Synths gated distortion/fuzz needed!

[alstocko]

Hey guys,

Just seen that shep has sold his meat grinder (I fancied that!) so I'm looking for my own synthy fuzz to compliment my setup. I hear that gated sound is something I may be looking for but I don't know much about this stuff so feel free to educate me!

Thanks,

Alec

[Roland Rock]

It might be a bit misleading to refer to the gated fuzz sound as 'synthy'. Of course it all depends what you think of when you think of a synth. The fuzz doesn't sound 'electronic', but is harsh and glitchy, and if you play softly you may get no noise at all.
IMO it sounds more synthy when paired with an envelope filter, or LPF with expression pedal - that frequency sweep of the gated fuzz sounds great.

The Wooly Mammoth is supposed to be one of the best, but apparently doesn't do well with active basses. The Mastotron is really good, and I'm currently using the Iron Ether Oxide which I love.

[Bo0tsy]

The Chunk Systems Brown Dog Gated Fuzz can get quite synthy, indeed the drive knob even has "fuzzy" to "synthy" settings. Super Freq is right though, you really need an envelope filter directly after the gated fuzz, to get a more smooth electronic synth sound.

[thisnameistaken]

I love the Brown Dog. It's clearly intended to be used with a low-pass filter because it doesn't even have a tone control on it.

[paul_5]

Yup, the Woolly Mammoth really doesn't play nicely with active basses. It's [i]very[/i] good with passives though.

[Byo]

+1 on the Brown Dog, love mine.

IE Oxide could be another option.

I have a Copilot FX Orbit and it has some cool features on it too, maybe worth checking out.

Edited August 27, 2014 by Byo

[Protium]

[quote name='paul_5' timestamp='1409090954' post='2536335']
Yup, the Woolly Mammoth really doesn't play nicely with active basses. It's [i]very[/i] good with passives though.
[/quote]

+1 I miss my clone, need to build another one of these

[thisnameistaken]

For the record I don't really use a fuzz any more. I do have the Brown Dog circuit in my Octavius Squeezer which I use in one band that I do, but I use it more for Bootsy-ish funk sounds than anything else. I have a synth-modded OC-2 that I much prefer to feed into a filter for dirty electro sounds, and also an IE Frantabit which I'd originally bought hoping it would replace my sample rate reducer. It wasn't good enough to do that but the bitcrusher side of it makes a great broken-digital-sounding fuzz effect.

[paul_5]

[quote name='Protium' timestamp='1409175404' post='2537238']
+1 I miss my clone, need to build another one of these
[/quote]

me too. I'm all about my Coloursound Bass Fuzz clone at the moment, but the Mammoths are so small; it'd be rude not to squeeze one in [i]somewhere[/i]...

[phagor]

I also have the Iron Ether Oxide. It's a great gated fuzz, and does sound very synthy with an envelope filter and a bit of chorus. Like all gated fuzzes, it can be a little tricky to dial it in - sometime it will miss some quiet notes or be glitching wildly depending on how you set it.

It's off my board at the moment, replaced by an Iron Ether Subterranea, which isn't as clipped as a gated fuzz, but way more flexible.

[Lebowsky]

Iron Ether Oxide if you can find one. Or a Malekko Diabolik.

edit: there's an Oxide in the Marketplace right now...

Edited September 2, 2014 by Lebowsky

[Guest monsterthompson]

[quote name='Bo0tsy' timestamp='1409089118' post='2536311']
The Chunk Systems Brown Dog Gated Fuzz can get quite synthy, indeed the drive knob even has "fuzzy" to "synthy" settings. Super Freq is right though, you really need an envelope filter directly after the gated fuzz, to get a more smooth electronic synth sound.
[/quote]

I was just here to suggest the Brown Dog for gated effect
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WX6dfVJCjCA

I've had good luck with my MXR Bass Envelope Filter into a Way Huge Pork Loin. I just added a Bearfoot BBBOD and have yet to try it with the MXR.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llI-zB9He0E

I also just went for face melt factor and snagged an Idiot Box Bass Blower (en route).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbIFevxp-1Q

[Roland Rock]

[quote name='phagor' timestamp='1409224748' post='2537657']
I also have the Iron Ether Oxide. It's a great gated fuzz, and does sound very synthy with an envelope filter and a bit of chorus. Like all gated fuzzes, it can be a little tricky to dial it in - sometime it will miss some quiet notes or be glitching wildly depending on how you set it.

It's off my board at the moment, replaced by an Iron Ether Subterranea, which isn't as clipped as a gated fuzz, but way more flexible.
[/quote]

I've just received my Subterranea today and am very very impressed. I think that the Oxide might be coming off!

[phagor]

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1410207562' post='2547196']
I've just received my Subterranea today and am very very impressed. I think that the Oxide might be coming off!
[/quote]

We might both be sticking our Oxides in the Effects for Sale forum! Loving my Sub...

[Tuco]

I'll buy it