Suggest a Filter?

[BloodTypeBlue]

I was messing around with my friend's Alesis ModFX Philtre the other day...I'd never really tried using an envelope filter before. I was really impressed by the range of things I could do with it. It just sounded crazy and aggressive, especially when slapping.

So now I'm headed out to buy a filter unit of my own...the question is, do I get the Philtre or something else? I'm not really going for "vintage" or "organic," but rather something really off-the-wall and crazy. The synth-ier, the better. I'll probably be using it mainly for Squarepusher-style (although he's 100x the bassist I am) slapping and noise things, like on "Cooper's World" or "Rustic Raver" from the Hard Normal Daddy album. Either that, or mix it up with some fuzz and do some Ride-ish squealing things (except on bass instead of guitar...or something).

These are the ones I'm interested in so far, all about the same price range as far as I can tell:

Alesis ModFX Philtre + footswitch
Digitech Bass Synth Wah
EHX Q-Tron/Mini Q-Tron

The question I have is, are any of them more extreme/aggressive than the Alesis, or is that about as whacked out as it gets (being as it was designed as a synth and not a bass pedal)? Preservation of the low end would also be a plus, and it can't have volume drop (like the DOD FX25B I also played).

Any other suggestions are welcome, as long as they are under $100...thanks!

 

[bongomania]

Any other suggestions are welcome, as long as they are under $100...

Sorry! Crazy modulators with good low end retention are not cheap.

 

[jujube_2a]

Under $100, I would check on ebay if I can find an used Q-Tron, even an old one because it's a very reliable.

 

[SFjonstarr]

$100 isn't much for a filter budget. You definately going to need to look used. Does it need to be envelope controled or do you just want a synth type analog filter to do crazy, aggresive stuff?

 

[Dave Hill]

I tried a bunch and ended up with a MXR M-188 Auto Q. It gives you a lot of control options and generally sounds great. Just used it in the studio, and there were no complaints.

 

[BloodTypeBlue]

$100 isn't much for a filter budget. You definately going to need to look used. Does it need to be envelope controled or do you just want a synth type analog filter to do crazy, aggresive stuff?

Used is fine. I'm not really sure...what's an example of a non-envelope filter?

 

[SFjonstarr]

Well... for non-envelope filters you would be looking at synthesizer style filters. A good one I used for a long time on bass was Akai's MFC-42 analog filter module. It basically has a filter with a cutoff knob and a resonance knob. The cutoff affects where the filter is along its range, and the resonance knob affects how sharp the filter is at the point of the cutoff frequency. When you turn up the resonance high enough the filter starts to feedback at the cutoff point, creating a sine wave sound. You can also modulate the cutoff point and the resonance amount in different ways. Lots of intersting ways to use synth filters. Another good one to keep an eye out for on Ebay is Electrix's Filter Factory or their smaller, simpler Filter Queen. I think the Electrix ones might have some envelope control options, but it's not going to be like the Q-Tron which is more set up for that.

 

[The BurgerMeister]

qtron+!! new, they're about 170... the thing sounds great, has enough options that i'm happy with (like an effects loop... you can put fuzz or flange or phase or delay or ring mod or whatever in there and really come up with some extraspecial extrasaucy sounds), and it keeps my low end intact (in LP or MIX mode). try to find one used! it rocks!

and if you live in LA come to guitar center sherman oaks in the valley and dave in accessories will give you a crazy good deal on one!