Getting the sound going in, a bass setup I'm trying OTB

[KuruPrionz]

I keep thinking that getting the sound right going in is a good idea - at least to the extent possible. 

Last night I hooked up some outboard goodies, I've used all of them in the past but not in this specific configuration (see photo).

Signal chain as follows:

 

Bass is a Peavey Fury, one of the "Handcrafted in the USA" models. I put a set of the same Schaller tuners on it that the model just before this one had (otherwise identical) and swapped out the pickups for a set of EMG Pa (Alnico magnets), active and very low noise. I use the D'Addario Chrome strings, they are flat wound but have a bright tone, almost like older, used round wounds. Best of both worlds, string noise from sliding is almost eliminated but the tones are clear and not muddy. Action is medium high so I can smack the bass a bit and not "clank". 

 

Bass plugged into a Boss Bass Limiter - LM-2B. This brings the peaks down without squashing the tone of the bass. Output of the Boss goes to the input of a Tech 21 Q-strip, a 4 band equalizer with quasi parametric low and high mid bands, very versatile and studio quiet. The main XLR output can also run the Q-Strip using phantom power. This is my main bass channel, tweaked for a solid, deep tone with clear highs and upper mids. I scoop out the low mids around 200hz and boost the bass frequencies a good bit. 

 

The parallel output of the Q-Strip goes to a Tech 21 Double Drive 3x MOD, an all-time favorite overdrive/distortion pedal. I roll the bass off completely, boost mids and highs a bit and run Drive A and Drive A/B (second and third order harmonics) at around 10 o'clock to provide some harmonic content and overdrive. I record this at a lower level than the main channel, partly because the bass is gone and mainly because I end up turning it down a bit anyway. 

 

Once it's recorded I can adjust the volume of the harmonic channel with the main channel and play the (currently scratch mix) through my laptop speakers. Adding in the overdrive channel brings clarity to the bass so it can be heard on speaker systems that do not provide any real bass response, like laptop speakers, cell phones, cheap earbuds, etc (the stuff most people will use to listen to music).

 

I took the photo as a way of remembering the settings but I thought I'd share this and hopefully others will chime in and share their set-ups. 

FWIW, I've done plenty of tweaking ITB and I can get great sounds that way too. I like the idea of making a choice early on and this is working pretty well. 

[Anderton]

My only OTB bass is Helix presets, so it's not very interesting from an assembly standpoint

 

I will say one of my favorite patches is coupling the pitch shift module with the footpedal, so I can do really cool, continuous synth-bass slides with a standard electric bass.

[KuruPrionz]

2 hours ago, Anderton said:

My only OTB bass is Helix presets, so it's not very interesting from an assembly standpoint

 

I will say one of my favorite patches is coupling the pitch shift module with the footpedal, so I can do really cool, continuous synth-bass slides with a standard electric bass.

Pretty sure if I sold all 4 boxes in the photo, I still couldn't swing a Helix. 

I bought everything used so there's actually around $500 sitting there, mostly the SSL 2+ and the Q-Strip. 

[Anderton]

47 minutes ago, KuruPrionz said:

Pretty sure if I sold all 4 boxes in the photo, I still couldn't swing a Helix. 

I bought everything used so there's actually around $500 sitting there, mostly the SSL 2+ and the Q-Strip. 

 

But you could get the HX Stomp, and it has pretty much everything you need for bass ...although you'd need to add a footpedal.

[KuruPrionz]

16 hours ago, Anderton said:

 

But you could get the HX Stomp, and it has pretty much everything you need for bass ...although you'd need to add a footpedal.

True, but I do use the SSL as a primary interface right now so it's not going to be sold. 

AND, I love how fast and easy it is to tweak a preset on the Double Drive, I've done it on stage in seconds. Twist a knob or two, double click that footswitch (the one that's lit), done. It's a keeper too. 

Some older Boss pedals fetch solid dinero but I doubt the second iteration of the Bass Limiter is one of them. 

Last but not least, the Q strip is my favorite direct box I've ever used and it's handy in the studio as well.

 

When they finally finish repairing my condo and I can move back home, things may change a little but not much. 

I've got a hot-rodded Peavey Vypyr VIP 1 with a 10" Scorpion speaker in it and a Sanpera 1 (foot pedal does volume and wah) for stage work if/when I return to playing out. It has more effects than I will ever use!!! I have a Sanpera 2 with 2 foot pedals and all sorts of nifty switches but I don't really like big stuff on the floor so Sanpera 1 it is. 

 

I don't have to use analog gear going in to get good tones on bass (or anything else), if anything I have too many plugins - and I just updated Eventide Physion to Mk II. That single plugin can do just about anything you'd ever need to prep a channel for a mix. I like the sounds these analog toys offer and I like twisting knobs sometimes instead of mousing about. I've considered getting a control surface for computer, maybe someday. Meanwhile, mousing plugins is a mixed bag. Sliders are good, knobs not so much. 

 

The plugs I favor otherwise are mostly sound generators. Just finally got around to surfing IK's Miroslav Philharmonik 2, there are probably more realistic symphony orchestra plugins for a price but it sounds nice to me so far for "decorating". It would be different if I was creating symphonies. 😇