I like how everyone wants to fight you on the word "essential." Of course you don't need anything for your bass to physically operate, doesn't mean there aren't pedals that will up your game or create enough of a quality of life difference to have major value. TLDR is get something that does a DI out.
For me. Live I use a compressor. The way phones (how everyone listens to music) and recording work now, people expect some compression. Practice mostly without it. You need to be able to control your sound without it, but work it in so you have a sense of it then bust it out on gigs. It makes everything sound more like what people think of as "professional," even if that's nonsense. I use an Empress, but there are tons of good ones.
I don't need, an envelope filter, but if I'm doing a cover song and it is supposed to be there, the song is going to lack for its absence, that is just the way it is. There are tons of good ones. Play with them until you find one you enjoy. I love the EHX ones but find them too fiddly to control for the stage. As always, your mileage may vary.
Ideally, if I'm doing anything 70's or 80's and I don't have keyboard support, I'll have some way of creating a false synth sound. Either an actual synth pedal or a distortion + octave combo, which is a really common way of getting that effect these days. I lean towards the dist/octave combo because then I have a dist if I ever want to add a little of that sound.
Now my one need, I do everything humanly possible to have something on my board that will do a DI out in case my amp bursts into flames and I have to finish a gig. It will SUCK not being able to hear myself, I won't have the same control over my sound I like, and I will be grieving over the loss of my amp, but the show will go on, and if you are asking me what I think the qualities are that most demonstrate that someone is a pro and not an awesome hobbyists (there are lots of hobbyists who outplay me, that is not a judgement on skill) number one is never having to stand on stage and shrug at a band leader because your equipment ****** you and you don't have a plan B.
After that, life is sweet if there is an EQ, but that is so unimportant I'll leave it behind if I'm feeling lazy and want the lighter board. Your amp will cover that, or front of house, or a lot of combo pedals.
For me. Live I use a compressor. The way phones (how everyone listens to music) and recording work now, people expect some compression. Practice mostly without it. You need to be able to control your sound without it, but work it in so you have a sense of it then bust it out on gigs. It makes everything sound more like what people think of as "professional," even if that's nonsense. I use an Empress, but there are tons of good ones.
I don't need, an envelope filter, but if I'm doing a cover song and it is supposed to be there, the song is going to lack for its absence, that is just the way it is. There are tons of good ones. Play with them until you find one you enjoy. I love the EHX ones but find them too fiddly to control for the stage. As always, your mileage may vary.
Ideally, if I'm doing anything 70's or 80's and I don't have keyboard support, I'll have some way of creating a false synth sound. Either an actual synth pedal or a distortion + octave combo, which is a really common way of getting that effect these days. I lean towards the dist/octave combo because then I have a dist if I ever want to add a little of that sound.
Now my one need, I do everything humanly possible to have something on my board that will do a DI out in case my amp bursts into flames and I have to finish a gig. It will SUCK not being able to hear myself, I won't have the same control over my sound I like, and I will be grieving over the loss of my amp, but the show will go on, and if you are asking me what I think the qualities are that most demonstrate that someone is a pro and not an awesome hobbyists (there are lots of hobbyists who outplay me, that is not a judgement on skill) number one is never having to stand on stage and shrug at a band leader because your equipment ****** you and you don't have a plan B.
After that, life is sweet if there is an EQ, but that is so unimportant I'll leave it behind if I'm feeling lazy and want the lighter board. Your amp will cover that, or front of house, or a lot of combo pedals.
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Is that a Lehle switch on the DPhaser?
