Boss OC-5 For Bass | Heir Apparent? Or OC-2 Imposter?

My recording path for this video was a blend of an SM7b in front of an Aguilar SL112, and the DI from an Aguilar Tone Hammer 700 head. This was routed to my Apollo x8, and tracked in Logic Pro X.
The OC-2 used for this video was a later model Taiwanese-made 9v version.
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[@addisonbassist]

For a second I was like, "What's the weird overtone happening with everything?" Then I was like, "Oh, yeah - it's Janek making his noises when he plays. Nevermind."

[@PingPongPix]

The OC5 is close enough for me!! Especially when the Bit Crusher is in the chain! 😀

[@bassnsax]

Absolutely FANTASTIC comparison video!!! While the OC-5 does a pretty good job at capturing *most* of the OC-2 "magic", there is certainly a slight sound profile difference. Given the price difference of a new OC-5 versus a vintage OC-2 (but mostly HOW FRUGAL I CAN BE 😂) I think I would go with an OC-5! I think that "extra character" the OC-5 has really adds some distinctiveness, especially when you were playing with the drum loops.

[@brandonthebass]

Can I just say how much I love your camera and lighting? I mean, duh, one of the greatest bass players who ever lived, but the film work is fantastic!!!

[@Will-cu8vd]

Yeah Janek v Nate! Nate's loops are my go-to shed backing

[@BassMonstrum]

There is something about how an OC-2 feels; Janek described it as warmer when comparing it to the MXR in another video. It's hard to describe, but I know exactly what he means. I sold my MXR and started stockpiling OC-2s when the OC-5 was announced. I saw a couple of OC-2s on the cheap and I was tempted to sell one or two, but eventually glad I kept them. In retrospect, I should've bought the ones on the cheap...

[@squishy949]

Been eager to hear your thoughts on the OC5 since it was announced. Personally I preferred it in the comparison, to my ear it had an almost identical timbre just slightly boosted with a punchier attack I found very appealing. Thanks for the video!

[@imranchandler1083]

instablaster...

[@Sibob6]

I couldn't agree more about the Waza-OC2. I genuinely think there's room for both an OC-2W and the OC-5 in the market.

[@simaojoseph]

Agreed. And I’d love to see that logic applied to the ODB-3.

[@petougao]

OC5, with that tiny switch, seems like it is waza but not labeled as such. Maybe thats bkz of digitalness or changed control layout...or we are still in for a waza release (I would love to).

[@Sibob6]

@@petougao I think it’s clearly an improvement and extension of the OC-3. Other than the (very good) impression it does of an OC-2, it’s not one and as such, I still think there’s room for an OC-2W.

[@petougao]

@@Sibob6 YT makers repeat same mistake over and again (maybe intentionally where marketing money is involved) by comparing the clean signal of octavers. I have here on my desk Aggie and OC2 (aca ver.) and in comparison they are nearly indistinguishable, even on one fuzz that is currently hooked up. But when the diode rectifer on my Waldorf 2pole filter is all the way up, OC2 literaly sings where Aggie is more like "bwlaaaa". And I love the Aguilar octaver, dont get me wrong.

[@georgecookonbass]

Definitely +1 for the Waza OC-2! I'm really struggling to hear much difference between the OC5 and the OC3, same pitfalls and problems for bass players which seems like an oversight considering bass players are the most likely to buy an octave pedal.

[@FretboardVisualization]

Thanks Janek, I always dig your synopsis of pedals. IMO you may want to also check out the OC-3 for fun. Not as an OC-2 clone, but as a similar synth sound with an original character. I really love mine, but like you I'll never replace my OC-2. I made a OC-5, OC-2, OC-3 comparison/test if you're curious.

[@yuichituba]

YES! I was hoping that you would make an OC-5 video! I made two comparison videos, including one with the OC-2 "Octaver". But your sound quality makes it really clear how they sound. I still think they did a good job recreating the OC-2 sound. One sound I like doing with the OC-5 is -1 & +1 Oct (no clean signal) with delay when soloing. It has a keyboard-like sound.

