It’d be cool to get a quick run through of the sounds you’re getting with this board. Also, curious if you’re using the hxStomp to go amp less for local stuff or you use an amp provided at the venue
If the gig is local I'll normally just take my amps with me. I play a lot at the baked potato and have been using their house cabinet recently just for convenience. I'll take my own head and the pedals, which means my setup and breakdown is really quick. I would never use any kind of amp modeling to go ampless, I'm not a fan at all. If I was going to do a gig without an amp, I'd more than likely use something like the Caveman or the Nobel at the end of my chain to send a feed to the house, and make sure my monitor mix was on-point.
I still can’t use my vintage oc2 on gigs because the sub only volume isn’t enough. I’ve used it in HX stomp loop where I could add Make-up gain. Now I just use the 3 leaf. Any advice or experience with similar problem?
Is it one of the very early OC-2's? with the "R" - Octaver? if so, those run at 12v and not 9, so that could be the source of your volume issue. I wouldn't use anything in the HX Stomp aux loop. There is a massive issue with the EQ caused by the digital to analogue conversion not being set up the right way. I've been asking for it to be fixed for a long time, and so far it's still unusable for me.
Except then the bond is between the glue of the dual lock and the painters tape, and not directly to the metal of the board. My pedalboards take such a beating on the road that I need that bond as strong and as long-lasting as possible. I'll gladly go through the task of removing it for a new build if it means I get a little more mileage out of the setup on tour.
I had the same reservation before trying it. So far after two tours in Europe and one in the US, I’ve had no issues. You can always try it with one or two pedals, keep some extra dual lock in your kit, see if you have any problems and if you do, it’s a quick fix. I’d love the feedback if that does cause any issues.
Hi Janek love your work. Can u make a sound comparison video between P pickup and J pickup with the same "mini" pedalboard. And your opinions and thoughts about them.
Could you use the HX to replace some of the single pedals? Or do the sounds not quite match the originals or is there a signal chain problem / issue you can't get how you want it?
It's always a tough call when you use multi fx and single pedals in a pedalboard. There are just some things, regardless of how good the multi-fx is at replacing them, that simply can't be at that position in the signal chain. I end up using the Stomp for harmonizer patches, and for tone generators and sequencing.
It's way too messy to put strips of dual lock down. I want the build to be as clean as possible every time, and I want as much pedalboard area available for cable management such as the cable tie anchors.
You had some problem in putting the oc2 before some compression pedals? I use the oc2 before my cs3 and when both of them are on, the sound is ok. But when I turn off the oc2, it seems that the sound turns down, so I have to turn off the cs3 and turn on again (then the sound becomes normal again). You have some recomendation about this kind of signal chain and if it is ok to put the oc2 before the compression pedal? Thank you, I become a pedal lover after I watched your videos. Greetings from Brazil!
HI Janek, really loving this new approach to social media you have. Feels like less is more, if that makes sense. For someone that is starting out with pedals what would be a logical approach to learning and building their first pedal board/chain? Would buying a multi-effects pedal like an HX stomp / Zoom b6 be a good starting point or would time (and money) be better spent elsewhere first?
I'm a big fan of going to the multi fx first. I think it's a massive bang for the buck, and you get to explore, in the case of something like the HX Stomp, literally every kind of effect that's ever been made. To have all of that in one box, to experiment and get a feel for effects, and then be able to say to yourself "okay, I really like this thing but it doesn't sound the best in this unit. I'm going to invest in one or two single pedals to upgrade the quality of my sound"... You kind of can't go wrong.
Hey Janek, first and foremost thank you especially for talking about signal chain! My question to you is: where can I buy Mogami cables?! I have a few patch cables that claim to be Mogami but of course I'm not even sure if they are and I'd much prefer to buy from them directly. I did find the website but there isn't any "purchase" button when you click their products. Do you have to email them to place an order? Also when you use preamps like the Noble, Caveman or EP booster, do you run your bass in active or passive?
I buy the Mogami cable in bulk on Amazon: a.co/d/9pSZ0WW With my main bass I generally run it in active 100% of the time. It's only when I'm using something like a P-bass in combination with one of the preamps you mentioned that it ends up being a passive signal. You do get better results with some pedals when you run the bass in passive, but that's really personal preference at the end of the day.
I was so close, i said 4500. Amazing board. Wish i had the money for some of those pedals. Can you do a video on the various loopers you have and how you use them in different situations?
A looper video could be cool. I'm actually in the process of looking for a new solution for touring. the TC Electronic Ditto loopers, which have been a staple of my pedalboards for many years now, are really not reliable at all. I've had them fail way too many times to be able to trust them anymore. The Aeros is great, but it's huge and doesn't run in series, only parallel. The regular looper in the stomp is nowhere near as robust as it needs to be to rely on it 100% of the time, and I've never really liked the Boss loopers. So the search continues, and this could make for a good video!
I've never tried it, but I have heard a lot of things from people I trust that have used the unit, and I would not go out of my way to try it anytime soon. It seems like a good idea, with the prospect of being robust and an industry leader, but from everything I've heard it seems to have fallen short of a lot of its goals.
I’m a huge Octave nerd, can you really hear much of a difference between the “Octave” and “Octaver” OC-2 pedals? I’ve always been curious if tracking down an Octaver is worth it
I think there is quite a big difference to my ear. But you have to take into consideration the context in which you're hearing that difference. When you're in a silent room and you A/B them next to each other, then there are definitely differences to be heard. Get either of them in a pedalboard in combination with other pedals, in a live band situation, and I think it's impossible to tell.
