Boss oc-2 question

[Damonjames]

Hey guys, I recently picked up a boss oc-2 pedal from here and have a question about settings. I saw Scott Devines video on pedals and used his settings which I think where left octave off right octave full and line off (can't remember which knob is octave one and two sorry).
I really like the sound, but it seems very bassy and appears to drop in output level. Does anyone have any other suggestions to give it a little lift without having to play with the eq on the amp head?
Cheers

[phagor]

The OC2 works by controlling your bass signal with a signal an octave (or two) down, so you can get a brighter sound by putting more high frequencies in - don't be afraid to open up your tone or treble control on your bass. Having said that, the octave sounds are filtered, so they're never going to be that bright.

I get some boost from the octave knobs - I don't need to turn them up much above 12 o'clock. Difficult to judge, because the bass heavy octave sounds seem louder than the direct level, but you need plenty of level to cut through in a band situation.

Maybe also try a distortion or fuzz before the OC2 - you will get the brighter, louder tone out of the octaves, although it may affect tracking.

[bobbass4k]

What do you have the direct level set to? That's probably responsible for your drop in output level and very bassy signal.

Generally, octave 2 (the left knob) should be off, unless you're playing very high up the neck it just produces pure mud. Usually you'll want direct level (the smaller knob in the middle) quite high and octave 1 a little lower for a good octave down harmony, although direct level off and octave 1 all the way up can be fun too.

[Sibob]

Yeah I run the Octave 2 full off and Octave 1 full on. The direct signal depends on the gig, standard pop/rock gigs I run it at about 3 or 4 o'clock. If something a bit more dub/synth is required, full off, mmmmmmm .
If you have an older Octaver OC-2 (note the additional 'R'), they did have a small gain drop. The newer Octave OC-2 should be pretty much unity.

Si

[Damonjames]

Thanks for the replies! Will have a bit of a play and see what I can get

[thisnameistaken]

Depending on your amp, with the -1 octave up and the direct signal off, you might find there's a drop in level - it's because much of the grunt of the OC-2 is really low down and without a big amp you won't get the full effect. I usually run a little boost before mine, partly to deal with the perceived loss in volume but also because often when I turn on the OC-2 I want it to be a bit louder and more forward in the mix.

Also while at first it seems to make the same sound regardless of the tone of your bass, you will find that if you feed it more treble you will get some slightly higher frequencies back from the octave sound, which will give it more character. The down side is that it tracks better if you give it a signal with very little treble content to it. Experiment!

Edited March 31, 2013 by thisnameistaken

[Sibob]

Totally agreed, if you haven't got an amp that is going to fairly represent the sub that the OC-2 kicks out, you may perceive that as a volume drop. Your ears expect to hear the mids of the direct signal, so when you take that away, and perhaps miss all the lows its kicking out, it could leave you wanting.

Si