SumOne

Yeah, just something like the little screen on the Zoom pedals or Boss RC pedals would really help - and it's presumably pretty cheap to do as those pedals don't break the bank. I recently got a Source Audio Gemini which I think is great as 6 modulation presets is plenty for me, and it's easy enough to tell what preset I'm on (e.g. green light = chorus x3, red light = phaser, flanger, vibe) and as they are all similar enough effects it's fine for the controls to all be fixed the same things across the presets- and 4 controls is enough for most live tweaking. A bit of laptop/phone editing is good to fine-tune other parameters but doesn't need hours of mucking about.

I got the C4 mostly to replace my M82 and Octamizer. Figured selling them would make about £200, then an extra £50 was worth it for the extra synth features. C4 is great and it gets very close but doesn't 100% replicate them, you can play a clean loop and run it through the Octamizer or M82 vs C4 to make the loop sound exactly the same - you could then listen A/B recordings of that loop and not tell the difference. But that's a bit misleading because when actually playing there is a subtle difference, C4 didn't sound quite as good across the whole range of notes and playing dynamics, and it wasn't as easy to do something like the equivalent increasing the 'growl' of the Octamizer as it fed into the M82 with decreased sensitivity - you'd ideally need a C4 preset and quite a long time tweaking to replicate that. The main C4 disadvantage for me was it's lack of 'on-hand' controls so you need to save all the different options as presets- and then it's hard to tweak them via the pedal as it's tricky to remember 'is this synth preset control knob #1 for attack, or bass? or is this filter preset control knob #1 for decay or !?' etc. And to access more than 6 presets you need phone/laptop or controller hooked up or getting a controller like the MC6 (£220) + Neuro Hub (£100) puts the overall cost at £570 and even then it wouldn't have the same 'on-hand' controls as the two separate pedals.....so I returned the C4. Not to be down on the C4 though, it is an excellent pedal, and I was specifically wanting to re-create analog pedals but I think it 100% nails replicating digital pedals like the POG, sub n up, OC2. And obviously it has loads of different synth/filter/octaver sounds so it's doing much more than just replicating other pedals. I'd be tempted to get a Spectrum as I think 6 presets and the additional 'alt' controller functions mean that it would work well as a stand-alone filter pedal without having to spend a load more on controllers.

C4 is great but I found it didn't quite replace the M82 or Octamizer. Very close though. I think it was mostly down to the limited hardware controls for on-hand tweaking. Proton looks good. I had a fwonkbeta for a while and found it a bit too much of an unpredictable speaker breaker!

Yeah, I used them (and a lot of your others) and it's very good. But I guess like you, there's just something that the M82 has that the C4 doesn't - it doesn't fully replace it.

Ah, nice one- I missed your advert. If the I like the Blue label but don't find much need for the filter switch then I'll be in contact.

I owned an M82, sold it when I got a C4, realised the C4 could sound very similar but somehow was missing something (possibly just the hardware controls) and I missed the M82 so I got another one but it seemed to develop (or perhaps I just started noticing) a clipping type sound when letting the envelope play out no matter how much I changed all the controls, one I noticed it I couldn't un-notice it! So playing the filter field a bit now. ......perhaps all roads lead me back to M82 eventually though!

Only one way to tell for sure. I've got no will power, am impatient, and it's payday tomorrow so have just ordered one from Amazon (Not Amazon's biggest fan but free delivery and returns with instant refunds makes testing out pedals quite hassle free, hassle free for me anyway- not so sure the retailers would agree).

Anyone here tried the EBS BassIQ Blue Label? https://ebssweden.com/content2/effects/ebs-bassiq-blue-label/ Seems pretty good with controls for threshold, q, attack, and switches for 2x up modes, 1x down, and Full Range, Band Pass, and Low Pass filter options. Analog, true bypass, and "Trim pots are found inside to set the Gain output level of the pedal, a High Pass mix-in trim pot sets the level of high frequencies from the bypassed tone to mix in with the effect. A third trim pot decides the Range of the envelope effect in the pedals UP-R mode setting. " It's £170, at that price it'll need to be better than things like the M82 and the emma discumbobulator v2, but it's cheaper than the Aguilar Filter twin and Mr Black Fwonkbeta, or EarthQuaker Spatial Delivery. On paper it seems to have more control/versatility than them while also being smaller (perhaps could do with having a clean blend like a couple of them have?).....but how does it sound (and feel to play) in real life? Always difficult to tell by comparing youtube videos. .....or better off spending that much on 2nd hand Spectrum or Wonderlove?

^^^^ Cheers, that and a current doubler should do it for me.

^^^ Nice one. The power supply is something I'm looking to change too. Not so much because of the big extra plug in the wall (which is a bit of a hassle) but mostly because of the long straight power connector that goes into the Helix unit which means I can't fit a pedal above it on my board - I want a 90 degree one. My pedal power supply unit only goes to 500mA so the solution seems to be a current doubler (which will be a bit under-powered but hopefully fine), a 2.1 mm to 2.5 mm adapter and center positive to center negative adapter......haven't found any one cable/adapter that fits the bill yet and it doesn't seem the best idea to have all those adapters so I'll stick with the Helix power for now. Edit: In-case anyone tries that- I think Helix things are just center negative like most pedals, so it's just the high mA and 2.5mm size that needs to be considered.

@Doddy nailed it. With that many pedals I'd start considering something like the Boss ES-5 to turn multiple ones on/off at once, and to re-route them. Or a cheaper option is the Brightonion dual reverse lopper.... which I just so happen to be selling in the sales section

Sorry if this has been posted before by does anyone have Amp sim IRs they recommend that work with the Helix Effects? Ideally free ones to start with. The way I understand it is that most IRs are cab + mic sims (and searching around - most are aimed at guitar), but I already have an analogue Bass Cab sim pedal (Bass Simplifier) which is good for that, so is there such a thing as a good Bass Amp IR? I assume they are basically a combination of Comp+ EQ + preamp/Distortion + FX which I can re-create with different effects but that would take up 4+ blocks so I guess a good IR could reduce that down to 1?

Nice. I was torn between the Stomp and Effects. I have a cab sim pedal so I went for the Effects which arrived yesterday. I'm impressed and will be keeping it- it's bumped a few pedals off the board which I think the Helix covers quite well, I'll probably keep others that it doesn't seem to do so well....but they might go too if I can tweak the Helix to sound as good good as them:

Helix Effects arrived today (very fast free post service from GAK - ordered Saturday, arrived Sunday). First impressions are that it's great, I expect I'll keep it and there will be a few of my pedals up for sale to pay for it.

I'll soon find out (HX Effects arrives Monday), but I assume amp and cab sims in the Stomp are basically things that can be done (in theory) with the HX Effects via eq, comp, distortion and fx, or by importing an IR with them set? I have a Bass Simplifier (preamp/cab sim/DI) and moving the mic is pretty much a sweepable tone knob, and 'resonance' seems to be a bass boost + slight reverb, a 1x15 cab is basically eq'd for more bass and less highs etc. Perhaps there's more to it though.

Have gone for the HX Effects. I make full use of returns policies lately so it's easy enough to just try out - if I like it I'll have a few pedals for sale in the next week or so to pay off the credit card!

Nice one. I'm gonna go for it. Just got to decide between the HX Stomp vs HX Effects.

Nice one, yeah since posting that I read backwards and have seen the same sort of things asked. It looks like the Stomp can mostly do what my Preamp/DI , Freeze, Tuner, Chorus, and Compressor do, and selling them would fund it (I wouldn't be selling overdrive, fuzz, envelope filter, octaver as it doesn't seem to do them so well). I reckon I'll go for it.

I'm trying to not be in the market for new pedals but I'm thinking if I sold my tuner, compressor, Freeze, Chorus, preamp/DI then I can minimise my setup and raise enough ££ for an HX Effects or the Stomp (which at only £30 more with amp and cab sims seems better in theory, but I think I'd prefer the interface of the HX so I can't decide between the two). Do they sound as good as those individual pedals though? I know it does lots of additional things too so that's a bonus, but they're the main things I'd want it for. e.g. Does it's Chorus work as well as a dedicated CEB-3 with the low-filter? Is the compressor as good as decent compressor pedals adjusting attack/release/ratio?

@TheGreek it's tricky as it would be a shame to stick with a Bass that doesn't sound/play/fit quite right when there is potentially one out there that does, but there is possibly also a certain amount of 'grass is always greener'; always chasing after something slightly unobtainable, a collector mentality, and the fun of getting new things (I'm speaking about myself here - I've bought/sold 4 Basses in the last year). I also bought/sold about 10 fuzz pedals last year before finding the best one for me, but once I got it I was actually a bit disappointed with myself for spending so much time and effort on something so trivial. I found in the end that the £20 Behringer super fuzz doesn't sound all that different or less enjoyable to use than fuzz pedals 10x the cost. Personally, I'm now trying to focus any dis-satisfaction I have with my sound and playing experience on needing more practice and band playing time rather than getting new gear. I'm sure I could get a Bass that makes a better P style thump, and another that has a better B string, and another that's easier to slap, or a better compressor, but probably the best use of my time is to practice more with what I've already got.

109 Overall. I'd expected to do better at beat alignment as I've spent about 20 years DJing beatmatching with vinyl, seems it's easier to do that with a banging 4/4 than with a beatless orchestral waltz though!

I got annual membership for Scott's Bass Lessons when the first lockdown started last March and found the combination of that and working from home with it easy to pick up the Bass for quick breaks has meant a lot of short bits of practice time when I wouldn't usually have been able to. The 'payers path' part of those lessons has been quite addictive working up through the levels. Having paid for 12 months membership has been incentive to make use of it, and to try and get through as much of it as possible in the time.