Quick preamble: I thought I'd put this in a separate thread from my original "Looking for a small(ish) multi-mod" thread, as I may be going full heretic and turning my back on multi-mods and returning to separate pedals for the effects I use most, and forgetting the rest. The following pedals have to rival and best my Wampler Terraform to win a spot on the board.
Looking to achieve the following goals:
1. Find what I feel are the best examples of that effect I can, which transcend what a combo pedal can provide. Sound quality and character are top of the list.
2. Keep bass alive—effect shouldn't swallow bass, or should have a mix knob or filter.
3. Should be able to sound barely there if desired. I often record this way. Phase 95 won't be able to do this, of course, but I have to try it. I may add other phasers to this list.
I read about 40 threads and took many of the favorites plus the Source Audio Lunar suggestion many people gave me on the above thread. The pedals, a mix of digital and analog, are all arriving various days this week, the first two choruses got here today:
Choruses:
MXR Bass Chorus Deluxe
Walrus Audio Julia
MXR Analog Chorus
Keeley Seafoam Plus
Jam Waterfall Bass
Source Audio Lunar (I'll compare the sounds from the Gemini)
Neunaber Inspire (I already own this, so I'll compare it to the rest)
Phasers:
Source Audio Lunar
MXR Phase 95
Earthquaker Devices Grand Orbiter v3
There were a few that were obvious choices (Providence Anadime, Bass Clone, etc) but I already spent too much money, which I already can't wait to credit back to my credit card when I'm done testing. Also, the Anadime, though it looks like a very solid chorus, didn't appeal to my ears in demos. There are other interesting boutique choruses and good ol' Boss ones, but I had to start somewhere.
Admission of guilt: I have a bias against EHX that I can't explain. I know that of the 6-8 or so EHX pedals I have tried in the past, none have ever won me over. I keep trying them, but they leave me cold. So I'm not trying the Bass Clone this time around.
When they're all here, I'll try to do audio files. No promises.
Since they are arriving in dribs and drabs, I'll say something about the two that came today:
MXR Bass Chorus Deluxe: A very popular pedal on TB. It's a very mild chorus pedal. I would say it's like a chorus designed for bass players who are told they need to have a chorus but who don't actually like the chorus effect. There were two features that really made this look like a winner: an Intensity knob (read: mix) and the x-over button. I found the x-over to remove at least the bottom half of the chorus signal from the dry. A little too much in my opinion. The amount of effect removed was really brutal, so you were left with just a chorusy sheen on top. It didn't work for me. Intensity worked better. But it was so subtle, and I see how that would work for a lot of people. Not for me, though; I want that full-on "One World" tone off Brothers In Arms. I was turned off this pedal enough that I barely twisted the Bass and Treble knobs before deciding this one wasn't for me.
There was also a fatal flaw: There is a LOT of distortion with the effect on. I'll make a recording of it. I already had a very similar problem with a MXR Vintage Bass Octave, and got zero support from MXR when I enquired about it (until over a month later, after I'd returned it, having read several accounts from others about the same thing). As soon as I heard it, it all came flooding back: I think this is a larger MXR problem, because it keeps happening. That would be unfair if this hadn't happened before to me, or if I hadn't seen reports of distortion from others. Confidence shaken. There is a cheapness about some MXR pedals I've played, but others are fine. I played a Bass Octave Deluxe for years with none of these problems. MXR are affordable, and usually sound great, but are a mixed bag. MXR have managed to piss me off more often than not and even today I found I would not be spared. Let's hope the Analog Chorus makes right.
Then I pulled out the Walrus Audio Julia. For only thirty dollars more, you get a work of art. Not only does this thing look gorgeous, but all the pots, the switches, they feel expensive. The only thing more expensive than the feel is the sound. I see why so many people have recommended this pedal. Julia manages to pull off a trick that is very difficult to do: it has tons of character while also sounding rather "HiFi". Everything on this pedal seems really well-judged. The D-C-V knob blends between Dry and Vibrato, with Chorus at noon. The Lag knob really takes you from "static resonant frequency", mellow chorus to full Technicolor seasick. You can clean it up two ways; crank the Lag and drop the Depth, or crank the Depth and keep Lag low. The Rate isn't fast enough for full Scofield-style Leslie effects, but you can still get a lot of fun, wavy goodness. I find the Rate range to be just right for a bass. There's a toggle switch for sine or triangle wave, which is subtle, but you get that extra lumpiness from the triangle, and I'm glad it's there. I really connected with Julia. It gave me everything I asked it for, and even at full chorus blend mode, you never lose any bass; it just sort of "widens" but never thins out. There are more to come, but Julia is the one to beat.
