Worship Bass Pedalboards

[dmc79]

Hi everyone. I've been playing bass in worship bands for years, but have always just tuned up, plugged in and played. I have only recently got a pedal tuner (TU-3) and also an MXR M81 Preamp/DI as I needed something with DI to go into the PA. Though it seemed to make sense to have a DI box that doubles as a Preamp, giving some EQ options, I am not totally convinced about the M81, (its so transparent its like its not even there) and wonder if I should have just got a plain Radial DI instead. But I'll probably stick with the M81 for now anyway!

So, even though I only have 2 pedals I kind of feel I should get a small board such as the Pedaltrain Nano. Of course it will then look silly with just 2 pedals on! So, I am curious what TWO pedals I could potentially add if I do get the Nano. How would you complete that board? I am thinking its likely that things like Chorus, Octaver, Compressor, Overdrive, etc will be suggested but I am open to any ideas. Or given Jesse Hughes opinion of "Out there, it sounds like a bass", should I just go for simplicity and make myself a tiny board for the 2 pedals I already have?

Also as I am totally new to pedalboards, I'm trying to figure out about power supply. I have seen a 'One Spot' mentioned, am I right to think that you just plug this into the start of your chain (Tuner) and then it will power every other pedal after you've linked them all with patch cables?

Thanks for your help

Bump! What would you add between a TU-2 and an MXR-M81 ? I'm thinking Overdrive & Chorus. If money was no object I'd probably go Darkglass VMT & MXR Bass Chorus Deluxe, so I could save up or buy cheaper alternatives. I know that Boss CE-5 & CEB-3 chorus pedals always come up on the Bay (it seems CE-5 is more popular for bass) but what are good budget / used Overdrives to look out for?

Thanks

 

[sk8]

Bump! What would you add between a TU-2 and an MXR-M81 ? I'm thinking Overdrive & Chorus. If money was no object I'd probably go Darkglass VMT & MXR Bass Chorus Deluxe, so I could save up or buy cheaper alternatives. I know that Boss CE-5 & CEB-3 chorus pedals always come up on the Bay (it seems CE-5 is more popular for bass) but what are good budget / used Overdrives to look out for?

Thanks

I would say why feel the need to fill the spaces if you don't use them now but then that's not why we are here

Another option could be a clean boost. I use mine in reverse having the boost on then disengaging it for quieter passages. Plenty of good budget options for drive. Are you after anything in particular? I wasn't a fan of the MXR BAss chorus. Check out the EHX Bass Clone.

 

[glassmoon]

"I would say why feel the need to fill the spaces if you don't use them now but then that's not why we are here " ~ SK8

Wise words...

I've had a huge board with all sorts of things, I can also remember when I had nothing at all! It really is about what you like and what you can use to enhance your experience and the experience of those with whom you are playing. Putting pedals on a board to fill a space is a waste of money I think, but as SK8 says, we're here for the gear hahahaha

My advise, specifically for a P&W setting, is to perhaps look at a chorus and a drive pedal. Something to allow you to "ring" a little for those long, languid notes and something for you to pulverise the guitars when it's jump up and down time!!

That's the stock pedal board I think for most P&W bassists - Tuner into drive into chorus into DI... everything else is gravy.... says me, with an octave and delay

 

[sk8]

The only thing I would add is a compressor but that's just me and how I play (Badly!)

 

[SteveC]

I use Janek Gwizdala Toneprint, 'Sausage and Beer', which gives me an airiness that I otherwise wouldn't ordinarily get....especially without an amp (IEMs at church). I used to use the MXR Stereo Chorus, then the TC Electronic Reverb and now the Flashback. I love the shimmer I get, it's definitely not your typical ping pong delay at all.
Hope that answers?

It helps. I get wanting that "shimmer" for your IEM's. We are all DI/IEM as well. Does it do anything "funky" to the FOH sound? I'd be worried about too much when you factor in any FOH effects from the desk and natural room effects.

PS - the Toneprint video is

Thanks for the video link.

"I would say why feel the need to fill the spaces if you don't use them now but then that's not why we are here " ~ SK8

Wise words...

My advise, specifically for a P&W setting, is to perhaps look at a chorus and a drive pedal. Something to allow you to "ring" a little for those long, languid notes and something for you to pulverise the guitars when it's jump up and down time!!

That's the stock pedal board I think for most P&W bassists - Tuner into drive into chorus into DI... everything else is gravy.... says me, with an octave and delay

I'm debating going beyond my Tuner/Comp/DI board. There are a lot of sustained notes in church - which my Roscoes have no problem doing - but everyone is getting new stuff and my wife won't let me get a bass (and with kid 2 in braces now...) so maybe some effects would be cool.

