New FX board for my bass...

[nuno1959]

[font=Helvetica][size=6]Hi guys[/size][/font]

[font=Helvetica][size=6] I'm VERY fond of using FX on my bass - although i love any kind of bass tone ( within reason ! ) fact is FX are part of my thing : they sing to me & open up whole other possibilities..[/size][/font]
[font=Helvetica][size=6]Plus where is it written a bass MUST sound like a b-boom boom boom, ''traditional bass'' ? To me it's all about having as rich a sonic palette available as possible then try to get the sound/tone that suits the tune best in my head & in my heart…[/size][/font]

[color=#11053B][font=Verdana][size=6][font=Helvetica] [/font]Right now i'm using a TC Electronic Nova System FX unit, originally meant for guitar, which has some excellent quality FX but lacks a couple of VERY important features :[/size][/font][/color]
[color=#11053B][font=Verdana][size=6]1 - No USB connectivity + FX patch editor ( just VERY clunky workarounds.. )[/size][/font][/color]
[color=#11053B][font=Verdana][size=6]2 - No way of storing/backing up patches i tweaked over time[/size][/font][/color]

[color=#11053B][font=Verdana][size=6]On top of that, despite a brilliant build quality & very practical compact format, it doesn't have a nice user interface - compared to my previous Zoom B3 unit it's REALLY clunky.. & I'm becoming tired of it ![/size][/font][/color]

[color=#11053B][font=Verdana][size=6]So, G.A.S struck & am thinking about replacing it but not having a physical music store in Portugal where to compare these units side by side, i'm limited to Google, YouTube, reviews & opinions/experiences of fellow musicians.[/size][/font][/color]

[color=#11053B][font=Verdana][size=6]Because i REALLY like the convenience of being able to store patches ( i HATE tweaking pedal knobs between tunes or limiting myself to 1 chorus/delay/distortion/whatever sound.. ) my selection boils down to these, which i'm planning to buy one at a time because they cost ''mucho dinero'' :[/size][/font][/color]

[color=#11053B][font=Verdana][size=6]1 - Strymon Mobius, Strymon Timeline & eventually a Strymon Big Sky, each w/ it's own Multiswitch ( or equivalent.. ) for easier use, here[/size][/font][/color]
[color=#11053B][font=Verdana][size=6][url="http://www.thomann.de/pt/search_dir.html?oa=prd&sw=strymon"]http://www.thomann.d...=prd&sw=strymon[/url][/size][/font][/color]
[color=#11053B][font=Verdana][size=6][url="http://www.strymon.net/mobius/"]http://www.strymon.net/mobius/[/url][/size][/font][/color]
[color=#11053B][font=Verdana][size=6][url="http://www.strymon.net/timeline/"]http://www.strymon.net/timeline/[/url][/size][/font][/color]
[color=#11053B][font=Verdana][size=6][url="http://www.strymon.net/bigsky/%20-%20scroll%20down%20the%20pages%20&%20check%20the"]http://www.strymon.net/bigsky/ - [/url] scroll down the pages & check the videos of each preset[/size][/font][/color]
[color=#11053B][font=Verdana][size=6][url="http://www.strymon.net/multiswitch/"]http://www.strymon.net/multiswitch/[/url] & [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XzuWJPi11c"]https://www.youtube....h?v=6XzuWJPi11c[/url][/size][/font][/color]

[color=#11053B][font=Verdana][size=6]2 - Eventide ModFactor, TimeFactor & PitchFactor + Eventide H9 control/editor app, here :[/size][/font][/color]
[color=#11053B][font=Verdana][size=6][url="http://www.thomann.de/pt/eventide_efeitos_para_baixo_e_guitarras.html?oa=prd"]http://www.thomann.d...ras.html?oa=prd[/url][/size][/font][/color]
[color=#11053B][font=Verdana][size=6][url="https://www.eventideaudio.com/products/stompboxes/chorus-flanger/modfactor"]https://www.eventide...anger/modfactor[/url][/size][/font][/color]
[color=#11053B][font=Verdana][size=6]quick overview of all 3 - [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpzYJtwPPRE"]https://www.youtube....h?v=QpzYJtwPPRE[/url][/size][/font][/color]
[color=#11053B][font=Verdana][size=6]quick overview oh the Control app - [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V07NNTgxc_Y"]https://www.youtube....h?v=V07NNTgxc_Y[/url][/size][/font][/color]

[color=#11053B][font=Verdana][size=6]3 - An Eventide H9 Max Harmonizer which has most the FX of the above Eventide units, SUPER compact unit which potentially replaces all three ( at a lesser price.. ) but i'm queasy about a purely software based FX unit - what would happen if/when it stops being supported, etc.. plus if later i want to sell it, any further FX algorythms purchased won't be included ( licenses tied to my account.. ) which makes it kind of an expensive paper weight, here :[/size][/font][/color]
[color=#11053B][font=Verdana][size=6][url="http://www.thomann.de/pt/eventide_h9_max_harmonizer.htm"]http://www.thomann.d..._harmonizer.htm[/url][/size][/font][/color]

[color=#11053B][font=Verdana][size=6]4 - Finally this baby which makes me feel as if struck by lightning, died & gone to bass playing heaven !!! If only someone here has had access to one & could tell me if it works on bass, has a great editor & friendly interface :[/size][/font][/color]
[color=#11053B][font=Verdana][size=6][url="http://www.fractalaudio.com/p-fx8-multi-effects-pedalboard.php"]http://www.fractalau...-pedalboard.php[/url][/size][/font][/color]

[color=#11053B][font=Verdana][size=6]To whatever i end up choosing i might add a Mad Professor Snow White Auto Wah :[/size][/font][/color]
[color=#11053B][font=Verdana][size=6][url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUwSURWrvOo"]https://www.youtube....h?v=rUwSURWrvOo[/url][/size][/font][/color]
[color=#11053B][font=Verdana][size=6]plus an expression pedal, a volume pedal & maybe a compressor pedal + tuner ? Remains to be seen...[/size][/font][/color]

[color=#11053B][font=Verdana][size=6]At this point & because Eventide provide a free & VERY effective/easy editing/saving ( librarian ?.. ) software i'm leaning towards the Factor pedals since the Strymons lack those features but i was interested in hearing from those of you who might have one or several of these pedals not so much about their sonic quality but specially how intuitive they are to edit, etc...[/size][/font][/color]

[color=#11053B][font=Verdana][size=6]Sorry for such a lengthy post & many thanks for any pointers & suggestions you might have/share - after all, this means quite an expense & i would like to get it at least ''semi-right'' from the word go.. - much appreciated !![/size][/font][/color]

[color=#11053B][font=Verdana][size=6]Cheers guys ![/size][/font][/color]

[color=#11053B][font=Verdana][size=6]P.S.: Sorry for posting links to Thomann but i don't work for them, am in no way affiliated to them, it's just the place i buy most my stuff from[/size][/font][/color]

[elephantgrey]

[quote name='nuno1959' timestamp='1433960801' post='2795495'][font=Helvetica]I'm VERY fond of using FX on my bass - although i love any kind of bass tone ( within reason ! )[/font][/quote]

Pfft, whats this "within reason"? /looks longingly at my bitcrusher in feedback loop.

On a serious note, im pretty sure you can change patches (presets i think TC call them) on the nova via midi [you can, check [url="http://support.tcelectronic.com/entries/20993823-Nova-System-Control-Nova-System-presets-via-MIDI"]here[/url]]. So all you need to do is save each song to another preset, and get a midi controller pedal to change between them.
You can do this with any/all of the pedals you listed.

[nuno1959]

Hi EL

Within reason !? Indeed, what was i thinking, right ?…LOL...

