Pedals, effects and the like...

[grubdumpling]

I've had a number of times in my bass playing life when a band leader had asked me to complicate my sound for various reasons, and I had complied, but I always eventually sneak back to a very simple setup. It usually gone like "hey, you should _____ your sound", so I "____" my sound, then struggle with trying to "_____" my sound in a way that sounds good, then try alternatingly "____"ing my sound and not "_____"ing my sound and comparing recordings, then conclude that a simple un"_____"ed sound is superior, then present my findings and either everyone agrees or at least says something like "whatever man, you're just the bass so do what you think is good". I am very particular about my overdrive, though. I've really always been more comfortable with a band that doesn't exactly copy covers and has room for individual musician's tastes, so I may have different goals.

edit : spelling

 

[groovaholic]

As long as you and your bandmates are happy with the role your bass is fulfilling in the mix, nothing more is necessary.
But sometimes more is necessary, and then more is more.

I've played plenty of gigs straight into my amp, and plenty with a full pedalboard.
I don't have a preference other than always wanting to give the gig what it needs.

 

[Old Fart]

you cannot run an instrument signal direct into a power amp

I'd guess this is partly true. My home hifi system has often used no preamp. Signals from passive bass guitars are likely pretty wimpy to feed directly into a power amp and electronics guys would likely say something about "impedance" but I'm guessing it can be done. Perhaps I am wrong.

I can use a hammer to drive a screw into a drywall

Wear eye protection for this. Nails are soft. Screws are hard and brittle. Building codes will not allow use of screws in framing because they break under stress. Nails bend and hold.

 

[DuluthDank]

In a rock band, I find a little OD goes a long way in making the bass blend with the other instruments. After you get used to it, removing it is like eating food without seasoning.

 

[mambo4]

Used to love my pedals, but these days I'm in the not necessary / audience won't notice camp.
Of course having an amp that delivers the sound I want helps.

 

[SLO Surfer]

are they usually "nice to have" rather than must have?

Pedals, effects, wireless units, in ear monitors, flats, rounds, picks, tort pick guards, comfy straps, and even basses and amps themselves are all just “nice to have.” None of them are required for anyone. Nobody needs a pedal. But then, nobody needs a bass either.

 

[NKBassman]

are they usually "nice to have" rather than must have? How much influence can the amp have over the shape of your sound?

Totally 100% dependent on context and individual preferences. Which can change day to day due to circumstances or just based on mood for that day. I constantly roll pedals in and out off my board, it's almost never the same for 2 gigs in a row, sometimes out of necessity, and sometimes just for fun.

Also, in my case I might be playing roots country one weekend, and then suddenly subbing in my buddy's Rage Against The Machine tribute band the next. So what I "need" to hit the mark can be dramatically different too. Could I do the RATM gig without a distortion pedal, octaver, etc.... sure! ... the regular guy in that band does... but it's certainly a lot less fun for me.

 

[tothemax]

Through my guitar years I went full circle having to have the Wah sound from "25 or 6 to 4", to the Flanger sound from those great 70's hits, to the clean SRV tones of a minimal boost and a decent amp. That said, my bass path was a bit different. As I got more serious it became clear that my bass / amp combination had a couple of serious "thud" tones in the 20 - 100 Hz range, a friend suggested adding a compressor to smooth it out. That helped a little but the "thud" overtones 20-40 range were still present. Someone on TB suggested adding an EQ, so went with a 10 band EQ and that was the winning combination. Kept my amp and added a tuner to make a minimalist pedal board, no flash just the basics. Last year our cover band started playing out a bit more and started using the amps built in DI (Ampeg BA210v2) and found that it was linked to the amp controls, so any amp adjustments messed with the FOH. So looked for a simple preamp / DI pedal to be able to keep a consistent sound to send to the amp and the PA...

That was my experience... created out of necessity and not wanting to go amp shopping for "that" tone. The Ampeg combo with a 2x10 cab does everything I need with those pedals. GAS can be fun, and it can become an obsession. Not being a rock star with a dedicated budget, my goal is to sound the best I can with the basic gear needed. I get the minimalist thing, I had a Traynor YGM-3 20w tube combo in the 70's and traded it in on a Fender, what a mistake - that was one of the best sounding amps I ever owned, didn't need anything - but you live and learn. Of course no one mic'd amps back then either.

Cheers

 

[BassicJazzy]

Totally depends on what you're playing, and what styles you use, right? A slap player probably wants a compressor to even things out, a metal player probably wants an OD or distortion, funk wants a flanger or envelop filter, etc.

I think the only one that almost always useful is a compressor, set so it gives just a touch of compression and slight sustain. That usually sounds good. Some people say a little dirt helps you get heard in the mix, so that too might be useful. Everything else gets annoying if overused, or lost in the mix.

I put a board together 8 months ago with compressor, fuzz/octaver, and chorus, and haven't touched it since I set it up. I plan to use it instead of the digital effects in the DAW if I ever record anything. For practice I only play clean.

 

[Deleted member 394181]

I used to be kind of a snob about it " What? My playing is fine! It doesnt need compression. I think my sound should just come from my finger, amp, and Bass."

 

[BassicJazzy]

I used to be kind of a snob about it " What? My playing is fine! It doesnt need compression. I think my sound should just come from my finger, amp, and Bass."

Totally agree. When I started in early 70's, I was at the other extreme, I knew I sucked but my phaser or OD sounded cool, so one or both was usually "on."

 

[Dynomuttasaurus]

It's all context isn't it? What works for you in your context.

For decades, I was a bass straight into the amp guy. Now, I literally haven't plugged into an amp in years because the nature of recording and gigs have changed for me. I've gone from a guy lugging a big amp and shaking the house to the guy who owns too many pedals (several of which are preamps with DI to go direct to the board) and a couple pair of good headphones.

 

[JazznFunk]

I'll admit I've never had (or felt) the need to get some of the additional hardware some people buy (compression, sustainer, pre-amp etc.).
I have always found that what I can control on my bass and what I can manipulate on my amp works fine, for most (pubs, cafes, small club) situations.

I presume that the type of music played will influence the need to have a specialised sound - but this said, are they usually "nice to have" rather than must have? How much influence can the amp have over the shape of your sound?

PS - I've often wondered if the pursuit of one's own sound (specific to bass) is a task that may be dissipated on the general audience (but not on fellow musicians).

Regards to all

For live sound? Yep. Simpler is better. Bass, tube preamp (depending on the situation), MAYBE a compressor --> amp (for electric bass anyway). My pedalboard, which I usually only use for solo gigs and recording, has reverb, delay, an OC-2 octaver, and some other 'secret sauce' pedals.... but I rarely use any of that in a live situation unless it's a very specific band.

'Hardware' for me is about problem solving. Last night, my setup for my duo gig with my sax player was as follows: Realist pickup -->Radial ToneBone PZ Deluxe --> Aguilar DB316 (for additional midrange control) --> MarkBass Big Bang --> MarkBass Traveler 2x10. ALL of that is about solving EQ problems and tuning to the room, to get as natural a sound as possible out of my amp. I rarely if ever need support from the sound system.

For double bass, going direct, a preamp with a lot of flexibility with the EQ is key, because you usually have to 'solve problems' for the FOH before the signal gets to them, lest you find your direct tone in the hands of someone who doesn't know what a double bass is supposed to sound like.

In the studio, that's a whole other ball of glue.... especially with electric bass. There are lots of other tools to solve 'problems' which are better than outboard gear for live use in most cases.

 

[Thumpin6string]

I will say I'm not an effects guy. I don't have a pedal board and don't want one. That said, I do use a Markbass Compressore. It is always on. I like the little bit it does to my tone. For fretless I use 2 pedals, a chorus and a reverb pedal. They accentuate the fretless sound and improve the mwah. I have no use for overdrives, DI preamps or effects like synths or octavers. When it comes to playing bass, use what you want.

 

[JazznFunk]

I will say I'm not an effects guy. I don't have a pedal board and don't want one. That said, I do use a Markbass Compressore. It is always on. I like the little bit it does to my tone. For fretless I use 2 pedals, a chorus and a reverb pedal. They accentuate the fretless sound and improve the mwah. I have no use for overdrives, DI preamps or effects like synths or octavers. When it comes to playing bass, use what you want.

The Compressore is such a great piece of gear. Even with very subtle settings, it just does something great to your sound.

 

[el murdoque]

Wear eye protection for this. Nails are soft. Screws are hard and brittle. Building codes will not allow use of screws in framing because they break under stress. Nails bend and hold.

