Source Audio Sorcerers Society (S.A.S.S) Part 3

[odarellmc]

Thanks for the input guys, I see this is going to be a bit harder than i thought to get this pedal to working with my bass..ive done all of the input calibration and sensitivity adjustment. its a new pedal you would think with it being new they would adjust the pedal so its immediately playable but i guess not..

 

[sunbeast]

Thanks for the input guys, I see this is going to be a bit harder than i thought to get this pedal to working with my bass..ive done all of the input calibration and sensitivity adjustment. its a new pedal you would think with it being new they would adjust the pedal so its immediately playable but i guess not..

That's the point we are trying to make- its a pedal designed to pair with a wide variety of different instruments, including guitar and bass (and I use mine on Rhodes piano too). Even if it was just a bass pedal there are countless different types of basses with different output levels and countless different players with different playing styles that have to be accounted for.
Can you give a specific example of a patch, what you expect it to do, and what it is doing instead so that we can help you troubleshoot?

 

[odarellmc]

That's the point we are trying to make- its a pedal designed to pair with a wide variety of different instruments, including guitar and bass (and I use mine on Rhodes piano too). Even if it was just a bass pedal there are countless different types of basses with different output levels and countless different players with different playing styles that have to be accounted for.
Can you give a specific example of a patch, what you expect it to do, and what it is doing instead so that we can help you troubleshoot?

right now its the factory patches, and im just trying to get it to make a constant playable sound...

 

[sunbeast]

right now its the factory patches, and im just trying to get it to make a constant playable sound...

If you are using a patch that involves any sort of pitch-shifting (like an octave down as many synth patches use), then you may have to play in a certain range of the bass in order to get consistent tracking (this is pretty much par for the course when it comes to analog octave/emulation as used in the C4). For octave down patches I find playing up around the 8th-9th fret and above to be the best for tracking as the pedal needs a strong fundamental frequency to latch onto.
If you are using straight filter patches then the Input and Sensitivity are the key settings to adjust (plus Blend and Output Volume of course!), followed by the filter Frequency/Depth to hone in the range you want.
For more complex patches there are a wide variety of potential variables, though I find the layout of the Neuro app makes it fairly easy for me to follow what was done to get a particular sound for most of the patches.
If you aren't accustomed to modular-style synth pedals, it may take a bit to get used to the quirks and limitations inherent in them that require you to sometimes revoice how you play things or adjust technique or bass settings (lowering the tone knob, favoring the neck pickup, etc dependent on the patch) to get consistent tracking. I've tried quite a few synth pedals and the C4 tracks as well or better than any of them I've tried that aren't simply digital instruments like alot of the newer EHX 9-series stuff (which is limited in its own ways because you aren't building the sounds modularly, just triggering premade tones with limited tweakability)

 

[odarellmc]

If you are using a patch that involves any sort of pitch-shifting (like an octave down as many synth patches use), then you may have to play in a certain range of the bass in order to get consistent tracking (this is pretty much par for the course when it comes to analog octave/emulation as used in the C4). For octave down patches I find playing up around the 8th-9th fret and above to be the best for tracking as the pedal needs a strong fundamental frequency to latch onto.
If you are using straight filter patches then the Input and Sensitivity are the key settings to adjust (plus Blend and Output Volume of course!), followed by the filter Frequency/Depth to hone in the range you want.
For more complex patches there are a wide variety of potential variables, though I find the layout of the Neuro app makes it fairly easy for me to follow what was done to get a particular sound for most of the patches.
If you aren't accustomed to modular-style synth pedals, it may take a bit to get used to the quirks and limitations inherent in them that require you to sometimes revoice how you play things or adjust technique or bass settings (lowering the tone knob, favoring the neck pickup, etc dependent on the patch) to get consistent tracking. I've tried quite a few synth pedals and the C4 tracks as well or better than any of them I've tried that aren't simply digital instruments like alot of the newer EHX 9-series stuff (which is limited in its own ways because you aren't building the sounds modularly, just triggering premade tones with limited tweakability)

yeah...im not looking to relearn my playing technique just to get this thing to make a sound, i personally dont know anyone who would, and if its that quirky, ill just return this thing and see if get the mono synth to work. Thanks for the insight.

 

[odarellmc]

Also curious if used or new pedal. If used I'd start with a factory reset. The default presets weren't hard for me to start playing with at all with a little reading of the manual and I think maybe there was a card that described the function of the alt switch.

If you haven't you should probably read the manual, it's 48 pages long but really not much trouble to skim through the important parts.

The input and mix knob both have dual functions, when you press the "alt" button on the back of the pedal the light will flash, and the input knob will be the "sensitivity" knob and the mix knob will be the volume output.
Ideally you want to calibrate your input for the processor, you adjust this based on how hot your pickups are.

And then it's sensitivity you want to adjust to determine triggers based on your playing dynamics.