Seafoam Plus and Analog Chorus come tomorrow.
Looking to achieve the following goals:
1. Find what I feel are the best examples of that effect I can, which transcend what a combo pedal can provide. Sound quality and character are top of the list.
2. Keep bass alive—effect shouldn't swallow bass, or should have a mix knob or filter.
3. Should be able to sound barely there if desired. I often record this way. Phase 95 won't be able to do this, of course, but I have to try it. I may add other phasers to this list.
I read about 40 threads and took many of the favorites plus the Source Audio Lunar suggestion many people gave me on the above thread. The pedals, a mix of digital and analog, are all arriving various days this week, the first two choruses got here today:
Choruses:
MXR Bass Chorus Deluxe
Walrus Audio Julia
MXR Analog Chorus
Keeley Seafoam Plus
Jam Waterfall Bass
Source Audio Lunar (I'll compare the sounds from the Gemini)
Neunaber Inspire (I already own this, so I'll compare it to the rest)
Phasers:
Source Audio Lunar
MXR Phase 95
Earthquaker Devices Grand Orbiter v3
There were a few that were obvious choices (Providence Anadime, Bass Clone, etc) but I already spent too much money, which I already can't wait to credit back to my credit card when I'm done testing. Also, the Anadime, though it looks like a very solid chorus, didn't appeal to my ears in demos. There are other interesting boutique choruses and good ol' Boss ones, but I had to start somewhere.
Admission of guilt: I have a bias against EHX that I can't explain. I know that of the 6-8 or so EHX pedals I have tried in the past, none have ever won me over. I keep trying them, but they leave me cold. So I'm not trying the Bass Clone this time around.
When they're all here, I'll try to do audio files. No promises.
Since they are arriving in dribs and drabs, I'll say something about the two that came today:
MXR Bass Chorus Deluxe: A very popular pedal on TB. It's a very mild chorus pedal. I would say it's like a chorus designed for bass players who are told they need to have a chorus but who don't actually like the chorus effect. There were two features that really made this look like a winner: an Intensity knob (read: mix) and the x-over button. I found the x-over to remove at least the bottom half of the chorus signal from the dry. A little too much in my opinion. The amount of effect removed was really brutal, so you were left with just a chorusy sheen on top. It didn't work for me. Intensity worked better. But it was so subtle, and I see how that would work for a lot of people. Not for me, though; I want that full-on "One World" tone off Brothers In Arms. I was turned off this pedal enough that I barely twisted the Bass and Treble knobs before deciding this one wasn't for me.
There was also a fatal flaw: There is a LOT of distortion with the effect on. I'll make a recording of it. I already had a very similar problem with a MXR Vintage Bass Octave, and got zero support from MXR when I enquired about it (until over a month later, after I'd returned it, having read several accounts from others about the same thing). As soon as I heard it, it all came flooding back: I think this is a larger MXR problem, because it keeps happening. That would be unfair if this hadn't happened before to me, or if I hadn't seen reports of distortion from others. Confidence shaken. There is a cheapness about some MXR pedals I've played, but others are fine. I played a Bass Octave Deluxe for years with none of these problems. MXR are affordable, and usually sound great, but are a mixed bag. MXR have managed to piss me off more often than not and even today I found I would not be spared. Let's hope the Analog Chorus makes right.
Then I pulled out the Walrus Audio Julia. For only thirty dollars more, you get a work of art. Not only does this thing look gorgeous, but all the pots, the switches, they feel expensive. The only thing more expensive than the feel is the sound. I see why so many people have recommended this pedal. Julia manages to pull off a trick that is very difficult to do: it has tons of character while also sounding rather "HiFi". Everything on this pedal seems really well-judged. The D-C-V knob blends between Dry and Vibrato, with Chorus at noon. The Lag knob really takes you from "static resonant frequency", mellow chorus to full Technicolor seasick. You can clean it up two ways; crank the Lag and drop the Depth, or crank the Depth and keep Lag low. The Rate isn't fast enough for full Scofield-style Leslie effects, but you can still get a lot of fun, wavy goodness. I find the Rate range to be just right for a bass. There's a toggle switch for sine or triangle wave, which is subtle, but you get that extra lumpiness from the triangle, and I'm glad it's there. I really connected with Julia. It gave me everything I asked it for, and even at full chorus blend mode, you never lose any bass; it just sort of "widens" but never thins out. There are more to come, but Julia is the one to beat.
Seafoam Plus and Analog Chorus come tomorrow.
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