’ve never used pedals with a DI/Pre amp pedal
 
#4
DakotaA93 said:
I’ll check that out. I’m not sure what you mean by “functional objectives” I just want a good tone out of it. I wasn’t sure how the pedal order changes as I’ve never used pedals with a DI/Pre amp pedal
Click to expand...

By functional objectives I meant the reasons for getting and using each pedal, rather than getting each pedal then finding a reason to use it. The former is like the dog wagging its tail. The latter is like the tail wagging the dog. :)

In other words: If you don't know why you need the pedals, why use them and be concerned about their order? But if you do know why you need the pedals, then their inclusion or exclusion, then their order, will tend to be self-evident.
 
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#5
One school of thought is Pitch and Wah effects before Drive effects, Modulation and Time based effects after the Drive pedal. Compression can be before or after Drive pedal. The Preamp/DI would be used as a purely clean preamp. IT would action as a Master volume for your pedalboard.
 
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#6
I would run everything before the D.I. so your comp. comes last and you can send the wet signal to the FOH. The Spectradrive is an all-in-one solution so you might have to try a few drive and comp Toneprints to see what plays nice as you add pedals in front of it and/or put a different drive in front and bypass the T.C. drive if it's location last in the chain isn't working for you.
 
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#7
Snaxster said:
If you don't know why you need the pedals, why use them and be concerned about their order? But if you do know why you need the pedals, then their inclusion or exclusion, then their order, will tend to be self-evident.
Click to expand...

Nice non-answer. :meh:
The why is why the hell not. The how is why sites like this exist.
 
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#8
Typical set up for me would be like I think most would do for a simple sound.

Drives (anykind)>modulations (any kinds)>delays>comp (can be at the beginning or end depending on how you use it, I'd try both if you use one)>DI>AMP

So, there's obviously a ton of variations you can do. You can put delays before overdrives, or overdrives at the end of your signal path or reverb before your fuzzes. You can do anything with those "effects". I sometimes like a pitch shifter before everything, other times I like to have it it pushed by something.

Personally, I'd say keep it simple no matter what you do.
 
#10
Snaxster said:
Not nice hollow critique. :rollno:

Some of us discover the how by first understanding the what and why. I am one such, and I recommend the approach to others.
Click to expand...

Here's the O.P.'s question;

DakotaA93 said:
How would that work with the preamp at the end (its got an XLR and a 1/4" out.)
Click to expand...

We're giving him the understanding of what and why as this thread evolves. :)
 
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#11
::ahem:: Anyway...signal chain principles are broadly applicable. I would say that if you are familiar with guitar effects and signal chains, you can apply that same rationale and thought process to your bass effects with great success.

I think what @Snaxster is getting at is understanding the purpose of each pedal. You mention possibly getting a second drive. Is it because you think your first drive isn't crunchy enough, so you want to put a low-gain drive into it to help punch it up a bit? Boom - yes you need a second drive, and you'll put it in front of your Spectradrive.

So the first step is applying your current signal chain knowledge to your new group of pedals. Take the guitar/bass difference out of the equation. How would you set up these pedals for your ideal sound? The second step is deciding whether there are any "holes" in your sound. Is there something you want to be able to do that your current pedals can't (in other words, What do you want, and Why do you want it)? Those "Whats" and "Whys" will lead you to the "how".

And at the bottom line, the most important rule of pedal order: There are no rules. Try it, see what you think, and then try something else.
 
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#12
Thanks guys for your input.
My main concern/question is handling the SpectraDrive and it’s placement, and weather or not that being at the end will make a mess of some tones, being that it’s a PreAmp, Drive, Comp, and DI
 
#13
I have experimented with bass pedalboard chain sequences for a few years. This is what has worked for me (no loss of volume, no change in tone, no 60 cycle hum): Tuner pedal, octave pedal/pitch shifters, compression/overdrive ( I use the SpectraComp as well), modulation effects (I use the TC Electronic Dreamscape which is a multi-effect modulation pedal), and a noise gate pedal (which gets used very rarely anymore). I do not use my SpectraComp as a DI (I run it out of the head) and use the effects loop sometimes (if I am running heavy overdrive). I have tried a volume pedal at the beginning and the very end of the chain and I go against the grain and put it at the end now. But the reality is that pedal chain sequences are/can be different from person to person depending on their bass (type of pickups) and the actual pedals they have on their board. There are many possible combinations and I literally have played "the shell game" with them to find what works best for me. If someone tells you you MUST put your compression here or this pedal there, it's not that static. I will say NEVER put your modulation effects (especially delay) early on in the chain and any overdrive should be earlier in the chain.
 
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#14
DakotaA93 said:
My main concern/question is handling the SpectraDrive and it’s placement, and weather or not that being at the end will make a mess of some tones, being that it’s a PreAmp, Drive, Comp, and DI
Click to expand...

The answer is maybe. It's not the most helpful answer, but it's the most true answer. I put a comp at the end of my chain, but I don't really use drives. You generally want your tone-shaping (EQ) at the front of your signal, so running your bass's signal through drives and octaves before EQ isn't the most conventional order, but it might be your cup of tea.

If you don't like it, get a passive DI box second hand here or on Reverb and toss it on the end. Move the Spectradrive up front, bing bang boom.
 
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#16
We’re not running an amp head right now. Just bass> plain DI>FOH. THis is all new since I’m used to running to my guitar amp and mic’ing it.

Wissen said:
The answer is maybe.

If you don't like it, get a passive DI box second hand here or on Reverb and toss it on the end. Move the Spectradrive up front, bing bang boom.
Click to expand...

that’s not a bad idea if it gets muddy. I’ll keep that in mind.
 
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#17
The order of the chain is what best suits your ears. There are no hard rules. Use your guitar experience to guide you. As you may know, changing the order can change what you get out of a particular effect.
 
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#18
I've never understood why people use distortion in church. Whether or not you believe in God I think everyone associates God with purity, light, etc. Why would you want to add "dirt" to your tone if you're playing for God?.
 
#19
I usually like comp after drive and pitch, but before volume, eq, chorus, and delay. However all of that is running into the front of an amp, so your results may vary. You may want to treat the Spectra drive as if it were the amp, and order the other pedals ahead of it accordingly, or you might use it like a drive and place a different DI at the end of the chain to send to house. I have a VT Bass deluxe on my board that I could use as a pre, but I treat it as a drive 95% of the time. None of this is hard and fast, in fact that's why I use a switcher that allows reordering the loops, so I can place any pedals in any order per song, but I know my setup is overkill.
 

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