I'm a big fan of watches, and have a little collection growing slowly. That's why I have the "real" watch on the left hand. The apple watch is for health tracking. It's a big help keeping track of my resting heart rate, an approximation of my Vo2 Max, my step count, and a bunch of other fitness related functions. It has nothing to do with horology, just science.
Hey Janek ! You don't use a compressor in this video, but do you have recommandations for a more compact and maybe less expensive than the Miura one ? Have a good week
I could probably answer this: So typically with signal chain rule of thumb is anything that's tracking your signal like an octaver or digital modulation pedal (like a whammy) should go first. You can put a compressor right behind an octaver if you want to create massive sustain by setting the attack knob to the right so its fat and held out. The general order for things is as follows: Compressors -> Octavers -> Any Fuzz/distortions -> Envelope filters/auto wahs -> (any time based effects i.e. phaser, delay, chorus) -> reverb -> lastly a looper or tuner. Boosts conventionally can be used right behind any distortion pedal to saturate it and drive it more, but also Janek just uses it as a preamp. Hope this helps.
My signal chain, if I'm going for some conventional sounds, normally follows the same basic rule each time: Compressor/Preamp up front, then Octaves, distortion/fuzz, harmonizer, filter, modulation, reverb, delay, looper.
Pedal question - I'm doing a shootout between the Source Audio Lunar and Strymon Mobius to fill the mod spot on my board. Leaning towards SA because of the EQ options, afraid losing low end live, but also loving the Destroyer on the Mobius. What would you use to replace that engine? Ottobit Jr?
The Ottobit is incredibly powerful. It has one of the best filters in it I've ever heard, and that alone is worth the price of admission. Then you get into all the things it has to offer, and you'll be there for a few years discovering new things every day with it. Just be warned that there is no mix knob. I have to run it in with a blender pedal to really make use of it musically.
Nice board, I dont understand why you have the H9 and the EP under the shelf? Are you using the Stomp as a Midi controller? And the EP always on? No interface for input and amp send? Or are you DI'ing from the Stomp
That pedal is basically a unicorn. I cannot find a single thing that comes anywhere close to making those sounds. I'm glad I have one, but if it gets lost or broken, I'm going to be scouring the internet for a long time trying to get a replacement. 😢
Hi Janek! Love your content - professional, suave, pertinent. Really tippity top 👌 What’s your take on Darkglass pedals, especially in a non-metal/prog context? Would you see a use for them as a potential always-on preamp for more mellow types of music, or is there in your judgment better options out there for coloring and adding slight grit? Thanks 🙏
I think there's a lot of potential for those pedals in a non-metal/djent setting. I have the Alpha Omega Ultra and the Microtubes X Ultra, and they are highly functional. I'm going to be taking them to the studio in a few months when I track my new record as I think there are some potentially very musical things to be gained from using them.
I generally do not peel off the Dual Lock, since you can just add more if you change the layout and the existing pieces won't usually interfere, unless you are routing cables underneath the pedals in the small gap the Dual Lock creates.
That's exactly what I'm doing a lot of the time. Having the option to route cables under pedals is sometimes the difference between a pedal making it on the board or not. I'm always trying to maximize the space I have, and that's the reason I start with the board-side dual lock from scratch each time.
My guess was $4.5k but it's tough because the used market is so inflated - those Iron Ether pedals can be anywhere from $300-600 depending on the seller.
Yes, the used market for Iron Ether pedals is astronomical right now. They are also rarely up for sale either, making it very difficult to include those sounds for someone on the outside looking in. There are pre-sales going on at the IE site though, and the prices are reasonable. The wait for the pedals won't be short, but it will be worth it.
Hi Janek, I was about 5000$ trying to include the wires. If I could only buy one of these, would you recommand the HX Stomp or the H9 ? Thanks for the inspiring video.
The Stomp is far more versatile. I think you have to have a big budget and a specific need to justify also getting an H9. I use the H9 for huge stereo reverbs and harmonizer patches sometimes.
It's by far the most musical pedal for this sound I've ever tried. It takes a while to get used to the tuning, but once you have it in context in your signal chain, it's an incredible pedal.
Nice one again! Little boost for our GAS... :D I recently bought a cheap multi effect and sarted experimenting. I mainly need it because of some remote demo recordings and since I didn't have an audio interface, the USB connection came handy. I was tweaking some of the amp sims, and cab IRs, and started to think if I have a pedal to define my tone (preamp) and I'm not relying on the actual amp as much waht should be my approach? I was actually looking at the new Ampeg SGT-DI and with that and a few effects I could go totally ampless, but for rehearsals, stage monitoring I'll need something. Should I just buy a power amp? Using the effect loop return to skip the preamp section of an amp a good idea? Is it okay to have cab sim on when I'm actually playing through a (not that special) combo/cab? Sorry for the long question, but I didnt really hear anyona talk about this aspect of going (almost) ampless, and using pedals this way. Thank you, and keep the music coming! Hope to see you someday live!
I'm really the wrong person to ask if you're set on going ampless and want to use cab and amp sim. I'm not a fan of that setup at all, and would never use it personally. My philosophy has always been to work on having a great tone with my instrument with no gear at all, and if I want to go ampless, I would have a preamp/DI that I could sent a great clear sound to the house, and then dial in my monitor onstage. Even though I play with an amp almost always, it's completely flat 99% of the time. I play cabs that give basically no color to my sound, so the concept of having a cab or amp sim seems pointless to me. I can understand it if you play in a situation where you need a massive dirty Ampeg SVT sound, and you really rely on your amp for your sound. In that case, there are tons of options. The Darkglass stuff, the new DI from Ampeg, the Line6 HX Stomp... so many things you could use.
