Reverb for bass

I picked up an Empress Reverb this week to A/B against the Big Sky and the Empress is very impressive and does well with not getting muddy. That said, I actually really like the OBNE Procession, but it’s not really a standard reverb and I feel it’ll either be perfect for a job or not very helpful at all. I haven’t tried the IE Nimbus but I’ve only heard good things.

 

If I ever decide to get more serious and get a delay/reverb pedal the Source Audio Collider is top of the list for the sounds available plus the ability to be creative. I still like the Zoom MS60b & B3 for the selection of bass optimized reverbs from ambient to some fairly wild choices that all sound great, same with the delays. On guitar, tweety bass and synth I use the MS70CDR. In recoding and mixing I have access to a wide selection classics to the fine plugins in DAWs but IMHO the Zooms just make getting a great sound on bass fast and satisfying.

 

I think it depends on context and how you like to use it. Are you using it as an effect or as part of your tone? I like big dripping reverbs that "hang" in the air and have a real sense of space. Neunaber Wet, Strymon flint and Earthquaker afterneath all get used heavily for me. Flint is whats on my board. Im using it in very unsubtle ways.

 

I’ve been a big fan of the Empress for a while. The extra engines and looper function make it a decent value for the price. The Ghost Reverb setting is my favorite, along with shimmer (which I preferred over the Strymon Big Sky sound).

There have been a few threads on this topic. Definitely worth search through them, as some are fairly recent. Also, check the Ambient thread here in effects for suggestions. Plenty of us there getting weird and out there.

The Champion Leccy Skitter is interesting. It combines tremolo and reverb with some fun twists. If interested, definitely get a later v2 model. I had a v1 and the circuit couldn’t handle my basses without clipping. The v2 was beefed up.

I’m currently relying on a euro rack reverb and a desktop reverb unit (not really a pedal).

Here’s some bass nonsense with a reverb I built using a Zoia with a granular effect. Just to give you an idea of what I think of for bass reverb applications.

 

TC Elec HOF mini sounded great when I tried it. You can upload tone prints (what they call I guess) too.

IMHO/IME, some effects don't work well with bass when the instrument is played as an accompanying instrument in more or less traditional manner. And reverb is one of them. It adds a tail to your notes and when bass notes overlap, things get muddy. I also don't prefer any effect that modulates the pitch like vibrato, chorus, and flanger. Because of that I don't have any of these on my board.

However, these effects (and any effect really) can work beautifully when the bass is either played as a solo instrument (meaning there are no other instruments playing) or when the bass is taking a solo, playing and intro/outro etc. (meaning it does not have to provide the low end in traditional manner).

That being said, many professionals use these effects with bass so my opinion is just my opinion

 

I've always dreamed of trying reverb on bass; for you guys that do, do you let it just ring as a guitar or vocal would use, or does a gated reverb shutting after the note work better?

 

When I think flanger on bass... By-tor and the Snow Dog.
Chorus... Tempus Fugit or the songs on Tormato.
Vibrato... drawing a blank.
Agreed, modulated bass in a band setting can act like a tidal wave in a bath tub if your mix is otherwise clean.

Reverb however.. My old SWR combo has a built-in spring reverb that can spice up practice, but which grows fatiguing after a while.

Maybe think of spring reverb on bass that way; as adding tension, then relief when turned down.

Many types of reverb. I plan to try some plate from a Mercury 7 this weekend for kicks.

 

I like my EQD Astral Destiny because it sounds different than plate, spring, hall, etc.

It has way more features than I honestly need....an Afterneath (which I'm sure it's based on) would suffice.

 

Iron Ether Nimbus SE. IMO still the best for bass or baritone..

 

I like the HOF from TC Electronics. Very simple and straight forward. Really all you need.
For weirder stuff I Like OBNE Dark Star and Champion Leccy Skitter. I would never use them at a show.

 

When was the last time these were regularly in stock? 5-10 years ago?

 

I've never used reverb live, but I have had some light reverb applied when doing tracks depending on the producers/artists expectations. Of course this was not done with a pedal, but in the DAW so I can't offer any reverb pedal suggestions.

I'm guessing it could be kind of tricky live, but I feel like it can work in small doses in recording.

Of course, it really depends on what music your playing.

 

Have played many reverbs and in general really dig them when creating interesting stacks. At the end of a fuzz, filter, flanger stack is great.

Some of my favorite are:
EQD Transmisser
EQD Afterneath -- I often think of this as a roided up delay more than a reverb.
Neunaber Wet V5
Red Panda Context V1 (never played the V2)
Mr Black Supermoon Chrome -- this is really amazing and spacey.

 

This just dropped recently.
Strymon Cloudburst

 

Wish I could help, but the building I frequently play in, reverb would certainly get my channel muted.

 

I use a HOF mini. It’s on all the time. But very lightly. You will not notice it’s on. But it thickens my tone, and is not muddy.

 

The other day I plugged a bass into a JCM800 with a catalinbread topanga in front. Sounded pretty rad. Love that pedal on guitar …

 

Did you try different toneprints with the HOF? I remember there was one designed by Jenny Lee Lindberg that was pretty wild but made specifically for bass.