Source Audio C4 | The Pedal Studio

[@sourceaudioeffects]

Hi, Janek. Thanks so much for checking out the C4, and thanks for your honesty. I'm puzzled why you weren't able to turn on the fourth voice, I could see from the video that it was turned on and then you turned it off - perhaps the Level of the fourth voice was turned down or maybe it was routed to the second stereo output. Regardless there are FOUR available voices plus the dry signal that can all be mixed together and each voice can be routed to either side of the stereo split. Yes, you are correct that you can only use two sine wave oscillators at one time, beyond that you would need to bring in a square or saw wave oscillator, or one of the monophonic pitch shifters - maybe adding a couple of the monophonic pitch shifters instead of the square wave would have brought you closer the sound you were trying to achieve. You definitely touched on one of the common criticisms of the C4 - the simple hardware masks the massive number of options offered by the Neuro Desktop Editor. This was a challenge that we were well aware of going in - we knew that we wanted a very simple to use pedal out of the box, but also wanted to offer all the options that we could fit into the firmware (20 plus filter types, several envelope options, two 16 step sequencers, pitch shifting, intelligent harmonization, multiple types of distortion, LFO modulation, pitch modulation, FM synthesis, etc). Deciding on only six default, out-of-the-box sounds was very difficult - basically it was impossible to pick six sounds that would satisfy everybody, so we resigned ourselves to the fact that using the Neuro Editor was essential to the C4 experience. Basically we are hoping that people will use the tools available to them to build themselves the perfect synth pedal. And please don't forget that there are many, many very talented C4 owners out there that are helping us build a massive library of great presets in the Neuro Editor. These presets can be very easily auditioned and/or burned directly into the pedal - so if programming sounds is not your thing, there are tons of great sounds available with one click. And finally there are up to 128 preset positions that can be accessed via MIDI. Sorry to ramble on so much, but as one might suspect, I have a lot to say about this pedal (and I've only said a small bit of what I would like to say, but nobody wants to read that. - ha ha). So again, thanks so much, Janek - it was a lot of fun to hear you play through the C4. We're happy to answer any questions you or anybody else has about the C4. This pedal represents well over a year of intense work from our two man engineering team, so we want to make sure that everybody understands what this pedal is capable of.

[@keziahj]

the mono octave with filter down comes pretty close to a sine wave - thanks to super inspiring SA user @Neurohenke. AND midi is the key to this thing - it´s majestic

[@mastersinperformance]

Hey! I doubt this will get answered, but I was wondering how much control you get with the mobile app. I've seen people select presets on the app and sending it directly to the pedal. Is that something you can do in general? If I can only have 3 presets on the pedal at a time, even with the mobile app connected, I'm not sure this pedal would be for me, but if I can directly send presets to the pedal with the mobile app, that would instantly make me get this pedal.

[@laddypees8643]

@@mastersinperformance 6 presets can be stored at a time. Can send patch from mobile app directly to pedal via supplied cable. Can send via Bluetooth via products sold separately.

[@geerhoar]

With a MIDI controller, one can access up to 128 presets. The Source Audio Soleman is an excellent choice.

[@sourceaudioeffects]

@@mastersinperformance Yes, you can send presets to the C4 from the Neuro Mobile App. The pedal actually has 6 presets accessible with the center toggle switch (two banks), plus it has a total of 128 presets accessible with MIDI (you will also need the Neuro Hub in order to access MIDI presets with a standard MIDI footswitch).

[@leebraverman4259]

I recently got this pedal for the pop gig situation like you suggested. I did find a few solutions to some of the issues you talked about. The pedal can be programed to switch preset banks by holding the footswitch down instead of the button on the back, I found this very helpful. It can also be hooked up to a midi footswitch to program a lot more than the 6 presets accessible on the pedal itself.

[@130mMer5boc]

I use this with a midi controller. I never turn it on with the switch it comes with. I don't even touch it anymore. Totally different kind of pedal. Full digital app on computer is the tweaking paradise i wanted. I 'dial' in my sounds and program my midi controller and i'm set.

[@julianpischler9378]

The stock sounds on this pedal aren’t great and it *does* take time to craft your own in the app, but once you’ve got some you like you can save them to the pedal so you aren’t limited to either the stock sounds or being perpetually stuck in the editor. Janek’s right in that it’s not great as a live pedal you can physically change the parameters on, but I recommend Zachery Rizer’s review as an alternate perspective; nothing against Janek, I love his playing and content, but watch Zach’s video before making your mind up, he gets some amazing sounds out of it.

[@orryfishburne5326]

Im so glad i found your channel thanks to Vertex Effects. I love playing guitar and bass, but that past 5-6 years have been dedicated to building my guitar pedalboard. Now im building a bass board and u have sold me on the idea of using the Source Audio C4 and the Meris Ottobit Jr. I dont have those pedals yet, but im definitely going to get them in the future. Love the capabilities they possess. The C4 is so powerful, but also is daunting since i dont have much synth programming experience. It will be fun to learn though.

[@lordundhimself1310]

Thank you so much Janek. Its SLIM pickins for videos that demo pedals on bass. We need all the demoers we can get. More, please!

[@mrmatthew2443]

Interesting I’m gonna have to have a look at some of the users presets That sound at 21:50 is great Reminds me of the blade runner sound on the korg minilogue synth Thanks Janek , your awesome

[@Nightbreed82]

The reason you couldn't hear your 4th voice is because the level for it was all the way off. And it didn't track as well as it could have because you had the "high note" of the Pitch Detector set to E6 (guitar with 24 frets) yet you're playing a bass with 28 frets. Also, adjusting the Input Gain can improve tracking (or rather, ensure the Envelope sensitivity is accurate); it has to be set just right depending on your instrument's signal. The reason it didn't sound as fat as the H9 is because you were cutting the Bass EQ, boosting the Treble, and had the Output Volume very low....not a fair comparison...just saying. Not your fault, just correcting you like you asked. In regards to more than 2 voices per waveform, it really wouldn't change the sound much. Compare a single waveform to 2 of the same type....it's the same sound. What does fatten that sound though is adjusting the Detune slightly and/or using the Modulate option. If you do that then 2 voices is plenty for any one waveform, which is why it's designed the way it is. Four voices in a proper synth is actually very generous (not all that common really), let alone in a synth pedal.

[@Jazzclone]

Extremely helpful comment. Thanks! :)

[@jrbbass]

Great video. FYI - You can choose to have the second 3 memory spots accessible by holding down the foot stomp button for a few seconds. Then you don’t need the button on the top.

[@ShaighJosephson]

Best part of C4 is that it can turn your guitar into any bass imaginable...

[@Josh_Herman]

I love the C4, great synth pedal!

[@davidsummerville351]

Love the demo! I am considering this pedal. Thanks

[@BillonBass]

I just added the Disaster Area DMC MicroPro and can easily access up to 128 presets. I also think SA is trying to get you to buy the NeuroHub and switcher they make - especially if you have more than 1 SA pedal. But it is a great pedal that I gig with almost every day.

[@elchuteloco]

the best pedal in my life

[@RossHoekman]

Hey Janek: Thanks for the props on my Future Nostalgia patch, and it sounds SICK with the reverb! One thing that I haven't seen mentioned so far... Adjusting Neuro Community patches to your personal gear/playstyle is pretty much required. In this case, you could up the sensitivity of the sound and change the envelope to get more swell and have it be less abrupt (there's even an envelope called "Swell" that does exactly that).

[@Mrpsblobsoflowendmung]

I just one of these , amazing pedal, finally a pedal with he depth of parameters I’ve yearned for , for literally 10 years

[@marysanchez4789]

Which effect did you use for the distorted high pitch sound when you were going "cinematic" with the future nostalgia preset? It reminds me of the intro for MJ I just can't stop loving you and also Interstellar movie which both having this creepy kind of sound

[@RyuatNight]

Enjoy these reviews also like your personal opinion. Please keep these going it’s great to get your honest input on pedals

[@mahdisharegh7220]

I am going to absolutely Buy This pedal soon

[@Terrible_Peril]

It’s good, real good. Once you get into the software part (either on mobile or desktop) I’d suggest following Quatschmacher because they drop new presets all the time and they’re so creative either as a sound or as a way to tweak the parameters of the pedal in interesting ways, it always feels like saving money. I got rid of the oc2 because I like the c4 dupe of the oc2 that much. That’s huge.

[@Jazzclone]

@@Terrible_Peril I am late to the party but your oc2 comment is what I've been looking for. Good to know that the C4 can do a nice octaver effect!

[@MLing-q5x]

When will you be reviewing the boss oc-5?

[@ShaighJosephson]

The C4 covers all of the OC-5 and a shitload beyond it...

[@ShoesMagoo]

@@ShaighJosephson So safe to say it renders octaver pedals obsolete, or at least superfluous in its presence? Know how it stacks against the likes of the EBS Octabass?

[@yuichituba]

He already did.

[@noisemakers929]

Janek is great. Very knowledgable and honest. We are lucky to have people like this in our life. C4 is also amazing

[@bassnsax]

I loved your description of how you saw the pedal in context! It very much seems like a software synth that effectively turns your bass into a MIDI controller. I really liked the patches, and the tracking on it is impressive! While it doesn't seem like a great solution for changing parameters on the fly in a live setting...I wonder if it will become part of the "Post-Apocalyptic Future Baby Elephant" sound? 😁 Fantastic video and great job, as always!

[@alexchavez1880]

I have to stronglt agree with you in the way how the application is necessart for changing sounds, I cannot see how in a live enviroment with no extras it can give that much of opportunities. But, there are controllers for the pedal that extend a lot the sounds. Because of the tracking in might not be that good vor sooloist things, but for somthing like you made in the end I can relate. AWESOME, CHEERS Janek :D See ya in Twitch

[@HondoFelder]

Agreed on all counts man. Great video brotha. If anything it make me want an H9...lol

[@livebassngames]

I love how you went into more generic terms explaining this pedal but also other pedals with tracking and special sounds... I got a Electro Harmonix bass monosynth... it does wierd jumps in tracking it's a learning experiment, teaches me to avoid those extra harmonics / string noise... but works amazing with a distortion pedal(then a wah wah) after the signal, destroys everything... I need to try reverb like yo do near 21 minutes with the EHX have you tried 2 C4s in a loop ? you know... have 1 C4 track the other.... and maybe have the 1st C4 track the second one that is tracking the 1st one... could turn into a "music machine" with right settings such as sequencers(if the C4 has it) etc

[@jobbo89]

How were you getting the sounds from 3:45? They aren't part of the preset

[@MajicFreeman]

i think he's using other pedals, mainly the merris ottobit i think is the glitchy sounds u hear

[@livebassngames]

I think thats just digestive tract noises you know... from his meal

[@IanMartinAllison]

21:40 Blade Runner

[@JustinMacy]

I might be wrong, and this may not matter based on the placement, but I think you get another 4 parameters after you hit the alt button on the back.

[@JustinMacy]

I'm wrong it only changes the top two, knobs not the cntrl settings. But, long holding the switch will switch to the alternate presets (without having to reach the back of the pedal).

[@Rabrahaze]

What Pedal is using at 16:05?

[@djrea4815]

Eventide H9, quadravox algorithm

[@Rabrahaze]

@@djrea4815 thank you!

[@audioguru67BassCover]

Comparing 🍊 and 🍎

[@028fn48dne]

for harmony, a pro like you should probably have an FM3. Sadly there's nothing cheaper than that on the market that can track well, and get good diatonic polyphony, and it also allows for user-created scales for the harmony - a feature Eventide could offer on the H9 but refuses to in order to justify the existence of the H9000. Source and Meris could also offer custom scales on the C4 and the LVX with just a software update. It's not a hardware issue. It's a user interface hassle.

[@bennyhikes]

Representing Dr. Um!

[@janekgwizdala]

had to! I played on the record. 😂 And it's one of very few sideman records I've done that I was actually happy with the sound on.

[@pingfunk]

21:15 Mass Effect launched

[@everts2997]

Been waiting for this one! Nice!

[@Foghat1961]

That 'Future Nostalgia' patch has John Carpenter written all over it.

[@n4s250]

I love this intro so much

[@kindnick58]

Awesome intro... JG!

[@nephilymbass1]

Seems like for some sounds like the long sustained cinematic stuff it would actually be better to have it before the volume pedal. That way you have volume control but the pedal is always getting full signal.

[@bassmonk2920]

You keep making these videos!

[@maxschrothbass]

Nice shots with the caps in the background

[@eliasfhMC]

Great video man

[@KamilGwizdala]

Hello! 👋

[@phil-good]

Fartes real good 😂

[@bybassman1842]

I hate this pedal with a passion. Presets are unusable as are 90% of the community presets. Had it for a year and can't program anything that's musical in a live situation. I had one patch I programmed and kind of liked. Saved it to the #1 bay. When I went to hit it live, it wasn't the same patch. And now they've done a "software upgrade", which has made it so now I can't edit it thru my phone and the USB connection to the computer fails at random times, losing any work I had done and even crashing the computer. What a waste of a lot of money and time. Selling it.

[@dayla8634]

I know you said that this wasn't a review, but it felt like you only made the video to shut people up and to say that you tried it.

[@janekgwizdala]

I made the video because, at the time, a ton of people were telling me that it did a lot of the things I was looking for. Even though it advertised those things, it did not. It was a disappointing experience and the programming UI was like something from the first computers ever made. I don't doubt that some of the fundamental sounds in the unit are quite good and fun to play with, but getting to them was not an experience I was at all motivated to work through.

[@dayla8634]

@@janekgwizdala I know. I've watched it a few times and it's still really informative. It's just how it feels.

[@SixDasher]

Pff, all the reviews of the C4 are unprepared knob-turning videos that have nothing useful for playing.

[@ShaighJosephson]

Lmao... Nice try with the BS... Plenty of good videos showing how to sculpt very useful sounds with this... Talking out your arse...

[@danhat606]

YAH PULL WAY TOO MANY MASTERBATION FACES TO TAKE YOU SERIOUSLY! BUT at least you are honest.....