[@RobMods]

Great video and nice playing. I love the OC-2 as well. The tracking can be improved with a new cap or two. And a few mods can unlock some nice new sounds...

[@MeHowBeatz]

Amazing video, the part where you're playing with loops just blew my mind! Such a pleasure to hear OC-2 sounds again after a very long time.. Thank you very much for this! I respect a lot what you do! Please, keep it up! All the best!

[@usynthesis4749]

Man, those jojo d&b drum grooves are awesome! Bass and pedal sound super cool with those settings...😎

[@CharlesRobitaille514]

Totally on board for an OC-2 Waza!!!! Please convince them Janek! Lol.

[@jgl2222]

Let me go ahead and hit the bell icon. Janek you are a musical god.

[@VioletDeliriums]

0:26 "And we should get to some music, but FIRST...let's talk shop" (followed by slick production intro suggesting...I'm a corporate spokesperson)...I can tell from this vid that the OC-5 processes the sound so that there is a boost on the high-end, at least in your comfortable mid-range of the instrument.

[@AmilcarBaxo]

Thanks Janek! You is a complete teacher In our world of bass!

[@RyuatNight]

Great video loved the way you gave details keep it up

[@petougao]

It was (never) a question how they sound on itself but how the fx after it take it. The quality of OC2 is that it acts as a very fine instrument, triggering fuzz into a perfect signal for filtering and crushing. This now might be down ti finding a new fuzz/od, the one that wirks with OC5.

[@GreenhamGuitar]

I've never had the pleasure of playing an OC2 - very rare in South Africa... My first pedal was an OC3 actually. Still use the darn thing! So excited to use the OC5's low-note-only setting when it lands here. Can't believe how long it took to get a true subharmonic generator in a stompbox, but I think OPFXS has done it. Edit: Oops! Meant to say thanks for such an honest, in-depth review!

[@nazarenkodenys]

I could sell you Octaver ;)

[@fernfernacelli]

Love the vid. My humble opinion (and using *my* gear, the way I play, ALL of the important caveat to consider), I will always love my OC-2, and will never part with it… But the OC-5 is absolutely fantastic. If I had to choose, which one to keep on my board (again, I will never part with my OC-2), it would definitely be the OC-5. Cheers, and Happy Holidays! \m/, 😊 ,\m/

[@ciddax754]

Thanks for the review. The difference to the original OC-2 is over normal speakers, very very small. So small it could be two OC-2's.

[@simaojoseph]

Careful with what you call/identify as modulation; sometimes that modulation is there in the original sound, it just is more obvious when shifted.

[@petougao]

Thanks, good to know.

[@constantk8780]

Tone police coming to take him away right now.

[@computeevangelist]

Dzięki Janek! :)

[@wanmorgan]

OC5 Is close enough plus with it's other features is great choice. I think the OC 5 is 5 DB louder as well.. Great video again Janek..

[@mojito6629]

Why do you keep not turning on the English Translation for your videos, Mr. Gwizdala? It is very useful for person who cannot hear/cannot understand English only by listening

[@SevanStick]

It sounds pretty much the same in every regard. The new one seems a little hotter, clearer and punchier.

[@stubrakon9683]

Great video thanks! I love my oc3 poly mode and this looks better. More pedal demos please😃

[@prohibitedbeatz]

Demo the new Octabvre if you can find one!!

[@joegridl]

Baby elefant sound with the OC5 sounds A LOT like Pat Metheny's synth sound!

[@steffengotsch]

You ever try using the Sample rate reduction knob on the ottobit after your oc-2->fuzz->filter synth bass sound? It has a super cool pseudo-vocoder/talkboxish vibe, I'd love to see you jam on some more of those loops with that sound.

[@misterD1968]

+1 for the OC-2 Waza !

[@BenKrisfield]

In the new GT 1000Core, I like the sound of -1 Oct and the Overtone effect +1 upper harmonic. The Overtone effect in the GTCore has a few more parameters than the Boss Overtone pedal.

Oc5 sounds like an oc2 with a booster

[@Gareth-Harrison]

Its sounds like the oc5 has more definded mids not that its a bad thing just different

[@Deep42Thought]

idk i like OC-5 mids and it sounds close enough for me, and it's easier to get probably later down the line i get OC-2 for home use

[@aaronmoore9055]

I deleted my first comment because after watching the full video, I felt that most of my talking points were covered in the video, and I didn’t want to beat a dead horse. Hey, for $130 you can’t beat OC-5, but I’m still interested in seeing what the Octabvre MKIII has to offer in comparison to the OC-2.

[@eliwesterveld]

Would you recommend the mxr vintage octave over three oc5 if you want a pedal you can buy now?

[@Jah3lohim]

Go analog, man

[@christophercheney1006]

I'll have to try some complex chords with my Bass Whammy. I've had it for a few months now, swapped out my o.g. WH-1. Overall, the bass Whammy in "chords" mode, tracks beautifully, so smooth.

[@artakha14]

I've had mine for two years, yet to find a pedal that proccesses better than whammy in chords mode. Even 4-note chords sound pretty nice, no matter how complex are the intervals. Wish they made it in a more compact variant without the pedal half, just the harmonizer.

[@christophercheney1006]

@@artakha14 It's a great pedal! I've been enjoying the addition of the 10th on this one. Very cool

[@simaojoseph]

One problem of the bass whammy ( I only have the last iteration) is it colors your sound the moment you turn it on; as Is the latency. But it does a better shifted presentation of the original sound than a ehx pitchfork; although this last one tracks faster and more accurately specially in the low end.

[@Astronometric]

Can I say that no matter if it is a boss, a pog or a whammy. All the digital octavers with an high octave sound more or less the same to me. The vintage mode sounds ok, especially in the mix, but the oc-2 still sounds more natural.

[@DanielSing90]

The POG and OC-5 sound VERY different with the upper octave. I own both.

[@yuichituba]

@@DanielSing90 Yup, I agree with Daniel. I own the OC-5 and Whammy. They sound very different. OC-5's upper octave signal is weaker and has a different sound. And isn't as useful by itself.

[@phunkybasstard]

OC5 cuts into the mix better w the drum track and a abit more punch or mids?? Than the OC2 :))

[@davidsummerville351]

I consider it half polyphonic. It doesn't handle complex voices. The electro harmonix bass9 is better. The oc5 handles other pedals which the bass9 doesn't. I have both and love the options! I use a strat and oc5 loves single coils. Both pedals track vary nicely.

[@ClaudioOderich]

Hi, Janek. Great video. I have an OC2 OctavE MIJ for only 1st octave down and it´s great. The thing is, sometimes i want to have 1st octave with Direct Sinal for 80s sound and i find the OC2 too dirty for that. I´m thinking on getting a EBS Octabass for that porpouse. What do you think? Thanks.

[@ShoesMagoo]

Has there ever been any word about Boss doing a carbon copy reissue of the OC-2? Seems like they'd make a killing with the demand for these things still being sky high.

[@flatgroundtv7097]

OC-5 is a clean digital boost of the OC-2. No analogue warmth in it. Just a great reproduce of digital Roland sound. OC-2 is still the Octave king.

[@martyntif]

I wonder if Boss would ever do an OC-2W

[@harrisonswift1416]

Just spent $200 on a used (Japanese) OC-2 from 1986. More of an analog guy, myself. But we'll see how she sounds.

[@jeconiahyohanes1585]

Which one do you prefer between the MXR Vintage Bass Octave and Boss OC-5?

[@bazZzment]

This.

[@jeconiahyohanes1585]

@@bazZzment cool! May I know why? I have never had an octave pedal before, and now I am planning to get one, either the OC-5 or the MXR Vintage Bass Octave..

[@bazZzment]

@@jeconiahyohanes1585 Sorry, my answer was misleading. I have the same question but failed to articulate due to laziness. 😅 I too would love to hear his thoughts!

