Synth type of tone

[Mizzle]

Hi all,

 

I am wondering if I can get a synthy type of tone from the existing pedals I have or if I need something else or more of a dedicated synth pedal.

 

I wouldn't use too often but for the odd songs (covers band) it would help a bit.

 

I have the MXR Bass Ocatve Deluxe, 3 Leaf Audio Proton V2 (decay knob not switch) and some fuzzes - Malekko B:assmaster, Wren and Cuff Tall Font Russian and a Little Big Muff.

 

Not all on the same board at the moment I've got the octave then wren and cuff and 3 leaf it gets somewhat the way there but I feel I loose some volume/definition when kicking them on together.

 

Anyway thanks in advance.

Matt

[SumOne]

Yeah you'll get some good synth stuff from mucking about with what you've got. 

 

According to this guy most synth stuff is do-able with Octave + Gain + Filter (+ some modulation), although I'm not buying that he's done all the tones in the video with the pedals he mentioned (for starter Chameleon doesn't use an MXR M82 which only does up-sweep, it's a down-sweeping sound).

 

 

[Bigwan]

Yup, I’d go octave down into b:assmaster into filter and away you go! Great fun messing with these sorts of combinations. You’d probably be better off with a gated fuzz (mastotron or similar), but that shouldn’t stop you getting going.

[paul_5]

I use a Prunes&Custard into an OC2 when I’m not going for a digital synth sound from the Zoom MS60B.

[lee650]

46 minutes ago, paul_5 said:

I use a Prunes&Custard into an OC2 when I’m not going for a digital synth sound from the Zoom MS60B.

Prunes and Custard is awesome!!

[Downunderwonder]

I used to run a big board. To get around the low end loss I split the signal after the octave, high and low and put the highs through the other fx before blending back.

 

Prunes and Custard figured highly in faux synth stuff. Also octave fuzz envelope combinations.

[lee650]

3 hours ago, Bigwan said:

Yup, I’d go octave down into b:assmaster into filter and away you go! Great fun messing with these sorts of combinations. You’d probably be better off with a gated fuzz (mastotron or similar), but that shouldn’t stop you getting going.

Absolutely spot on, you've some great pedals for basic synth! Octave into Brassmaster and into proton. The brassmaster is a very sustaining octave up sound, which will work really well, for long synthy swells. A gated fuzz will provide a staccato ripping sound that's perfect for moog like tones. I particularly like the reverse filter setting too for synth. I do find the muff variant fuzzes to be very smooth and sustaining, which will work, but won't sound as synthy. Using a Boss LS2 to run he filter in parallel works reallt well too. Then you're in the rabbit hole 😂

[lee650]

7 hours ago, SumOne said:

Yeah you'll get some good synth stuff from mucking about with what you've got. 

 

According to this guy most synth stuff is do-able with Octave + Gain + Filter (+ some modulation), although I'm not buying that he's done all the tones in the video with the pedals he mentioned (for starter Chameleon doesn't use an MXR M82 which only does up-sweep, it's a down-sweeping sound).

 

 

I watched this and don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed it and he's fantastic player and entertainer. But he's telling people he can cop these synth sounds with the MXR when he was in fact using a 3 leaf Proton????? He even says you need the MXR for the ow ow sound. Someone in the comments mentions the MXR doesn't do that and he admitted to using a Proton 🤷‍♂️

 

He has the original track mixed much louder than his bass sound, and if you listen, the tones arnt spot on (which they won't be,as it's not a synth) all the pedals in the video (with the exception of the MXR imo) are great for synth tones.

[uk_lefty]

13 hours ago, lee650 said:

He has the original track mixed much louder than his bass sound, and if you listen, the tones arnt spot on (which they won't be,as it's not a synth) all the pedals in the video (with the exception of the MXR imo) are great for synth tones.

I think that's what we have to accept as bassists. We will not get the exact sounds. We can try to get close but it gets to a point where "that'll have to do". I wrestled with synth tones for an 80s covers band, what I made at home sounded pants with the band, and now I've done a few sessions with a pop-rock band and I've gone for stock Helix fuzz sounds and just fed them into my wah pedal with no clever signal routing or processing and it's done the job more than adequately. Also playing with a live band the energy to play with and your dynamics are worth far more than getting the exact tone off the record, time is spent far more effectively on learning the song than on chasing tones that we know are from other instruments.

[Mizzle]

Thank you all for the suggestions and I think the last reply sums it up perfectly, can hear my brother saying that haha (guitar player/lead singer who put band together). 

 

I haven't had a chance to pop the B:assmaster back on yet but after playing around and watching the video gave me some ideas to play with (though noted above how much sound from his bass there was in the video is debatable).