Thanks for sharing the build. I’d like to know how you use the combination of the HX and M9 in your playing. Is it specifically for certain tunes on the gig? Why not use HXL to take the place of those two pedals?
I think you maybe meant the H9 and not the M9 right? I have used the Stomp XL a lot on pedalboards before, and I'm sure it'll make a comeback when the need arises. The current thought behind having the regular stomp and the H9 on the board is that they are being used for very different things. I think one of the weaknesses with the Stomp is the current lineup of reverbs. So i'm using the H9 mainly for reverbs and a little modulation sometimes. The Stomp is more about harmonizer, modular synth, and sequencer patches right now.
@@janekgwizdala Yup, I meant the M9. Would love to hear some examples of how you incorporate two different multi-effects units. The M9 is next on my list to add to the board.
My current main gigging bass pedalboard costs about a third of that, I think, but mine is much, much simpler. It's just two vintage Boss BCB-3 pedal boxes with six pedals: TU-2 Chromatic Tuner, AD-2 Acoustic Preamp, BC-1X Bass Comp, BB-1X Bass Driver, and RV-6 Reverb, plus a tc electronic Spark booster that was supposed to be a Boss FB-2 Feedbacker/Booster. Last time I added them up at replacement cost, it came to something like $1200 USD, maybe a bit more? I of course didn't pay that much, since most of it was purchased used or bought years ago when prices were cheaper. And it was Janek's promo video for the Boss GT-1000 that caused me to think about, since the GT-1000 does everything my pedalboard does and more, for less money. I use a daisy chain for power, so even you include the cost of all my cabling (including the custom right angle TRS to XLRF pigtails for the DI outputs of the BB-1X and AD-2), you aren't adding more than about $100-200, at most, so let's say $1500 USD, soup to nuts. The newer board I've recently built uses a DSM & Humboldt Simplifier Bass Station and One Control BJFe Blackberry Bass Overdrive, with tc electronic SpectraComp, BodyRez, and HOF mini. I haven't added it all up, yet, but it's still pretty reasonable, probably in the $1000 range. I did buy a GT-1000Core, but I use that primarily for guitar, not bass. However, I could just use the GT-1000Core for everything I actually need on bass.
How come you don't leave strips of dual lock on the board permanently? Seems like a big hassle and waste of dual lock to rip up and replace the squares every time
It is a hassle, but it's waaaaaay cleaner to custom cut the small strips for each pedal whenever I'm building a new board. The clutter of having tons of dual lock all over the surface would hinder the tidiness of the board, and restrict where I was able to anchor cable ties etc.
Great video! Question about HX stomp - what does it do well for bass especially from your perspective, and what is it lacking compared to your single pedals?
I think the question is more what does it do well for my music rather than the bass specifically. If it's bass-specific stuff you're looking for, then it's going to be a little more limited than the way I use it. I'm using the Stomp as a harmonizer, an analogue synth, a sequencer, and a bunch of other weird shit. Not conventional at all, and not really a selling point for any other bass players. But check out people like Adam Neely who i believe uses the Stomp as his only unit, or at least he used to. It is obviously very effective for his band sungazer, and makes for a very compact way to travel with all your sounds.
Always watching and listening to what's going on on your bass world. Love all the content. it's cool to hear about how the board comes together, but I can probably speak for the masses when I say we really want to hear it. I am considering migrating from a board that's too big to something like this, but it means moving to devices like the H9 and HX Stomp. Hearing how you make those multi-effects work in a live setting would be incredibly helpful. How do you get the sound you want in the moment from a pedal that does multiple things?
It's a tough choice with multi fx. You basically have to say to yourself "okay, I'm going to use this unit that makes 8,000 different sounds for just one or two things". But with my own music, which is always my main focus, I have the luxury of being able to change what those things are very regularly. Multi fx are great tools to build up libraries of different options and to be able to recall them at the touch of a button. The drag comes when you change the function of the unit from say octaves and fuzzes to reverbs and delays. You really have to change the location of the pedal in your signal chain, and that generally requires a board rebuild.
They are just made with different chips, and have a character that I like. The newer pedals are all trying way too hard to be perfect, and in doing so they totally miss the point of what makes the old OC-2's so unique and quirky.
Love the video, and the approach you take to making boards! I’m curious with running the OC-2 into the FMeron, what sort of sounds/textures are you looking for with the FMeron?
it's important to note that I don't ever run the OC-2 and the FMeron at the same time. They just happen to fulfill similar basic functions in terms of octavers and synth sounds so they end up next to each other in the beginning of the chain. The FMeron is really about having a very convincing synth sound on the board with great tweaking options in terms of the shape of the waveform. The OC-2 is just a subby sinewave that is pretty one dimensional.
Great vids! I have a question for you. How do you set up a single pedalboard to play with an amp and ampless? I’m the former touring bassist for the Motown group The Miracles where a pedalboard wasn’t needed as I was always running through an on stage mic’d Ampeg amp to get that Jamerson sound. Back in the 80s I was doing a lot of studio work in LA as a former student of Max Bennett who got me into that game. But effects weren’t much of a thing back then for bass. But now I’m playing in situations requiring effects and it’s a real education process for me being an old school 60 something bassist. Your vast experience in this area would be greatly appreciated!
I think my first thought would be having an option to come out of the pedalboard two ways: 1) quarter inch into an amp and 2) DI/XLR out into the house or console. Just having a nice DI somewhere in your chain, either post or pre effects would be a simple fix. 👍
Hey! Impressing how professional the process of making the pedalboard can go. I have an issue for which you may have advice: I’m newly using the HX stomp in my rig, sometimes alone, sometimes chained with other pedals as you do, but I’m still struggling on getting a constant volume out of my rig as I switch between presets etc. Especially on the stomp when I use a very different sounds between songs like added compression or distortion and so on. How do I get a more predictable and regular volume level? Thanks for the video, always great content :)
You need to make sure you're adjusting your input and output gains on each preset if there's a massive difference in volume between them. And be aware that your signal will jump in volume when you use the parallel path option in a patch.
I know I'm late to the party but I would love to hear your personal thoughts on the importance (and use) of the EP Booster on this board and/or for any of your other past or future boards... P.S. Great video. Your stuff is incredibly informative and entertaining. Thank you for sharing!
It all depends on what I need at the time. It’s a great option when you need a nice warm vintage pre amp sound that takes up very little space. And at that price it’s hard to beat. It’s obviously very limited in terms of its features but it earns its place in a board very easily. I love it when i need something super punchy for s clean sound that’s also very light to travel with.
Mybe if you let all the old velcro in the pedalboard doent take so much time i do the same thing like you but i found that is more usefull to leave the old velcro and try to find the rigth spot or put another ones side by side the old ones ...
Hi Janek, one question: in your opinion, is the analogue ep boost better then the digi version that sits in the HX Stomp? Very enjoyable and informative video, it’s a pleasure, man!!! Little works of art. 🥰
I think they are very close to the feeling being the same with the Stomp. The issue is always more about where I have the Stomp in my signal chain. To use the EP booster clone I would have to have it first in the chain. I would then lose all the other things I use it for like sequencing, modular synth, and harmonizer patches.
Hey Janek great video. I crafted My Pedalboard out of a chopping board wrapped in Gaffa tape and large strips of Velcro, very proud of it 😅 How come you don’t just get big long Velcro strips for the whole board and instead just use the small pieces?
HAHAHAHHAA. I've actually tried to do that several times, but it just never seems to come out the right way, and I've thrown the videos in the trash. I've really tried hard to find a budget version of the board too... tons of $25 amazon purchases and cheap pedals from china etc... So far, no dice.
What makes the OC-2 better than newer models of the Boss Octave pedal. The latest version OC-5 claims OC-2 performance with better tracking and other features for ~$160. Is there something in the tone of the OC-2 that makes the hunt for a used one (at least double the price of an OC-5) worth it?
The old OC-2's are kind of shitty. That's what makes them unique, quirky, and very musical in my opinion. All the new stuff is striving for perfection, and that's the exact opposite of what I'm looking for in a subby sound analogue octaver.
You are always using so many pedals. My question is - what's your thoughts on switchers? (like gigrig, or morningstar or any other) Why are you not using any switchers? (to change order of pedals, or take some of the chain when you not using it) thanks :)
At well over $1,200, the gigrig is something I could never justify using for what I do. I'm guessing that if you have a serious touring gig with a huge pop act, or you're part of a massive rock band, it makes a lot of sense. In fact, I think those are the situations that switchers tend to make the most sense anyway. You could of course add any kind of cover band, wedding band, or original band where you play the same set, or at least the same book of songs, every single gig. If I was in that situation, I would totally have every sound I needed pre-programmed and available at the touch of a button on a switcher. But what I do is improvise, and as soon as you introduce a switcher, it takes away a lot of creative options. I think it's also a preference thing. I'm sure there are people out there who play improvised music that have incredible setups that involve switchers. But my preference is to be hands-on and move knobs and press switches. I've tried using the Boss ES-5, the morningstar MC3, MC6, and MC8 as well as the ML5. I've also tried programming some midi controlled stuff into the HX Stomp XL to control other pedals on my board. But it's a lot of information to retain as to where everything is, and so far has only hindered performances rather than enhancing them. I'm sure with the right person doing the setup and the programming I could find some things that might work well for my own band, but I've yet to get to that point.
40 Seconds into the video and I already have some advice. Don't use the Black 3M Dual Lock because of that foam sticky crap that comes apart when removing thus making that task harder and less clean. I have found from experience that the Clear 3M Dual Lock is much easier to work with.
Whoa, I was about a grand off, as in low balled that! My pedal nerd senses are effed, big time! One question, are you using the "Stomp" as the brain? Or in series? I'm slowly wading my way into the HX Stomp waters and I'm digging it for recording. Still haven't gone full bore into the live realm
I was guessing about 3500 - 4000€ but including cables. Did you kick the BP-1 for more effects real-estate and because you are only using you amps DI anyway? Great board anyway :) oh and I would love to hear you talk about (your) watches at some point ❤ there are some unsung heroes in some of your vids! Cheers from Germany
Can definitely do some watch videos… maybe on my clips channel. I took the BP-1 off this board because I needed something simpler and compact. I wasn’t too bothered about the DI aspect of the chain. In fact, I rarely use the DI of the BP-1 when I’m playing live. It’s just a really nice preamp for me.
What are the most important pedals to have as a bass player at a conservative church? I personally run a tuner, boom ave comp and boost, demon fx preamp, caline comp, 10 band eq, noise reduction, out to di. No amp. Pedalboard out to sound engineer who puts it thru subwoofer. Sorry for not keeping it brief. Love your videos!
I can’t recommend pedals as I don’t know the kind of room you’re playing in. With that much compression and eq in your current signal path, it seems like you feel the need to work the sound a lot for the room. I would personally strip it all down to as little as possible and work on the natural sound of the bass before you add a bunch of stuff.
@@janekgwizdala ok. I do have problems hearing myself on stage even with in ears. I don't get the impression that I'm being heard. It's about 50 feet wide and 9 feet ceilings. I'm on a stage that could fit about 3 mini grand pianos. The sound engineer keeps telling me to turn down. I wish I could hear myself in my in ear monitors.
@@XxBigguy3xX If you don't have an amp onstage, why is the sound engineer telling you to turn down? You could play at max volume on your instrument, and it's the engineers job to adjust that for the house. Unless one of your pedals is sending a signal so hot that it's clipping, the engineer should just concentrate on doing their job in the house. If you're on IEMs, do you have a separate monitor engineer? if so, there shouldn't be an issue with hearing yourself. That's just a question of knowing what to ask for in a mix, and making sure the monitor engineer can deliver that to you. Once the amp is out of the picture, there is no "can you turn down". Only, "hey, I need some more bass in my mix".
This board is crazy! It’s way expensive than my main now days 😂 Anyways… Janek, you could use doble output power cable, don’t you? Is there a reason to it? I use Cioks too and I never even reached 40% power on it and I use to power about 11 pedals with it, 2 been the Stomp and the H9.
@@_B_E_A_D_G_C i forgot about all the stuff below, of course he had to have an HX stomp in there, i forgot how good those Iron Ether pedals are, might have to invest...
Hi Janek. I'm curious about why you don't use a DI pedal on the board. Could you share some thoughts about DI pedals? I would really appreciate your opinions. Btw thanks for all the inspiring contents you've created. They really help me a lot.
I do use DI/preamps on my boards, just not on this one. I knew I was playing some local gigs in town that didn't need a dedicated DI on the board, and I wanted to save a little weight. So I opted out of the Caveman or the Noble, and just went with the light and simple EP Booster by Xotic.
Hi Janek, to be honest my guess was about $3,7K. Please also respond to the following topic: do you have any experience with Universal Audio UAFX Galaxy '74 Tape Echo & Reverb or Boss RE-2 or Boss RE-202 Space Echo? Have you tried them at all and compared them with each other or in relation to the gear you use? Do you see any usage of them in your creative music playing? Could you please give your comments, statement or advice. Thanks.
Unfortunately I don't know those units and haven't played them. I am a big fan of tape echo though, and there are some pretty killer blocks in the HX stomp for that kind of sound that I'll use from time to time. The Eventide H9 Max also has some great sounding delays that I have used in the past.
Very cool board! What cable and plugs are you using? And do you think it matters what kind to use in terms of noise and signal loss? I’m doing the planning for putting a pedalboard together right now and this video is very helpful!
I'm using the Squareplug SP500 Low Profile for the right angle plugs, and the SPS5 for the straights. I love them, but I can't say I've done shoot outs between these and any other brands. They were just recommended to me by someone I trust very much.
Why don't you just run big strips of peadlboard tape on the board, like someone would for the rails of a pedaltrain, that way you're not needing to constantly redo the small squares any time you change your board?
Wow! 😳💸 You buy pedals here and there and end up with a considerable investment-that is better not to share with your partner 😂 Have you consider “carpeting” your pedalboard so you can easily move around your pedals? 🤔 Taking out the Velcro is a hassle. 😰
Jesus Christ just get an FM8 better effects routing no noise no cable problems nothing going down mid gig Batteries better sound ! Oh and an editor and 360 amps
The FM8, while very good at what it does, is not a pedalboard. It doesn't allow for the same kind of live improvisation that individual pedals afford me in this configuration. Multi-effects as an element of a pedalboard can be a great enhancement, but alone they don't offer enough real-time manipulation for what I do. If I was on a gig that played the same set with the same collection of sounds every night, an FM8 would be a no brainer.
The BOSS pedal tip was the best part, thanks.
It’d be cool to get a quick run through of the sounds you’re getting with this board. Also, curious if you’re using the hxStomp to go amp less for local stuff or you use an amp provided at the venue
If the gig is local I'll normally just take my amps with me. I play a lot at the baked potato and have been using their house cabinet recently just for convenience. I'll take my own head and the pedals, which means my setup and breakdown is really quick.
I would never use any kind of amp modeling to go ampless, I'm not a fan at all. If I was going to do a gig without an amp, I'd more than likely use something like the Caveman or the Nobel at the end of my chain to send a feed to the house, and make sure my monitor mix was on-point.
My guess was 4830 for the pedals, board and cables. Not counting the Dunlop Volume X Mini and the Pelican so pretty close?
Your channel just came up on my feed. Great info! Subscribing and looking forward to your episodes. Thanks
Hey Janek, which cables and connectors are you using to make your patch cables. Thanks
I use Mogami cable and Squareplug SP550-S's when it comes to the flat connectors. I use the SPS5's for the straight connectors.
@@janekgwizdala Some Boy! ❤️❤️
Gotta love the tone brush cameo
Wow nice trick with the underside back plate on the boss pedal! Bass love from Morocco Janek, good content as always!
I still can’t use my vintage oc2 on gigs because the sub only volume isn’t enough. I’ve used it in HX stomp loop where I could add Make-up gain. Now I just use the 3 leaf.
Any advice or experience with similar problem?
Is it one of the very early OC-2's? with the "R" - Octaver? if so, those run at 12v and not 9, so that could be the source of your volume issue. I wouldn't use anything in the HX Stomp aux loop. There is a massive issue with the EQ caused by the digital to analogue conversion not being set up the right way. I've been asking for it to be fixed for a long time, and so far it's still unusable for me.
great suggestion about flipping the plate! i’ll do this on my next pedalboard setup!
any update on the cheap barefoot buttons? they still alive?
