The glorious mess that is my effect pedals setup :
View attachment 4118122
Making my entire signal chain looking like this in written form (ampless setup) :
(*pedals listed in
[ red/bold/underline text ] are "always on" effects*
)
6 string Ibanez SR306EB bass
(strung with gauge .105 - .080 - .060 - .045 - .032 - .024
D'Addario XL nickle roundwound steel strings, tuned in D1 standard tuning, 3 half steps above B standard 6 string bass tuning) ->>
TC Electronic SpectraComp (always on compressor) ->> TC Electronic Sub'N'Up Mini (always on digital polyphonic octaver, used as an 1 octave up effect mixed with clean bass signal, giving an effect similar to that of an 8 string "octave" bass, with pairs of respectively bass and octave strings) ->> Behringer SF300 Super Fuzz (Boss FZ-2/Univox Super Fuzz clone, octave fuzz, set to [Mode 1]) ->> Boss LS-2 [A+B Mix <-> Bypass] (parallel effect loops mixer/switch) ={ [Loop A Send] (empty effects loop used as clean {bass+octave up} signal blend for the RAT distortion in parallel effects loop [Loop B]) ->> [Loop A Return] ->||<- [Loop B Send] ->> Mosky Black Rat (RAT clone, in [Vintage] classic original RAT mode, quite raunchy high gain distortion, mixed with the clean {bass+octave up} signal from parallel effects [Loop A]) ->> [Loop B Return] ([Loop A] + [Loop B] mixed at an about 40/60 ratio)
}=>> Boss LS-2 [A+B Mix <-> Bypass] (always on, parallel effect loops mixer/switch) ={ [Loop A Send] ->> Joyo Orange Juice (low gain overdrive, with some highs cut via the tone knob, always stacked into the flanger in front of it) ->> Boss MT-2 Metal Zone (currently basically just functioning as an additional buffer) ->> Monarch MFL-22 (flanger, always used with the Orange Juice behind it stacked into it, and most often used mixed with phaser in parallel effects [Loop B]) ->> [Loop A Return] ->||<- [Loop B Send] ->> Behringer VP1 Vintage Phaser (EHX Small Stone clone, used in the high feedback and deep sweep mode, almost always used mixed with flanger in parallel effects [Loop A]) ->> Joyo Orange Juice (always on, relatively low gain, overdrive, [Tone] set at about 11 o'clock, [Voice] set to boost a wide curve around a 800Hz center frequency about +3dB pre gain stage, always mixed with the clean {bass+octave up} signal from parallel effects [Loop A]) ->> [Loop B Return] ([Loop A] + [Loop B] mixed at an about 50/50 ratio)
}=>> Boss TR-2 (tremolo, almost always used combined with the chorus effect in front of it) ->> TC Electronic Shaker (Vibrato blended with clean signal, via the Toneprint editor, functioning as a deep lush chorus effect, almost always used combined with the Boss TR-2 tremolo) ->> NUX Tape Core Deluxe (Roland Space Echo tape delay emulation) ->> Zoom G1Xon (exclusively used for reverb effects, which are as follows:: a very subtle, always on, main plate reverb :-: a more prominent plate + hall reverb :-: a thick lush plate + hall + tape delay reverb :-: and finally an extremely thick and lush reverb pad used with volume swells consisting of plate + hall + tape delay reverb)
->> Band rehearsal/jamming/gigging // ->> Home practice / Home recordings :
->> Zoom G1 Four (exclusively used as an always on EQ, utilizing five 1 band fully parametric equalizers to fine tune the tone by boosting the 63Hz, 200Hz, 250Hz, 400Hz, and 1khz frequency bands +1 to +2 dB) ->> Zoom MS-70CDR (used exclusively as an always on faux cab sim, made by staking six 2 band parametric equalizers in an always on patch, boosting and cutting different frequencies) ->> EHX Black Finger (always on tube driven optical compressor, though it's primary function is acting as a tube preamp stage) ->> Behringer Tube Ultragain MIC100 (tube preamp) ->> Band rehearsal/jamming/gigging ->> [Effects Return] (poweramp input) of Peavey Solo Special 112 (160W, solid state guitar combo, with the build in 4 Ohm 12" speaker unit disconnected and instead hooked up to the SWR Triad I bass cab) ->> SWR Triad I (400W bass cab, equipped with 1x15" + 1x10" speaker units + high frequency tweeter horn, the 15" speaker unit receiving the full signal, the 10" unit only receiving the part of the signal that is between 100Hz and 5kHz, and the high frequency tweeter horn receiving everything above 5kHz of the signal, with the build in tweeter attenuator set at noon, which according to the manual is the "normal setting", practically meaning an about -4dB cut of the signal send to the tweeter) // ->> Home practice / Home recordings ->> M-Audio Fast Track (sound interface used as headphones preamp, with the direct monitor button engaged)
Well, that didn't last long...
I decided to try if I could get by with just using the Zoom G1 Four for EQ'ing, including as faux cab sim, since I kind of just have used the same setup and settings as I did with my Ibanez Mikro bass, before I got the SR306EB, which also would free up the Zoom MS-70CDR for use as chorus, as I really love the Boss CE-1 emulation in it, instead of the TC Electronic Shaker Mini.
And boy did I succeed, as it turned out I don't need all that much EQ'ing for this bass to fit my preferences regarding tone.