The drummer has a great electronic kit that takes 8 channels. So nice for mixing your IEM's.
Keyboard player is using 3 now, all tied to his MacBook Pro with song presets that change ALL the keyboards at once.
Guitar player has great stuff, very tasteful.
We are in the process of getting stereo IEM's of everyone. Keys and drums have it now and it's a NIGHT AND DAY difference from mono. Helps get rid of that "isolated/box" feeling.

I've never had much luck with effects in the past but I haven't had time to really tailor them to the gig either like I would at church. Maybe chorus to start. Having trouble finding a drive I like. Might ad an octave for synths stuff, but the keyboard covers a lot of those needs.

 

[dmc79]

"I would say why feel the need to fill the spaces if you don't use them now but then that's not why we are here " ~ SK8

Wise words...

I've had a huge board with all sorts of things, I can also remember when I had nothing at all! It really is about what you like and what you can use to enhance your experience and the experience of those with whom you are playing. Putting pedals on a board to fill a space is a waste of money I think, but as SK8 says, we're here for the gear hahahaha

My advise, specifically for a P&W setting, is to perhaps look at a chorus and a drive pedal. Something to allow you to "ring" a little for those long, languid notes and something for you to pulverise the guitars when it's jump up and down time!!

That's the stock pedal board I think for most P&W bassists - Tuner into drive into chorus into DI... everything else is gravy.... says me, with an octave and delay

Thanks. So, which Overdrive & Chorus ?

 

[SteveC]

TC chorus seems pretty nice.
I have never found a drive that I like yet. I need a Goldilocks drive - not to much, not too little, just right.

 

[glassmoon]

It helps. I get wanting that "shimmer" for your IEM's. We are all DI/IEM as well. Does it do anything "funky" to the FOH sound? I'd be worried about too much when you factor in any FOH effects from the desk and natural room effects.

Well, for me, the effect is almost "not there" - you only really notice it isn't there if I switch it off. I have always loved the natural "shimmer" of a fretless bass - that unprocessed sound that seems to have something that is just not found in a fretted bass. Perhaps I am overly ambitious, and yes, a fretless would be the better option, but (a) it wouldn't suit all the songs and (b) I am years away from being that comfortable on a fretless.

But I digress.... the search for that "shimmer", as I said in the original post, was to get that vibe - and I've been complimented by a sound guy before so I guess I'm on the right track - the chorus led to the reverb, which lead to the delay. I find the delay a little more controlled than the 'verb, a little tighter.

But as I said, it might only be audible by me, but considering I'm the one who is really listening to my playing, I'm happy

I've never had much luck with effects in the past but I haven't had time to really tailor them to the gig either like I would at church. Maybe chorus to start. Having trouble finding a drive I like. Might ad an octave for synths stuff, but the keyboard covers a lot of those needs.

There are times - such as on some of the Planetshakers material where the bassist is playing a keyboard bass - when I need that "Stevie Wonder's Left Hand" thing going on! I tend to throw things at the keyboardists left hand hahahahaha

 

[glassmoon]

Thanks. So, which Overdrive & Chorus ?

Well, that's a loaded question isn't it....
Factors to consider...
1) what budget do you have?
2) do you want a little break up grit or Motörhead?
3) how often will you make use of it in (i) worship or (ii) any other setting? <<< see budget!

For me, and this is just my opinion from what experience I have:

• Chorus
  • TC Electronics - Has the Toneprint which allows you to dial in a sound through your mobile phone if you want
  • BOSS - CEB-2 - the original brown one from the '80s
  • MXR - Bass Chorus Deluxe - clean and very nice
• Drive
  • MXR - Bass Overdrive or Fuzz depending on your taste in drive
  • BOSS - ODB-3 - if you have a smallish budget - I couldn't get it to work for me as it had too much drive!
  • EBS - Multidrive - such a nice drive, from grit to noise

I hope that helps you mate

 

[glassmoon]

TC chorus seems pretty nice.
I have never found a drive that I like yet. I need a Goldilocks drive - not to much, not too little, just right.

The TCE Corona is fantastic! Using the Toneprint functionality, you can get pretty much any kind of chorus you would ever need.
I personally use the Melvin Lee Davis setting - he's a monster and his chorus is stunning.

