Combining effects? Advice please.

[Newfoundfreedom]

I've never really used effects so I'm at a bit of a loss. 

I've had a Line 6 M13 knocking around for a few years which I want to use. On paper is the perfect device for me. I don't need or want any kind of amp / cab simulation, and I don't really use any distortion, which is a bit of a weak with these (and most multi effects) and I utterly loathe faffing around with "patches". It's far too complicated and time consuming. For those who don't know, the M13 is basically 12 standalone stomp boxes in one unit (plus tuner, looper etc) of which any 4 can be used at one time, in any combination. (Picture below, but I'm sure most of you know what I'm talking about)

So what's the problem?

Well basically it's just become an oversized, overpriced tuner and occasional reverb pedal. There's just too much choice and too many combinations, and I basically haven't got a clue what I'm doing when it comes to effects (by which I mean which effects to use for what. I'm fine with the operation of the actual pedal) 

So I'm looking for a bit of advice of what to use / which effects to combine to get different useable sounds. 

So for example at the minute, we have a song which i'd like to use a cello type of sound on, but I have absolutely no clue which effects use / combine to create such a sound. 

So what effects combinations do you guys use, and what kind of sound do you get from them? (the type of effects please rather than the name. I have no idea what a "Big Muff" sounds like)

I'm just looking for a few ideas to get me started, then I'll play around and tweak things from there. 

Thanks muchly. 

 

[Happy Jack]

I avoid combining FX like the plague. Anything you add to your bass sound should be there for a reason, not because it's available!

In my 3-piece covers band (with no 'proper' lead guitarist) I need to thicken up the sound during slide guitar solos so I have a guitar-on-top effect for that. I need to make the band sound 'bigger' in some songs so I have both an octaver and a Sansamp for that purpose ... but never used together. And there are a couple of songs where the bass needs to suddenly get more prominent so I have a clean boost pedal.

Across a full 3-set gig (playing 9 - 12) I will use one effect or another on less than half the songs we play, and each effect is chosen specifically to fill a need.

[DanOwens]

I think you can get a 'bowed' type sound with an VCA filter that swells into the note; auto-volume echo works in the M13 but you've got to dial back the 'echo' bit. Maybe a bit of reverb too. And when a cellist bows into a note they know the note length whereas the auto-volume echo will be the same swell so won't react to your playing. Maybe a volume pedal might work instead, but I really hate the sound of volume swells on bass (except Jeff Beck's version of Nitin Sawhney's Nadia).

BUT... effects for effects sake is a bad path to go down and you'll be putting warbly choruses and spacey flangers on everything if you're not careful. My advice is to have a clear idea of what sound you want to create then apply the relevant effects to get that sound. You might have to experiment to get there, and it's worth noting that a fast 2 pole phaser is radically different to a slow 8 pole so don't think of 'chorus' as 'chorus', instead experiment with parameters to explore what 'chorus' can do.

[Leonard Smalls]

I always use combined effects 😁

I normally have on a Future Impact bass synth (with 80s funk zeeeeeeooooow sound), two different envelope followers (one's a Bootsy fwapfwap sound, the other adds a sweep low end), plus basswhammy pedal which either adds one or two octaves (I emphasise some vocal lines by following them 2 octaves up), plus Darkglass tube distortion to thicken up and add grit. All except the distortion are on separate loops of a Wounded Paw blender, so I can control loop and blend levels with the Darkglass on the final output.

Not sure how that helps with a Line 6... But I'd say play with it; it's taken me a couple of years to work out how all mine fitted together!

[thodrik]

For a 'bowed cello' type effect I like to use a delay on a very slow setting and then use the volume knob of the bass to give a 'bowing' sound. I generally use the back pickup of a Jazz bass to stop the low bass from overpowering everything. Combine this technique with some chords on the upper strings and arrange them into some kind of familiar melodic sequence, preferably in a minor key. 

On top of that, adding a slight fuzz like a Big Muff to increase the sustain can make the 'bowing' pattern sound interesting as well.  A volume pedal would also be a great help to save faffing around with the volume control on the bass while also trying to pluck the strings.

Then use your looper to record your cello-like chord pattern, then once you start looping your cello chord pattern, start playing some melodic tapping with some reverb and/or chorus over the top of the loop. Then start looping the tappy part and then start playing low single notes on your low E/B string to give added 'weight' to your cello/tappy composition. Also start using using an envelope filter effect over the top of everything, just because you can.

At this point, you will release that you want to change four effects simultaneously but you only have two feet and two hands. Putting some effects on a separate loop isn't an option because there is no way of arranging the different loops in such a way as to enable you to have immediate access to all of the different effect sounds that you desperately need. 

Congratulations, you are now a post-rock bassist. 

[Sibob]

Moved over to Effects forum where you're likely to get a little more action

Si

[Newfoundfreedom]

Just now, Sibob said:

Moved over to Effects forum where you're likely to get a little more action

Si

Thanks Si.

Must pay more attention at the back. 😂

[Teebs]

33 minutes ago, Newfoundfreedom said:

Thanks Si.

Must pay more attention at the back. 😂

Detention for you, my lad!

[Quatschmacher]

10 hours ago, Newfoundfreedom said:

I've never really used effects so I'm at a bit of a loss. 

I've had a Line 6 M13 knocking around for a few years which I want to use. On paper is the perfect device for me. I don't need or want any kind of amp / cab simulation, and I don't really use any distortion, which is a bit of a weak with these (and most multi effects) and I utterly loathe faffing around with "patches". It's far too complicated and time consuming. For those who don't know, the M13 is basically 12 standalone stomp boxes in one unit (plus tuner, looper etc) of which any 4 can be used at one time, in any combination. (Picture below, but I'm sure most of you know what I'm talking about)

So what's the problem?

Well basically it's just become an oversized, overpriced tuner and occasional reverb pedal. There's just too much choice and too many combinations, and I basically haven't got a clue what I'm doing when it comes to effects (by which I mean which effects to use for what. I'm fine with the operation of the actual pedal) 

So I'm looking for a bit of advice of what to use / which effects to combine to get different useable sounds. 

So for example at the minute, we have a song which i'd like to use a cello type of sound on, but I have absolutely no clue which effects use / combine to create such a sound. 

So what effects combinations do you guys use, and what kind of sound do you get from them? (the type of effects please rather than the name. I have no idea what a "Big Muff" sounds like)

I'm just looking for a few ideas to get me started, then I'll play around and tweak things from there. 

Thanks muchly. 

 

There’s a pretty cool cello patch in the Future Impact v3 factory soundset. Check this demo: