You might find the following thread useful (especially posts No. 73 and No. 5):
High Pass Filter Questions
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Which HPF?
- Thread starter wolffire99
- Start date
You might find the following thread useful (especially posts No. 73 and No. 5):
High Pass Filter Questions
So much confusion over the RFE. Probably the single most useful pedal on my overly expensive boutique loaded pedal board. I've set it up as just a HPF and LPF and did a side by side with the Broughton HPF LPF. It was identical. But that resonance bump s a gamechanger. Particularly live. Some rooms are so flabby and undefined in the bass, and tuning the HPF and resonance suddenly turns your tone into surgical thunder. Even if you never end up using the resonance and the mid eq, you can't beat the price for such a useful pedal.
FWIW, I have the Broughton mentioned in the op, and it does exactly what it’s supposed to do. Solid pedal. Nothing exciting, but it’s not supposed to be
I have 3 hpf...I first purchased a GOB -3db per Oct, passive, variable.. It worked, so..more is better, right? I then purchased a Broughton active -12db per Oct.variable.wow, even better, so...more is better, right? I lately purchased a sxf Thumpinator -36db per Oct,fixed.
They ALL work extremely well. IMHO
They All are different. IMHO .
Really depends, what U want your hpf to do, "sonically"..
The -3db works best for me on electric 6str.. especially my 335. For bass ,I found it of limited use, better than 0, but only just..
For bass , I use d thump first in chain, I then have few pedals (they change constantly) ,I finish with Boughton. Using the two hpf, I get -12 db slope from 55hz, then at 28hz, "brick wall ", they let my amp run cooler (not trying to amplify anything under 28 hz). My speakers don't "try" push sub harmonics, common with heavy fuzz/drives.
I can push 60hz to my heart's content . My bass now has a MONSTER bottom end, I can go nuts with Darkglass ECT, at very hi ,(silly) spl ,and my speaker cones don't "try" to jump out of their frames..
If I could ONLY have 3 pedals and 1 amp/+speakers, I would definitely have thump/compressor/Boughton..
They ALL work extremely well. IMHO
They All are different. IMHO .
Really depends, what U want your hpf to do, "sonically"..
The -3db works best for me on electric 6str.. especially my 335. For bass ,I found it of limited use, better than 0, but only just..
For bass , I use d thump first in chain, I then have few pedals (they change constantly) ,I finish with Boughton. Using the two hpf, I get -12 db slope from 55hz, then at 28hz, "brick wall ", they let my amp run cooler (not trying to amplify anything under 28 hz). My speakers don't "try" push sub harmonics, common with heavy fuzz/drives.
I can push 60hz to my heart's content . My bass now has a MONSTER bottom end, I can go nuts with Darkglass ECT, at very hi ,(silly) spl ,and my speaker cones don't "try" to jump out of their frames..
If I could ONLY have 3 pedals and 1 amp/+speakers, I would definitely have thump/compressor/Boughton..
As I said I got the Broughton always-on hi-pass filter on my small board, and I want the Empress ParaEQ MK2 Deluxe for the big board. But if I had to buy a standalone hi-pass filter, I'd get this:
Pedales : Küth
It has two 12dB per/octave filters: one fixed at 20Hz, the other goes from 20Hz to 100Hz. Perfect.
Pedales : Küth
It has two 12dB per/octave filters: one fixed at 20Hz, the other goes from 20Hz to 100Hz. Perfect.
I also recommend Broughton. His pedals are so well made and just work perfectly.
Another option is the Sine Effects H24, -24db per octave.
And, the Genzler Re/Q has a fixed filter at 25hz plus the variable HPF, so it does 12+12 below 25hz.
And, the Genzler Re/Q has a fixed filter at 25hz plus the variable HPF, so it does 12+12 below 25hz.
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Edit: sorry for the rant, OP.. this isn’t particularly targeted at you, it’s just been on my mind from the years of HPF evangelism on TB
I’m always torn between my personal love of HPFs, versus the prescriptive advocacy for HPF as a panacea..
I think a lot of people imagine it “tightening up” a muddy low end, but it’s been my experience that those people just need to dial out some mud in the low mids on their eq.
The microthumpinator is an amazing piece of kit, and there are a ton of great reasons to use one, but I think most people misunderstand what it will do for them, and they also miss that most modern gear/amps will have bucked those subsonics off already. Again, it has many uses, but imagining that it will take and round out your lows is likely to end in disappointment. It reminds me a bit of people who say “I don’t lift heavy weights because I don’t want to get too bulky.”
for variable HPFs, there’s obviously a wider used case, but I think the similar caution to avoid rationalization should be followed; having a picture in your mind that it will make your sound less muddy does not make it so. Taming added subharmonic content, like from an octaver, is a great use.. but for the average meat and potatoes set up, if you turn on an HPF and notice it, you’re likely using it wrong. I realize my experience is not universal, but I can’t think of too many instances where a muddy sound is going to be solved by clamping down on everything below a certain point.. at least not in a way that will be useful for a bassist in the mix. I DO think using as something of an effect is great and powerful, I just also think that a lot of guys are using it as an effect while imagining the what they have is a full but tight bass sound. Using these surgically takes a good ear and restraint, and using them without conflict with the FOH is a trick in itself.