I've never found a drive I liked either.... ultimately I want a box that has clean, an octave down, and an octave up with drive. But in South Africa, who am I kidding hahahaha

 

[Ricky Caboverde]

Posted this in the Plex thread, but thought I should share with you all as well:

"So, I used the Plex for the first time at MY church (I had used it at another venue, previous to today), and though I was very happy with the sound in my IEM monitor the soundman told me that he was getting some hiss through the mains. He said it was not crazy distracting, but it was definitely there :/ On a positive note, he did say that the tone was nice and very clear.

Personally, I really liked the sound in my ears using the 800RB sim. Nice crunch with overdrive on 1 and playing with a pick, and really nice fat clean tone (no OD) with growl when I dig in. Though my usual setup is a Grizzly->Sonic Spark->Smoothie->Basswitch IQDI, I can honestly say that the Plex was definitely just as satisfying for my needs. There are some certainly some quirks that need to be addressed, though."



Today's setlist:
Unstoppable God
Lion and the Lamb (Leeland)
You Reign (an original)
O Praise the Name (Hillsong)
The Stand

 

[killthenil]

Discontinued Creation PT-JR sized board with a custom bag which you can carry like a knapsack.

 

[glassmoon]

Nice board killthenil. I had the MicroBass for 10 years before heading off in a new direction. Such a cool unit
How's the Sub'n'Up? And what are you using it for?

 

[killthenil]

Nice board killthenil. I had the MicroBass for 10 years before heading off in a new direction. Such a cool unit
How's the Sub'n'Up? And what are you using it for?

Thanks man! Well sometimes when guitarists can't make worship, it sounds a little empty with only 1 acoustic and bass for strings so I use it to cover both the guitar and bass octaves to fill out the space.

The Microbass helps cover any drive needs since I don't have a dedicated dirt pedal on my worship board (don't really need for mostly Hillsong stuff). What did you change to after the Microbass?

 

[glassmoon]

What did you change to after the Microbass?

Well, I used to us it as a command station - using the A+B mix to cover the spectrum. But I found that it was colouring my tone in a way that I no longer enjoyed. I first went to an MXR Bass Preamp and now I'm using the Aguilar Tone Hammer Pedal, which is just silly good!
I was, at one stage, looking at internally disconnecting the tone stage(s) so that I could use the MB2 as a command station, using just the DI, loop and tuner out options, but I never had the courage to effectively (no pun intended) ruin the unit!

I do miss not having a parallel effects loop though. That was really handy. But I love the Aguilar.

 

[killthenil]

Well, I used to us it as a command station - using the A+B mix to cover the spectrum. But I found that it was colouring my tone in a way that I no longer enjoyed. I first went to an MXR Bass Preamp and now I'm using the Aguilar Tone Hammer Pedal, which is just silly good!
I was, at one stage, looking at internally disconnecting the tone stage(s) so that I could use the MB2 as a command station, using just the DI, loop and tuner out options, but I never had the courage to effectively (no pun intended) ruin the unit!

I do miss not having a parallel effects loop though. That was really handy. But I love the Aguilar.

Think you just have me an idea for the effects loop. Ionly used it for my delay and verb but might add the chorus in there as well. Not sure if I'll need to add a buffer too cuz the cables are pretty long. I've 2 now, one at the start and one at the end of the main chain, so maybe I might move one to the fx loop if I add the chorus in there too.

I had the MXR Bass DI before this and just didn't find it as versatile or inspiring as the Microbass. Almost got a tone hammer instead of the Microbass but the 18V put me off. It seems pretty darn amazing though if their TLC comp is anything to go by - really great bass comp.

What does your board look like? Not sure if you posted here before I'm pretty new

 

[glassmoon]

• Not sure if I'll need to add a buffer too cuz the cables are pretty long.
  
  • Patch cables are all that is needed - a few inches for the most part. In the past, I've had a foot long cable from send to the first effect and it caused no issues at all. I've recorded with it and that loop is quiet and doesn't mess with the tone at all.
• I had the MXR Bass DI before this and just didn't find it as versatile or inspiring as the Microbass.
  • Versatile yes, I'd agree. The MXR is a sweet sounding pre though. I've read that people said that it was too transparent, but I really don't know how that would be - surely transparent is what you want to achieve??
• Almost got a tone hammer instead of the Microbass but the 18V put me off.
  • Fortunately my DC Brick has 18v outs, so that was easy enough - but yeah, if it doesn't come with a power supply it's a problem.
• It seems pretty darn amazing though if their TLC comp is anything to go by - really great bass comp.
  • It is - totally!!
• What does your board look like? Not sure if you posted here before I'm pretty new
  • Recently posted, but just for you hahahaha
    

 

[Adamixoye]