From the manual ([Invalid or Expired Link Removed])

o INPUT CALIBRATION FUNCTION: We have provided a unique Input Calibration Function to assure that you are getting the best possible interaction between your instrument and the C4. The Calibration process is as follows: 1. Turn the INPUT knob all the way down. 2. Continuously pluck your instrument at your average plucking velocity. 3. Slowly turn up the INPUT knob up until the center LED starts flashing red. This flashing indicates that you have reached the optimum INPUT level. Leave the knob where it is – the process is complete.

• SENSITIVITY (Secondary Parameter). Adjusts how reactive the envelope filter is to the incoming signal. If you like to play hard, but still want a smoother more relaxed envelope filter, you should turn down the SENSITIVITY. For a sharper response to lighter playing, turn up the SENSITIVITY.


And personally I think just about all of the effects become bass worthy effects once you start playing with the mix knob and letting the dry signal handle the low end, well other than some of the iconic OC-2 sounds.

Once you have that all sorted, use the alt button + mix knob to set the volume to be equal to your clean signal with the pedal of, or maybe slightly boosted up to you.

Then if you're like me you'll lose an hour of your day every time you sit down to mess with it

tried this input just stayed green, i think this unit is broken..

 

[sunbeast]

yeah...im not looking to relearn my playing technique just to get this thing to make a sound, i personally dont know anyone who would, and if its that quirky, ill just return this thing and see if get the mono synth to work. Thanks for the insight.

It shouldn't require adjustment of technique just to make a sound, but may require some adjustment of technique to get optimized tracking for certain patches. What you are experiencing sounds like either a setting that isn't right or a damaged pedal, but its hard to troubleshoot over the internet exactly what might be wrong. There have been a few people on here that didn't realize the Sensitivity setting was so vital in conjunction to the Input setting, so this is always my first guess when people are having issues with it.

 

[sunbeast]

tried this input just stayed green, i think this unit is broken..

Just to clarify, you are saying that with the Input control turned to max you are unable to get the large LED to turn red when you hit a note?

 

[odarellmc]

Just to clarify, you are saying that with the Input control turned to max you are unable to get the large LED to turn red when you hit a note?

correct

 

[odarellmc]

It shouldn't require adjustment of technique just to make a sound, but may require some adjustment of technique to get optimized tracking for certain patches. What you are experiencing sounds like either a setting that isn't right or a damaged pedal, but its hard to troubleshoot over the internet exactly what might be wrong. There have been a few people on here that didn't realize the Sensitivity setting was so vital in conjunction to the Input setting, so this is always my first guess when people are having issues with it.

and when it does make a sound its overloads input on my interface...somethings not right..

 

[sunbeast]

and when it does make a sound its overloads input on my interface...somethings not right..

This is easy to adjust with the Volume setting, which is another setting that will really have to be adjusted for each patch (the user patches are all over the place in output volume)

 

[sunbeast]

correct

Is your bass active or passive? I assume you are playing with the volume up on the bass to start? Sorry to ask dumb questions but you never know...also, are you plugged into the top Input and Output jacks? Have you tried a factory reset of the pedal/done a firmware upgrade yet?

 

[odarellmc]

Is your bass active or passive? I assume you are playing with the volume up on the bass to start? Sorry to ask dumb questions but you never know...also, are you plugged into the top Input and Output jacks? Have you tried a factory reset of the pedal/done a firmware upgrade yet?

passive jazz, volume and tone up, did fac reset using input 1 and output 1 and did firmware update,

 

[sunbeast]

passive jazz, volume and tone up, did fac reset using input 1 and output 1 and did firmware update,

When you are demoing, are you using the Neuro app on your computer to adjust the settings in realtime or using the knobs on the pedal (or both)?

 

[odarellmc]

When you are demoing, are you using the Neuro app on your computer to adjust the settings in realtime or using the knobs on the pedal (or both)?

I've used both same result no sounds and when it does happen to make some noise it overdrive my input...

 

[Quatschmacher]

I've used both same result no sounds and when it does happen to make some noise it overdrive my input...

You will often have to turn the input right down on your interface or lower the pedal output volume drastically - some user presets are very high output.

Can you make a recording of the issues you’re having? Video would be preferable as we can then see what’s going on and might better be able to troubleshoot.

 

[odarellmc]

You will often have to turn the input right down on your interface or lower the pedal output volume drastically - some user presets are very high output.

Can you make a recording of the issues you’re having? Video would be preferable as we can then see what’s going on and might better be able to troubleshoot.

Sure I'll put one up tomorrow but you'll mostly hear muffled tones and silence

 

[Quatschmacher]

Sure I'll put one up tomorrow but you'll mostly hear muffled tones and silence

Out of interest, how are you powering the pedal? Insufficient current can be a source of problems.

 

[odarellmc]

Out of interest, how are you powering the pedal? Insufficient current can be a source of problems.

Using ac power that came with pedal

 

[odarellmc]

I think I'm getting the hang of it. I was able to get some useful sounds out of it. I wish they had programmers put together some pro patches, as most of the user community are still learning...and it shows...