Bass Multi Effects - advice?

[rhysyjob]

Hi All, 

 

Im in the market for a Bass Multieffects unit I can take to practice and gigs but I’m a bit of a novice/lazy/confused on programming.

 

Historically I bought a Helix and never got to grips with it (however in my defence I was in the middle of a Masters at the time).

 

My needs are quite simple, compressor, chorus, flanger, octave and maybe a bit harmoniser/synth (that tracks).

 

What I absolutely don’t want is something that I cannot standardise volume on easily. 
 

Im somewhere near the Zoom B6 or the TC Electronic Plethora.

 

Any advice or experience would be appreciated.  

[jimfist]

Looks like you're in the low/mid-range budget? How much switching do you need to do? 

Do you require a "stomp box" layout for bringing in effects, or do you make few effects changes, thus changing a few patches during a performance will suffice?

Another new option is the Boss GX-100, with reduced "wait list" pricing. This is more of a kitchen sink pedal, but has a ton of features.

As a B6 owner, I'd say that its strength (as with most Zoom pedals) is its simplicity, ease of use, etc. This does come at the expense of some programming flexibility tweaks.

No experience with the Plethora, though it's got a nice feature set if you don't need OD or Envelope filter effects.

[rhysyjob]

Thanks I’m very sparring with effects generally so tend to keep a compressor on and the stomp in chorus, boost, octave and harmony as needed to be honest.

 

Anything intuitive is generally my preference as I’m not into deep editing.  

[grelum]

I have a Rocktron B200 which I never got on with and am thinking of selling on. Its a beast -solidly built but I confess the interface confuses me after using my Zoom B1Xon for about 5 years now. I saw a couple of models in Japan on the Bay going for in excess of £250 (see screenshot). If you are interested please message me for a more sensible price.

[jimfist]

9 hours ago, rhysyjob said:

 

My needs are quite simple, compressor, chorus, flanger, octave and maybe a bit harmoniser/synth (that tracks).

 

 

Can you give us an specific idea of the types of sounds you need for octave, harmonizer, synth? (Links to songs or pedal demos?)

As I'm on the B6 right now (and own the B3n, owned the B3), I can help you sort out whether it's up to the task for these items.

I've created some octave, synth, and harmonizer patches with the B6 that I'm happy with, but no idea if it's your cup of tea.

 

Pitch shifted harmonizer stuff is a really subjective thing with multi-fx pedals. Some do it better than others, and the more you spend, the better it tends to be.

Fractal Audio gear  (the latest iterations FM3, FM9) have made great strides with their pitch shifting according to posts in their forum. Top dollar stuff, though.

I think prevailing wisdom is that dedicated pedals do pitch shifting (Digitech) & synth (Source Audio) effects very well. Middle-of-the-market multi-fx is a coin toss.

That said, I'm finding the B6 to have plenty good to offer in this department, though there are some things to avoid and tricks to getting these sounds to behave.

 

Perhaps someone familiar with Boss or Line 6 Helix pedals can chime in on this issue.

[rhysyjob]

1 hour ago, grelum said:

I have a Rocktron B200 which I never got on with and am thinking of selling on. Its a beast -solidly built but I confess the interface confuses me after using my Zoom B1Xon for about 5 years now. I saw a couple of models in Japan on the Bay going for in excess of £250 (see screenshot). If you are interested please message me for a more sensible price.

Thanks for the offer but not for me. 👍

[Skybone]

Line 6 POD Go.

[rhysyjob]

16 minutes ago, jimfist said:

 

Can you give us an specific idea of the types of sounds you need for octave, harmonizer, synth? (Links to songs or pedal demos?)

As I'm on the B6 right now (and own the B3n, owned the B3), I can help you sort out whether it's up to the task for these items.

I've created some octave, synth, and harmonizer patches with the B6 that I'm happy with, but no idea if it's your cup of tea.

 

Pitch shifted harmonizer stuff is a really subjective thing with multi-fx pedals. Some do it better than others, and the more you spend, the better it tends to be.

Fractal Audio gear  (the latest iterations FM3, FM9) have made great strides with their pitch shifting according to posts in their forum. Top dollar stuff, though.

I think prevailing wisdom is that dedicated pedals do pitch shifting (Digitech) & synth (Source Audio) effects very well. Middle-of-the-market multi-fx is a coin toss.

That said, I'm finding the B6 to have plenty good to offer in this department, though there are some things to avoid and tricks to getting these sounds to behave.

 

Perhaps someone familiar with Boss or Line 6 Helix pedals can chime in on this issue.

No Probs my needs are quite simple. I’ll try to put it as I see it! 😊

 

3:1 Compressor nothing too overly squishy.

Chorus of Duff, Mckagen GNR era

Octave with a side of Palladino, note OC2 sounding than Digital POG type tones

Flanger ala Lynott, no Alibi required

Synth from Deep(er) Underground 

Harmony (3-5-7-9) another white line? generally for power chord type stuff under guitar solos. 
 
That’s about it.

 

Things I don’t need.

Billy Sheehan Remingtone…. Love the player less fussed on the tone.

Bad Horsie Pitchshifting Whammy.

Envelope Filters - tried them, don’t like them - bass playing sacrilege? Probably!  
DJent….. no

 

Thanks for your help all  

 

[PaulThePlug]

Zoom B1Four?

Set 1 or more patches per song, and even name them... plus Tuner and Amp / Cab Sims so can go straight to a mixer if need be.

Edited March 16, 2022 by PaulThePlug

[2pods]

As well as the HX Stomps (big and small), Boss Gt1000 and GT1000 CORE are well worth a look.

Especially the CORE, as it's tiny.

[jimfist]

16 hours ago, rhysyjob said:

3:1 Compressor nothing too overly squishy.  Yes, plenty of compressors to choose from. Setting them can be picky, with no meters for gain reduction. I find default settings are far too aggressive...need to be backed-off, but do work fine.

Chorus of Duff, Mckagen GNR era  Yes, you should be able to get a chorus effect you like, depending on how specific a chorus you prefer. 

Octave with a side of Palladino, note OC2 sounding than Digital POG type tones Yes, the OC2 emulation (BaAnaOct or Ba Octave) is really good, tracks well. There's also a fretless emulator on the B6. Add pitch shift detune and bingo.

Flanger ala Lynott, no Alibi required Yes, was able to get a similar vibe going with the BaVinFLNG, setting the LPF to 800hz. Not exactly the same, though. Again, depending on how precise you need this to be.

Synth from Deep(er) Underground Yes, using either the OC2 or Standard Synth and some distortion after, able to get a very similar vibe, playing an octave up.

Harmony (3-5-7-9) another white line? generally for power chord type stuff under guitar solos. Not a strength of the B6 IMO. Mixed bag. Yes, you can get some useable results with enough fiddling, or perhaps using a preset as a starting point.

 

All notes above regarding my experience with the Zoom B6.

Especially with the synth and octave tones, there's no magic bullet IMO to getting there without fussing on the unit - or any other multi-fx unit - unless for example, you just want the raw OC2 emulation.

When I make octave/synth patches, they almost always have some pre/post treatments (distortion, filtering, sometimes compression, chorus).

The good news, though, is that they track pretty well IMO. I can play fast, and go low and the unit tracks fine.

 

I have a difficult time recommending any multi-fx pedal in the low-mid price range for anyone who needs critical performance out of shifts/octaves/synths.

These types of effects are really best served by pedals dedicated to the task, unless you're going for a top-end multi-effect. Even then, there's necessary tweaking.

That said, IMO there are a lot of solid, good sounding options on the B6, but it's so subjective that I wouldn't want to presume that you'd be good with them based only on my tastes.

[Alien]

Zoom B2.1u covers almost everything I could want from a multi FX unit.  The only other thing I need is my Korg UB-1 Unibass, that I use like a rhythm guitarist in a box.  He's a useful chap too - sits there quietly, doesn't argue, carries his own gear, keeps perfect time with me and doesn't need a cut of the gig money - what more could you ask for?

 

A

 

[grelum]

20 hours ago, rhysyjob said:

Thanks for the offer but not for me. 👍

👍

[Yan_Huriey]

I bagged a second hand line 6 Helix FX and it's pretty damn impressive for the price, I link it to my PC. I find it easy to update and use, for the price its great I use it way more than I initially thought I would.

 

I still have pedals cos I like specific stuff, but it doesn't take me long to get what I need from the Helix.  I'm still getting used to all of its functions, but I must say I'm a fan, I can try various sounds out without shelling out for a pedal.

 

No amp modelling, but loads of switches which can be useful.  I'd like to try a Quad Cortex but they're freaking expensive, like my fuel bill.

Edited March 17, 2022 by Yan_Huriey

[BigRedX]

It would help if you could tell us why you didn't get on with the Helix, because of all the multi-effects I have owned IMO it's by far the easiest to use, most versatile and for most effects the best sounding.

[jimfist]

On 16/03/2022 at 06:12, rhysyjob said:

Historically I bought a Helix and never got to grips with it (however in my defence I was in the middle of a Masters at the time).

 

I'd suspect a matter of clearing time to wrap your head around the Helix.

From what little experience I had with the HX Stomp, certainly anyone familiar with multi-fx modelers can get around on it without too much fuss, and even easier  when using the software editor.

