From: marshall1198@iscsvax.uni.edu
Newsgroups: alt.guitar.bass
Subject: Re: Guitar/Bass effect (was Lemon parts?)
Date: 22 Jul 92 15:17:54 -0500
Organization: University of Northern Iowa

In article <1992Jul21.210212.10997@unislc.uucp>, merk@unislc.uucp (John Merk) writes:
>> I've been reading the "ART -- STAY AWAY" articles and think to myself...
>> Yep.  They're right.  Looking back to the capabilities on the SGE, makes me
>> want to gag.  Anyway this group is about BASS, not guitar...or is it?  
>> 
>> My point is that even though most effects are labeled NightBASS or SuperGUITAR
>> or whatever.  That doesn't necessarily mean that guitar effects ABSOLUTELY
>> COULD NOT BE USED for bass.  
>> 
> That's right.  For example, the Boss OC-2, which is a guitar effect, actually 
> works better on bass, just ask Pino Palladino.  There's also an article in
> the most recent BP about a German bassist that plays through a Digitech 
> harmonizer, which is generally used for vocals.  I'd like to hear that! :-)
> 
> 
>> Look at the Alesis Quadraverb.  It's used in hundreds of FX-racks for the mains
>> of a system and in hundreds of FX-racks for guitarists.  The Quadraverb GT does
>> one big thing for this original design...ADDS A PREAMP!!!!!
> Evan,
> 
> What kind of pre-amp?  If tube, how many and what kind?  Does it also have
> solid-state?  If so, can you mix the two?  The Nightbass has both, but they
> can't be mixed.  The ADA MB-1 also has both and allows them to be combined.
> I think the MB-1 has 3 12AX7's or something like that.

It's a DSP so the preamp is all digital, BUT it does sound pretty good.  It
takes the normal Quad sound and then gives you the following:

        Compression - I don't know about anyone else, but I LOVE this (although
                        it kinda makes you a slacker, but at least your sound
                        is consistant, you just have problems with soft/loud
                        playing)

        Overdrive - Your basic digital overdrive sound

        Distortion - your basic digital distortion sound

                                together these make good distortion sound
                                but to this date, I have only used the 
                                overdrive for a little extra punchiness

        NOISE GATE - a must for getting that electrical BUSS out!

The preamp is one mix by itself (just as reverb, delays, and pitch is).  You
decide how must of the direct sound or how much of the preamped sound
(compressed, overdriven, distorted, noise gated, etc.) that you want fed into
the effectors (reverbs, delays, chorusing, flanging, EQs, etc.).

> 
> 
>> I've played this through a Peavey stack, a Fender Bassman, and a Crate stack. 
>> It has sounded great on all of them.  As I have said before, go to your local
>> music store and ask to plug a bass into the Quad GT and check it out.
>> 
> Will do!  I had blown off the Quadraverb initially, because it uses 16-bit
> technology, rather than 20 or 24-bit.  I've heard great things about their
> products and customer service, though.  
> 
> One thought occurs to me whenever I start looking at DSP's and that is "How
> much effect do I need anyway?"  For the most part, I just use chorus on
> frequencies above 400hz.  What about the rest of you?  Which effects do you
> use the most, if any? 
> 

I use a small amount of compression with either a V-eq or a W-eq for most
things.  Sometimes I add a rich chorus to increase it's buzziness, but
sometimes this turns to mud on the lower notes (I play a five-string).  I think
it's just a matter of me being a better programmer.

> John
> 
> merk@unislc.slc.unisys.com

Thanx for the response,
Evan Marshall
marshall1198@iscsvax.uni.edu