They're still alive!
Nice video Janek! Good to see you using the OC2 and Xerograph again. This video actually popped up first on my homepage
Put some painter tape down on the pedalboard surface before the dual lock. So much easier to deal with when removing the dual lock.
Yes! On the pedals too!
Except then the bond is between the glue of the dual lock and the painters tape, and not directly to the metal of the board. My pedalboards take such a beating on the road that I need that bond as strong and as long-lasting as possible. I'll gladly go through the task of removing it for a new build if it means I get a little more mileage out of the setup on tour.
I had the same reservation before trying it. So far after two tours in Europe and one in the US, I’ve had no issues.
You can always try it with one or two pedals, keep some extra dual lock in your kit, see if you have any problems and if you do, it’s a quick fix. I’d love the feedback if that does cause any issues.
Great board! Show us how do u transport it in pelican? Do you use bag or only case?
It goes in the pelican case with the built-in padding. No bag.
Hi Janek love your work. Can u make a sound comparison video between P pickup and J pickup with the same "mini" pedalboard. And your opinions and thoughts about them.
Could you use the HX to replace some of the single pedals? Or do the sounds not quite match the originals or is there a signal chain problem / issue you can't get how you want it?
It's always a tough call when you use multi fx and single pedals in a pedalboard. There are just some things, regardless of how good the multi-fx is at replacing them, that simply can't be at that position in the signal chain.
I end up using the Stomp for harmonizer patches, and for tone generators and sequencing.
I'm wondering, why don't you put long strips of Dual Lock onto the board? That way you don't have to scrape it off for every rebuild.
He mentioned that he replaces the board side every time-and that is the side of Velcro that wears versus the mates on the pedals.
@@kkchristy That doesn't look like Velcro to me. I'm pretty sure it's 3M Dual Lock.
@@MichaelSchuerig ah great point-thanks for clearing that up!
It's way too messy to put strips of dual lock down. I want the build to be as clean as possible every time, and I want as much pedalboard area available for cable management such as the cable tie anchors.
You had some problem in putting the oc2 before some compression pedals? I use the oc2 before my cs3 and when both of them are on, the sound is ok. But when I turn off the oc2, it seems that the sound turns down, so I have to turn off the cs3 and turn on again (then the sound becomes normal again). You have some recomendation about this kind of signal chain and if it is ok to put the oc2 before the compression pedal? Thank you, I become a pedal lover after I watched your videos. Greetings from Brazil!
I would put the compressor before everything in the chain. If I use compression it's normally before anything like an octave or modulation etc.
@@janekgwizdala alright, and about the volume knob of the cs3, you would always turn to the max? Thank I'm a huge fan!!
@@andretillmann The setting of the pedal is always unique to the player and the situation.
HI Janek, really loving this new approach to social media you have. Feels like less is more, if that makes sense.
For someone that is starting out with pedals what would be a logical approach to learning and building their first pedal board/chain? Would buying a multi-effects pedal like an HX stomp / Zoom b6 be a good starting point or would time (and money) be better spent elsewhere first?
I'm a big fan of going to the multi fx first. I think it's a massive bang for the buck, and you get to explore, in the case of something like the HX Stomp, literally every kind of effect that's ever been made. To have all of that in one box, to experiment and get a feel for effects, and then be able to say to yourself "okay, I really like this thing but it doesn't sound the best in this unit. I'm going to invest in one or two single pedals to upgrade the quality of my sound"... You kind of can't go wrong.
Hey Janek… are you not using the miura compression any more?
It hasn't been on my live board for a while, but I do use it at home for recording from time to time.
@@janekgwizdala so what are you using for live compression? I guess with nothing there the signal is more organic sounding?
Actually @janek how is your ep booster set… you said like a preamp?
@@roballanson9228 It's always on, but with the volume at zero and the internal dip switch set to the "vintage" setting.
@@janekgwizdala cool I have to give that a go :) thanks
Hey Janek, first and foremost thank you especially for talking about signal chain! My question to you is: where can I buy Mogami cables?! I have a few patch cables that claim to be Mogami but of course I'm not even sure if they are and I'd much prefer to buy from them directly. I did find the website but there isn't any "purchase" button when you click their products. Do you have to email them to place an order? Also when you use preamps like the Noble, Caveman or EP booster, do you run your bass in active or passive?
I buy the Mogami cable in bulk on Amazon: a.co/d/9pSZ0WW
With my main bass I generally run it in active 100% of the time. It's only when I'm using something like a P-bass in combination with one of the preamps you mentioned that it ends up being a passive signal. You do get better results with some pedals when you run the bass in passive, but that's really personal preference at the end of the day.
You ever use a loop switcher?
I was so close, i said 4500. Amazing board. Wish i had the money for some of those pedals.
Can you do a video on the various loopers you have and how you use them in different situations?
A looper video could be cool. I'm actually in the process of looking for a new solution for touring. the TC Electronic Ditto loopers, which have been a staple of my pedalboards for many years now, are really not reliable at all. I've had them fail way too many times to be able to trust them anymore. The Aeros is great, but it's huge and doesn't run in series, only parallel. The regular looper in the stomp is nowhere near as robust as it needs to be to rely on it 100% of the time, and I've never really liked the Boss loopers. So the search continues, and this could make for a good video!
What are your thoughts about the Neural Quad Cortex for bass? I would really appreciate your opinion! Cheers from Luxembourg
I've never tried it, but I have heard a lot of things from people I trust that have used the unit, and I would not go out of my way to try it anytime soon. It seems like a good idea, with the prospect of being robust and an industry leader, but from everything I've heard it seems to have fallen short of a lot of its goals.
@@janekgwizdala Thank you for your answer Janek 🙏!
I’m a huge Octave nerd, can you really hear much of a difference between the “Octave” and “Octaver” OC-2 pedals? I’ve always been curious if tracking down an Octaver is worth it
I think there is quite a big difference to my ear. But you have to take into consideration the context in which you're hearing that difference. When you're in a silent room and you A/B them next to each other, then there are definitely differences to be heard. Get either of them in a pedalboard in combination with other pedals, in a live band situation, and I think it's impossible to tell.
Thank you for the video! You are the bass pedal guru!!!
Good morning Janek, love the video, I’m a faithful subscriber and student of your books. Thanks for everything. QUESTION: why two watches?
Two different time zones
@@XxBigguy3xX the Apple watch can display multiple time zones
I'm a big fan of watches, and have a little collection growing slowly. That's why I have the "real" watch on the left hand. The apple watch is for health tracking. It's a big help keeping track of my resting heart rate, an approximation of my Vo2 Max, my step count, and a bunch of other fitness related functions. It has nothing to do with horology, just science.
@@jenniplease As can the Tudor...
Hey Janek ! You don't use a compressor in this video, but do you have recommandations for a more compact and maybe less expensive than the Miura one ?
Have a good week
For compact options I'd check out the Cali 76 Compact Bass or the Empress Bass Compressor
Is there really a specific order to lineup your pedals? I was following something that I read a long time ago. Eq+comp+modulation + reverb + dist /OD.
I could probably answer this:
So typically with signal chain rule of thumb is anything that's tracking your signal like an octaver or digital modulation pedal (like a whammy) should go first. You can put a compressor right behind an octaver if you want to create massive sustain by setting the attack knob to the right so its fat and held out.
The general order for things is as follows:
Compressors -> Octavers -> Any Fuzz/distortions -> Envelope filters/auto wahs -> (any time based effects i.e. phaser, delay, chorus) -> reverb -> lastly a looper or tuner.
Boosts conventionally can be used right behind any distortion pedal to saturate it and drive it more, but also Janek just uses it as a preamp. Hope this helps.
My signal chain, if I'm going for some conventional sounds, normally follows the same basic rule each time: Compressor/Preamp up front, then Octaves, distortion/fuzz, harmonizer, filter, modulation, reverb, delay, looper.
Pedal question - I'm doing a shootout between the Source Audio Lunar and Strymon Mobius to fill the mod spot on my board. Leaning towards SA because of the EQ options, afraid losing low end live, but also loving the Destroyer on the Mobius. What would you use to replace that engine? Ottobit Jr?
The Ottobit is incredibly powerful. It has one of the best filters in it I've ever heard, and that alone is worth the price of admission. Then you get into all the things it has to offer, and you'll be there for a few years discovering new things every day with it.
Just be warned that there is no mix knob. I have to run it in with a blender pedal to really make use of it musically.
Just built my simple and compact board: laney digbeth preamp, ebs multicomp, boss vintage graphic eq, mooer micro flanger and ditto mini looper :)
Nice board, I dont understand why you have the H9 and the EP under the shelf? Are you using the Stomp as a Midi controller? And the EP always on? No interface for input and amp send? Or are you DI'ing from the Stomp
I was a little low, $4000, but not so surprising. I knew how much some of those pedals were. Your art and craft is an investment.
Thanks
Have you come across any pedals that roughly approximate what the FMeron can do, seeing how the Iron Ether pedals can be hard to come by?
That pedal is basically a unicorn. I cannot find a single thing that comes anywhere close to making those sounds. I'm glad I have one, but if it gets lost or broken, I'm going to be scouring the internet for a long time trying to get a replacement. 😢
Hi Janek! Love your content - professional, suave, pertinent. Really tippity top 👌 What’s your take on Darkglass pedals, especially in a non-metal/prog context? Would you see a use for them as a potential always-on preamp for more mellow types of music, or is there in your judgment better options out there for coloring and adding slight grit? Thanks 🙏
I think there's a lot of potential for those pedals in a non-metal/djent setting. I have the Alpha Omega Ultra and the Microtubes X Ultra, and they are highly functional. I'm going to be taking them to the studio in a few months when I track my new record as I think there are some potentially very musical things to be gained from using them.
I generally do not peel off the Dual Lock, since you can just add more if you change the layout and the existing pieces won't usually interfere, unless you are routing cables underneath the pedals in the small gap the Dual Lock creates.
That's exactly what I'm doing a lot of the time. Having the option to route cables under pedals is sometimes the difference between a pedal making it on the board or not. I'm always trying to maximize the space I have, and that's the reason I start with the board-side dual lock from scratch each time.
My guess was $4.5k but it's tough because the used market is so inflated - those Iron Ether pedals can be anywhere from $300-600 depending on the seller.
depending on the *buyer*
Fixed it.
Yes, the used market for Iron Ether pedals is astronomical right now. They are also rarely up for sale either, making it very difficult to include those sounds for someone on the outside looking in. There are pre-sales going on at the IE site though, and the prices are reasonable. The wait for the pedals won't be short, but it will be worth it.
Hi Janek, I was about 5000$ trying to include the wires.
If I could only buy one of these, would you recommand the HX Stomp or the H9 ?
Thanks for the inspiring video.
Stomp xl every time
The Stomp is far more versatile. I think you have to have a big budget and a specific need to justify also getting an H9. I use the H9 for huge stereo reverbs and harmonizer patches sometimes.
How useful do you find the FMeron? The Source Audio C4 have an FM capability, but the tracking on it is a little choppy. Is it fast enough?
It's by far the most musical pedal for this sound I've ever tried. It takes a while to get used to the tuning, but once you have it in context in your signal chain, it's an incredible pedal.
@@janekgwizdala thanks a lot, I'll look into it.
Nice one again! Little boost for our GAS... :D
I recently bought a cheap multi effect and sarted experimenting. I mainly need it because of some remote demo recordings and since I didn't have an audio interface, the USB connection came handy. I was tweaking some of the amp sims, and cab IRs, and started to think if I have a pedal to define my tone (preamp) and I'm not relying on the actual amp as much waht should be my approach? I was actually looking at the new Ampeg SGT-DI and with that and a few effects I could go totally ampless, but for rehearsals, stage monitoring I'll need something. Should I just buy a power amp? Using the effect loop return to skip the preamp section of an amp a good idea? Is it okay to have cab sim on when I'm actually playing through a (not that special) combo/cab?
Sorry for the long question, but I didnt really hear anyona talk about this aspect of going (almost) ampless, and using pedals this way.
Thank you, and keep the music coming! Hope to see you someday live!
I'm really the wrong person to ask if you're set on going ampless and want to use cab and amp sim. I'm not a fan of that setup at all, and would never use it personally. My philosophy has always been to work on having a great tone with my instrument with no gear at all, and if I want to go ampless, I would have a preamp/DI that I could sent a great clear sound to the house, and then dial in my monitor onstage.
Even though I play with an amp almost always, it's completely flat 99% of the time. I play cabs that give basically no color to my sound, so the concept of having a cab or amp sim seems pointless to me.
I can understand it if you play in a situation where you need a massive dirty Ampeg SVT sound, and you really rely on your amp for your sound. In that case, there are tons of options. The Darkglass stuff, the new DI from Ampeg, the Line6 HX Stomp... so many things you could use.
Do you like the HX stomp for bass? I’ve been tempted to get one over the last few months but have never gotten the chance to try one.
I think it's one of the best units on the market for bass. The options are almost limitless, and I've been using it for many years now.
Thanks for sharing the build. I’d like to know how you use the combination of the HX and M9 in your playing. Is it specifically for certain tunes on the gig? Why not use HXL to take the place of those two pedals?
I think you maybe meant the H9 and not the M9 right?
I have used the Stomp XL a lot on pedalboards before, and I'm sure it'll make a comeback when the need arises. The current thought behind having the regular stomp and the H9 on the board is that they are being used for very different things. I think one of the weaknesses with the Stomp is the current lineup of reverbs. So i'm using the H9 mainly for reverbs and a little modulation sometimes. The Stomp is more about harmonizer, modular synth, and sequencer patches right now.
@@janekgwizdala Yup, I meant the M9. Would love to hear some examples of how you incorporate two different multi-effects units. The M9 is next on my list to add to the board.
Vertex Travel Lite? Been looking for that style for a while. 17" X 10" $350. Cool setup.
My current main gigging bass pedalboard costs about a third of that, I think, but mine is much, much simpler. It's just two vintage Boss BCB-3 pedal boxes with six pedals: TU-2 Chromatic Tuner, AD-2 Acoustic Preamp, BC-1X Bass Comp, BB-1X Bass Driver, and RV-6 Reverb, plus a tc electronic Spark booster that was supposed to be a Boss FB-2 Feedbacker/Booster. Last time I added them up at replacement cost, it came to something like $1200 USD, maybe a bit more? I of course didn't pay that much, since most of it was purchased used or bought years ago when prices were cheaper. And it was Janek's promo video for the Boss GT-1000 that caused me to think about, since the GT-1000 does everything my pedalboard does and more, for less money.
I use a daisy chain for power, so even you include the cost of all my cabling (including the custom right angle TRS to XLRF pigtails for the DI outputs of the BB-1X and AD-2), you aren't adding more than about $100-200, at most, so let's say $1500 USD, soup to nuts.
The newer board I've recently built uses a DSM & Humboldt Simplifier Bass Station and One Control BJFe Blackberry Bass Overdrive, with tc electronic SpectraComp, BodyRez, and HOF mini. I haven't added it all up, yet, but it's still pretty reasonable, probably in the $1000 range.
I did buy a GT-1000Core, but I use that primarily for guitar, not bass. However, I could just use the GT-1000Core for everything I actually need on bass.
How come you don't leave strips of dual lock on the board permanently? Seems like a big hassle and waste of dual lock to rip up and replace the squares every time
It is a hassle, but it's waaaaaay cleaner to custom cut the small strips for each pedal whenever I'm building a new board. The clutter of having tons of dual lock all over the surface would hinder the tidiness of the board, and restrict where I was able to anchor cable ties etc.
What are your top 5 boss pedals?
OC-2, PN-2, SG-1, PS-5, DM-1
@Janek Gwizdala DM-1 is by far the biggest surprise on this list. Would love to see a video on how you use this pedal
Great video! Question about HX stomp - what does it do well for bass especially from your perspective, and what is it lacking compared to your single pedals?
I think the question is more what does it do well for my music rather than the bass specifically. If it's bass-specific stuff you're looking for, then it's going to be a little more limited than the way I use it. I'm using the Stomp as a harmonizer, an analogue synth, a sequencer, and a bunch of other weird shit. Not conventional at all, and not really a selling point for any other bass players.
But check out people like Adam Neely who i believe uses the Stomp as his only unit, or at least he used to. It is obviously very effective for his band sungazer, and makes for a very compact way to travel with all your sounds.
Always watching and listening to what's going on on your bass world. