Well that’s just an excuse to buy a bigger one, and then I’ll just need more pedals to fill that one up lol.
More seriously I think it will split into 2 boards at some point.
Well that’s just an excuse to buy a bigger one, and then I’ll just need more pedals to fill that one up lol.
More seriously I think it will split into 2 boards at some point.
I’ve decided to start playing around with pedals. What would be the proper order of pedals, starting with the bass itself? So far I have a StroboStomp tuner, a Zoom B1Four and a Behringer BDI 21.
Bass > Tuner > Zoom > BDI
This way you can use the zoom for fx pedals like distortion, chorus, filter, etc and use the BDI as your (dedicated) preamp. Iirc the BDI also has a DI out.
You can also bypass the BDI and use the zoom for the full chain. Tuner usually goes first in the chain.
Hope this helps!
Thanks Paul.
Hey Jerry, are you looking to play around with any particular pedals?
I’d like to start playing around with something, but not sure where to start.
I can’t remember where I came across this, so can’t properly give credit. It may even have been on this forum. But I like the way it puts them in categories according to what they do to the signal, and then sequences those groups:
For clarity’s sake, a preamp that you’re using as a DI would go last (in Jerry’s case that would be the Behringer), since that’s going to take all of the sound from all of the pedals and output them to the amp, DAI, or sound board? That’s the biggest thing missing from that picture.
Yes. And also because said preamp also substitutes for the amp in tonal quality.
I’ve also just started to play with pedals. I’ve dispensed with the Zoom B1four in my chain and gone with the below (so far)…
Tuner - Compressor - Chorus - Phaser - Delay
At present, I don’t have a distortion (will possibly add), or a DI (which I might add at the end).
I’m only using the pedals for ‘live’ work, i.e. playing with others. For convenience, I’m still practicing using the zoom as a silent practice partner.
What I am toying around with (looking for advice on) is how to deal with the difference between passive and active basses (eg the Dingwall vs the Steinberger), while maintaining the same final volume into the amp (I know a DI would take you straight into a PA / board, but I’d don’t have that in either a home or jam situation).
BTW, I’ve built my board by scouring Facebook Marketplace, all the pedals are pre-loved and have been bought for less than 50% of retail.
On your instruments, you’ll find a volume knob
Yes, but there must also be a solution on a board…,
I’ve been thinking an ABY splitter and an initial preamp for the passive bass, before going into the rest of it…
Why look for a complex solution to a simple problem?
Changing the output volume of the effects chain is going to involve, somewhere, a gain reduction (or boost). The simplest way to do this is at the source, by changing the volume of the bass. The next simplest is to use the output gain on the final preamp.
The idea of buying an additional preamp and ABY seems like adding a lot of complexity and cost for no added benefit to me, but YMMV.
And what happens if you get a third bass that is hotter (or less hot) than the current ones? buy another preamp and ABY, for an input tree?
“active vs passive” isn’t really as useful distinction as it sounds, as they all output at roughly Instrument level. It’s possible to have passive basses with hot pickups that output at a higher level than basses with active EQ.
The volume knob is easy and that’s what it’s there for.
That may be true for some, but in the case l of my basses, isn’t. The active ones, are both hotter than the passive one, especially if one dials up the onboard EQ, I can’t remember the actually boost number on the Dingwall, but it’s very noticeable.
I get what you say about the volume, but I’d also be interested in knowing what others do.
You could use a volume/expression pedal at the start of your chain.
A compressor helps for limiting your signal peaks between different basses.
A boost pedal could be nice for basses that aren’t hot. You could turn it off when the signal is too hot.
Other than that I use the volume knob on the bass.
Does the compressor level have enough adjustment range to cover the differences? If it doesn’t the boss eq pedal has +/- 15dB level adjustment, or I’m sure some clean boosts with adjustable output exist.
No, this is not how to really use a compressor. It would need to be dialed in to each bass to be optimal.
It really comes down to volume in or gain adjustment in the chain. No magic bullet here @sunDOG
Volume knob or pedal (which is just a giant foot knob, lol). Some amps have a switch but that’s never good enough, more for changing the levels in.
And agree with @howard, I’ve got passives hotter than any active bass, and I get you say you’re good for now - until you buy another bass!
This is really where some of the “magic” of multi-effects like the Stomp etc comes in - there you can have an ABY on your virtual pedal board (on any of your virtual pedal boards), which both allows you to split your input at a certain (selectable) frequency point in order to preserve any low end before going into effects, and lets you adjust levels more easily to make up for losses (or as a boost setting, if that’s what you want). The only caveat I see is that you potentially add some extra noise to your signal with these operations.
But, yes to @howard and @John_E , passives can come in much hotter than actives!
That’s a really interesting idea…! Thanks!