Synthy analog bass pedals that are designed to work together

[sloppy_phil]

...and a Fuzz to use with the IE.

I mean, the Subterranea has those ridiculous synth oscillators in them, which are actual synth fuzz. You can't easily stomp then on/off, but there is no fuzz pedal which adds "better" harmonics for synth duties than the real, honest-to-goodness ones inside your incoming Subterrograph.

Plus, the timbre knob can really dial in some gnarly overtones as well. Lots of places to add harmonic content into the signal all within that one (big) box!

 

[el murdoque]

El Jefe,
here's another morsel of food for thought. It seems like you're diving into this rabbit hole and let me tell you, it's a good one. Lots of fun to be had, especially because it's all about the interaction of a group of pedals, which makes it so much more complex than a Preamp Journey, which pales in comparison.

However, one thing that is really important to the gigging musician is the stability/robistness of the chain you employ.

For my personal, simple needs, I settled on running a Doom2 into the PX-101 into an Analogman Chorus - no octaver. This works for me for multiple reasons, but one important factor is that both the Doom2 and the PX-101 have larger sweet spots and they will still work when a single knob gets bumped by a small increment. You can take a photo of the pedal settings, transport the board, perform a visual check with the knob positions on the board vs the photo and if it looks okay, it'll work.

I've tried several combinations of envelopes and fuzzes, both with and without octaves, and while I found some great stuff in there, some of the chains sounded awesome while I played them, then switched everything off, put the bass in the stand and called it a day. The very next day, plugging in without touching anything, it sounded not exactly the same. I decided that I don't have the time and patience to carefully calibrate my synth chain for the gig when performing the sound check - I need something that works and is more robust - and settled on the C4 because that will produce the same result every single time, since I recall presets via MIDI. With my back turned on the whole synth issue, the Doom2 and PX-101 found their way into my house and those provided the robustness I did look for, so I could ditch the C4.

It does feel so much better when you're combining the pedals and do everything yourself, as analog as possible, compared to clicking together a preset on the laptop, then copying it into the C4 and recalling it when needed.

 

[moon-bass]

but IMO not a great replacement for a better-sounding octaver (the actual octaver circuit in the Meatbox is not on par with any of the big guns in that world in sound or tracking IMO)

Synthy
OC2, OC5, 3Leaf, Subsonic, MXR VBO

Subby
Aguilar

Subharmonic?
Hulk and Meatbox

Much appreciate the advice! Until recently, I've never understood the appeal of octave pedals, now I'm getting it!

I guess you CAN teach an old dawg new tricks

 

[moon-bass]

I mean, the Subterranea has those ridiculous synth oscillators in them, which are actual synth fuzz. You can't easily stomp then on/off, but there is no fuzz pedal which adds "better" harmonics for synth duties than the real, honest-to-goodness ones inside your incoming Subterrograph.

Plus, the timbre knob can really dial in some gnarly overtones as well. Lots of places to add harmonic content into the signal all within that one (big) box!

super cool, and thanks for the info! I'm really looking forward to playing with it!

 

[moon-bass]

It does feel so much better when you're combining the pedals and do everything yourself, as analog as possible, compared to clicking together a preset on the laptop, then copying it into the C4 and recalling it when needed.

This is exactly it, my friend! Most of this is about having some fun trying some new things.

And as it turns out, your other advice is spot on as well as it looks like my project is going to ramp up and I'll actually need a good synth sound for it!

 

[Just Wrong]

Much appreciate the advice! Until recently, I've never understood the appeal of octave pedals, now I'm getting it!

I guess you CAN teach an old dawg new tricks

Ah, I was under the impression you had gone down the rabbit hole given you own the Octabvre. Well, if you’re looking for a different flavour than the Octabvre/OC-2, and you haven’t tried it, give the Octamizer a try!

 

[moon-bass]

Ah, I was under the impression you had gone down the rabbit hole given you own the Octabvre. Well, if you’re looking for a different flavour than the Octabvre/OC-2, and you haven’t tried it, give the Octamizer a try!

It's funny .. I LOVE going down rabbit holes (just ask @el murdoque , we're fellow rabbit holers ... or whatever you wanna call it) - I just hadn't really been too jazzed with octave pedals until I started messing around with these analog synth sounds. I've owned a bunch that never really floated my boat, and in fact even foolishly sold a Foxrox Octron 3 not too long ago ... I guess my boat floats a different way now

 

[el murdoque]

When talking about generating ... noise that is pitched in a way you control with your fretting hand, there is also the Broughton Synth Voice Deluxe.



I did hate it, but YMMV.


And just beware. This is a (rabbit-hole)².


rabbit² - 2rabbithole + hole²

 

[sunbeast]

Ah, I was under the impression you had gone down the rabbit hole given you own the Octabvre. Well, if you’re looking for a different flavour than the Octabvre/OC-2, and you haven’t tried it, give the Octamizer a try!

I agree that the Octamizer is a great “organic” octaver and a great alternative to the “hollow” vibe of the OC-2 and its many tributes (which I personally love in a mix, but isn’t for everyone). I need to grab one again!

 

[moon-bass]

When talking about generating ... noise that is pitched in a way you control with your fretting hand, there is also the Broughton Synth Voice Deluxe.



I did hate it, but YMMV.


