Filter Quest!

[dannybuoy]

I'm on a bit of a filter quest at the mo, having recently tried the following:[list]
[*][b]Zoom B1Xon:[/b] I'd always loved the 'Z-Tron' model of the Q-Tron in this - this was my benchmark. For £39 for the B1on, I think this is the best value envelope filter going and I prefer it to everything else I've gone through except a real Q-Tron!
[*][b]MXR M82:[/b] Sounds great but not as fat as the Mutron/Q-Tron lowpass filters. Clean blend makes it great as a subtle filter or for letting the original attack through with slap.
[*][b]Keeley Neutrino: [/b]I thought this would be the one, but I found it wasn't as fat and squelchy as the Zoom, and the sensitivity control is actually a gain control that affects output volume, meaning when you turn it down to suit a hot bass, you result in a volume drop when engaging the pedal.
[*][b]3Leaf Proton: [/b]A nice filter, just not as juicy or expressive as what I was used to from the Zoom.
[*][b]3Leaf Wonderlove:[/b] I found this hard to dial in a good sound, and it just didn't float my boat.
[*][b]EHX Enigma:[/b] Big volume spike with this at the low part of the sweep, plus a volume boost when turned on. Again not as fat as the Q-Tron model in the Zoom unit. Very versatile though with lots of control on offer.
[*][b]EHX Mini Q-Tron:[/b] Not the current Micro Q-Tron but the older one, ironically the biggest pedal I own so not what I would call 'mini'! I saw one of these on Ratman's board in the post-your-pedal-board thread which peaked my interest, and after some research it seems this particular model gets a lot of love, some even preferring it over the original Mutron. Searched for one of these yesterday and was lucky enough to find one on the Gumtree, and it arrived this morning. It has everything I loved about the Zoom but sounds even deeper and fatter, so it's the current king for me. It does suffer from a volume boost so I will be modding it to fit a standard power connector and master volume control, and maybe even true bypass depending on how the bypass is (still need to test that out yet).
[/list]


The Neutrino and Enigma are going to be returned (I got the Enigma as B-stock from Thomann at a good price, so if anyone wants to try it for the same price I paid they are welcome). The M82 and might be going up for sale also. The only other combatant to enter the battle is the 3Leaf Groove Regulator which I nabbed from the classifieds which should hopefully be with me soon!

[edpirie]

I'll be interested to hear how you get on with the Groove Regulator. Is it v1 or v2? I have the GR2 which has a blend control, and I do tend to use it with the blend somewhere around 2 o'clock i.e. more on than off but still not full effect. This is my favourite EF yet, and I've owned original Mutron, HazLabs Mutron, QTron, Meatball, Pigtronix, EBS BassIQ, DOD FX25... Haven't tried the Wonderlove but you're far from the only one to find it hard to dial in, whereas the GR/GR2 are much more user-friendly while still giving a lot of scope for dialling in different sounds. You can get lovely dubby sounds, fat squelch, and quite sharp wah tones if you want.

[dannybuoy]

It's a GR1. Not sure which serial number yet, but apparently after #144 they were modded to have extra resonance (which is why some claim they prefer the wetter sound of the GR2). So hoping it's a later model, if not I may contact Spencer for mod instructions!

Edited March 21, 2015 by dannybuoy

[burno70]

I've owned the old EHX Q-Tron and the EBS IQ and ended up with a Robot Factory Meatwad which was absolutely brilliant -- so many sweet spots, it couldn't half quack! Only got rid as I'd left my funk rock band and joined a prog rock outfit so it wasn't getting any use. They're quite rare but if you get the chance to swoop on one, they're well worth checking out.

[ratman]

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1426950260' post='2723884']
It does suffer from a volume boost so I will be modding it to fit a standard power connector and master volume control, and maybe even true bypass depending on how the bypass is (still need to test that out yet).[/quote]
That's the one thing that bugs me with my Mini Q-Tron, the volume jump. I've used it in loops where I've had an EQ pedal set up to bring the volume down, but then that adds a couple more pedals onto my board, and that's not worth losing the space for me. And the Q-Tron is big enough by itself! Are you planning on modding yours yourself? I'd be interested to hear how that works out for you. I may do the same to mine at some point.

[dannybuoy]

Yes I will be modding it for sure, when time permits! I did a master volume mod to a Bass Big Muff so shouldn't be too much different to that. I plan to put the mode switch inside permanently set to LP then re-use the same hole and knob for the volume pot!

[Corvine]

Any idea how the WMD Super Fatman compares to the other filters you've mentioned above?
I mostly use a Q-Tron but have been eyeing up a Fatman recently, wondering if it's worth spending the money to try one out.

[dannybuoy]

I had the original (non-super) Fatman a few years ago. I felt the range control was too narrow - I could set it so that it had a nice low end sweep but then it didn't sweep high enough. It sounded great for low subby 'womp!' style noises for electronic music / jungle / dubstep though. The Super Fatman has a similar control but no idea how similar it is in operation.

[Corvine]

Ok, thanks. Doing drum n bass type stuff so sounds like it might be worth having a go with one.

[dannybuoy]

In that case I would definitely check out the Manta as well then!

[Corvine]

Is that the Soundblox pedal?

[dannybuoy]

That's the one. Hard to beat for D&B with the built in distortion and hot hand control ring:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C6ol6syUJo

[Corvine]

Does the Manta do stuff that the Soundblox BEF Pro doesn't? Think they mentioned there's some sort of distortion options built into it or something like that.

[Bigwan]

The Mini Qtron will be hard to beat - really fat and juicy. I modded 2 for Gareth Hughes of this parish to include a volume control - on one I took out the mode switch and put a pot in its place since it was always being run in low pass anyway. On the other I drilled a little hole and fitted a mini trim pot.

One thing to note is that the mini qtron seems to be about the most unreliable pedal ever constructed, so if you go down that route buy a spare. I have one of the aforementioned modded pedals back with me to tinker with (when I get some free time) as it refuses to work half the time. Trying to figure out a way to ruggidise the design a bit. Probably start with off board pots and a rehouse (once I find a suitable enclosure!). There's absolutely no need for these pedals to be that size...

[mcnach]

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1426950260' post='2723884']
I'm on a bit of a filter quest at the mo, having recently tried the following:[list]
[*][b]Zoom B1Xon:[/b] I'd always loved the 'Z-Tron' model of the Q-Tron in this - this was my benchmark. For £39 for the B1on, I think this is the best value envelope filter going and I prefer it to everything else I've gone through except a real Q-Tron!
[*][b]MXR M82:[/b] Sounds great but not as fat as the Mutron/Q-Tron lowpass filters. Clean blend makes it great as a subtle filter or for letting the original attack through with slap.
[*][b]Keeley Neutrino: [/b]I thought this would be the one, but I found it wasn't as fat and squelchy as the Zoom, and the sensitivity control is actually a gain control that affects output volume, meaning when you turn it down to suit a hot bass, you result in a volume drop when engaging the pedal.
[*][b]3Leaf Proton: [/b]A nice filter, just not as juicy or expressive as what I was used to from the Zoom.
[*][b]3Leaf Wonderlove:[/b] I found this hard to dial in a good sound, and it just didn't float my boat.
[*][b]EHX Enigma:[/b] Big volume spike with this at the low part of the sweep, plus a volume boost when turned on. Again not as fat as the Q-Tron model in the Zoom unit. Very versatile though with lots of control on offer.
[*][b]EHX Mini Q-Tron:[/b] Not the current Micro Q-Tron but the older one, ironically the biggest pedal I own so not what I would call 'mini'! I saw one of these on Ratman's board in the post-your-pedal-board thread which peaked my interest, and after some research it seems this particular model gets a lot of love, some even preferring it over the original Mutron. Searched for one of these yesterday and was lucky enough to find one on the Gumtree, and it arrived this morning. It has everything I loved about the Zoom but sounds even deeper and fatter, so it's the current king for me. It does suffer from a volume boost so I will be modding it to fit a standard power connector and master volume control, and maybe even true bypass depending on how the bypass is (still need to test that out yet).
[/list]

The Neutrino and Enigma are going to be returned (I got the Enigma as B-stock from Thomann at a good price, so if anyone wants to try it for the same price I paid they are welcome). The M82 and might be going up for sale also. The only other combatant to enter the battle is the 3Leaf Groove Regulator which I nabbed from the classifieds which should hopefully be with me soon!
[/quote]


I'd look at the EBS Bassiq and the Aguilar Filter Twin. I was on a similar quest a while ago, and I ended up with the Filter Twin... but recently I finally tried the Bassiq (it escaped me before) and it's a really really nice pedal too.

Additionally, if size is not a problem, the Source Audio Bass Envelope Filter, the first one, is really good. Some filters are hard to control with massive volume spikes, or they add too much bottom end, or rob it... The SA BEF is very well behaved and very easy to use yet incredibly versatile. I ended up using only a couple of the many different models it has, and it's my favourite. It only stays away from my pedal board due to size constraints, but I use it in the big one. It's quite cheap now, after they brought out the Manta pedal.

[dannybuoy]

Heard lots of praise for the Aguilar but haven't really been tickled by any of the clips I've heard. The Source Audio stuff looks great but I really only want an easily adjustable (i.e. no presets or fiddly menus but still with as few knobs as possible) Mutron/Meatball type of filter.

The Groove Regulator came in today. I like it a lot, but I think I prefer the Mini Q-Tron more, it has more going on in the top end due to the mild distortion it introduces. Hard to say for sure as the volume boost of the Q-Tron could be fooling my brain (louder = better when it comes to most A/B tests!).

Really want to try the Discumbobulator next - if anyone wants to lend me theirs in exchange for a Groove Regulator let me know!

[Bo0tsy]

It's funny how different people's opinions are when it comes to envelope filters! I have the Micro-Q Tron (which ostensibly is meant to be the same circuit as the Mini-Q Tron but in a smaller enclosure, and it's the mild distortion & volume spike that I dislike. TBH, I find the Micro Q-Tron a bit of an untameable beast (even after fiddling around endlessly with the internal trim pot). The Emma DiscumBOBulator, on the other hand, is more subtle & controllable, with no discernible volume boost, and allows the warm tone of your bass through. It can get Mu-tron-like quacky but is not what I'd call a squelchy/wet filter by any means.

[xgsjx]

For DnB or electronica, try the Moog MF-101. It's big, it's not cheap, it won't happily she a PSU, but it is a moog filter & sounds the biz.

[dannybuoy]

[quote name='Bo0tsy' timestamp='1427124453' post='2726041']
It's funny how different people's opinions are when it comes to envelope filters! I have the Micro-Q Tron (which ostensibly is meant to be the same circuit as the Mini-Q Tron but in a smaller enclosure, and it's the mild distortion & volume spike that I dislike. TBH, I find the Micro Q-Tron a bit of an untameable beast (even after fiddling around endlessly with the internal trim pot). The Emma DiscumBOBulator, on the other hand, is more subtle & controllable, with no discernible volume boost, and allows the warm tone of your bass through. It can get Mu-tron-like quacky but is not what I'd call a squelchy/wet filter by any means.
[/quote]

I hear that the Micro is supposed to sound different to the Mini - there's no volume spike on my Mini (like there was with the Enigma) and the distortion is very mild and warm, whereas I hear it's harsher on the Micro.

[mtroun]

I find the wonderlove works a lot better on my cheapo p bass (which has a very hot output) than my stingray

[Toasted]

I did all this years ago. To my ears the best was the Moog with the expression pedal with an honourable mention to the Frostwave Funk-a-duck which was [i]mental[/i].

[Bo0tsy]

Here’s the list of Envelope Filters I’ve tried:

[b]Mu-FX Mu-Tron 3x[/b] (or Tru-Tron as they’re known in the U.S.) – for me this is THE envelope filter to beat. It can do subtle or extreme, can be very quacky, or squelchy. On the ‘Mu’ setting it can do everything the original Mu-Tron can do but then there’s a lot more: The ‘Pre’-setting engages a built in pre-amp, giving you separate controls for envelope drive and preamp. The new Mu also has a Mix-setting to mix in the tone of your bass with the filter, has really strong down-sweep, sand a filter range high/low switch (high is good for funk solos). The downside with the Mu-Tron 3x is that it's not very pedal board friendly, still fairly big, & has its own external 12v AC adapter.

[b]Chunk Systems OS [/b]– ostensibly the same filter a the Agent 00Funk but throw in a mix of Octaver, Fuzz, Synth and Filter effects, build your own patches and up to 50 presets. For flexibility alone, this is my favourite pedal. The UI stinks though!

[b]Chunk Systems Agent 00Funk [/b]– the wettest, gloopiest, slurpiest filter I’ve ever tried. Sounds nothing like a Mu-Tron though and the knobs are very sensitive, change a setting slightly and you get a completely different effect. The down-sweep is not the strongest or easiest to dial in though.

[b]Emma DiscumBOBulator[/b] –The inverse of the Chunk Systems pedals, subtle, quacky rather than wet, the tone of your bass really comes through with the filter and it’s very easy to dial-in. One of my favourites, I like it for it's subtlety.

[b]Russian Bassballs[/b] – Nice vocal sounding filter with an added distortion switch. Bit of a one-trick pony, but what it does it does well.

[b]EHX Stereo Talking Machine[/b] – so many options on this formant filter. Sounds unlike any other filter I’ve come across, a lot of fun though I don’t know if you’d ever use many of the effects. The Bassballs effect sounds more digital than the standalone Bassballs though, (the STM is digital not analogue) and some of the effects lose a bit of bottom end.

[b]3Leaf Proton[/b] – Not as warm & expressive as the Emma or as fat or extreme as a Mu-Tron 3x. Was a bit disappointed with it so I sold it on.

[b]EBS BassIQ [/b]– Solid enough but a bit bland with some muddy sounding mids. Sold it on.

[b]Micro Q-Tron[/b] – untameable, peaky, distorty, with a big volume boost when you switch it on. I keep it for sentimental reasons as it was my first ever pedal.

I would love to try a Frostwave Funk-A-Duck – have heard mixed reports about it on bass, some say it’s the “holy grail” of envelope filters, other’s state it’s hard to dial in and is a very extreme effect with sub-lows that could do some serious damage to your amp!

[dannybuoy]

Mini Q-Tron is here to stay, Groove Regulator is awesome but just not as squelchy, so it's going up for sale along with the MXR later. Fighting the urge to order a TruTron 3X, the GAS is there but I can't justify $400 when I am happy with the QT!

[Bass Pedal Geek]

My personal favorite is the old Boss FT-2. I did a review of it and currently it actually tops the list :-) Well, the list is quite new, so I don't say it's the best pedal ever, but I do like it a lot! I put in some sound clips as well, so you're welcome to give it a quick listen here:

http://bass-pedals.com/boss-ft-2-dynamic-filter-review.html

[Bo0tsy]

[quote name='Bass Pedal Geek' timestamp='1427201175' post='2726993']
My personal favorite is the old Boss FT-2. I did a review of it and currently it actually tops the list :-) Well, the list is quite new, so I don't say it's the best pedal ever, but I do like it a lot! I put in some sound clips as well, so you're welcome to give it a quick listen here:

http://bass-pedals.com/boss-ft-2-dynamic-filter-review.html
[/quote] Nice review. I've not tried one of these before. The sound clips of the Boss FT-2 make it sound like a stellar filter.