 

Thinking about the OP's needs, the HX Effects may be the best suited piece of gear, all things considered, and finances allowing.

On-unit programming and editing may NOT be the fastest, but otherwise all bases covered, especially since no amp/cab modeling is required.

Again, though, the wild card is in the Pitch Shift & Synth type effects: how well they track and whether they meet the OP's needs sonically.

Edited March 18, 2022 by jimfist

[uk_lefty]

My tuppence worth... Go second hand and see what you like the sound and usability of. Boss multis are great IMO (GT versions, not ME versions though they could work for you), I used Zoom for years when they were dreadful by modern standards but they've come on leaps and bounds. The pre-Helix line 6 stuff is good... You've got loads of choice. It's about what sound you like and what is the easiest for you to use. When you settle on what you like you could look to upgrade from there with a better idea of what you want.

[rhysyjob]

Ok folks I’ve been having a nose around and well what about a Boss GX-100? Lots of boss bass fx and touch screen so hopefully if I can use a iPhone - iPad etc I’m hoping it’s just patience and time! 😊

[jimfist]

1 hour ago, rhysyjob said:

Ok folks I’ve been having a nose around and well what about a Boss GX-100? Lots of boss bass fx and touch screen so hopefully if I can use a iPhone - iPad etc I’m hoping it’s just patience and time! 😊

 

The GX-100 has some great features. No synth modules, though, so you'd have to concoct them using octaves, filters and fuzzes.

I've said before on the GX-100 thread: if it had an XLR output and some basic synth stuff, I'd have gotten in on the pre-order discount.

 

[rhysyjob]

12 hours ago, jimfist said:

 

The GX-100 has some great features. No synth modules, though, so you'd have to concoct them using octaves, filters and fuzzes.

I've said before on the GX-100 thread: if it had an XLR output and some basic synth stuff, I'd have gotten in on the pre-order discount.

 

That’s got me thinking again..

 

 

[jimfist]

3 hours ago, rhysyjob said:

That’s got me thinking again..

 

 

 

It's a tough nut to crack without the cost jumping up into the top tier. That's why I mentioned the HX Effects, or even the PodGo, as well as the Zoom B6. 

They seem to be the only mid-range market contenders that have all of the basic tools (to include synths). Only the B6 has XLR output, if that matters.

The Line 6 products all share the same modeling and a fairly vast list of available effects, as well as robust editing capabilities within the effects.

I've settled on the B6 for the moment because I really don't need a ton of bells and whistles, and can reasonably work around the 4 button format (stomps or patch banks).

I do have my eye on the HX Effects, though, but wonder if Line 6 will be introducing an updated product Line as the Helix format has been around for quite some time.

Edited March 19, 2022 by jimfist

[rhysyjob]

7 hours ago, jimfist said:

 

It's a tough nut to crack without the cost jumping up into the top tier. That's why I mentioned the HX Effects, or even the PodGo, as well as the Zoom B6. 

They seem to be the only mid-range market contenders that have all of the basic tools (to include synths). Only the B6 has XLR output, if that matters.

The Line 6 products all share the same modeling and a fairly vast list of available effects, as well as robust editing capabilities within the effects.

I've settled on the B6 for the moment because I really don't need a ton of bells and whistles, and can reasonably work around the 4 button format (stomps or patch banks).

I do have my eye on the HX Effects, though, but wonder if Line 6 will be introducing an updated product Line as the Helix format has been around for quite some time.

I was kind of thinking the same about the Helix line, it’s 2 1/2 years since I sold mine and I thought it was mid life then. Despite all the distractions of previous study I wish I’d got another more into the setting up of effects chains editing etc.

 

On one hand the Plethora seems easy, but I wonder if it’s too limited.

The B6 seems tidy but I I’m not sure I warm to it and I’d like parallel processing. DI out is not an issue as i always use an amp (with a DI).

The attraction of the Boss is its new and at the start of its lifecycle, updates will follow, editing can be done via I pad/phone and Bluetooth. 
 

I’m starting to feel that at some point I’ll just say screw it and pick the one that is at the top of the list that moment! 

[la bam]

Tech 21 bass fly rig.

 

Just switch each fx on or off. No flapping through patches etc.

[rhysyjob]

1 minute ago, la bam said:

Tech 21 bass fly rig.

 

Just switch each fx on or off. No flapping through patches etc.

I had the Mk1 version, not for me tbh I thought the fx were poor.

[rhysyjob]

5 minutes ago, la bam said:

Tech 21 bass fly rig.

 

Just switch each fx on or off. No flapping through patches etc.

Have you tried the MK2? Any good?