Too much volume when bowing vs. pizzacato

[Mark Gunderson]

What can I use to knock down the volume when switching from pizzacato to bowing? I've got a compressor but the problem with it is; it releases built up voltage when switching on and results in a loud pop in the sound system.

 

[jallenbass]

A volume pedal or a boost pedal are my first thoughts.

 

[bass player 53]

This has been discussed on TB a few times before:

Double Bass - Arco playing issue

Double Bass - Effect Pedal for Volume Boost While Soloing?

I own a Dunlop Volume (X) pedal, that I use for one of my electric pianos, but it works for bass too:

 

[Wasnex]

What can I use to knock down the volume when switching from pizzacato to bowing? I've got a compressor but the problem with it is; it releases built up voltage when switching on and results in a loud pop in the sound system.

You may be able to manage it with technique. Set your volume, so you have to play a bit harder than normal with pizz and a bit softer than normal with arco.

I played in concert bands and big bands, and I used an amp. In concert band, for classical repertoire I adjusted my volume to blend with the low brass. For jazz and any commercial/pop music where I functioned as the bass player in a rhythm section, I turned up considerably. I simply adjusted the volume on my amp.

The last pickup I used was a Gage Realist. IMHO this tends to be a good choice for players who need to switch between arco and pizz. It does not necessarily have the best pizz sound, but it has a fairly neutral response and balances pizz VS arco many pickups.

I have also used pickups like the Underwood and Fishman BP-100. These pickups tend to have sort of a quacky upper midrange that sounds really bad with arco, but can help pizz cut through. These pickups can be dialed in to work well with arco, but IME it takes a lot of EQ to get a reasonably natural response. The balance between pizz and arco is much better after applying the necessary EQ.

If you still need something to help manage the volume, you can use a volume pedal or any clean pedal that has gain settings that can be toggled in and out of the signal path. For example you could use a clean boost. A clean boost usually gives you a bypass volume and a boost volume that can be adjusted to taste. Some EQs have input and output levels that can be toggled in and out of the signal path. For example MXR M108S. With the M108S you could also adjust the EQ to smooth out your arco sound. You could also use certain preamp pedals such as Radial ToneBone V2, which has a switchable boost circuit. The B input has 10 Meg input impedance. If you don't know, unbuffered piezo pickups generally need 1 Meg or higher. The Empress Bass ParaEQ is another good choice.

 

[Zbysek]

I've got a compressor but the problem with it is; it releases built up voltage when switching on and results in a loud pop in the sound system.

Why do you switch it on and off? I leave my compressor(s) always on...

If you really need to switch it on/off, you might place a mute (like a tuner) after the compressor. Mute your signal before switching the comp... Problem solved...

 

[walterw]

I've got a compressor but the problem with it is; it releases built up voltage when switching on and results in a loud pop in the sound system.

that's weird and probably just needs to be fixed, but either way if you're good with using a pedal to switch levels, just get a clean boost (maybe an EQ pedal with the sliders pushed up a little) and use it to boost the pizz sections instead, shutting it off for the arco stuff