[@jeconiahyohanes1585]

@@bazZzment LOL. Hope Janek will read our conversation here! 😂

[@bazZzment]

@@jeconiahyohanes1585 I like the small footprint of the MXR and the fact that it‘s analog. I don‘t care for the chord function of the OC-5 but think it has a much better tracking and the octave up can sometimes be fun when playing with fuzz.

[@n_phaneuf]

Waza OC 2 with just a bit more output than the OG would be amazing

[@momenttomoment1007]

If anyone can review this pedal it's Janek... btw I'm a fellow English born Polish bassist ;)

[@bajoypedales8992]

great video but ... ,and i only ask beacause if you say something about it i miss it,you "skip" the oc3 beacause you dont have it or beacause youu dont like it ? anyway great video and now i have to had someone to do some oc5 clone beacause i dont have the money to buy one jajajaajajajaaa chears to you Janek !!!!

[@jumpingman8160]

But the real question is: Where in all of Satan's kidergarten is the OC 4?

[@ampthebassplayer]

Apparently, 4 is an unlucky number so they just skipped it.

[@simaojoseph]

No número quatro in Japan.

[@maxjbg]

Guess they named it OC-5 because it combines the OC-2 and the OC-3 :D

[@williammitchell6921]

The OC2 was superseded by the 3Leaf Octabvre and the Cog Effects T-16 and T-65, all of which are analog.

[@JoeBrown1]

Been looking for a t16 for a couple years they stopped making them

[@GregF71]

@@JoeBrown1 the Cog is a monster, that filter is straight genius!

[@follydub]

@@JoeBrown1 Just hit them up. Bought mine like 1 year ago directly from cog.

[@JoeBrown1]

@@follydub weird I emailed them and heard nothing... Any issues with peaking on an active bass btw?

[@follydub]

@@JoeBrown1 hmm, strange. no experience with an active bass yet.

[@NicHasegawa]

How does the MXR Vintage Bass Octave hold up against the OC5?

[@michael_caz_nyc]

We all want to know. Also the 3 Leaf unit???

[@NicHasegawa]

@@michael_caz_nyc I think I remember asking him directly on a Twitch stream once and he had said he prefers the MXR over the OC5 especially since the Vintage Octave Dx was modelled after one of his own OC3s!

[@michael_caz_nyc]

@@NicHasegawa I'm thinking about the S.A.C-4 Synth, as I enjoy Programming - so perhaps it will be more Moog-like? Appreciate the input. oNe LovE from NYC

[@jeffstanley8639]

At first I was thinking wow that's a lot of stray weirdness happening - then I realized it was him humming along with the playing...

[@MrKultivar]

Such a great player, but I cannot watch his vids, that humming ruins it for me. Just can°t stand it.

[@jonmuir13]

I’m just happy I got my 1982 Octaver for $200. Mine is also older than Janeks ;)

[@steffengotsch]

yeah, you got him beat by like 50 years

[@jonmuir13]

My bad, 1982 not 28!!

[@bengalinsky4300]

Is it just me or does the OG track better?

[@exhainca]

I also make weird singing sounds when I play bass.

[@jacehangover72]

Boss please make waza OC-2 pedal

[@Zz0ne]

I wish the hx stomp would be capable of doing something close to the oc-2 since i don't have more space on my board. :/

[@Terrible_Peril]

Just wait. Rumor has it firmware 3.0 will have more poly effects and some changes to the tracking algorithm. But to run the poly pitch stuff, it uses around half the total available DSP, so instead of 8 blocks, you’d only have 3 or 4 if one of them is a poly pitch effect. I’m not saying it’s fact, I’m saying it’s a rumor about the current beta, and I’m starting the rumor.

[@georgecookonbass]

Mod Duo has an amazing OC2 emulation. Part of why I bought it over the HX.

[@Terrible_Peril]

@@georgecookonbass they're very different beasts as I understand it. The pitch effects in the Helix line are far from bad, but I can assure you they will soon be quite a bit better than before. I'm still gonna buy an oc5, and I'll still buy oc2s whenever I see them at a decent price because I sniff cork sometimes and have my little indulgences and obsessions.

