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Recommendation for a auto wah / envelope that is optimized for bass?
- Thread starter paticus
- Start date
I am using Josh Wah from Broughton Audio...
www.broughtonaudio.com
JoshWah | Broughton Audio
The JoshWah is an envelope filter (auto-wah) with a gain stage on the input for increased harmonics and envelope detection. It uses a resonant low pass filter for fast up-sweeps. The Gain control will boost your signal before feeding the filter. The amount of boost can range from light...
www.broughtonaudio.com
I liked the Mu tron a lot, but it's one of those pedals that have absolutely zero margin for error. You bump one knob by a hair's breadth and it's off - which means it'll either not do much at all or it's gonna rush off squealing all over the place. It made using it for live playing rather hard for me, so I sold it.
There are quite a few envelope pedals where that is the case. You twist knobs and think you've gotten a defective unit because it's not really happening. Then you find out that two of the knobs are very interactive and when you set both just right, the whole thing takes off.
I tried many others, but the one that stuck is the PastFX PX-101. It's a copy of the Moog MF-101. I liked the Moog very much, but I was put off by the size, the power requirements, the floor noise and the fact that you can't really turn it off (the internal preamp gain will always be applied, even in bypass).
The PastFX is small, runs off 9V, is much more affordable than a Moog and it's silent and true bypass.
Apart from that, it's capable of a fat sound that sits perfectly well for bass, it's easy to dial in and it's much more forgiving than the Mu Tron.
There are quite a few envelope pedals where that is the case. You twist knobs and think you've gotten a defective unit because it's not really happening. Then you find out that two of the knobs are very interactive and when you set both just right, the whole thing takes off.
I tried many others, but the one that stuck is the PastFX PX-101. It's a copy of the Moog MF-101. I liked the Moog very much, but I was put off by the size, the power requirements, the floor noise and the fact that you can't really turn it off (the internal preamp gain will always be applied, even in bypass).
The PastFX is small, runs off 9V, is much more affordable than a Moog and it's silent and true bypass.
Apart from that, it's capable of a fat sound that sits perfectly well for bass, it's easy to dial in and it's much more forgiving than the Mu Tron.
I'm gonna just throw this out there, what you describe sounds like you're fighting the sensitivity in the wrong direction. I would expect you to hear these effects pretty strongly.
I've run into situations where the filter gets pegged at its maximum and it sounds like you haven't triggered the filter yet. So you bump the sensitivity (or drive, or gain, or whatever your filter calls it), then you bump it again and again and it still doesn't work.
If you've started with the sensitivity at zero and worked your way up from there slowly, then ignore what I'm saying, but I struggled with one of my first filters for weeks because I never thought to turn the sensitivity DOWN to get MORE FUNK.
Good luck.
I've run into situations where the filter gets pegged at its maximum and it sounds like you haven't triggered the filter yet. So you bump the sensitivity (or drive, or gain, or whatever your filter calls it), then you bump it again and again and it still doesn't work.
If you've started with the sensitivity at zero and worked your way up from there slowly, then ignore what I'm saying, but I struggled with one of my first filters for weeks because I never thought to turn the sensitivity DOWN to get MORE FUNK.
Good luck.
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+1 for this suggestion. My quest for Enveloppe ended with the Joshwah. Works good also for guitar.I am using Josh Wah from Broughton Audio...
JoshWah | Broughton Audio
The JoshWah is an envelope filter (auto-wah) with a gain stage on the input for increased harmonics and envelope detection. It uses a resonant low pass filter for fast up-sweeps. The Gain control will boost your signal before feeding the filter. The amount of boost can range from light...
In addition to being an envelope filter, Josh Wah can serve as an overdrive...
Love this sound.
Mildly prefer the Triungulo Labs Barbanera for the top mounted jacks and a couple other quality of life improvements. But either is fine.
FwonkBeta gets that super fat funk sound that easily engages the filter, if you plan on using an octaver with your envelope I would maybe say skip this one, it has huge low end by itself and I found myself not being able to set either to where I was happy with the tone by theirselves.
My personal favorite is the Chunk Systems 00Funk MK2, the knobs are finicky because there’s so much range to them, but that thing sounds incredible and it stacks with other effects perfectly. The octaver makes it super fat and syrupy and driving it with dirt opens the envelope a little more but it still sounds great. Luckily for me my favorite sound on the 00Funk is all the knobs pointing at 10o’clock so it’s easy to remember and keep it there. Chunk Systems was an awesome company that I wish stuck around, they made some banger pedals
My personal favorite is the Chunk Systems 00Funk MK2, the knobs are finicky because there’s so much range to them, but that thing sounds incredible and it stacks with other effects perfectly. The octaver makes it super fat and syrupy and driving it with dirt opens the envelope a little more but it still sounds great. Luckily for me my favorite sound on the 00Funk is all the knobs pointing at 10o’clock so it’s easy to remember and keep it there. Chunk Systems was an awesome company that I wish stuck around, they made some banger pedals
Easy. DOD FX25.
Bought it back in the day.
It was great and I wish I still had it.
You can get one for under $100 if you look.
Lots of demos on You Tube. Here's one.
Bought it back in the day.
It was great and I wish I still had it.
You can get one for under $100 if you look.
Lots of demos on You Tube. Here's one.
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The new repackaged EH Nano Q tron (111.70) has a good low pass sound and a usable band pass sound for bass because you can tune it, set the filters starting "Q" low enough (about 9 oclock) to be punchy with bass and just enough drive (about noon) to peek it out.
There are about 8 different envelope filters in the Zoom MS-70CDR+ They're all nice sounding and responsive. I think maybe two or three have a dry level control, and only one (called "LOW-PASS FILTER" has an actual wet/dry balance (it also has 2-pole and 4-pole options with 0-10 levels of resonance, and fast & slow sensitivity controls.
I know people are quick to dismiss Zoom FX. But recent products have very good audio quality and for the price you are getting several really good envelope filters (plus all the other modulation types & decent reverbs, too).
I know people are quick to dismiss Zoom FX. But recent products have very good audio quality and for the price you are getting several really good envelope filters (plus all the other modulation types & decent reverbs, too).
I started a thread a ways back that might have some good info as well ... https://www.talkbass.com/threads/envelope-filters-mutron-vintage-tone-quest.1535946/
This is one of the reasons why it works so good, by being able to dial in a bit of grit.
I have used both of the envelope filters you listed with bass. I didn’t really jibe with the Proton (I had V1) but lots of folks here like it.
The Microtron IV is pretty darned good with bass.
Maybe try an MXR Bass Envelope Filter.