And just beware. This is a (rabbit-hole)².


rabbit² - 2rabbithole + hole²

It's been awhile since I went down a good rabbit hole. And by awhile, I mean about a week. In fact, my last rabbit hole (envelope filters) led to this rabbit hole ...

 

[el murdoque]

A week without rabbit holing is a long time. Do you need to talk about it?

 

[moon-bass]

A week without rabbit holing is a long time. Do you need to talk about it?

we might need a support group!

 

[bassbrad]

It does feel so much better when you're combining the pedals and do everything yourself, as analog as possible, compared to clicking together a preset on the laptop, then copying it into the C4 and recalling it when needed.

As much as I get the appeal of the creative and all too often random results working in the "analog" sphere I find it more satisfying to morph "analog" and "digital". One of the joys to me is being able to create or modify sounds on the C4 and FI and being able to share and recall when needed. I very much approach in similar ways that in the past I would chain effects modules together or building sounds using modular blocks.

I have the same approach to recording and creating music, using the best practices from analog and the advantages of digital.

 

[el murdoque]

As much as I get the appeal of the creative and all too often random results working in the "analog" sphere I find it more satisfying to morph "analog" and "digital". One of the joys to me is being able to create or modify sounds on the C4 and FI and being able to share and recall when needed. I very much approach in similar ways that in the past I would chain effects modules together or building sounds using modular blocks.

I have the same approach to recording and creating music, using the best practices from analog and the advantages of digital.

Yeah, well. But it's absolutely not possible to sneer down your snobbish nose at the lesser people and tell them how you employ an octave pedal that was discontinued in the 90's and play it in a Fuzz pedal that only gets released every new moon to an initiated few (but is probably too expensive for them anyway) into one of two envelope filters, depending on the occasion, both of which are basically unobtanium at this point and it does not really matter what the retail or used price would be since they are impossible to find.

Telling them you use a C4 where you downloaded a patch from the library is so ... pedestrian.
This requires zero rabbit holing. This can be done by walking into a music shop during their opening hours and asking for a C4 pedal.
Where's the glory in that ?

 

[moon-bass]

Yeah, well. But it's absolutely not possible to sneer down your snobbish nose at the lesser people and tell them how you employ an octave pedal that was discontinued in the 90's and play it in a Fuzz pedal that only gets released every new moon to an initiated few (but is probably too expensive for them anyway) into one of two envelope filters, depending on the occasion, both of which are basically unobtanium at this point and it does not really matter what the retail or used price would be since they are impossible to find.

Telling them you use a C4 where you downloaded a patch from the library is so ... pedestrian.
This requires zero rabbit holing. This can be done by walking into a music shop during their opening hours and asking for a C4 pedal.
Where's the glory in that ?

I do it because chicks dig it.

 

[moon-bass]

As much as I get the appeal of the creative and all too often random results working in the "analog" sphere I find it more satisfying to morph "analog" and "digital". One of the joys to me is being able to create or modify sounds on the C4 and FI and being able to share and recall when needed. I very much approach in similar ways that in the past I would chain effects modules together or building sounds using modular blocks.

I have the same approach to recording and creating music, using the best practices from analog and the advantages of digital.

One cool outcome out of all of this is that if I were to get a C4 today, I would make much better use of it. I have a much better understanding of oscillators and waveforms etc. now.

 

[el murdoque]

I do it because chicks dig it.

And of course because chicks dig it when El Jefe does it!

 

[bassbrad]

Yeah, well. But it's absolutely not possible to sneer down your snobbish nose at the lesser people and tell them how you employ an octave pedal that was discontinued in the 90's and play it in a Fuzz pedal that only gets released every new moon to an initiated few (but is probably too expensive for them anyway) into one of two envelope filters, depending on the occasion, both of which are basically unobtanium at this point and it does not really matter what the retail or used price would be since they are impossible to find.

Telling them you use a C4 where you downloaded a patch from the library is so ... pedestrian.
This requires zero rabbit holing. This can be done by walking into a music shop during their opening hours and asking for a C4 pedal.
Where's the glory in that ?

 

[moon-bass]

I tell you what tho ... I've been sidelined by a hand injury for awhile, and a few weeks ago was the first time in a LONG time that I feel like I'm back to my old self. I'm getting my chops back up, and with these filters, octaves, and fuzzes ... I'm having a shag of a lot of fun.

 

[moon-bass]

I have clones of the Chunk pair and the trigger input that sends clean bass from the fuzz to the filter's envelope side-chain input is wonderful! I find that filter quite tweaky to dial in, but end up using it often because of the touch-sensitivity allowed from that side-chain (and when it is dialed in right it is a beast of a filter!). I do wish the Chunk filter had an expression input!
My fuzz-filter of choice for fatter 4-pole "Moog-ish" bass is the Z-Vex Mastotron into the Moog MF101 (or recently the PastFX PX101). Dependent on settings I can still get some touch-sensitivity from the Mastotron, and I end up using a lot of expression pedal control of the MF/PX filter combined with envelope to make it more dynamic. I wish the Moog/PasFX had a trigger input!
I still use the OC-2 or MXR VBO into either of those combos.

Hey there - which octave pedal do you prefer with the Chunk pair?

I'm really digging the combination, so thanks for the recommendation. It's a super cool setup. I've only the one octave pedal right now, but I have a few on the way, including an Octaver and an MXR Octave Deluxe (or whatever it's called - not the VBO), and an Iron Ether. What's your preference, and have you tried any others?

Thanks!