[@georgecookonbass]

@@Terrible_Peril They're completely different in some ways and very similar in others. They fill the same 'multieffects that plays well with others' gap on my pedalboard which is why I would compare them. If I already had an OC2 I'd have kept it but as I bought the Mod for the same price as an OC2 and it sounds fantastic so I'd have a hard time justifying an OC2 purchase now, especially over an Octabvre.

[@RedCherryT]

amazing baby elephant tone, he only uses OC-5 to achieve that?

[@rauljara2212]

nice ergostrap

[@romainr4275]

But but, where is the OC4 ? ;)

[@handidrummed]

4 is an unlucky number in Japanese culture, that's why Boss doesn't make any "4" pedals.

[@michael_caz_nyc]

Seems like the OC-5 Tracks better?

[@Leoast14]

The oc5 sounds a little bit more gainy and less warm..and the poly mode...we need better tracking at this point of the game, we had that kind of sounds and tracking in pedals 10 years ago.

[@eddododo]

I find it tracks perfectly fine.

[@Leoast14]

@@eddododo try a tritone chord.

[@Leoast14]

@@eddododo try a tritone chord.

[@leeellis4820]

A 9th chord will always wobble, won't it?

[@leeellis4820]

Warble? Wobble?

[@jinjxmusic]

I was one of the original people to order the OC5 though returned it - that was a mistake being how hard it's been to procure another one. Taking the poly function from the OC3 and the analog mono from the OC2 together seems like a great idea though I'm wondering if they could push the poly function a bit further - or rather the OC2 portion. Not complaining - I'm just happy to have an actual analog OC2 and I appreciate that the company is always figuring things out.

[@markwelcome2079]

what are you using to get your "elephant sound".....that you use a lot usually?

[@LaFritePerreGoat]

He posted a video about it long time ago please check his back catalog

[@eliasfhMC]

It used to be the boss ps-5 (+ bitcrusher & delay), but I'm pretty sure he's using the pitch from the hx stomp instead now

[@antonyvo4president]

oc-2 analog vs oc-5 digital

[@solidsnakejake185]

Excellent review, best I've seen for this pedal honestly but you hum a lot while you're jamming and the mic picks it up. Wasn't terribly distracting though.

[@sm26801]

HEYY JANEKKK!! CAN YOU PLEASE SHOW ME HOW TO MASTER RYTHM CHANGES, WALKING AND SOLOING! PLEASE!!!

[@roadbull1]

Why not a waza OC-2 Boss. And a waza HM-2 too...

[@avigyavegashunyata1108]

where is OC - 4?

[@kierenmoore3236]

The Japanese avoid the number four out of superstition - one pronunciation of the word ’four’ in Japanese is the same as their word for ’death’ ...

[@avigyavegashunyata1108]

lol

[@kierenmoore3236]

@@avigyavegashunyata1108 Most cultures/languages have quirky things like that ... I think it’s more just tradition now, than actual superstition ...

[@thevagabond8978]

They need a waza version that’s true analog.

[@bardsamok9221]

Disappointed that Boss failed to get the OC2 down. Similar but not the same vibe

[@AdamAlgeroth]

Hej, widziałeś ten mod OC-2 kzbin.info/www/bejne/o4WmeJSCfKlkj9U ? Pozdrawiam

[@fozterfossworth8276]

'A dirty organ sound?'....oh dear!!!

[@eaf27]

I have a feeling after hearing how close this is to the oc-2 that the oc-2 price is going to go down.

[@ObraBass]

That background music totally interfere with the purpose of the video. Unfortunately I couldn't concentrate on the information about Octavers.

[@infinitybassuk]

Anologue OC-2 Waza? YES! 🙋‍♂️ Digital OC-5....... nope.

[@jesusblessthesecommentsamen]

Ah digital no thanks..

[@bassporn]

Love your honesty... Loved this video... Thank you!!!...