Used 2 of the 1 band parametric equalizers out of the 5 in the EQ patch I set up on the Zoom G1 Four to cut some high end, to sort of roughly emulate a cab, which is:
20kHz Q=1 Cut=-12dB and
10kHz Q=0.5 Cut=-12bB, and then the last 3 bands set to:
400Hz Q=3.0 Boost=+1dB ;
200Hz Q=2.7 Boost=+0.5dB ;
160Hz Q=2.8 Boost=+1dB, and other than the Orange Juice, set to a low gain drive and mixed about 50/50 with clean signal via one of my Boss LS-2 pedals, used to sort of enhance harmonic content, that has a pre gain EQ control with a center frequency of 800Hz with a quite broad bandwidth boosted about +3dB, the only addtional EQ'ing done is boosting the bass control on the active EQ of the bass's onboard preamp, I think +1 to 2 dB or so.
And the result is a much clearer, defined and articulated tone.
Absolutely gorgeously clear, but still with a nice aggressive snapy and punchy edge to it.
Which makes my signal chain look like this now :
6 string Ibanez SR306EB bass
(strung with gauge .105 - .080 - .060 - .045 - .032 - .024
D'Addario XL nickle roundwound steel strings, tuned in D1 standard tuning, 3 half steps above B standard 6 string bass tuning) ->>
TC Electronic SpectraComp (always on compressor) ->> TC Electronic Sub'N'Up Mini (always on digital polyphonic octaver, used as an 1 octave up effect mixed with clean bass signal, giving an effect similar to that of an 8 string "octave" bass, with pairs of respectively bass and octave strings) ->> Behringer SF300 Super Fuzz (Boss FZ-2/Univox Super Fuzz clone, octave fuzz, set to [Mode 1]) ->> Boss LS-2 [A+B Mix <-> Bypass] (parallel effect loops mixer/switch) ={ [Loop A Send] (empty effects loop used as clean {bass+octave up} signal blend for the RAT distortion in parallel effects loop [Loop B]) ->> [Loop A Return] ->||<- [Loop B Send] ->> Mosky Black Rat (RAT clone, in [Vintage] classic original RAT mode, quite raunchy high gain distortion, mixed with the clean {bass+octave up} signal from parallel effects [Loop A]) ->> [Loop B Return] ([Loop A] + [Loop B] mixed at an about 40/60 ratio)
}=>> Boss LS-2 [A+B Mix <-> Bypass] (always on, parallel effect loops mixer/switch) ={ [Loop A Send] ->> Joyo Orange Juice (low gain overdrive, with some highs cut via the tone knob, always stacked into the flanger in front of it) ->> Boss MT-2 Metal Zone (currently basically just functioning as an additional buffer) ->> Monarch MFL-22 (flanger, always used with the Orange Juice behind it stacked into it, and most often used mixed with phaser in parallel effects [Loop B]) ->> [Loop A Return] ->||<- [Loop B Send] ->> Behringer VP1 Vintage Phaser (EHX Small Stone clone, used in the high feedback and deep sweep mode, almost always used mixed with flanger in parallel effects [Loop A]) ->> Joyo Orange Juice (always on, relatively low gain, overdrive, [Tone] set at about 11 o'clock, [Voice] set to boost a wide curve around a 800Hz center frequency about +3dB pre gain stage, always mixed with the clean {bass+octave up} signal from parallel effects [Loop A]) ->> [Loop B Return] ([Loop A] + [Loop B] mixed at an about 50/50 ratio)
}=>> Boss TR-2 (tremolo, almost always used combined with the chorus effect in front of it) ->> Zoom MS-70CDR (Used exclusively for it's Boss CE-1 chorus model, almost always used combined with the Boss TR-2 tremolo) ->> NUX Tape Core Deluxe (Roland Space Echo tape delay emulation) ->> Zoom G1Xon (exclusively used for reverb effects, which are as follows:: a very subtle, always on, main plate reverb :-: a more prominent plate + hall reverb :-: a thick lush plate + hall + tape delay reverb :-: and finally an extremely thick and lush reverb pad used with volume swells consisting of plate + hall + tape delay reverb)
->> Band rehearsal/jamming/gigging // ->> Home practice / Home recordings :
->> Zoom G1 Four (exclusively used as an always on EQ, utilizing five 1 band fully parametric equalizers for a faux cab sim and to fine tune the tone, set as follows: 20kHz Q=1 Cut=-12dB ; 10kHz Q=0.5 Cut=-12dB ; 400Hz Q=3.0 Boost=+1dB ; 200Hz Q=2.7 Boost=+0.5dB ; 160Hz Q=2.8 Boost=+1dB) ->> EHX Black Finger (always on tube driven optical compressor, though it's primary function is acting as a tube preamp stage) ->> Behringer Tube Ultragain MIC100 (tube preamp) ->> Band rehearsal/jamming/gigging ->> [Effects Return] (poweramp input) of Peavey Solo Special 112 (160W, solid state guitar combo, with the build in 4 Ohm 12" speaker unit disconnected and instead hooked up to the SWR Triad I bass cab) ->> SWR Triad I (400W bass cab, equipped with 1x15" + 1x10" speaker units + high frequency tweeter horn, the 15" speaker unit receiving the full signal, the 10" unit only receiving the part of the signal that is between 100Hz and 5kHz, and the high frequency tweeter horn receiving everything above 5kHz of the signal, with the build in tweeter attenuator set at noon, which according to the manual is the "normal setting", practically meaning an about -4dB cut of the signal send to the tweeter) // ->> Home practice / Home recordings ->> M-Audio Fast Track (sound interface used as headphones preamp, with the direct monitor button engaged)
