SumOne

I am really liking the C4, I just wish it had a bit more hardware control as there's so much going on, at a minimum to be able to use the 'alt' for control 1 and 2. Feels like this size pedal and controls works for the Aftershock, and perhaps the Spectrum, but the C4 needs more hardware control if you don't want to keep hooking up your phone/laptop or buying additional controllers. Ideally for me it would be the same size as something like the Collider (6 knobs, 2 footswitches, 2 toggle switches), and include a patch number indicator or a small screen like on the small Zoom pedals. In fact, Zoom pedals like the MS60B manage to give a lot of control and information for low cost in a small enclosure. I guess there's the option to add something like the disaster area footswitch and a midi controller with knobs - but doing both of those doubles the cost and uses more space than if the C4 had a bit more hardware control and information. I think I'll be in the market at least for a Disaster Area micro midi in a few months.

Excellent, thanks. I have just started mucking about editing so will get onto that. I'm pretty sure that with a bit of time doing things like that the C4 will cover everything the M82 and Octamizer did, plus all the additional synth stuff makes for a great pedal.

It's a great synth pedal. The only other synth pedal I've owned is the Boss SYB-5 - the C4 does all those sounds and countless more with very low latency and good tracking. Using it to replace an Octamizer and MXR M82 is a slightly more tricky choice: Octaver: I'd gone through a lot of octave pedals to get to the Aguilar Octamizer which I think has the most usable and natural (least synthy) octave down tones, also can be ran clean to use as a tone control. I haven't found a C4 preset (yet) that replicates the Octamizer, some things very close though. This isn't a deal breaker as I usually use an Octaver with something like distortion or filter after it so the subtleties get lost anyway. Envelope filter: It does loads of envelope filter very well. Thanks to Quatschmacher for the 'Purple 2' which is the best I've found at replicating the M82 and is very very close. There's possibly a slight bit of M82's mojo that gets lost- perhaps that's down to the limited hands on control, or is me being sentimental and I'll just need more time to get used to it. The main issue I can see is that to fully replace my Octave and filter pedals like-for-like would need the ability to click with my foot for either/or both - I'd need an extra footswitch (like disaster area micro midi), a workaround is I have 3 separate toggle switch presets assigned (filter, octaver, octaver + filter), it's not quite the same as clicking by foot though. And to get all their knob controls to hand I'd also need some type of midi controller.....price creeps up and any pedal board space saving gets lost. Also has: Distortion: Good range of distortion, probably won't be replacing any of my distortion pedals but is decent enough. Tremolo: Can work well as a tremolo pedal, I'd like time-based effects like echo but they don't seem to be an option. Quatschmacher's Upright sounds. ....and probably loads of other things I haven't found yet. The C4 is a certainly a keeper, a great synth pedal. It doesn't fully replace all the hands-on control of separate Octaver and Filter pedals but adding some additional control pedals could mostly solve that. I guess in my ideal world the C4 would have some extra mappable knobs, and an extra footswitch or two go through presets - obviously that would make it bigger and more expensive though and can buy those controllers separately so can't really complain.

Perfect!

Nice! Well deserved. So far so good but I've only spent a couple of hours on it. I'll be happy if I get a decent sounding envelope filter, octaver, octaver+envelope filter, and the upright sound - and your presets seem to cover that! Bonus if I can get some Parliament 'Flashlight' synth (which I expect is possible), and using it just for time based effects seems like a good possibility too.

I was on the fence about trading my octave pedal and envelope filter to cover the cost of a C4 (or perhaps Spectrum) as I thought they're the things I'd mostly use it for rather than other synth sounds, then I heard what you'd done with this Upright sound and was definitely sold- my C4 arrived a few hours ago and within about 10 minutes I was trying some of your presets: Good work, I hope you get some sort of commission!

Cheers for the input everyone. I went for something I wasn't considering this morning: the MXR Brown Acid Fuzz - I'm a fan of MXR pedals and as it's new rather than 2nd hand or imported/custom built it's not really a hassle to just return it if it's not right...I'm fussy so might well return it. Realised the other day that I return about three quarters of all the pedals I buy and have sold quite a few others after owning them for a year or so. Currently have 6 pedals and have owned about 30, so only about 1 in 5 stick around long-term. I'm expecting I might need to get a 2nd hand LS2 at some point.

Yeah, I think this is the way forward. Anyone selling EHX Green Russian (or perhaps the Way Huge Russian Pickle, or possibly Orange Fur Coat) , LS2, multiband EQ, give me a shout. Or perhaps Cog will be able to somehow magic this into one pedal for me, but I imagine it will be more cost and less flexible than getting 3 separate pedals.

Cheers. Yeah I'm now thinking a mixture of pedals is probably my best option: Start with something fairly cheap like the EHX Green Russian which has a great tone for just Bass then perhaps add an LS2 for some clean mixed in to help definition and thump, and EQ pedal for the mids when it needs to cut through the mix. This does man my shopping list is now 3 pedals rather than one! But it's about the same price as getting the Hoof, and has the added flexibility of potentially being able to use the LS2 and EQ for other pedals.

^^^^ Thanks for that, very helpful. The issue of the EHX Green Russian working in the mix is what I was worried about. I think the tone is pretty much exactly what I'd want if just listening to Bass, but would want to also be able to enhance the mids to cut through in a mix. It's a shame the deluxe doesn't have the same tone. It's good to hear that the Way Huge is decent, that possibly makes the £125 price tag vs EHX £75 justified. I couldn't make out much difference via Youtube between the two but it's difficult to compare without playing them yourself. I've sent a message to Cog to see about Tarkin availability, at £130 it's probably worth it at £5 more than the Way Huge to have mid switches. Possibly they could do something custom like add a sweepable mid (but that probably starts getting too expensive). The Hoof seems decent but at £160 I'm not sure that's justified. For that price I could get the EHX and an EQ pedal after it to boost mids. The Orange Fur Coat (£110) also seems interesting, but loses low end when the Octave (up) is used.

Nice one. I think I might be overthinking it a bit, obsessing over fuzz while I should be working from home during lockdown! But yeah, the EHX deluxe Sovtek might be what I need for my slightly OCD pickyness about fuzz (also ideally trying to keep pedals small to have as many as possible on my board though!). I'm interested in 2nd hand so give me a shout if you sell any, I'm considering anything in the list above, or possibly others.

I've had the EHX Bass Big Muff (and deluxe) but am looking for something a bit smother and fatter sounding, warm fuzzy harmonics without being synthy or farty- which I think leads me to the Green Russian. My search has led to: - EHX Green Russian - Earthquaker Hoof - COG Tarkin - Way Huge Russian Pickle EHX sounds good but is it too muddy not having mid control? Same with Way huge. Because of that I'm leaning towards the Tarkin with its mid switches, but it costs nearly double the EHX and has at least 6 week wait time. Or perhaps the Hoof, but that costs even more. Any other suggestions?

Something about the Aftershock didn't do it for me. I bought it to replace a big muff and an overdrive but I found it wasn't quite as good at either of them - very close though. It's a good versatile pedal but perhaps jack of all trades and master of none? Possibly that's me being unfair and its a mental thing: I might have been put off by too much choice and endless fine tuning - too much mucking about via laptop and phone when I'm trying to get away from them when playing Bass. It gave a feel of being clinical rather than soulful/musical analog pedals that you learn idiosyncrasies and what works with them in a way that feels more like learning a musical instrument than how to programme software.