Baloney Balderdash

My 50 Cent on bass compression is that despite the fact that I really rather use compression as a means to subtly adjust fairly minor details of the tonal character of my signal, than as a way to control or uniform the dynamic range of it, and the fact that the TC Electronic fully programable digital 3 band SpeactraComp bass compressor that I own really allows for some very detailed customized adjustments of the compression going on, I found that I actually preferred the tone that I got from using 2 single band compressors with fairly limited controls over the compression parameters, which are a quite subtle compression from the digital model of the DBX 160A compressor in my lowly Zoom G1Xon multi effect, using a high threshold and a relatively low 2.5:1 ratio, going into my very much analog tube driven optical compressor, the EHX Black Finger, also set to a very subtle compression with a high threshold and a relatively slow attack time and low ratio, actually having a quite negligible effect on my playing dynamics, but just adding a bit of extra snap and punch, as well as making my tone sound slightly more defined, focused and tight.

I Want to Be Alone (by Jackson Frank)

Might not be the best, but damn I am in love with this deep dark purple patterned one, and I think I might need to buy it (It's an Ernie Ball Jacquard Guitar Strap - Purple Paisley, and it's even quite cheap, just about 22£/24 Euro) :

I prefer my nuts to be of flesh and blood. To each their own, just be aware that it'll affect your ability to reproduce if you go through with this.

Did You See Me? (by Ween)

I actually got one more, which might seem like odd to most people, a faulty Behringer UV300 Ultra Vibrato. Yup, it's true, something's wrong with the buffer in it, but it doesn't actually suck tone in a traditional sense, not as much really deteriorating the signal going through it as it just kind of alters it to something somewhat different. On bass that gives a more mids focused, tight and snappy kind of tone that I really like. So not even an always on pedal, in fact it is rather rarely engaged, just the fact of me actually liking what the faulty buffer of this pedal when disengaged does to my tone.

Sometimes when the full signal through a pedal is too much and becomes a deterioration rather than an improvement, an improvement can sometimes still be achieved by using the same pedal but mixing the signal from it with the raw bass signal, like for instance via a Boss LS-2, I experienced this in more than one case with the Joyo Orange Juice.

So curious about what people's always on secret magic tone sauce pedal is, be it a preamp, a compressor, and equalizer or perhaps a subtle chorus effect or whatever it might be. Mine is my EHX Black Finger, tube driven optical compressor, that run it's 2 preamp tube at proper high 300V voltage, and which beside adding a quite subtle compression to my signal actually more so functions as my tube preamp stage, beefing up the signal slightly, making the low end slightly more pronounced and tight and adding a bit of tube flavor and warmth, having the input gain turned up to just bellow the breakup point when I dig in the hardest. Here it is in all it's glory : And here's a bass player that uses it very much like I do, though with other settings (he mentions it briefly around the 4:37 time mark :

Among His Tribe (by Ween)

Composition: Angelo Badalamenti/ Lyrics: David Lynch, performed by Julee Cruise :

Questions In a World of Blue (Composition: Angelo Badalamenti/ Lyrics: David Lynch, performed by Julee Cruise)

My Name is Mud (by Primus)

Love Calls You By Your Name (by Leonard Cohen)

( $ $ $ $ $ $ ) O o

115 strings, now that's something. Sure it's a bass and not a harp?

I usually try to aim for about two, that is one half wound, then one full, and finally one more half.

I always adjust saddle height first, then tune, then relief (trussrod), then tune once again, and then finally intonation (with whatever fine tuning that might require).

The first 3 sounded very similar, but I am slightly leaning towards the 1st one as my favorite, as it sounded more open and had a bit more sparkliness going for it, something that the other 2 perhaps were slightly lacking at, all 3 had a nice thick lushness to them though, the 3rd to me sounded pretty much like the 2nd one, just with a bit more low end, I think maybe from having the balance between the modulated signal and the clean signal tipping slightly more towards the clean signal than the 2nd chorus, out of those 2 I personally preferred the slightly wetter and slightly brighter tone of the 2nd chorus. The 4th as several people already has pointed out had a quite flanger like quality to it, actually to me it sounded more like a flanger with a strong chorus -esque character than an actual chorus effect, it didn't sound bad in anyway though, as far as I am concerned it actually even sounded pretty great, just not something I would pick if I were going for a straight chorus effect. The 5th was brighter than the others, but not in sparkling kind of way, rather in a slightly unpleasant/annoying, at the same time both somewhat anemic and biting, way, to my ears at least, seriously lacking lushness, and to my ears it also had a somewhat artificial/synthy flavor to it that I personally don't think suits a chorus effect. My guess is that the 1st one could very well be the Zoom emulation of the Boss CE-1 from the stomp box multi effect pedals, which happens to be my own favorite of all the Zoom chorus models, including those of the newer Zoom line of multi effects, though if the Zoom chorus you chose is not actually the Boss CE-1 model then the last, 5th, one could very well also be the Zoom chorus in this test, my first guess however still is that the Zoom chorus is the 1st one and the CE-1 emulation. As for the 4th flanger like one my best guess is an EHX Deluxe Electric Mistress, or at least some variant or clone of that circuit. @stewblack Please PM me the results, as I am very curious.

Will do. But please note that it will sound close to the clip I referred to, and pretty far from your 8 string bass in your clip. I don't happen to have an actual 8 string bass, so I can record reference clips, so I'll have to refer to a video with someone playing one that sounds like what I am going for, right?

Well, the purpose of the clips of 8 string basses was to explain what I considered a good 8 string tone and therefor was trying to achieve with my Sub'N'Up, which is quite different from the tone of your 8 string bass in the clip you provided and the sound of your Mosaic pedal, which did cope that tone pretty closely. As I said after listening to your clips I realized we were not exactly going for the same kind of tone, or had quite the same idea of how an 8 string bass s supposed to sound, and I think this is pretty essential to know before listening to the clips of my bass through the Sub'N'Up, so you know what I was going for and that some 8 string basses does actually sound like that. Just proofs, once I have pulled myself together to record some clips, that it does actually sound like an 8 string bass, like the one in the video I linked, even if not sounding much like yours in the clips you provided. Like you need to have a reference for what I was aiming for, since it is definitely the same you are aiming for, or else we are just comparing apples to oranges. I don't happen to have an actual 8 string bass, so I can record reference clips, so I'll have to refer to a video with someone playing one that sounds what I am going for, right? Also if this is not the tone you are going for, which it seems not to be from the clips you provided, I doubt you will be blown away with how I use my octaver.

Sorry, I haven't pulled myself together to record anything yet. But as I explained in my last post in this topic I don't think we are really looking for the same thing in an octaver or have the same idea of what a good 8 string bass tone is (a somewhat more dry, less synthy/chorusy kind of tone). Try to listen to the clip of the 8 string bass that I explained sounded pretty close to in that post and I would think you'll get the idea of the kind of tone I have dialed in on my Sub'N'Up : I'll still try to get to record some clips though at some point though. Also this: "...has only come up with dare I say...baloney, with no dash of evidence to back up his claims!" Was totally uncalled for, I didn't exactly attack you or had intentions to brag in my replies, just sharing my honest opinion, it's not like I owe you a proof like you put it up like there.

Put Your Hand Inside The Puppet Head (by They Might Be Giants)