I use my variable HPF specifically to tame synthy sounds before FOH, or to hollow out my sound as an effect.
Another fantastic general use is to get a very old-school sound-if you’re trying to get a great Motown sound, but your pbass with flats and rolled-off tone knob is just shaking the walls instead, an HPF would be a fantastic addition.
I’m not discouraging anybody from using one, nor from buying one, nor for loving them… Not only do I use them as an affect, and as a practical piece of gear, but fdeck’s design and other circuits were absolutely formative in my early years learning electronics.
BUT, if you are somebody who has read about HPF and you feel like it’s going to solve all of the problems you have with a boomy muddy signal, you’re likely going to be disappointed and or lost in the mix.
I’m always torn between my personal love of HPFs, versus the prescriptive advocacy for HPF as a panacea..
I think a lot of people imagine it “tightening up” a muddy low end, but it’s been my experience that those people just need to dial out some mud in the low mids on their eq.
The microthumpinator is an amazing piece of kit, and there are a ton of great reasons to use one, but I think most people misunderstand what it will do for them, and they also miss that most modern gear/amps will have bucked those subsonics off already. Again, it has many uses, but imagining that it will take and round out your lows is likely to end in disappointment. It reminds me a bit of people who say “I don’t lift heavy weights because I don’t want to get too bulky.”
for variable HPFs, there’s obviously a wider used case, but I think the similar caution to avoid rationalization should be followed; having a picture in your mind that it will make your sound less muddy does not make it so. Taming added subharmonic content, like from an octaver, is a great use.. but for the average meat and potatoes set up, if you turn on an HPF and notice it, you’re likely using it wrong. I realize my experience is not universal, but I can’t think of too many instances where a muddy sound is going to be solved by clamping down on everything below a certain point.. at least not in a way that will be useful for a bassist in the mix. I DO think using as something of an effect is great and powerful, I just also think that a lot of guys are using it as an effect while imagining the what they have is a full but tight bass sound. Using these surgically takes a good ear and restraint, and using them without conflict with the FOH is a trick in itself.
I use my variable HPF specifically to tame synthy sounds before FOH, or to hollow out my sound as an effect.
Another fantastic general use is to get a very old-school sound-if you’re trying to get a great Motown sound, but your pbass with flats and rolled-off tone knob is just shaking the walls instead, an HPF would be a fantastic addition.
I’m not discouraging anybody from using one, nor from buying one, nor for loving them… Not only do I use them as an affect, and as a practical piece of gear, but fdeck’s design and other circuits were absolutely formative in my early years learning electronics.
BUT, if you are somebody who has read about HPF and you feel like it’s going to solve all of the problems you have with a boomy muddy signal, you’re likely going to be disappointed and or lost in the mix.
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The effect of HPF (and compression) is definitely subtle and hard to perceive. But with them on I’m not constantly frustrated and f#cking around with knobs and switches, everything sounds just right. Otherwise I GAS for more and more expensive guitars and amplifiers and pedals, which in my experience will not improve anything beyond any decent <1K$ equipment.
I have/use an Fdeck HPF. It works great for me but you need to understand it's strengths and weaknesses. I bought mine used (looks new) for around $50.
- Apr 29, 2003
- 9,073
- 9,788
- Disclosures
- Contributor- Bass Musician Magazine | Marketing Manager- Trickfish Amplification
In my experience, both are true. It does clean up a lot of low end rumble, particularly with a rig that produces a lot of content below 40hz (for example) and/or with an amp that doesn't have a built in HPF, which many or most current offerings do.
AND
A lot of peoples trouble is as much in low mid voicing as it is in sub bass rumble.
For me, adding an HPF let me push more "usable" low end, resulting a fatter, tighter, more satisfying sound without much or really any loss of perceived depth, when heard in a mix on stage.
I will say that a circuit I use a LOT is an HPF I made early on, which accidentally had some resonance at the corner frequency due to a gain ‘mistake.’ The combination of a little bump in the lows, followed by a steep falloff is a fantastic old-school fat-but-not-too-deep sound.
- Feb 12, 2006
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- Development Engineer-Mesa Boogie, Development Engineer-Genzler (pedals), Product Support-Genz Benz
To clarify, as the HPF is rolled upwards, the slope smoothly changed from 24dB/octave to 12dB/octave. It’s not an either-or situation.
I have had the Fdeck HPF for 3-4 years but after buying a SansAmp Para Driver a year or two ago, i have been using it's "Rumble Filter" and seems to help a lot. The Rumble Filter settings aren't adjustable like my Fdeck but it seems to hit the sweet spot for me. I'll keep the Fdeck and use it when I need more adjustment but so far the SansAmp seems to do what I need it to do.
