Which HPF?

[wolffire99]

I’m looking at adding HPF/LPF to my board. The two I’m considering are the SFX Sound Thumpinator and Broughton Low + High filter pedal. In your opinion, which of these two provides the best performance?

What other options are out there?

 

[Zbysek]

I recommend Broughton RFE

 

[sloppy_phil]

The Micro-Thumpinator is only a HPF, with a fixed frequency point. It's also a buffer, so has that going for it, too. The H/LPF has variable frequencies, as well as pass filtering at both ends of the spectrum, so I'd suggest it's much more useful. Larger footprint, though! The SFX is often seen attached to undersides of boards.

What is the reason for considering these units? Depending on your needs/wants, the RFE might indeed be the best choice. It's like the H/LPF, but with even more tweakability, and the potential to add a resonant bump at the cutoff frequencies on both filters. If you just want to clean up the low end without thinking too much about it, the SFX is probably the way to go.

 

[wolffire99]

I recommend Broughton RFE

Even with only a -3db filter?

 

[bassbrad]

I have long been more than happy with my [sfx] micro Thumpinator, I have an original as well as a V2. It works great as to filter out those low freqs and IMO it helps with tracking on my digital effects. The fixed point works just fine IMHO.

I also have an always on HPF from Broughton that I use with my sealed 15" as my amp can easily make it leak where setting a cutoff is helpful.

An RFE is not the same as a HPF/LPF

 

[Zbysek]

Even with only a -3db filter?

what do you mean? The filter is 12db per octave…

 

[Obese Chess]

I truthfully do not love my Broughton HPF - I don't plan on replacing it, it sounds fine, works well, but I don't like that the knob goes from 25Hz to 190Hz but that I can't tell, specifically, what Hz I have it set at. This is of course an incredibly minor nitpick. Just be aware that if you are looking to set it to a very specific frequency it's a bit fiddly for that purpose.

EDIT: I am sorry, I should have read your post more closely. The Broughton Low + High Pass Filter does not have this issue, it's marked much more thoroughly. Get the Broughton.

 

[wolffire99]

what do you mean? The filter is 12db per octave…

it says -3db on it

 

[Zbysek]

it says -3db on it

View attachment 5221488

Let me quote the product description:


“The resonance of the filters ranges from -3dB all the way up to +15dB. The -3dB setting is what you would expect from a standard, non-resonant filter. Adding resonance to the filters boosts the level of the cutoff frequency.



The filters have a slope of -12 dB/octave. The filters are the same in performance to the other standard Broughton filters, with the added ability of increasing resonance.”

 

[Ggaa]

Broughton H/LPF on my pedalboard, Fdeck HPF in fx loop when I don't use pedals. Fdeck is fairly inexpensive(I have one in both bass cases), 9v with a couple hundred hrs batt life, don't have to run a power supply to it. HPF is valuable IME more of the time than LPF.

 

[Adjectives]

Broughton for sure. Had it for years, love it.

 

[Medicine Man]

I use the broughton h/lpf and it is never turned off or leaving my board. I mostly leave the LPF at the highest frequency, so I could get away with just the HPF.

 

[J.Wolf]

depends on what youre trying to do. If you want a tone shaping HPF, the Broughton is great. If you want something only to filter subsonics and keep your low end intact while limiting speaker excursion and lightening the load for your amplifier, then the Fdeck S3 mini is good. the difference is the Fdeck is 24db/octave whereas the Broughton I believe is 12db/octave, so its a gentler effect. so to speak.

Just re-reading the OP. If you want high and low, the Fdeck isn't gonna do it, nor is the SFX, I'd look at the Broughton, the Empress Para EQ Mk2 DLX. Also Charlie (passinwind) is cooking up some really cool stuff with HPF's.

 

[J.Wolf]

it says -3db on it

View attachment 5221488

that's not the HPF, that's the resonant filter EQ. different Broughton product

 

[J.Wolf]

Also the Empress ParaEQ MK2 Deluxe has an HPF as well as some other insanely great EQ for a pedal, but its also 12db/octave, like the Broughton.

 

[Zbysek]

that's not the HPF, that's the resonant filter EQ. different Broughton product

RFE can be used as a standard HP/LP filter - see the quote in post No. 9 above…

 

[MYLOWFREQ]

I got the always-on Broughton hi-pass filter which is a 12dB per/octave. It's great. I believe the SFX is 24dB per/octave, but the cut-off freq is fixed at 25Hz.

 

[NorthTexasBass]

Both the Broughton HPF/LPF and stand alone HPF are great products.

 

[mapleglo]

I have both the Empress ParaEQ MK2 Deluxe and the always on Broughton HPF on different boards. They both work well as HPF's. Of course, the Empress does a lot more.

 

[micguy]

A high pass filter and a low pass filter kinda wanna be in separate places. A high pass filter early in the chain helps with headroom, and avoids falls triggering of effects (octaves, anyone), excess clipping - a bunch of things in other pedals. To do that, it has to be early in the chain.

A low pass filter is there (at least the way I use is) to de-fizz overdrives and the like, and act as a speaker emulator - i don't need or want the low frequency rolloff of a speaker sim, I just want the high cut. Anyway, to do that, and also to take out excess hiss, a low pass filter really wants to be at the end of your pedal chain.