The best pedals for synth bass - Vlog #65

This video takes a brief look at combining fuzz pedals with the Boss OC-2, to create some wild, weird and wonderful synth bass sounds.
Don't forget to check out my show all about bass pedals, The Pedal Studio, which goes into far more depth on topics just like this: • Boss OC-2 The King Of ...
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[@AdamNeely]

fuck yeah, great sounds, janek!

[@mrdisco8616]

Two favorite bassists on youtube together. Yay!

[@ethanlocke3604]

Literally me when janek has great sounds

[@jaredhenderson2861]

Thank you so much for taking the time to make this video and share your thoughts on so many pieces of gear! this was so informative and helpful - learned a lot. thank you !

[@alotabass]

Thanks for sharing your pedal ideas. It takes years to figure things like this out and these video shares really help get someone started. Cheers!

[@horowizard]

I use a Fuzz Box that I built in College Electronics Class. It has one knob and one switch. I etched the circuit board myself, used Germanium transistors and solid core wiring. Still works great! Gives me that really raspy Jack Bruce tone from the live tracks of the Cream Goodbye album. The Moog is pronounced "Freak Box."

[@ctodd122]

Just starting my journey! Janek's been a good resource to start making my way. Thanks!

[@kindnick58]

that 20 minute performance you did with JoJo a couple years ago at NAMM was unbelievable

[@stuartkirk8821]

A friend lent me a WMD Geiger Counter (Bit Crusher) .. I played the bass through it and wow .. I then attached an expression pedal to it .. WOW !! The versitility just went through the roof . Not a cheap pedal but excellent

[@skimojun77]

Man, If only I could see your pedal chain in this video. SOund amazing!!

[@sintrastes]

Thank you Janek!

[@FrowinIckler]

Hi Janek, thank you for sharing this. My favorite synthbass pedal for almost 20 years now is the KORG G5. It's a great pedal from the 90's. For example, you can get the sound from Genuwine's song Pony with it. Best , Frowin

[@oliplaysbass]

Octave fuzz is always a fun thing. I've found the combination of an EHX octave multiplexer(maybe a DOD instead because of the sub) going into a big muff sounds absolutely huge! Also, the OC-2 going into an envelope filter sounds awesome. (I have the ashdown one which is a very natural sounding pedal and super affordable) gets some great electronic sounds. Definitely recommended if you've not already.

[@jhenriques82]

Dude, You just popped my ears and my earphones with that whooly mammoth! DAMN!! :D

[@JohnAldenDavis]

It still feels quite strange for me to hear John Davis mentioned. I always think, "Me??? Oh... yeah... Janek's friend, AGAIN." Haha

[@TedToob]

Stumbled on to your Blog and love it Janek! You ought to try the Soundblox Pro Bass Envelope Filter for Synth - it has a ton of amazing synthy tones and it's warm sounding. I also own a vintage Mutron III and while that's rich in tone the Soundblox seems to be more vowelly and buttery sounding. Keep up the VLOG - it's inspiring! -Ted from San Francisco....

[@chemosis8259]

Awsome video!! lots of my favorites

[@user-bb7me5sf1j]

great sound and explanation. I want to see modulation version!

[@briansong7137]

Been following most of these blogs and find them so informative. I use a lot of synth sounds not for electronic music, but for pop cover band work. I know you play your own music, but I often do wedding/corporate gig stuff and find that a couple settings can help fill out the sounds to be a bit more correct, especially for 80s stuff. 2 pedals you probably know but weren't mentioned are the EHX Bass Microsynth and the Tech 21 Red Ripper. I find that once dialed in well, they add a nice color and different "air" with the dynamics. Even for acoustic based songs, sometimes throwing in the Red Ripper for the bridge section can be quite musical. It also works well for something "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough." Fills things out nicely especially if the band isn't crazy big. I appreciate having these at my disposal for those more "normal" applications.

[@bicisnobombas]

Cool video. Definitely given me some nice ideas to get started.

[@nephilymbass1]

Try the Darkglass electronics Duality fuzz . Two great fuzzes in one. One gated and one more modern. I actually like to mix the two fuzzes together also. Works great with octave and sounds pretty synthy using the chorus on my nova repeater after it. Also the Duality works better with active basses than any other fuzz I’ve tried if you are looking for options to use with active basses

[@ManosRK]

I'm in the process of setting up a small pedalboard with the basics - I've never used pedals with my bass before mainly because they are ridiculously expensive (!!!!) although I've heard a lot of stuff and these videos REALLY help! :)

[@simonlees2848]

I've been working my way from a Boss ME-50B combining similar effects to the ones your using, the one thing you don't have / didn't mention is the "Resonance Wah" It works really well as a filter after the drive.

[@Tanglangfa]

Cheap and sounds decent - Boss DS-1 and Mooer Octaver. I spent about $80 on eBay for both. For the future, I love that Mammoth sound! Thanks for another great vid!

[@jjjessethemusicman.9778]

I like that square and that triangle sounds.

[@foodforthegods]

Someone mentioned the Swollen Pickle and I'll give a big fat +1 to that one. Have been using it for two years and while it took way more time to get used to than I expected, I can now say I have conquered the beast. Great pedal. Anyway, it's funny you ask for pedal recommendations in this vlog. Just the other day I wanted to comment on another episode that you might want to check out the EHX Freeze. Friends surprised me with it for my birthday recently and I'm loving it. The concept couldn't be simpler, but there's something about how the pedal works and sounds that makes it a great little inspiration machine for me. I also just got my first loop pedal and I'm practicing to make it and the Freeze work together. Massive potential there, I feel.

[@gglibert3238]

Highly recommend the prunes and custard for synth sounds. Really dynamic warm drive and then your crank it and these envelopes start coming in.

[@Christopherjazzcat]

My pseudo sidechain ducking/swelling synthy sound: bass > compressor > octave pedal > gated fuzz > behringer sm-200 (attack 3 o'clock) > delay (mix low) The sm 200 clones a boss pedal called the Slow Gear which costs around $600. Mooer's Slow Machine is a better option, it has true bypass and is not prohibitively expensive at about $70. it wasn't around when I got my sm200. This has been fun to play when my drummer is hammering his kick drum 4 on the floor, it gets that sidechained ducking type effect common in lots of dance music so that the kick cuts and everything swells around it. A quick cut off at the end of each swell adds to the effect.

[@lgrankin]

Awesome stuff Janek! Have you tried the Source Audio Aftershock? It offers a lot in terms of options, programmability and works well in this context.

[@songseo6398]

Another GREAT video! Gonna try some new pedals! Btw this kind of 'evil sound' always reminds me of Transformers... especially Megatron

[@thomasjakel1183]

The ehx key 9 with the ehx microbasssynth gives lots of inspiring great synthsounds

[@jongriswold4151]

Glad it's been mentioned a few times already but Janek and anyone else looking for a synth bass pedal, check out Panda Midi's Future Impact. I tried pretty much every bass synth pedal available and all sorts of combos for the last 20 years and was never quite happy. Then I got the Future Impact and my search is officially over. Please note, I am in NO WAY a paid spokesperson, just a rabid fan of the pedal. FWIW I throw a little tube boost and a comp after it to warm it up and smooth out any peakiness. The Deep Impacts are about to be a lot cheaper too due to the Future Impact being about $460 I believe.

[@EddieG1888]

I get a great sound from a Digitech Bass Synth Wah going into a Boss ODB-3. The Bass Synth Wah on its own has some decent sounds (its all over the Daft Punk album Human After All), but on the octave setting it tracks with my active bass brilliantly, and sounds really good with the ODB-3, with the gain at about 10 o'clock.

[@TedToob]

Digging the MXR Sub Machine and the Meridian Funk-U-Lator (Octave+Synth+Envelope) ....

[@michaelbennett8981]

That bass tone at the start of the video is epic! Just been doing some research to lay down some tracks. Was thinking of buying Eventide H9, but I have a Japanese Boss OC2 (and a modded CS3). You have inspired me, and probably saved me selling the mentioned pedals. As a guitarist , I am exited to achieve a killer bass tune. Thanks for the vid! If anyone has better suggestions to my chain, then feel free to share :-) Chain - Bass>OC2>CS3>Maxon OD9>Amp>Torpedo Live>Audio Interface >DI (Radial J48)>Audio Interface

[@Redtenbachersfunkestra]

Hey! Thanks for your insights - re the Akai Deep Impact - I think the original inventor has come up with his own version: PandaMidi - Future Impact I - I have both the Akai and PandaMidi and like them both - VERY much:-)

[@ansonstiles]

Just ordered an IE xerograph deluxe. Have high hopes for pairing possibilities. Waiting on the Ottobit Jr to drop for my crushing needs. I'm so close to the evil 👹

[@Misfit105]

I use the boss syb-5, it behaves much differently with an expression pedal. I do use it with the mxr bass octave for that sub electronic tone and with the polyphonic settings "10" and "11" it helps for soloistic ideas, especially with a POG for that octave up, you can really get some sweet spots with it for keyboard like tones. Since you use the boss ps-5 and the IE frantabit for your soloistic "baby elephant" sound, and guys like mike league use the mirco POG for most of his solos, is there any other pedals you would recommend for that bass solo tone?

[@jessekirchner6981]

if i want to go the preamp option how do i get my volume lvls equal if i want to switch between playing synth bass and normal bass. is the only way to get that sound out of the preamp to smash the volume?

[@palindrome7942]

Hi Janek! As mentioned before try the future impact instead of the deep impact. It's the reissue of the deep impact with the original sound + a few more options like more sounds and an editor software. And - it's about 330,-- or something. It's from the same creator who built it for akai back in the 90's. A few more beloved pedals: copilot fx orbit, great when it comes to gated fuzz, in combination with the oc2 and the wmd protostar (the followup of the superfatman)

[@MattFreelandDrums]

Hi Janek! Did you ever try the Iron Ether Subterranea??? That pedal has made a huge difference for my band. Basically, it's got that octave voice and two synth voices on top of it (pulse wave, square, and triangle). HIGHLY RECOMMEND. Also, can't wait for the next installment! I'd love to hear your thoughts on filters!

[@Shedinja7]

Maybe check out the Omikron from Dreadbox. It's an waveshaper, suboctave and pulse wave fuzz with an optional expression input. It gives you this aggressive synth sound. The concept is similar to the moogerfooger pedal series, but these pedals are a little smaller. Thanks for this great video!

[@toiletfarm]

Have you looked into the Malekko Scrutator? Bit crusher with up to four simultaneous parameters controlled by EXP. My new favorite pedal for synth tones.

[@adyingsensemusic]

Hey man, I've been meaning to get into synth bass for awhile now and your videos are definitely pushing me to do it sooner than later. Have you looked at Darkglass Duality or Red Witch Zeus yet? I have the Duality in my rock rig and I love it, but I'm not sure how that would work in this kind of a set up

[@eatmarth]

did I miss when he was talking about the Moog MF 104? it's in the thumbnail but it wasn't talked about

[@RandyLott]

One of my favorite synth bass guitar players is Graham Masser from Bad Rabbits. Check out "Way with Words". My favorite synth bass keyboard player is Måns Mernsten who plays with Tingsek. Check out "Miss Brand New". You won't regret listening to those tunes, I promise.

[@MelloSav]

Randy Lott - Thank you for introducing me to Bad Rabbits

[@dialect64]

Wooly Mammoth is holy grail of fuzz!❤❤❤

[@WilliamBodily]

Hi Janek! Great Vlog today! I will be at your Syracuse show. Really looking forward to it! I have a few IE pedals (Xerograph Deluxe, Polytope, Nimbus, Subterranea) in my collection that you might want to try out if you have the time. Also have the Sub 'N' Up from TC Electronic, Pitch Bay and Talons from Earthquaker Devices, Trembulator by Gojira pedals and an old Boss Vibrato VB-2. Would love to have the opportunity to talk with you for a bit. Cheers!

[@FernandoCuadro]

I wish john davis did more interviews, i know you made an interview with him, but you really should do a video on his pedalboard, setup etc. There's nothing online!!! We need you janek!! (and we love you)

[@brianrodman1033]

Nando Peyton I think there are some threads talking about his effects on one of the forums, Talk Bass I think it was.

[@mrdisco8616]

Have you tried the TC sub'n'up Janek?

[@MrJodava]

you should check out the old blood noise endeavors Haunt fuzz. it gets REALLY mean and has a gate knob that acts as sort of a bit chrusher if you crank it up. Also would recommend the old blood reflector chorus for some freaky modulation. Great video btw. Lots of cool sonds

[@AntonioPortnyagin]

I had few Synth pedals (Markbass Super Synth and EHX Micro Synth with bass mod),they were great but not enough,so I dicided to come back into stompboxes (OC-2.Bass Big Muff Pi,Q-tron,Zvex Woolly Mammoth copy). I'm looking forvard to try Digitech Bass Synth Wah in my setup.

[@joninawhitecoat]

Hey Janek, thank you for the video. Synth Bass is something that I wanted to get into but wasn't sure how. This video was completely unexpected and was superb. It would appear that the most important pedal in getting a Synth Bass tone is the Octave Pedal; you obviously favour the OC-2 as your Octave of choice - as Bryan Beller said "Could we just talk about the Brown Box for a second... about how fucking great it is" - but you also have other Octave pedals by 3Leaf, MXR, Aguilar etc... Would you be able to do a demo of your Octave Pedals and how they differ?

[@4strings4me]

MXR bass octave deluxe is great. I sold my Oct 2 after buying the MXR

[@ClintNolan]

Hey Janek, a friend just introduced me to your vlog. Absolutely dig it! What do you think about pedals like Mel9, Key9, or Synth9 for bass?

[@psychicbass]

Hi, very helpful video, quick question, could you recommend a pedal setup that can get the black or white(Michael Jackson) synth tone? Thanks and appreciate any info

[@johnnyrocco123]

Can you share the settings for the franta bit you were using in the video? Was that just oc-2 and compression in front of it?

[@lightpearlgb]

Great Video !, Thanks for sharing Janek ! #EvilSounding

[@peinmilan]

Have you tried the TC SubnUp? It is a polyphonic octaver and seems to give tons of options as compared to other octavers, but I don't have lots of experience with it just yet...

[@mrmatthew2443]

I wonder if the franta bit does ring modulator tones like some bit crushers ..? Thanks great video.. you and Tim Lafavbre are the two top bass pedal maestro’s

[@Deeplycloseted435]

We (synth players), buy a lot of these same pedals to make very similar sounds.....but we don’t need so many in series. Modular synths are definitely becoming more than sound sources, but often sound effect processors. With just a few modules, things can get ape-shit really fast. You can get fantastic bit-crushing/formant/vox type sound with a resonant filter modulated at audio rates with a square or saw waveform. Usually bit-crushers are digital in the synth world, but the analog modulated filter sounds better. Try this with the Fooger filter pedal. Also, no ring modulator pedal? Weren’t there some old 70’s bass/guitar synthesizers made by Arp? Great video BTW! Thanks.

[@MisAnnThorpe]

That would be the ARP Avatar guitar synthesizer. This was the product that effectively done for ARP! It's pretty much a monophonic Odyssey without the keyboard and thry're highly sought after nowadays.

[@agutierrez50]

an idea i tried a la Tim Lefebvre, accountant compressor>octabvre (or oc-2)>way huge pork loin> (and my addition) boss ceb-2. although i recently got a vintage exh bass microsynth and i use that in accountant>microsynth>ceb-2>eqd disaster transport. the chorus really brings it all together imo

[@Ps51noah]

cant get that Boss Compressor, what others do you recommend?

[@keziahj]

Did you post a mod VLOG? 🙏

[@BlackRootsUNLIMITED]

What is THE best Bass Synth pedal, in your opinion, if I was to buy/choose only one?

[@jonnyfourie6620]

Hey Janek, Do you cut the volume back on the dirt pedal or your bass?

[@SuperRichyrich11]

What amp do you use? Wait so was the Wolly mammoth part that pedal alone, I initially thought you had the compressor and the other synth pedal in that loop

[@dialect64]

Future Impact changed the game... Coming from a bassist/sound designer, the ability to program a 4osc synth to trigger makes it absolutely rule!

[@GPR100]

Are you using the Nova Repeater for the tap delay throughout this video?

[@niranmistry]

Want all these in pedals so badly haha

[@christophbresch]

the ehx super pulsar is killer for synth sounds. can get super aggressive, has tap tempo (and tap divide, which is just awesome), selectable waveforms, 8 presets, can even sound ring moddy, ... also, the filter in pigtronix' envelope phaser II sounds super sweet, and you can sweep it with an expression pedal. so, i go meatbox, diy mammoth clone, envelope phaser, and one or all of the following: chorus, super pulsar, delay

[@MisAnnThorpe]

For me, I prefer the sound of the OC2 on its own (with the compressor and delay!).

[@fodera0915]

Hey Janek, Thanks for this vid:) can you make other video for other Genre of music using pedals. Thanks in advance.

[@FostersLab]

I've had the best sounds using the Boss LS-2 : I hit it after my my OC-3, and then I run a dry signal in parallel with a distorted signal. It helps keep all the low-end, which sometimes gets affected by the fuzz. I am currently using the Into The Unknown by Parasit Studios in parallel with the OC-3, and it sounds absolutely amazing. The pedal in not that expensive (200€ maybe), and it is wiiiild. Cheers!

[@adamscott1142]

Yep, I do this LS2 trick as well. Very excellent.

[@aubinkeravel367]

OMG !! What are the pedals you are using between 11:32 and 11:40 ? These effects are AWESOME cause i would like to make a sort of synth bass for trap hard-rock/metal. tell me pretty please !

[@detlevgebers]

Great! I just use a IBANEZ SB 7 Syntheziser Pedal with the OC3 Octaver and a EBS Bass IQ. Not that fat but working.

[@situacionando]

Would be great to hear you talking about multi effects pedal

[@jval4186]

That BugBrand though....! how do you get a hold of one of those??

[@aryopratama4622]

hey janek. have u trying korg G5? thats an awesome synthetic sounding bass pedals

[@roblimusic]

my ears are bleeding from all this EVIL lol loving this vlog - grinning like the cheshire cat and straight down the rabbit hole

[@enricoandrini4453]

Interested in emulate 808 sound with electric bass an expand it. Any suggest?

[@eggx-9463]

Know its an older video, woolley mammoth was the best bass distortion (for my money) for years until the Alpha Omega ultra came out. Still have the woolley but it's not my go to anymore. Likewise I'd love to see how your pedal board has changed since this recording

[@funkydavide]

Can you please add a picture of the pedalboard used for this video?

