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SFX Thumpinator(or micro)

#21
If you've got a board, the Micro Thumpinator is a no-brainer, especially for live work when you don't always know exactly what the rig or setup might be.


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#23
It is a high-quality high-pass filter. It stops the infrasonic growl from causing extra bassiness that could cause mud. It helps to save your amp from amplifying frequencies that your speakers cannot even produce.

And it makes a darn nifty buffer at the start of your board.
 
#28
BassMonstrum said:
I would love to see the top of your board too :bassist:
Click to expand...

Can do! I also posted this in one of the PYPB threads a while back:

i-ZqKC2Kg-L.jpg


The order is: Tuner -> Phaser -> Deep Fryer -> Envelope Filter -> Micro Thumpinator -> Compressor -> Turbo Tube Screamer -> VT Bass -> Chorus.

At the risk of getting too far OT...

I use the Barber Deep Fryer for "Live at Leeds" Entwistle-style `60's overdrive and to fuzz up the envelope filter. The VT Bass is for SVT and B-15 sounds, and I use the Tube Screamer for a little bit of fattening and grit. The Deep Fryer can also do a great tube amp simulation or mild tube grind, but since I usually play through a really clean Fender tube head, I really didn't need a straight-up "tube emulator," just something to dirty it up a bit.

I played around with the pedal order for quite a few months before settling on the current layout. Although I like the chorus at the end of the chain, I think the phaser sounds more organic when placed before all of the other effects...less "effect-y." The envelope filter sounds terrible before dirt, but it also didn't respond well after the compressor and the buffers in the Micro Thumpinator and the VT Bass, so I moved it closer to the front, with only true bypass pedals ahead of it.

I originally had the compressor near the end of the chain, but found that the dirt pedals caused a jump in volume when engaged before the compressor, so I moved it as far forward as I could. The compressor is about the only "always-on" pedal, followed by the TS9DX. I usually have the VT Bass set for a very distinct overdriven SVT tone, so it's not something that I leave on constantly. So far, this setup seems to be a good compromise between flexibility and simplicity.

The Micro Thumpinator (see, back on topic!) is as close as I could get it to the front of my chain, without placing it in front of the envelope filter. I also got lucky in that it just happened to be in the right place when the cables were being routed past it... :D

Before adding the VT Bass, all of my pedals were true-bypass (yes, including the TS9DX), so I originally bought the Micro Thumpinator because I wanted a really high quality buffer for my board. The MT definitely has a great buffer, but its filter also works as advertised.

I'm continually knocked out by the quality of Max's work; his designs are clean and functional, yet instantly identifiable. I'd really like to get more [sfx] pedals on the top of my board. Maybe I could squeeze in a B3? Or ditch the Ibanez in favor of a B3 and a Micro Red Dragon? Or...
 
#30
Lebowsky said:
shouldn't the (micro) thumpinator go last before your amp?
Click to expand...
For some people's boards, but not all. E.g. for most people all subharmonics will be generated by the bass itself, and they might want to cut those out before the signal hits a compressor or envelope filter. For some people there's no need for an additional buffer between their board and the cable going to the amp. Case by case.
 
#32
Placing a High-Pass Filter first in the chain can help to clean up some effects. I noticed that overdrive pedals work much better with my Gretsch when they've been placed AFTER an HPF. My Gretsch generates a lot of low end grumble and an HPF cleans it up and makes it more musical.

And if your anal about your bass sounding like a bass, whether through an amp or PA, and don't really want all of the a high-end frequency stuff, consider throwing a Low-Pass Filter on the end of your FX chain. I did and I am much happier with my tone. Max built the Micro Screaminator for me. It is a permanent fixture on my board now.
 
#34
The Fdeck HPF-Pre has a thread of info over in the Double Bass section under preamps. The Fishman Pro-EQ Platnium for Bass has an HPF section. I am sure there are others. A general Google search will problem uncover a gaggle of them.
 
#35
caeman said:
The Fdeck HPF-Pre has a thread of info over in the Double Bass section under preamps. The Fishman Pro-EQ Platnium for Bass has an HPF section. I am sure there are others. A general Google search will problem uncover a gaggle of them.
Click to expand...

A general Google search uncovered a bunch of unrelated stuff. Searching for high pass filter turned up mostly car audio results.

Any experience with the FM600 from Behringer? Will this accomplish removing low end rumble or is mainly an envelope filter?

I actually just bought the BDI21 based on your reviews here, and I'm loving it.
 
#36
There are some effects that naturally remove some low end, like an HPF. I just read a review of the Guyatone ST2 and Bongo makes it a point to mention how the reduction in low end tightens up the low end, but doesn't remove it outright.
 
#37
One of the problems I've been having with my tone is definitely rumble.

After switching to P-bass with flats at the beginning of the year, I've been really focusing on getting the best possible tone I can. The BDI21 really helped with the initial tone I'm after, but it feels like it could use a little tweaking in the low end, to tame the mud a bit. Not sure if a HPF or a compressor is my best bet.
 

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