I much rather use a screw driver for this!

Furthermore, I want to give two examples of playing live:

1. Jam session in a crowded bar. Good musicians present, especially a drummer I've worked with for a couple of years who is extremely funky AND has incredible dynamics - can play super silent if needed and groove nonetheless. I used a rather cheap bass, plugged straight into the PA, a little bass boost a little treble cut, that was it. People danced, and the musicians grooved. It was fun.

2. Gig with my IEM equipped band. I'm using a pedalboard with zero compromises here, that thing costs more than my car. Also, I'm on good IEMs.
All that nuance in tone that might or might not be lost on the audience is not lost on me, neither is it lost on the drummer (who also played bass for a long time). We're playing off each other and both of us hit like our lives depend on the quality of the next note.

In the latter case, the quality of my sound had a direct influence on the quality of my playing. With a perfectly balanced IEM mix, I was able to perceive every nuance of every instrument and play accordingly, which will translate to a better quality out of the FOH system. There is a difference between having everything delivered in a perfect mix straight into your ears through high quality earphones and feeding off the backwash from the FOH system.

As with the screws vs. nails scenario (the Germans frown upon nails, because they are soft and will bend where screws do not, and when you point out that under stress, a screw may break the German engineer will probably slap you with a glove and demand satisfaction), using the right tool for the job can be crucial.

 

[Zooberwerx]

If it weren't for TalkBass, I'll I would really need is a tuner pedal but, alas, I'm driven-to-purchase when motivated by threads of interest. Case in point:

*EHX Battalion, B Factory > DI's, preamps, character pedals....take your pick.

*Zoom B3n > Multi FX units.

*Airchild Six-Sixty, SD DoubleBack > Do I need a compressor?

*Broughton HPF > self-explanatory.

*Digitech Chorus > Best chorus pedal. This was given to me.

*Sonicake Sonic Ambience >Is it reverb...is it delay? This offers both for 30 bucks.

Decent representation but no truly high-ticket components.



Riis

 

[vvvmmm]

I'm-a vent here:

I do a lot of recording, often of other muso's.

I have one guy comes over, used to be anti-FX, now he digs mine (and my basses, and my bass amps).

And that's cool.

But the idjit constantly disengages the only pedal I need him to have on - the compressor.

Now, I can play without one, many can, but inna 3.5 minute song there's typically at least one or two notes I hafta fix in the mix (for me I often hit one note too loud).

This guy, perhaps from insecurity, drops his volume when he (apparently) is uncertain about a part.

You do not make your mixer happy when they have to go in and volume-adjust multiple notes and sections to present your playing audibly in the mix.

(It makes it difficult and so particularly frustrating when mistakes can't be heard such that they can be immediately fixed by re-playing or overdub - cut-n-paste is not how I wanna mix, and if the player never nails a certain part, that means I hafta re-record it - which when time is a considerations means I play and replace the entire track)

TLDR: at least try using a compressor when recording, and for the same reasons it can be helpful otherwise, e.g., live.

(That guy's excuse, BTW, besides stubborn idiocy, is he claims a loss of dynamics - evidentially he doesn't want to be heard. )

 

[Hurricane Jimmie]

So Anyway, I don't use any pedals. I can always sound like me with just about any amp.
For me, pedals are Occam's Razor... just one more thing to add complexity. I'm also very lazy.
And if I have to bend down to make an adjustment, there's a 50/50 chance that I won't be getting upright without some assistance.

 

[logdrum]

I even have effects on my double bass for certain projects, For meat and potatoes rock bass playing yeah direct to amp sounds good or maybe even simplify it with a passive bass and an amplifier with only bass and treble and maybe mids but all passive tone controls. That usually does not sound good if you are being honest. So active EQ on your bass amp is an effect and I think it is a must


In my case, the rock band I play with the second guitar is an acoustic. During guitar solos, if I do not put any hair on the bass, the sound just thins out, hence some form of overdrive, edge of breakup is needed. Compressor is not a crutch for playing evenly. In my case it is a tone changer. I make sure that I always have a blend knob on my compressor and use smaller ratios. If you are in a support role, don't overstep and sound like a guitarist. If there is a place where you can shine as a soloist, talk with the band.