If you could only choose one octave pedal

[lee650]

I love Octavers and my favourite is still the OC2 I used one for many years until it was stolen. I then tried the EBS which I loved, it's very clean and smooth with a great sub tone and tracks brilliantly! Not a very synthy sound though. I then had an OC3 which was ok but just didn't sound as good as the OC2,it did track well though. I then got the Aguilar which just has a fantastic tone and tons of variation, I loved it. I did find it didn't track as well as the Ebs ,it's a big pedal too.
I went back to an OC2 and instantly went "there's my sound again" as I primarily use octaves to emulate synth, I then very foolishly traded the OC2 😖
I currently have an EBS and is forgotten how good it is,very deep and smooth,I was about to buy another OC2 to compliment the Ebs when Simon's excellent video persuaded me to buy a COG T16! It's now my favourite octave. Absolutely great tone and very versatile with the filter (it sounds amazing with my wonderlove) it tracks really well,gets very close to an OC2 tone and it's TINY!!!!! I'm now considering a custom cog T47 now as i love it. Settled on the cog and Ebs for the mo but I still plan to get another OC2 as every bassist should have one 😁

I've never tried the MXR or 3 leaf but they are on my list to try,I've read that the MXR is very gritty and aggressive,so that would sound great in certain situations,the 3 leaf sounds amazing on demos but it's sooo expensive.

Anyway good luck with the search,Probably best to buy all of them 😂

Edited March 19, 2017 by lee650

[Highfox]

brain - fart, sorry.

Edited March 19, 2017 by Highfox

[krispn]

[quote name='krispn' timestamp='1489914595' post='3260697']
Been interesting reading. Doing some new stuff with a guy who's got a club/jazzy background and looking at having an octave effect to recreate some of his stuff. I'll be checking out the video clips later with headphones.
[/quote]

Cheers Andy

[krispn]

At about 3:08 in this video is something i was thinking about.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI5Eg5Whu-8

[dannybuoy]

[quote name='krispn' timestamp='1489926624' post='3260828']
At about 3:08 in this video is something i was thinking about.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI5Eg5Whu-8
[/quote]

That tone is precisely what I was looking for and found in the Octabvre Mini! I felt the T16 filter knob varied between pure sine wave sub and something fuzzier, but couldn't find a sweet spot that nailed that particular tone.

[krispn]

The Aguilar does appeal but maybe that Oct Mini is worth a look.

[CameronJ]

[quote name='Left Foot' timestamp='1489664135' post='3258722']
EHX HOG, simple. An absolute genius pedal.


[/quote]

This looks amazing but it also looks huge! I'm definitely intrigued though.

[Dood]

TC Sub n' Up! Did I say that already? I'm sure I recommended it somewhere.

[Al Krow]

Hah dood - not on this thread Only one vote for Sub'n'Up - from Japhet. You did eulogise at length on the multi-effects vs single effects thread. And you both think it is the best tracker since Sherlock Holmes. My first amp was a TC BG 250 which also had the Toneprint function...just couldn't ever see myself using in a live situation (get phone out, dial up the right tone, pray that the amp picks it up over the ambient pub noise, meanwhile try to avoid eye contact with the crowd and hope not to look like some techy weirdo...).

But I'm very intrigued by the EHX Pog 2, which I have just come across. Is it really worth >£100 more than the MXR 288 which the OP and probably me as well have got our eye on?

Edited March 28, 2017 by Al Krow

[dannybuoy]

It's a different class of effect. I don't like the sound of digital octavers, but if you need polyphonic tracking or non-fuzzy octave up, you need one.

If you want a zero latency octave down with a better tone, at the expense of the odd glitch in tracking, then analog is where it's at.

[Japhet]

Of the analogue Octave pedals, I had the T16 but it wouldn't track anywhere near low enough. The Redwitch Factotum is the only one that really intrigues me.

[dannybuoy]

If an analog pedal provides an octave up, it will be like a fuzz effect rather than a pitch shifter that you'd get from a digital device. There are a few analog ones that do this, the Pearl, Foxrox Octron, Broughton Broughctave spring to mind.

I remember listening to a clip of the Factotum and the tracking was all over the place. Sounded like a mediocre octave + mediocre drive in a shiny box with a premium price tag if you ask me. But remember that's an opinion formed from one single demo, it might actually be decent!

Edited March 29, 2017 by dannybuoy

[Japhet]

The Factotum demos I've seen on Youtube don't seem to highlight any particular tracking issues - certainly not 'all over the place'. The trouble with these demos is that they are usually sponsored by the manufacturer and the demonstrator will usually stay away from any dodgy areas. I'd say check out as many of the demos for yourself as you can rather than take anyone else's word for it. You'll find some on there that get down the low end of the neck without obvious issues.

[dannybuoy]

Just re-checked the offical Factotum vid I watched before and I take it back - must not have listened on proper speakers before, but I'm not hearing those tracking warbles I thought I heard before!

[dannybuoy]

Most analog octavers will handle a low G ok, but only for short bursts - sustained notes that low down often jump an octave up and down, that warbling effect I was referring to.

[Al Krow]

Ok so this is VERY interesting. I asked Japhet to see how low the Sub n Up would comfortably track and he has kindly checked this out: it manages the low open E string (in fact it will manage down to a low C on a B string) which I don't think any analog pedals will come close to? It has the additional benefit of octave up and polyphonic settings (and a Toneprint function that I will probably never use live, but maybe fun at home). Ok so it may not have the tone of an analog pedal, but that is not the main thing I would be buying it for (I can focus on tone with a preamp / overdrive pedal which, for me, is the whole point of such a pedal).

It costs £109.

I think for all of the above reasons Dood and Japhet's votes for the Sub n Up make it a definite shortlist digital pedal and I look forward to A/Bing with a leading choice analog pedal such as the MXR M288.

Cheers guys!

[dmembra]

Has anyone tried the Tender Octaver by Mooer? It has the same layout as the nano POG (sub, up, and dry) and from what i've seen on youtube it sounds really cool and has a bit more bass. I dare say that it sounds a bit better with fuzz than the POG.

[Jus Lukin]

-

Edited February 28, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[Sibob]

[quote name='dmembra' timestamp='1491283880' post='3271736']
Has anyone tried the Tender Octaver by Mooer? It has the same layout as the nano POG (sub, up, and dry) and from what i've seen on youtube it sounds really cool and has a bit more bass. I dare say that it sounds a bit better with fuzz than the POG.
[/quote]

Yeah I run a Tender Octaver on one of my boards (alongside an OC-2 of course). I just use it for the octave up, and it's essentially the same pedal as the POG. I wonder if they managed to utilise the same algorithm, as EHX took great issue with the Tender, and so it's quite difficult to find it for sale (new at least) anymore.

Si

[Dood]

[quote name='Al Krow' timestamp='1490872104' post='3268638']
Ok so this is VERY interesting. I asked Japhet to see how low the Sub n Up would comfortably track and he has kindly checked this out: it manages the low open E string (in fact it will manage down to a low C on a B string) which I don't think any analog pedals will come close to? It has the additional benefit of octave up and polyphonic settings (and a Toneprint function that I will probably never use live, but maybe fun at home). Ok so it may not have the tone of an analog pedal, but that is not the main thing I would be buying it for (I can focus on tone with a preamp / overdrive pedal which, for me, is the whole point of such a pedal).

It costs £109.

I think for all of the above reasons Dood and Japhet's votes for the Sub n Up make it a definite shortlist digital pedal and I look forward to A/Bing with a leading choice analog pedal such as the MXR M288.

Cheers guys!
[/quote]

Yup, I recorded a clip or two on another thread of the Sub'n'Up tracking down low. It does go insanely low - easily lower than any other Octave pedal I've tried to date. The Zoom B3 model (I forget the name) easily handled a drop D - but there was another 'analogue' model on the B3 that didn't, so apologies I can't remember! The TC trumps all of those, but then I would expect that being a stand alone pitch shifting pedal rather than a multi. Who knows what goodness is under the bonnet of the B3n so I look forward to putting that through it's paces when it arrives. for now though, I am thoroughly confident the TC will go lower and not have any of the note warbles of it's analogue counterparts UNLESS you are running one of the (also insanely good) analogue models. I think people often stop at the default tones of the TC Toneprints without digging more deeply. In the case of Sub'n'Up I know that each Octaver model patch available, rather than just offer 'different settings' on the control knobs, the algorithms themselves are reconfigured. You're actually essentially getting a different pedal with each program rather than 'just another version of the same sound'.

When I get round to it, I'll pop mine off the board and do another 'tracking exercise' of the default three models.. well, maybe not the second one as it includes some crazy chorusing madness.. or something..

[dmembra]

[quote name='Sibob' timestamp='1491307502' post='3271971']
Yeah I run a Tender Octaver on one of my boards (alongside an OC-2 of course). I just use it for the octave up, and it's essentially the same pedal as the POG. I wonder if they managed to utilise the same algorithm, as EHX took great issue with the Tender, and so it's quite difficult to find it for sale (new at least) anymore.

Si
[/quote]

I was actually thinking of buying one, that's why I was asking. There are a few stores here in Greece that sell it for about 90 euros

[Sibob]

[quote] I was actually thinking of buying one, that's why I was asking. There are a few stores here in Greece that sell it for about 90 euros [/quote]

If they have one in stock, I'd say buy it

Si

[Al Krow]

Boss Harmonist PS-6 doesn't seem to get a mention here, so let me give it a plug. Although it's not a dedicated bass octave pedal (it's great for lead guitar and vocals), it does multi-voice, tracks down to the open E string, octave up and then further additional harmony options both up and down (e.g. 3rds, 5ths) and for good measure adds in a wicked pitch shift and decent detune. Not sure how many of the other octave pedals we have discussed on this thread come anywhere near to the PS-6 in terms of versatility? It does seem, however, to have a bit of "latency", if I have understood Dannybuoy's term correctly, i.e. tiny delay between output of octave note and original note.

[andybassdoyle]

Going back to the question of just picking one it would be the subterranea for me. I agree 100% though (and I checked, that's all of the agreement) that it really depends on the application. Best to buy lots of different ones.

[SpcMnk]

The ones I've been playing with the last couple of weeks. If I had to choose one I would have a hard time deciding between the Octabvre (sounds the same as the OC2 but is faster with the octave tone) and the Octron (which has its own fat tone and really like the fuzzed octave up)