Thanks for the TC link but man, trust me when i say i DEVOURED every last bit of info regarding the Nova but at the end of the day it's still a clunky piece of hardware which sometimes does change or save presets sometimes it just won't slowly starting to reveal it's age/limitations - in contrast with the Zoom B3 which was TOTALLY plug & play, tweak/save/whatever & be done with it, even if costing 4 times less.. - even though the Nova outputs some seriously GOOD quality FX, very nice indeed but it ends up being a pain to use

To be honest until now from what i've gathered, if Fractal would accept a trade in for a detested family member, i'd be at their door tomorrow but… ;-) so for the time being & mostly thanks to the plug & play nature of their pedals, i'd say so far Eventide Factor's got the lead...
On the other hand i could start saving & then go for the Fractal FX8 board, i still need to check out exactly how their editor behaves in Mac OS X

[elephantgrey]

Okay, but id still suggest going the midi rout. Midi is a universal language, so you can use it to change patches on different pedals from multiple brands. Plus it syncs all your time based effects, so your delay/flange/chorus etc are all moving in time with each other. i have a timefactor and i use midi to link it to my looper pedal (boss RC50) and my drum machine(korg electribe esx1). changing patches on the first in the midi chain (master) changes the patches of the others (slaves), and the slaves also sync up there clock to the first. ive been tempted by the mobius as a chorus.

This way you can look at each pedal individually instead of being tied to a brand like with a usb option.

[nuno1959]

Right, that's a fine way to do it only i really don't need it : i set my effects on my board so that each bank has the patches i might use in a song. The Nova gives me 3 patches per bank & that's more than enough for me..
My problem is when it comes to edit them on my computer ( i really don't like the Nova's UI.. ) or want to save the patches that i tweaked or built from scratch to guarantee i won't loose them if ….. & that's where the Nova simply falls flat on it's face :
TC never even bothered to make available an editor for PC or Mac & the one that exists is thanks to the dedication of people who needed one but it's really convoluted ways to operate it
After banging my head repeatedly against the wall, all i managed to do was to update the Nova's firmware & nothing else - on 2 different computers so it wasn't even a question of something wrong on that end, you know what i mean ?

[elephantgrey]

Ah, okay i see. i misread the problem. the timefacter defiantly cn do that, though ive never needed to as i just set the settings on the dials and then save the patch.

[dannybuoy]

[quote name='nuno1959' timestamp='1433960801' post='2795495']
[color=#11053B][font=Verdana][size=6]Sorry for such a lengthy post[/size][/font][/color]
[/quote]

It wouldn't be so lengthy if you didn't use such a [b][size=8]massive font! [/size][/b]

[nuno1959]

See ? Next time i'll know better.. ;-)

[MacDaddy]

My bass playing is very much fx driven. I have finally settled on the Digitech BP355 and I cannot recommend it enough.

The problem is creating awesome fx patches that work within a band context. At the moment we are a 3 piece, but my studio tones will be completely different to my live tones, due to the guitarist being able to over dub and multi track.

[elephantgrey]

[quote name='MacDaddy' timestamp='1433975474' post='2795674']
My bass playing is very much fx driven. I have finally settled on the Digitech BP355 and I cannot recommend it enough.

The problem is creating awesome fx patches that work within a band context. At the moment we are a 3 piece, but my studio tones will be completely different to my live tones, due to the guitarist being able to over dub and multi track.
[/quote]

Spend a practice or two just playing with effects settings, and dialing in your collective tone as a band. Theres no point playing tightly if you sound like a muddy mess tonally. if you can blag a loop pedal between you, a good way to do this is to record one members part to the loop, and have the rest play whilst that member tweaks their board (with looper at start of chain). Then give the looper to the next member and repeat until your happy with your sound as a whole.

[nuno1959]

Thanks MacDaddy

I know the Digitech you're talking about : a friend has one & I've played with it for a while.
Yes it is a very nice unit but ultimately it's in the same category of my previous Zoom B3, give or take a few notches !
They are both extremely practical units, very flexible, portable but not quite what i'm after ! :-(

Upon further ''investigation'' & installing/checking out their respective softwares, my choice has narrowed down to either the Eventide Factor series or the Fractal Audio FX8, yet to be released or priced - although it's last posted price on Fractal's site is roughly 1500 $US with the extended 3 years warranty
Eventide's editing software is obviously a joy to use, well laid out & second nature, one look at it & you just know where the functions are intuitively
Fractal's is a bit more.. ''involved'' ? for lack of a better word. You've got to learn your way around but it still doesn't appear overly complicated

I'll wait until it's released - should happen mid summer/early fall.. - try to listen to one & decide then which
Thanks guys for the input
Cheers

Edited June 11, 2015 by nuno1959