The Last Bass Outpost
Gear Discussion Forums => Bass Amps & Effects => Topic started by: gearHed289 on June 18, 2010, 10:18:05 PM
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I'm thinking of buying an octave pedal. Had a Boss Octaver years ago. It wasn't bad. Wondering what you guys might suggest?
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I had a Boss Octave, but the real original 80's ones only say Octaver on it. It sounded good down to about A on the E string. I hear the new MXR octave pedal is pretty good, its supposed to have a Boss setting on it.
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There are some new octavers on the market (I believe Aguilar has one?) now, but when I searched two years ago the Electro-Harmonix ones were the best!
Of course the normal POG is very good, but also expensive. I have the microPOG. You can dial in a sub octave and a high octave and you can blend it easy with the dry signal. It works very, very good! Love it, although I don't use it that much.
My only regret? I whsih I had two, to use a high and low octave seperately in separate songs, without having to dial it in.
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There are some new octavers on the market (I believe Aguilar has one?) now, but when I searched two years ago the Electro-Harmonix ones were the best!
Of course the normal POG is very good, but also expensive. I have the microPOG. You can dial in a sub octave and a high octave and you can blend it easy with the dry signal. It works very, very good! Love it, although I don't use it that much.
My only regret? I whsih I had two, to use a high and low octave seperately in separate songs, without having to dial it in.
Agreed with all of the above ! I also use the Micro POG and only for key bits and two would be ideal because as Chris says you have to dial in high or low octave for different songs.
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Cool, guess I'll have to check out the POG. Thanks!
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I have a Boss OC2 and an OC3.
Soundwise I prefer the OC2 because it's analog. It gives an organic sound with a little bit of drive added to the octaves you dial in.
The OC3 is digital and it adds nothing but the octaves; a bit too clinical for my taste. Sure you can choose the "drive" functionality, but then you have to give up one octave.
It may not have the organic sound of the OC2, the OC3 is more practical. It has better tracking. It stays tight up till the C on the A string. (whereas the OC2 loses track on anything lower than the D on the A string)
The OC3 also has the option of "polyphonics" (which the OC2 doesn't have). This means you can play chords and add one (lower) octave. As opposed to just the single notes the OC2 can handle.
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In addition to the OC-2, I always heard good things about the EHX bass microsynth - it does octave below and above, among other things. I'd like to try that and a POG one of these days...
The only octavers I have are the Maestro W-2 (http://matrixsynth.blogspot.com/2007/03/maestro-w-2-woodwind-instrument.html) (more of a fuzz/octave), and MOTM-120 (http://www.synthtech.com/motm120.html) - both very cool, but not really practical for general bass use or gigging.
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I never had an octave pedal per se, but I definitely used my old Bass Whammy in that role a fair amount.
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EBS Octabass is the best I've heard:
www.bass.se
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Micro POG is very hard to beat for its tracking quality and polyphony.
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I just picked up the Micro POG. Really good pedal, but I'm finding that my amps don't like what happens once you go down from the D or C. I've been using it to compensate for drop tune songs, so I'm heavy on the lower octave. I've found some really good uses for it, though. I can play things like "Sober" from Tool without drop tuning. The strings have better tension, and I can still get the sound I need. It didn't hurt that the drummer in band #2 works at GC, and got me his discount.
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I was satisfied with the Digitech Bass Synth Wah for octave-down sounds. Mine stopped working after a few months of using it at practice once a week, for one song, and the store I bought it from had thrown out all the paperwork (which many stores seem to do with anything they open up for display) so I was out of luck. Could have just been a rare lemon though, haven't found many complaints online.
I'ved used the Akai Unibass octave-up pedal, owned 2 and sold both for more than twice what I paid. They track well, and produce an octave up sound that, depending on the settings, can be strange but kinda cool or just plain annoying.
Just last week I plugged the headphone out of my Roland Bass RX Micro Cube into my amp, and it performed pretty well. I didn't try to test its limits, just played a couple of songs on a 4 string and it didn't seem to have much lag.
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I ended up buying a micro POG online without having tried one. I don't really like it, so it's going bye bye. I'll probably put it on the 'bay unless someone here wants it. $189 shipped, essentially brand new.
I've had a Digi bass synth wah for a couple of years now. I like it. 200 gigs or so and no issues. Only "problem" is there's no octave down without wah, but it is what it is. ;D
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I haven't tried these but came across this unit on fleabay yesterday. Figured it was worth a mention here.
Ampeg Scrambler Fuzz + Octave Clone
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Ampeg-Scrambler-Fuzz-Octave-Clone-/250661395039?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Guitar_Accessories&hash=item3a5c955a5f#ht_542wt_1139 (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Ampeg-Scrambler-Fuzz-Octave-Clone-/250661395039?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Guitar_Accessories&hash=item3a5c955a5f#ht_542wt_1139)
(http://i.ebayimg.com/24/!B)MNEVgCGk~$(KGrHqV,!g0Ev1+0DB-oBMMcjkYCd!~~_12.JPG)
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"adds a healthy dose of chaos to your pedal board" it does that for sure! Ampeg Scrambler is an insane effect!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaw1-xBm3i4
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That's simple enough to replicate if you had the diagram - all basic components...
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for 26 quid. why bother?
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I haven't tried these but came across this unit on fleabay yesterday. Figured it was worth a mention here.
Ampeg Scrambler Fuzz + Octave Clone
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Ampeg-Scrambler-Fuzz-Octave-Clone-/250661395039?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Guitar_Accessories&hash=item3a5c955a5f#ht_542wt_1139 (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Ampeg-Scrambler-Fuzz-Octave-Clone-/250661395039?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Guitar_Accessories&hash=item3a5c955a5f#ht_542wt_1139)
(http://i.ebayimg.com/24/!B)MNEVgCGk~$(KGrHqV,!g0Ev1+0DB-oBMMcjkYCd!~~_12.JPG)
I have an original ampeg scrambler. Very guitar based.. Octave is higher not lower. Jim McCarty on 3 Cactus albums.
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here is a great example of what this thing does with a guitar. the solos are recorded with this thing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0XsVRIdTE0
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boss OC-2 all the way for me.. nothing nails that fat synthy sound like this badboy!
digital octavers have the polyphony & glitchless tracking but they just sound sterile to me (although the microPOG does sound reasonable with phase or chorus after it, the slight latency it has annoyed me to the point of selling it at a loss)
if you want to spend a few more $$$ the foxrox octron / octron 2 are a VERY good pedal which offer both octave down & up.. i still prefer the OC-2 though ;)
heres a good youtube video , comparing 3 popular octavers for bass , (listen how fat and synthy the OC-2 sounds.. mouthwatering ;D ) :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFfCTxyq6Uo&p=2B03A7CDDE9602E2&playnext=1&index=13
in terms of tracking : i never play anything lower than D (5th fret A string) when using octave down, just gets too muddy (unless you have a massive wall of 18" cabs lol)
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Hmm, I think I like the EBS the best as far as that video goes. Thanks for posting!
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hands down the EBS sounds the best....
also try the aphex aural exciter.
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I like the POG the least - the others sound more similar. I also find myself liking the EBS. Almost makes me wish I had a use for one - but I don't.
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Hmm, I think I like the EBS the best as far as that video goes. Thanks for posting!
no probs , hope its of some help ;)
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That EBS sounds nice! Very natural and punchy...
There are times when the synthetic sounding ones (like that Scrambler) can serve a purpose, though. I did the melody on this with the Maestro W-2, which has that buzzy squarewave sound 1-2 octaves down. Its a couple tracks of Alembic Distillate (played in the high register) -> Masestro -> Sola Sound wah:
http://www.hillscloud.com/music/Horizon.mp3
Its ok in that context, but maybe not so great with a funky bassline ;D Just depends how you're planning to use it. The POG would be good for stuff like this, since it has that synthetic sound.
Oh and thanks for that Cactus clip up there. I know what I'm listening to later! 8)
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The settings of the OC2 are far too extreme in that clip. You see this very often when people demonstrate (or try) an effect, they always dial it up to "are you nuts?"
I always have the first octave somewhere on 6 or 7 (on a 0 to 10 scale)
and the second octave no further than 3 (on a 0 to 10 scale)
You get a nice organic sound with a bit of a drive to it.
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The settings of the OC2 are far too extreme in that clip. You see this very often when people demonstrate (or try) an effect, they always dial it up to "are you nuts?"
I always have the first octave somewhere on 6 or 7 (on a 0 to 10 scale)
and the second octave no further than 3 (on a 0 to 10 scale)
You get a nice organic sound with a bit of a drive to it.
the exact same settings that i use ;)
i just vary the direct level between 12 o clock (for a nice funky sound) or zero (when i need things more synthy)
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Did you ever try the OC3?
It tracks better.
But sounds more sterile.
If you want more drive with the OC3 you have to sacrifice one octave and switch it to overdrive...
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Did you ever try the OC3?
It tracks better.
But sounds more sterile.
If you want more drive with the OC3 you have to sacrifice one octave and switch it to overdrive...
nah ive never tried one...
im uncontaminated by the digital world :mrgreen:
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I had to when my OC2 died...
Still have the OC2 but should have it resurrected
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I had to when my OC2 died...
Still have the OC2 but should have it resurrected
yeh you should! ;)
out of curiousity, how does the OC-2 mode sound on the OC-3 ??
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Like I said before it sounds a bit sterile.
The OC2 adds mojo, the OC3 adds nothing but the octaves.
It is a more versatile pedal though. The mode knob can be used to choose as drive, second octave or polyphonics.
I use the second octave setting most of the time.
Because I already have a drive pedal, and I don't chord a lot.
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Like I said before it sounds a bit sterile.
The OC2 adds mojo, the OC3 adds nothing but the octaves.
It is a more versatile pedal though. The mode knob can be used to choose as drive, second octave or polyphonics.
I use the second octave setting most of the time.
Because I already have a drive pedal, and I don't chord a lot.
everyone needs a drive pedal ;)
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Except those that don't have a drivers license ;D.
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everyone needs a drive pedal ;)
Some of us just use our hands. :thumbsup: