Wonderlove is the 'final form' of the meatball-based groove regulator family. I honestly find the GR2 wetter and tastier
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Why can't I find a filter pedal that I like?
- Thread starter Dave W
- Start date
"Why can't I find a filter pedal that I like?"
Because you don't need one.
Because you don't need one.
The WMD Super Fatman does have a ton to figure out, its not an out of the box kind of filter or one that you set and forget for one sound. But if you're looking for a filter that can be used normally or get the absolute craziest as far as filters go this is the one in my opinion. I had it for a while and loved it because it could get so insanely juicy if you set it up right for about 5 or 10 minutes, but it takes a lot of learning how all the parameters work together to really be able to get what you want quickly. The biggest problem with it in my opinion is how noisy the knobs are when you turn them (and I did get the update on it that made it quieter, it worked a little but still really noisy). So much clicking and scratching and such, it was a damper on the pedal because of how much knob turning is involved in finding good sounds, which there are a lot of.
I now use a Wonderlove because its still really versatile and easier to dial in. But if the Super Fatman had much quieter knobs, I'd probably still use that.
I have also owed the SA BEF PRO. Even though there's much discussion that analog filters and digital filters cannot be distinguished, I still think the BEF PRO sounded way too clean for my taste. I welcome a little imperfect sound when it comes filters and I think the analog Wonderlove does that much better than the SA BEF.
I've never tried a Xerograph, but I hear that gets pretty crazy too, and is best for synth uses. I do have a Nimbus which has the farthest range of reverb I've ever experienced, I'd imagine the versatility translates to the other pedals.
Right, so obviously it doesn't apply to you.
I quoted the OP, so that would lead one to believe I was speaking to him.
It was also meant in a half serious/teasing style jest with a hint of truth.
That's cool...it's just that a lot of folks come into threads like this with "you don't need," and it usually means "tone is in the fingers," etc. I see now that it wasn't your intent to do that.
The OP seems to think he needs a filter, otherwise he wouldn't have started the thread, or have invested so much time in researching and trying filter pedals, so it might be more helpful to give him advice in which filter pedal might suit his needs. I personally recommend the versatility of the EHX Qballs.
If it ultimately turns out that he doesn't need a filter, that's cool, too.
i bought mine on tb, because the ad said that it was the same kind sly and the family stone used
it's a 1979 dr. q maybe not super fancy, but it definitely sounds awesome
it's a 1979 dr. q maybe not super fancy, but it definitely sounds awesome
Are they Mutron clones or more filters inspired by the Mutron circuit? I was under the impression that it was the latter.
I think it is really more of an inspired by mutron than a mutron clone, but either way it sounds good to me.
Haven't had a tone of time with it honestly. I've been so busy with day job and playing music (the kind that doesn't really want a filter)!! I have played it some at the house and done quite a bit of A/B testing with the proton, and even some A/B/C testing with the Micro Qtron in the mix. It's a cool pedal - just haven't had an opportunity to play it on a gig - but I can tell it's the real deal and will do just fine. Design is great. Nice build, small enclosure and it runs on a 9V - I really like having the 9V option.
The sound is in the same family as the proton, but it has it's own thing going on for sure. Pretty much has the same features as the Proton but has three filters - low, band pass, and high. Proton only has low and band/high,, can't remember which. Both have a range switch, and a filter up/down switch. Both have a gain, and a peak control. The Neutrino has a bit of a wider range of sound than the proton to me. The low filter with the range on low is a bit deeper than the proton. The low filter with the range up on the neutrino sound great. The BP has some pretty cool sound on the neutrino as well.
The quack of the Proton is pretty natural and organic sounding to me - vs. something like the MXR that has more of a space laser sound. The Neutrino can venture into the space laser sound, but in a very nice organic way - even I kind of like it. It can also do the more natural thing that the proton can do. The Peak control on the Neutrino has a little more juice than on the proton, meaning, it's easier to dial in those big resonant frequencies - this can be a little over the top on some of the low filter settings, but very useful for some other sounds like when using the BP filter for example. The proton is just so smooth to me and it's easy to find a good sound. The neutrino is pretty much the same, but you can dial in some big nasty stuff that is harder to find on the proton - but again, that lends itself to more useful settings in other departments for the neutrino.
One big difference between the two is that he gain on the Neutrino acts like an actual gain control... On the the Proton, you can kind of run the gain all over the place and get a bunch of different responses, but you volume level stays pretty consistent throughout the whole knob. On the Neutrino, once you start getting up past the 2:00ish area, you start getting a good volume increase to go along with the changing response of the filter. Might be a good thing in a live setting as the filter tends to thing out at those higher gain settings.
Overall a very cool pedal with great sounds. Like I said, it has more different sounds than the proton, and they all sound really good. Neutrino is the real deal IMO. I think the proton is a bit more transparent sounding, but the Neutrino is by no means over processed.
That's what I thought as well. I don't know many people past boutique builders who do true Mutron clones.
What about the EBS BassIQ.... is that not a filter? Don't see anyone ever talking about that pedal....
This. LOL...
I would agree with other posters on another point, though. Maybe you need to drive the signal with an OD or fuzz before the filter.
I'm just trying to see what else is out there from what I've tried to see if something works better for me as I like filters quite a bit.
The biggest thing is that I have a hard time getting them to do what I want at a gig. At home in a solo setting they sound great.
It's mostly down to my technique varying as I'll play pretty hard at the gig but not quite as hard at home. I'd mess with it at the gig but sound check for bass doesn't usually include 15 minutes of tweaking effects at full volume and that's not something I can do at home either.
I do have an OD before the filter on my current board because of this thread. I didn't try it at my last gig but I'll be sure to do that at the next one.
The biggest thing is that I have a hard time getting them to do what I want at a gig. At home in a solo setting they sound great.
It's mostly down to my technique varying as I'll play pretty hard at the gig but not quite as hard at home. I'd mess with it at the gig but sound check for bass doesn't usually include 15 minutes of tweaking effects at full volume and that's not something I can do at home either.
I do have an OD before the filter on my current board because of this thread. I didn't try it at my last gig but I'll be sure to do that at the next one.
