Spltting Signal with overdrive

[Pete Moran]

Hi All

I'm relatively new to bass. I've been a acoustic driven front man for years and now I'm at the back playing bass. My set up is a Fender Duff McKagan De-lux 2019 bass with a TC Electronic Rebel head and rebel stack I only use a Boss Chorus pedal in my chain. It's simple and clean gives me a great tone and I love it. However, having lost our 2nd guitarist I need to fill out guitar solos with some over drive and I need to know the best way to do that!

I was thinking about using an octave pedal splitting the signal and placing overdrive on the top signal keeping the bottom one clean, somehow!!

Please forgive my nativity here but I really have never done this before. I just need to know the best way of going about this. I've been looking at Headrush Gigiboards and Line 6 stomps etc but I'm confused! I'm sure this is a common thing

Thanks for your advice in advance guys
Regards

Pete

 

[toddsterbassist]

Don’t know if you need an octave pedal to do this unless that is what you are going for. You may look at a drive unit that basically splits the clean and drive signals - sort of a biamped rig concept - like a tech 21 DP3X fly rig or an Ebs Sheehan drive pedal. Something along those lines. If I was going the octave route I’d run a higher octave, via a unit like a POG, into a drive and keep that in a parallel loop then mix it back with the clean channel. You could use something like a Boss LS-2 for that.

 

[CMallett]

I always recommend people listen to Rage Against the Machine for a great example of how a bass player can fill in when a guitarist is soloing. Timmy C splits his signal so one is clean, and at least one other amp is distorted. The sound might not be the most pleasing on it's own, but works perfectly in filling in the gap, sonically.

You can do this in one pedal if you get an OD/Dist with a blend knob (I've not used, but like the EHX Hot Wax as a starting point, it's got a bunch of options and isn't overwhelming if you're new to this).

Or as Todd said, if you get a Boss LS2, it allows you to mix in your clean sound with any other pedals you have. It means you have to get at least 2 pedals, but you can use any distortion on the planet and turn it into a "Bass distortion".

Good octave up pedals cost money, and would be cool, but definitely aren't necessary for what you want to achieve. Hope this helps!

 

[Phe]

That is the perfect spot to play more, thus filling more space. Outline the chords with chord tones and play fills.
And use overdrive, of course!

 

[NoiseNinja]

Place a TC Electronic Sub'N'Up Mini, which you've taken the time to make a custom natural sounding 1 octave up effect based on the "Default Poly" template in the toneprint editor, followed by the drive pedal of your choice (or maybe just add the amount of drive effect, that is an option in the Sub'N'Up toneprint editor, to your liking to the octave up signal), with the [Up] knob on the Sub'N'Up, maxed and the [Dry] and knob at minimum position, in one of the effect loops of a Boss LS-2 set to the [A+B Mix <-> Bypass] mode, and blend the overdriven octave up signal from one of the effect loops with the clean signal from the empty effects loop to your liking, using the 2 level knobs for each of the 2 effect loops respectively on the LS-2.

Done!​

 

[Nun Yerbiznes]

Ditto on the sub'n'up. I use the octave up, and the built in drive. (I personally don't care for its octave down sound however, in any mode). I'm hoping the newly acquired Source Audio C4 can replicate octave up with dirt sound, because I have to draw the line somewhere, and keep pedal count down. Having said that, I picked up a small 4 input USB powered line mixer. This allowed me to blend clean and distorted signal without having to necessarily find a distortion/overdrive/fuzz pedal with blend built in. It may be one more thing to wire up and power up in a pedal board, but then you have a choice of any dirt pedal out there, even ones without a blend control.

 

[Pete Moran]

Thanks for everyones help with this! I've managed it and simply went into a POG pedal took the clean signal out to my bass rig and the octave out through a volume pedal and directly into a Fender guitar combo with on board effects. The signal is always live so the guitar is always under the pedal and you just bring it in when you want it. I"ve done a 1 min video here

Dropbox - IMG_1192.MOV - Simplify your life


This is my first attempt after connecting and I've not messed with any settings yet.

Cheers all

 

[Nun Yerbiznes]

The simplest solutions are always the most graceful. Nice job.

 

[Zbysek]

I was thinking about using an octave pedal splitting the signal and placing overdrive on the top signal keeping the bottom one clean, somehow!!

For anybody searching this thread in the future: one can achieve what the OP wanted with an octaver inserted in the clean loop of the EBS Sheehan signature drive...