Combining two bass signals together?

[kiat]

My wireless bass received has two 1/4" TS outputs and I'm thinking of running them each through separate signal paths, then recombining them post-processing into a single mono signal, to emulate two separate basses playing in unison, perfectly or imperfectly. E.g. "Walk on the Wild Side", "I Want You Back", "Black Dog".

 

I read that a y-splitter cable would need resistors to prevent the mono signals backfeeding each other.

 

What equipment would be needed? Is a box doing this already? Can an AB pedal combine?

Edited 19 hours ago by kiat
Resistors not radiators!

[kiat]

They'd be combined into one mono signal for my amp and FOH, though likely not for the IEMs.

 

If it's not clear the idea is to experiment with a single bass to sound like two basses, where each bass gets a different sound from effects etc.

[itu]

I think there's a possibility to make a trial with a stereo chorus (or similar) fx pedal. When the effect is OFF, it still feeds both outputs. You may even have some suitable pedal for the trial? 

[kiat]

17 hours ago, itu said:

I think there's a possibility to make a trial with a stereo chorus (or similar) fx pedal. When the effect is OFF, it still feeds both outputs. You may even have some suitable pedal for the trial? 

I've got just the 2 pedals, a Zoom B3 and a Valeton GP-5 and each have a single mono input. I'm now looking at an ABY like the Sonicake Buffer to do the job.

[kiat]

@itu is it likely most bassplayers have a single, linear chain of pedals so that every pedal processes the previously processed signal?

 

In many cases this is desired, eg to create a synth base effect with IN>Oct>Fuzz>Chorus>OUT. But surely also interesting sonically to layer effects on top of each other, rather than piped through each other.

 

I wonder who is doing this out of the BCers here and what works for them.

[pantherairsoft]

Lots of folk run parallel effects chains, and I’ve done it a lot in the past. My most common application was to run one long chain of pedals, then have an octave down in parallel so you can ‘kick in’ the sub under a line.

 

Blending dirt pedals together in parallel is also very common.

 

There are loads of blender pedals out there, but the most easily accessible is the Boss LS-2, which does a million things and everyone should own one, just for trying crazy routing options out when an idea like this hits.

 

Though you have two outputs, I think using them for two chains will be less flexible that just using something like an LS-2 or other blender to split one output, due to the fact that most blenders will let you swap between just A, just B, or A+B mixed at the press of a button. I assume the value in your dual output is really to run one to amp and another straight to DI and FOH.

[Woodinblack]

On 05/10/2025 at 22:36, itu said:

When the effect is OFF, it still feeds both outputs.

 

It does, but that is no different from an ABY pedal or just connecting the direct of one effect to another, its the same signal.

 

On 05/10/2025 at 19:07, kiat said:

If it's not clear the idea is to experiment with a single bass to sound like two basses, where each bass gets a different sound from effects etc.

 

You can put a different effects on different parts of the same signal, but ultimately it will still sound like one bass with different processing on it.

[itu]

ABY pedal is most likely without buffers, so some kind of signal degradation is possible. 

 

Parallel processing is very doable, but when you mix both loops together, there may be issues like phase difference, and therefore some signal degradation, again. Parallel loops require some testing.

 

Have you considered biamped systems: upper band is usually heavily processed (distortions, chorus...) while the low band has less effects (compressor), but clear lows. This can be mimicked with a X-over (Rolls is a low cost unit) in a single amp system. 

[warwickhunt]

I'm not sure what your ultimate goal is but have you considered a simple A/B/Y pedal that runs to pathways but instead of blending them back to a mono signal, source an amp that has an attenuated (ie you can adjust the level via a potentiometer) 2nd input or effects loop return.  Path A goes into the amp main input and path B goes in via the 2nd input/effects return.  I have such an amp and in the past I've run a totally unaffected (clean) signal into the front and I've put an effected chain with a bit of drive/chorus etc into the rear effects; I blend in the rear effects to suit.  I suppose you could put a volume pedal at the end of the effects chain to blend to suit.  

[prowla]

A small mixer or an OBNE Signal Blender pedal would do the job.

l had two issues with my OBNE: i. it is quite a tall pedal, ii. leaving an unattached lead in one of the inputs really upsets it.