[@urmero67]

Im sure you must have the DOD FX25 Envelope Filter...not exactly the Mutron but personally, I like it better in fact. Bill Laswell uses it a lot for the dub stuff

[@PilferMusic]

I found the syb-3 tracks "ok" when the signal is from a TB303... but crappy from a bass

[@filibert9077]

Hi,can you tell me what made you use for that black strings it seems so soft strings Thanks

[@TacticalHyena]

way huge swollen pickle fuzz sounds massive on bass, also check out earthquaker devices, they make a pedal called the bit commander, its an octave up and down and a sub oct + bitcrusher, i think u might just love it mate

[@westyfu]

Tried much in the way of software sims? I have a fun little active LTD, can sound pretty mean and grindy when pushed through a few guitar head sims and a nice cab IR, then there's always the fun of gating it with something else, say, a synth lol, Great vid, great info, cheers!

[@TheGreatElmer]

My personal favorite octave pedal is the EHX Micro POG. While you would think that it would sound the same as the POG or the POG2, it doesn't. The tracking on the Micro POG is about as close to flawless as you're likely to find. I find it to be a far more musical pedal that the EBS Octabass, which has one nice feature I have yet to see in another pedal. If you play a chord with the Octabass, it will only track the lowest note. Kinda' cool. Side note: should you invest in a Micro POG, there is mod available to duplicate the settings. In other words, the mod adds three more knobs and one more footswitch giving you two pedals in one.

[@davidvictor7041]

can i know what string that you use in this video ? thank u..

[@UriBass5]

Janek should check out Earthquaker Devices

[@gonzalotrejos3556]

Hi, I know this video is old, but I've been experimenting with some bass synth sounds, and I'll try to tempt you to make another round. I found a "Future Impact" (reissue of the famed Deep Impact from Akai you mentioned) and you might want to look into it. It's in another ballpark altogether from the analog stuff, it's a proper 4 oscillator synth, that you can even play from a midi keyboard controller. The tracking on the bass is very good, doesn't require a dedicated pickup, you can blend the bass signal and apply effects from within the pedal, and the price is normal. Boss makes the OC-3 that have an overdrive circuit built in, and it's has its uses. For the compressor the Aguilar TLC and the TC Electronic Spectra Comp have a transparent response that can be a good option for the classic compressor, and in case you are still reading, the emulations on various synth(y) pedals like the Mu-Tron on the Line6 M5 unit are very decent, gig worthy. I've come to know your stuff with Andrés Escobar from Guitarras 357 in Costa Rica. I'm a local bass player, and a friend of him.

[@Loko-kk7tl]

I think C4 Synth pedal is the best Synth hands down

[@gonzalotrejos3556]

@@Loko-kk7tl I've heard really good things about it, and will consider it once is available in my country.

[@orbithesun1]

What do you think of the Markbass Super Synth?

[@mattemeny2606]

Mu-Fx are reissuing the MuTron 3, by the original creator. The 3 Leaf Wonderlove is also worth checking out. Both on my wish list

[@santiagoruedagarcia7262]

Hell of a bass face, man! Awesome video btw! ;)

[@kevmac1230]

Great player but the "who farted" face gotta go !

[@anttivirtanen939]

I'm not sure if it was there and I missed it but was the basic signal chain comp>preamp>octave or comp>octave>preamp?

[@ricoboogie2086]

Antti Virtanen I must have missed that part too

[@Jett-Litt]

Forget the deep impact, look towards the future impact!

[@pepejl5000]

Jig Man i own a FI. Incredible pedal.

[@dialect64]

FI destroys! Best investment ever!

[@anthcaplen4767]

Hi what is the factory setting on the ehx micro pedal? Thanks

[@jeffreylopez8317]

Hey janek, you should try the fuzzrocious heliotropic fuzz pedal

[@kevmac1230]

BTW a very good clone for the Wooly Mammoth is the very affordable Little Bear bass fuzz off eBay.Also I've owned the original Meat box for years but have hardly ever used it as I'm afraid it'll blow my speakers.Anyone have advise with it?

[@MartinDubka]

Check out the Korg G5

[@razorbladeray8439]

what tremolo pedal are you using?