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Synthy Bass Distortion

#61
I was doing exactly that (holding back on the chorus of Cold).. I was actually holding back on the whole thing as I for some reason feel self-concious belting it out without musical accompaniment (it's all through headphones) when there are people upstairs to hear... but thanks for the compliment! Looking forward to having a more private space for these recording sessions.

I hope your muff'n does the trick for you.. you can always save up and get a Blowtorch.. I'm finding that I could do with another source of distortion, especially for live stuff. I'm going to go for a BMS and at some point I think I might check out a Little Big Muff, or possibly a GK Diesel Dawg. I'm kinda gassing for an EHX Stereo Pulsar because of what a high frequency triangle wave sounds like distortion.. very cool pulsing sound, but for now I think I can get something somewhat approximate with my B2.1u.
 
#62
well i listened to MysticBoo's LBM soundclips, and IMO i thought the fuzz was too messy, i think the Blowtorch wants me to buy it, also i played my muff'n though my Mini Q-ton, and it sounded a bit messy, i think a blowtorch is the way to go :) you've shown me the light, but im gonna have to save, coz ive got car insurance to pay and its MOT is due in a month, so im gonna be broke till january :( but on the plus side, my mini qtron sold today :) hopefully my Rare queens of the stone age signed vinyl will get me some more cash.
Dosi
 
#63
I liked MysticBoo's Little Big Muff clips - definately not the same sound as the Blowtorch, but good for a less synthy, more dirty distortion. For instance, the bass line in Turn Off (the other song I posted up there, without lyrics at this point) might be better served with an LBM than a Blowtorch, although I do like my blowtorch sound on there. I am thinking for live applications it would be great to be able to switch off the synthy blowtorch sound and switch on a dirty LBM sound when I need to. EVEN better would be to have the REALLY synthy BMS sound on tap as well..
 
#64
see i think i prefer 'turn off' with the blowtorch, it sounds really fat and menacing, like evil raggae, u can tell its distorted, but without it being fuzzy. i might stay away from the envelope filter idea and get a Blowtorch, argh!! im so conflicted! the input jack on my Muff'n makes weird noises (like squeals, and it can screw with the distortion - seems like theres something that isnt quite connecting all the time in the input, but it only happens when the input jack gets moves around, and it goes after like 15 seconds)but its really pissing me off as i only just got it, :(

i was gna get a XO Q-tron+ for a little cheaper than the blowtorch, and run it with my muff'n for the synthy distortion but im pretty conviced from ur soundclips that the Blowtorch will do everything i want and more.
Dosi
 
#65
The Little Big Muff isn't always that messy - it can be pretty smooth and controllable. I just like the chaos it can deliver. :D

It's also less messy when the Tone setting is bright, but not everyone likes the sound of a bright Big Muff. IMO, for a crazy fuzz, I find Tone settings above 12:00 to be more practical. For a smooth, warm fuzz, keep the Sustain and Tone low, and it's pretty easy to handle that sound.

It definitely is hard to control if you crank the Sustain at low Tone settings. My early clips show that; the later one (the NIN/LBM clip) is much "cleaner".

Overall, the Blowtorch is a VERY different kind of fuzz pedal than the LBM, as you've noticed.
 
#66
see, distortion is i guess my main effect- although lately ive just used my sansamp as my only tone, and ive been happy with that, distortions just for my benefit :) now i really want a LBM coz they're pretty cheap, and totally iconic, and i may just buy one for the moment, but does it loose the lows like the Big Muff apparently does when you raise the tone? see my muff'n gives me smooth overdrive and then i use my eq pedal (at the post office now) as a level boost b4 the muff'n to up the gain, and say i boost it in some mids and maybe the 2k range, wont that give me a more agressive sound, maybe closer to the muff without spending more cash, and with the option of keeping or boosting the lows? i havent tried it yet, so im not sure it'll even work, but the EQ pedal was cheaper than the LBM, and i thought id give that a go. i may just get a LBM anyway, but im trying to save dammit!! :)
Dosi
 
#67
The LBM does lose some lows as you turn it up. But that's why I suggested turning up the Volume knob.

It'll have bass at loud volumes, but it'll be somewhat less than your normal tone (and more so as you turn the Tone knob past 2:00). However, it cuts through pretty well like that, IME.

Overall, like a lot of fuzz pedals I've used, it generally requires you to adapt the song to fit the pedal. The Blowtorch seems much more "compatible" in more situations, although neither can really sound like the other.
 
#68
well then, i guess its definitly all about the blowtorch for me then, that input jack issue on the Muff'n is gonna piss me off tho, and im not the one to start digging in there :S i think i love the idea of a LBM so much i might really be hyping it up in my head higher than it is. no i think the blowtorch will give me that synthy sound, retain my lows and its clarity, which is what i am looking for. :D

i got £30 towards it, so i need about another £80, looks like my OC3 might have to go (havent had that long either)
Dosi
 
#69
Something I am curious about is just how easy is it to get a pedal like the LBM modded for better bass response? I'm not even sure what kind of person to take it to? Guitar tech? Some sort of electronics-guy? And does it make THAT big of a difference to pedals in general when you mode them like this?
 
#70
well there are respected Mod'ers like robert Keeley and AnalogueMan (he's modded a big muff for Tony Levin, probably for the same reason u want it), but i dont really know how you'd go about getting them to do your stuff, tap their names into google or something, altho its probably very simple, i've got a PDF file on how to build fx that i bought off Ebay, they also have ones for modding fx, but as usual its mainly guitar-biased, rather than alot for bass players. but as far as i understand it, there should be some sort of doo-hickey that can be adjusted for a frequency response sorted for bass, also there are loads of people just in this forum who can tell you what to do. post a thread or something. :D

however, its possible that the casing for the LBM may be too small for modding, but i dont really know
Dosi
 
#71
For the LBM? Difficult... it mostly uses SMD components too tiny for conventional modding. You'd also need a schematic or a good understanding of circuit-building to identify the input and output capacitors you'd need to replace. The capacitors aren't too hard to replace as most of them are larger than the other components on the board, but IMO, I don't think the benefits will be significant. It's already pretty bassy anyway, and that's not the real "problem" with the Big Muff design that people complain about.

The complaints people have about it require more significant changes:

- The slight mid-scoop - if it's a problem to you, there's no easy fix for it without carefully adding a mid control and a corresponding circuit for it. Or, you could use a blend pedal - instant fix!
- The Tone knob - even if you alter the bass response more than it already delivers, it's this control and its circuit that are the problem. Turn it up, and it will cut lows while boosting highs. Its also the source of that slight mid scoop.
 
#73
I HAVE MY BLOWTORCH!!!!!
it is what i was looking for, gives me a really fat synthy sound, but i have a few issues with it:
the blue LED wont switch off :( regardless of the 'torch' status or on/off status, also, when i first got it, the 'on' switch was giving a really really loud 'click' when used, which did subside, but im a little worried about it, also the 'torch' button is a bit noisy when switched.
can anyone help?
Dosi
 
#74
The LED won't switch off?

You sure you're using an 18VDC source?

If you didn't... you've done more damage than you think... that pedal's REALLY sensitive to the wall wart voltage. 9VDC warts kill them... personal experience has confirmed that.
 
#75
well i only got it a few hours ago and it was second hand, the guy said he had new batteries in there, but they were dead, so i put some in, he said he didnt have an adaptor for it. im a bit dissappointed as i bout it outside of ebay, so theres no official record other than paypal. i dont know what he's done to it, it sounds fine tho, other than the clicking, the bit of a noisy torch switch and the LED staying on. i've yet to try it with an adaptor, im going to try and get a corresponding 18v one tomorrow,
thanks for responding Boo
Dosi

PS: as i say, it sounds great but those issues worry me abit, especially the LED, just coz other ive got no visual cue to when its off or on.
 
#78
The LED doesn't turn off when the torch button is off, only when the effect itself is turned off. Your visual clue about the torch switch is whether it is in or out. I know it isn't necessarily glaringly obvious at first but after a few uses you'll get to recognize whether it is in or out. If the LED doesn't turn off even when the stomp button is OFF, then you may have a problem. Mine definately turns off when the effect is not in use, and won't turn on unless I have a cable connected.

I didn't have too much in the way of clicking issues with mine - maybe if the effect volume is turned way up. I have a B2.1u before my blowtorch in the chain, which seems to allow me to have the blowtorch volume at a lower level and also smooths out the sound somewhat for me. You might try putting a volume or EQ pedal first.. or some kind of preamp?

I would also reccomend getting the 18V adapter for it. I had to order mine seperately (it is 18V), but that way I don't worry about batteries, and it seems to sound more consistant with a DC power supply as opposed to batteries. Might help with your clicking issues and what not as well.
 
#79
On a somewhat related note, I'm starting a new project with a buddy of mine and I'm looking for a synthy pedal. I've looked around and read reviews and listed to clips of the Digitech BSW, Ibanez SB7 (which seem more funky than synthy), Boss SYB-5 (which sounds cool except for the tracking issues) and the EHX BMS (which sounds awesome but is a bit pricier than I wanted to go right now). Any others I'm missing (other than the Deep Impact, which would be even more expensive)?
 
#80
to Mystic booo and Saint:
the LED stays on until its unplugged, and the volume is REALLY REALLY low on the pedal and the amp, and i worry that at high volumes i could bust a speaker just from the click.

to bigchiefbc: i had the boss bass synth and it sucked, the sounds were alright but most of the modes had shocking tracking, so i found it really hard for me use in a band situation , however i loved u fact that u can hold a note on it and play under it in clean. that was sweet.

from what it sounds like, id go for the BMS, ive never played one, ive heard a few clips, it does sound really good.
Dosi
 

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