SIGNAL CHAIN:
Bass/Guitar -->
Digitech Drop -->
Boss SY-300 -->
LOOP -->
[Panda Audio Future Impact] -->
Eventide H9 Max -->
LOOP -->
[Source Audio Aftershock -->
Source Audio Manta Bass Filter -->
Empress Compressor -->
Empress Heavy -->
Empress Multidrive] -->
Eventide H9 Core -->
LOOP -->
[Zoom MS-100BT
Source Audio Nemesis] -->
Darkglass B7K Ultra -->
Pigtronix Infinity Looper -->
Singular Sound Beat Buddy -->
Bass/Guitar Amps

MIDI CHAIN:
Livid Guitar Wing (via Bluetooth) -->
MIDI Designer on iPad (via Bluetooth) -->
Zivix PUC+ -->
Singular Sound Beat Buddy [merged] -->
Source Audio Reflex [merged] -->
Boss SY-300 -->
MIDI Solutions Quadra Thru -->
[Source Audio Hub,
Pigtronix Infinity Looper,
Panda Audio Future Impact,
Eventide H9 Max --> Eventide H9 Core --> Source Audio Nemesis]

EXPRESSION AND AUXILIARY CONTROL:
Source Audio Reflex --> Eventide H9 Max (via MIDI)
Source Audio Reflex --> Eventide H9 Core (via MIDI)
Source Audio Reflex --> Panda Audio Future Impact (via MIDI)
Source Audio Reflex --> Source Audio Hub (via 1/4" TRS)
Source Audio Reflex --> Boss SY-300 (via 1/4" TRS)
Source Audio HH3 --> Source Audio Hub (via 1/8" TRRS)
Source Audio Hub --> Source Audio Aftershock and Source Audio Bass Manta Filter
Custom Momentary Dual Footswitch --> Singular Sound Beat Buddy
Custom Momentary Dual Footswitch --> Pigtronix Infinity Looper
Custom Patch Bay --> Allows 2nd Board into SY-300 Loop with Future Impact

BOARD AND POWER:
PT-Pro
Mono Soft Case
Voodoo Labs Pedal Power Mondo
MXR ISO-Brick
EBS Flat Cables
BTPA and One Control MIDI Cables
Homemade TRS Cables

 

[Flabzilla]

SIGNAL CHAIN:
Bass/Guitar -->
Digitech Drop -->
Boss SY-300 -->
LOOP -->
[Panda Audio Future Impact] -->
Eventide H9 Max -->
LOOP -->
[Source Audio Aftershock -->
Source Audio Manta Bass Filter -->
Empress Compressor -->
Empress Heavy -->
Empress Multidrive] -->
Eventide H9 Core -->
LOOP -->
[Zoom MS-100BT
Source Audio Nemesis] -->
Darkglass B7K Ultra -->
Pigtronix Infinity Looper -->
Singular Sound Beat Buddy -->
Bass/Guitar Amps

MIDI CHAIN:
Livid Guitar Wing (via Bluetooth) -->
MIDI Designer on iPad (via Bluetooth) -->
Zivix PUC+ -->
Singular Sound Beat Buddy [merged] -->
Source Audio Reflex [merged] -->
Boss SY-300 -->
MIDI Solutions Quadra Thru -->
[Source Audio Hub,
Pigtronix Infinity Looper,
Panda Audio Future Impact,
Eventide H9 Max --> Eventide H9 Core --> Source Audio Nemesis]

EXPRESSION AND AUXILIARY CONTROL:
Source Audio Reflex --> Eventide H9 Max (via MIDI)
Source Audio Reflex --> Eventide H9 Core (via MIDI)
Source Audio Reflex --> Panda Audio Future Impact (via MIDI)
Source Audio Reflex --> Source Audio Hub (via 1/4" TRS)
Source Audio Reflex --> Boss SY-300 (via 1/4" TRS)
Source Audio HH3 --> Source Audio Hub (via 1/8" TRRS)
Source Audio Hub --> Source Audio Aftershock and Source Audio Bass Manta Filter
Custom Momentary Dual Footswitch --> Singular Sound Beat Buddy
Custom Momentary Dual Footswitch --> Pigtronix Infinity Looper
Custom Patch Bay --> Allows 2nd Board into SY-300 Loop with Future Impact

BOARD AND POWER:
PT-Pro
Mono Soft Case
Voodoo Labs Pedal Power Mondo
MXR ISO-Brick
EBS Flat Cables
BTPA and One Control MIDI Cables
Homemade TRS Cables

Comprehensive.

Any idea what it all weighs?

 

[Adamixoye]

Comprehensive.

Any idea what it all weighs?

No clue.

My bigger annoyance is that it's hard to get up and down the stairs.