Need effects but just can't bring myself to get any

[sirmuppet]

1 hour ago, PaulThePlug said:

^ B1on?

All Sorted then... I have the B1on.

Update the Firmware via the Zoom site... v1.3?... USB to the Squarer older Mini USB (not the newer flater Micro) lead needed...

Download the excelent and free Tone Lib-Zoom software... (they even do an android app for phone and tablet - Micro to Mini lead needed) as The Zoom Guitar Lab software doent work with the old B1on...

Clear a bank or two (or all) of patches...

Build patches with the various effects, up to 5, with various settings - could have a whole bank of drive getting progressively harder and more distorted...

You could go one patch per song, name them and order them according to set list, with a couple of generics DriveChorus, DistDelay, HeavyFuzz etc.

The above may be obviouse, I'm just trying to help... as i have been through a lot of the above after selling a B1Four and getting the older B1on model as i wanted the Marshall Super Bass Amp sim.. ended up costing me more as i had to by the old style leads... I'm sure there in a draw or box somewhere, i dont throw anything out!... 

That'll be the one. Don't really use it much and was bought on a whim a few years back. No idea how it sounds through an amp but in headphones it sounded decent. I'll have a look at updating it, didn't even know you could on that one so that's cool. Might give it a test at next rehearsal and bypass the Terror heads preamp. 

[uk_lefty]

I've been through various set ups with a few variants of old zoom pedals, a load of separate pedals a massive Boss multi and now a Line6 HX Stomp. I find I spend more time P!ssing around trying to get an effect to sound right than I do actually practicing! Having said that, a multi is a great way to get hold of effects that you think you need as you start to work on a song that MUST have a flanger, only for the guitarist to dand its dropped off the set list because they always fluff the beginning of the solo. Buying separate pedals can be a rabbit hole of finding pedals that play nicely together and don't interfere too much with each other. Then you need different configs of turning each on and off... Notes on which knobs to tweak... I'd always go multi, especially if you're not a big effects person. A lot of the good multis for bass have subtle EQ presets such as amp sims etc that can open up a lot of possibilities. For different depths of drive, chorus, then driven chorus, a multi can help you set all these up to kick in under a solo or whatever. 

[Waddo Soqable]

In the modern era , ie 2000 onward, I've always had a single multi pedal for doing gigs, if nothing else it's handy to have a tuner, provided it's 'lighty up' and visible, plus I tended to have a v.small ammount of chorus or reverb just to give the sound a little bit of extra something .   I never really went far into the effects that were on these pedals, personally I can't see the point of distortion on bass unless you're a Lemmy tribute act , just imho !

[Geek99]

I do think a bit of compression is a good thing 90% of the time 

I have a zoom b2.1u - it does everything including tuning 

[Lfalex v1.1]

1 hour ago, uk_lefty said:

I've been through various set ups with a few variants of old zoom pedals, a load of separate pedals a massive Boss multi and now a Line6 HX Stomp. I find I spend more time P!ssing around trying to get an effect to sound right than I do actually practicing! 

The trick to solving this is to dedicate time to messing around with effects/multi effects/pedal order (delete as applicable!)

Then allocate separate time to actually practising. 

It only took me 25 years to figure that one out! 🤣

[Lozz196]

2 hours ago, chris_b said:

What covers are they playing?

I've been in covers bands for decades and have never needed pedals or effects! Presumably you didn't use pedals in your audition. Has the band asked you to use pedals? What makes you so sure you need them now?

It’s funny Chris, I depped for a band and got the sounds right for the majority of the songs at home. At rehearsal in the mix they all sounded like the same sound so I just kept to one core sound for the gigs. So I suppose unless a song is really based on a certain effect or specific sound keeping to one good sound/tone is probably not only the easiest thing to do but the most effective.

[BassAdder60]

I’ve had this dilemma and although it was appealing to consider a good bass multi with tuner and compression etc I found that in the end I just preferred my amp sound as it was and mostly suits the songs 

Ive yet to hear a nice drive sound on bass as it just sounds like a blown speaker to me and removes the depth of the bass sound.

 

 

[Al Krow]

2 hours ago, FinnDave said:

I've been playing for 45 years and have never used effects, nor has anyone suggested that I should.

2 hours ago, Reggaebass said:

I’m the same, I’ve never used any effects, but I did buy a sansamp tech 21 VT pedal, I don’t like the drive/ distortion but I’ve found some really good settings on it to add a nice deep reggae bassline 

Where you boys when I needed back-up and was getting shat-on by 10 rabid compressor users when simply trying to say that I didn't think one was "necessary"? 🤣

On 23/06/2021 at 16:08, rushbo said:

(Warning: I am a bit of a Zoom fanboy).

You and me both, and you're a Brummie too...

I'm totally blown away by just how great a used £45 Zoom B1-4 is. So much so that I've now run out of patch space having set up 45 bespoke patches (dead easy and a lot of fun to do) interspersed with 5 clean patches, which are just useful to have so that you don't go from Tape Echo to Darkglass B7K without being able to pause for breath. Probably the first time I can 'fess to making the most of a piece of gear. 

1 hour ago, uk_lefty said:

I've been through various set ups with a few variants of old zoom pedals, a load of separate pedals a massive Boss multi and now a Line6 HX Stomp. I find I spend more time P!ssing around trying to get an effect to sound right than I do actually practicing! Having said that, a multi is a great way to get hold of effects that you think you need as you start to work on a song that MUST have a flanger, only for the guitarist to dand its dropped off the set list because they always fluff the beginning of the solo. Buying separate pedals can be a rabbit hole of finding pedals that play nicely together and don't interfere too much with each other. Then you need different configs of turning each on and off... Notes on which knobs to tweak... I'd always go multi, especially if you're not a big effects person. A lot of the good multis for bass have subtle EQ presets such as amp sims etc that can open up a lot of possibilities. For different depths of drive, chorus, then driven chorus, a multi can help you set all these up to kick in under a solo or whatever. 

Loved this post, particularly the bit in blue! 

[FinnDave]

4 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Where you boys when I needed back-up and was getting shat-on by 10 rabid compressor users when simply trying to say that I didn't think one was "necessary"? 🤣

 

Pretty sure I joined in on the 'no compressors' side of the argument. I do have one on my Ashdown Rootmaster head, but but both that switch and the 'sub' & 'shape' switches are permanently off!

[uk_lefty]

8 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Loved this post, particularly the bit in blue! 

Oh mate... I've got a female fronted 80s band starting up. I really don't want to bring in a keys player so I'm trying to cover a lot of ground with what I play and the sounds from the HX. I had a perfect sound for the opening of kids in America which has a wobbly synth bass bit (Throbber on the HX Stomp but mixed with flanger and all sorts of stuff, took me ages) perfect it was. Sounded crap in the room with the band 😔

Edited June 24, 2021 by uk_lefty

[Al Krow]

15 minutes ago, uk_lefty said:

Oh mate... I've got a female fronted 80s band starting up.

You probably can't go wrong with that format and genre - good luck with the new venture, sounds like a lot of fun!

[Skybone]

Saying all that though, it is fun P!ss!ng around with the Multi-FX trying to get the sound right. You're still practicing, and probably practicing for longer as you're sat in front of your computer for longer trying to get the new patches sounding right.

That's my excuse anyway.  

[BassAdder60]

I’ve done that with Helix etc and other multi fx at home spending hours tweeking etc with guitar 

Get to band practice and it sounds terrible !!

I think bass has a natural quality to its tone that fits well with other band instruments 

Seems like we are trying hard to make the bass sound more like a guitar ( I guess we can thank Royal Blood for that ) 

Edited June 24, 2021 by BassAdder27

[Downunderwonder]

5 hours ago, BassAdder27 said:

Ive yet to hear a nice drive sound on bass as it just sounds like a blown speaker to me and removes the depth of the bass sound.

So you never listen to the radio?

Naysayers can eat my shorts. I don't 'pedal' as such these days but still have twin preamps for just the right amount of wild hair when I dig in and just the right amount of warmth when I don't.

[rushbo]

14 hours ago, BassAdder27 said:

I’ve done that with Helix etc and other multi fx at home spending hours tweeking etc with guitar 

Get to band practice and it sounds terrible !!

I've been a victim of this a few times...

The effect settings and patches that you've spent hours dialing in, and sound great through your practice rig, turn to mush when you play them at gig volume with the band. In preparation for my band's forthcoming shows (?!?), I took my gigging rig to a local rehearsal room and played through all my FX at a decent volume, against some backing tracks. I found I had to do quite a lot of tweaking to the FX parameters to get them to sound as I had originally intended.

If you have the luxury of being able to practice at some considerable volume through your stage set-up, I'd urge you to do it as it gives you a much better indication of what you, your band and the punters will hear, the next time you're gigging.

[NickD]

I've just returned the Bass Fly Rig 2 to Guitar Guitar, after having it on pre-order since they announced it. I really wanted to be impressed, but wasn't.

I do have a Helix LT that is mostly used for recording, but having previously had the first Fly Rig, and moved it on for want of an effects loop (I grabbed a Valeton Dapper to replace it at the time), I figured the V2 would be a great analogue solution.

For some reason I just didn't enjoy it's tones as much as the first version. Being able to switch between gain levels was cool and the Chorus is still great for all its simplicity, but I found the bite switch introduced more hiss than I was comfortable with, as did the compressor. I didn't notice any significant improvement in the octafilter section. I don't think the tracking is particularly good on the octave alone and I wasn't keen on the fuzz tone. The filter part works nicely when used independently though. I know this is not the purpose of that section though, and that the 3 dimensions are meant to work together for synthy sounds, but it didn't do it for me. As a small, portable solution, for all it's budget-ness (if that's a word) I still think the Valeton is a better unit for my purposes. Your needs may be different though, obviously.

[BassAdder60]

I’ve ordered the Ampeg SCR-Di to try 

I like the Ampeg tone and also the Scrambler used in a very minor way 

It has a blend control too on the Scrambler 

Pricey unit but hopefully worth it 

If not back it goes !  

[sirmuppet]

11 minutes ago, BassAdder27 said:

I’ve ordered the Ampeg SCR-Di to try 

I like the Ampeg tone and also the Scrambler used in a very minor way 

It has a blend control too on the Scrambler 

Pricey unit but hopefully worth it 

If not back it goes !  

Let me know how you get on with it. I'd be interested in your thoughts.

[sirmuppet]

3 hours ago, NickD said:

I've just returned the Bass Fly Rig 2 to Guitar Guitar, after having it on pre-order since they announced it. I really wanted to be impressed, but wasn't.

I do have a Helix LT that is mostly used for recording, but having previously had the first Fly Rig, and moved it on for want of an effects loop (I grabbed a Valeton Dapper to replace it at the time), I figured the V2 would be a great analogue solution.

For some reason I just didn't enjoy it's tones as much as the first version. Being able to switch between gain levels was cool and the Chorus is still great for all its simplicity, but I found the bite switch introduced more hiss than I was comfortable with, as did the compressor. I didn't notice any significant improvement in the octafilter section. I don't think the tracking is particularly good on the octave alone and I wasn't keen on the fuzz tone. The filter part works nicely when used independently though. I know this is not the purpose of that section though, and that the 3 dimensions are meant to work together for synthy sounds, but it didn't do it for me. As a small, portable solution, for all it's budget-ness (if that's a word) I still think the Valeton is a better unit for my purposes. Your needs may be different though, obviously.

So I think that rules it out for me. TBH I'd just switch between the sansamp channels for clean and overdrive along with the chorus for one or 2 songs. The addition of a compressor sounds nice. You sound like you felt the same way about the rig v1 as I did about the BDDI v1. I got the BDDI v2 thinking the mid control would make it amazing but that extra control just made it further away from the sound I loved. 

[Downunderwonder]

10 hours ago, sirmuppet said:

So I think that rules it out for me. TBH I'd just switch between the sansamp channels for clean and overdrive along with the chorus for one or 2 songs. The addition of a compressor sounds nice. You sound like you felt the same way about the rig v1 as I did about the BDDI v1. I got the BDDI v2 thinking the mid control would make it amazing but that extra control just made it further away from the sound I loved. 

There's a fair bit of compression that comes with the Samsamp drive at higher levels.

[BassAdder60]

Ok the Ampeg SCR-DI  pedal arrived and I’ve tried it in front of my RM800 and ABM600 both ran flat 

It sounds very nice … very nice tone control and definitely makes it sound more Ampeg.

Very quiet too and very robust housing 

The Scrambler drive on low and blend around 30% add a nice grit / grind drive sound .. better than the drive on the Ashdown 

Headphones work very well too for silent practice so for me it’s a keeper 

It has less features than the Fender Downtown Express I tried but the tones are nicer and the drive and blend is so much better 

Happy so far 👍

Edited June 26, 2021 by BassAdder27

[dave_bass5]

On 24/06/2021 at 17:38, Skybone said:

Saying all that though, it is fun P!ss!ng around with the Multi-FX trying to get the sound right. You're still practicing, and probably practicing for longer as you're sat in front of your computer for longer trying to get the new patches sounding right.

That's my excuse anyway.  

Ive always made a point of programming on the boxes themselves if at all possible. Getting to know the box well means you spend less time tying to remember how to change something and can just get on with it, and playing. 

The best place to make these adjustments are with a band playing. Its all very well having 1000 fantastic patches at home, but if they don’t work with the band (and you want them to), then being able to make adjustments on the fly very quickly not only looks more professional, it means your band mates are standing around waiting etc. 

Thats my philosophy anyway, based on doing all the above. 

[Skybone]

Thankfully, I've nearly always managed to get a sound that works in a band setting, sometimes they may need additional tweaks. Always found that if you set the amp/cab models up like you would a real amp, then they do tend to sound better in the mix. 

It's normally the effects settings I have to tweak more than the amp/cab sounds. But then I tend to find one that works for me and replicate it with different effects set ups.

Agree about tweaking on the fly though if something isn't working too well.

[BadHands]

On 24/06/2021 at 16:29, Al Krow said:

Where you boys when I needed back-up

I got you, boo.

For the record, most of my friends who don't consider themselves "Pedal players" prefer 3 or 4 pedals which have great reputations as it's easy to pick one up, learn it's features, then sloooowly get more. With a multi FX unit it can be easy to get overwhelmed by your options.