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Teach me how to use my Q-Tron

G

greekorican

Mar 12, 2009
209
0
#1
I bought a Q-Tron Plus (The most expensive one) for about 100 bucks on Craigslist about a year ago. I don't use effects very much, but I like my funk and thought this would be fun to play around with. I'll pull it out every once in a while, but I can never get it to sound how I want it. I'm considering putting it on craiglist, but I figure it deserves another chance. I think I just don't know how to use it correctly.

I'd like to get something like a Mutron III sound out of it, but I can't get that vowel-y sound out of it. The filter will sweep in one direction and just kind of stay there. Even on sustained notes, the filter will sweep in one direction, I can't get it to sweep back. The effect is far too subtle and you can hardly hear the sweep.

The only mode i can choose without losing all my lows is LP. However, BP sounds great, with the exception of all the lows I'm missing. Any advice for me on how to fiddle with the settings?

Is there a better option for an envelope filter for bass? This pedal does sound great with a guitar, but I think even in LP, it cuts out too much lows.

Thanks
 
#2
Step 1. Start with the gain at minimum and play with the Q dimed (you can tame this later when you figure out the filtering). If you still get that same effect then turn down your bass a little until it triggers the way you want.

Step 2. If the envelope doesn't trigger, then start moving your gain up little by little until the filter just starts to trigger.

Step 3. Adjust to taste.

I've noticed that if my overload light is on in the up sweep it the filter will virtually never come back. The overload LED should either not come on or just barely come on to get that up and down you're looking for. In the down sweep mode the overload will want to be on a little longer to get a more extreme filter sound.

All this is IME.

Good Luck.
 
#4
Is there any way to tinker with the BP mode to let more lows through? Or just let more lows through across all modes, is there a trimpot somewhere inside to mess with? I'm not so good with electronics. Its something I'd like to learn, but I already have to many hobbies, haha.
 
#5
greekorican said:
Is there any way to tinker with the BP mode to let more lows through? Or just let more lows through across all modes, is there a trimpot somewhere inside to mess with? I'm not so good with electronics. Its something I'd like to learn, but I already have to many hobbies, haha.
Click to expand...

The mix mode should be BP with a clean blend. I use a parallel blender with mine in HP. I like having an octave in parallel with the HP. An LS-2 or equivalent (I use an old version of a Badger schism).

On the old big box version there is a trimpot, but I haven't messed with it to determine if it would be sonically better. On the Micro Qtron the trimpot adjusts the maximum resonance, which can make it a little easier to control. I presume (but have yet to test) that it is the same on the +.
 
#7
bass12 said:
Best advise I can give: sell it and get a Mutron. I really didn't have a lot of luck getting any sounds I liked out of the Q-Tron. I recently bought a Mutron and so far I've been very pleased.
Click to expand...
Little out of my price range, haha. Not gonna ever be able to justify a purchase like that earning minimum wage. The wise thing to do if I sold this would be to save the money, but I think GAS will sink in once I have some cash.

What are some good alternatives? I'd like to have an Up/Down switch and a battery compartment. I hate the clutter of AC adapters and I'm too cheap to buy one of those cool power supplies. I don't have to have the exact Mutron sound, but something similar. This isn't exactly the sound I'm after, but I kind of like it, what do you guys think about the EHX Bassballs?

Once I finish some homework I'm gonna bust out the Q-tron and see if I can get a sound I like. If not, its gone.
 
#9
The LP/BP/HP modes refer to 'Lowpass, bandpass, and highpass' filters; in bandpass mode, only the middle frequency band passes through with the highs and lows being cut, and a highpass cuts out the low frequencies, leaving the top end untouched. Since the Qtron does not have a knob for adjusting the center/cutoff frequency, the BP and HP modes will always cut out your lows. A bandpass filter can be used effectively on bass, but it needs to have a low center (or a clean blend).

If you're having trouble getting the envelope to close after it opens, you should trying lowering the volume on your bass guitar, because you are likely giving it too-hot of a signal for the envelope to open/close on each note; if you're using an active bass, chances are higher that you'll need to lower your basses output volume.
 
#10
fightthepower said:
The LP/BP/HP modes refer to 'Lowpass, bandpass, and highpass' filters; in bandpass mode, only the middle frequency band passes through with the highs and lows being cut, and a highpass cuts out the low frequencies, leaving the top end untouched. Since the Qtron does not have a knob for adjusting the center/cutoff frequency, the BP and HP modes will always cut out your lows. A bandpass filter can be used effectively on bass, but it needs to have a low center (or a clean blend).

If you're having trouble getting the envelope to close after it opens, you should trying lowering the volume on your bass guitar, because you are likely giving it too-hot of a signal for the envelope to open/close on each note; if you're using an active bass, chances are higher that you'll need to lower your basses output volume.
Click to expand...

I do understand highpass/bandpass/lowpass and why they cut out lows. I've done my research on what each know does, and I've tried lowering volume and gain in an attempt to get the filter to close, with no luck. It sounds even more subtle, and not at all vowel-y.

Is there a way to mess with the center on the bandpass mode? Or maybe its time to find a different pedal. Like I said, this pedal sounds great, and very vowel-y with a guitar, but I suck at guitar and never pull out my strat. The lower the note is, the less effective this pedal seems.

Maybe I'll just throw this one on Craigslist, how much can you get for a Q-Tron in like new condition?
 

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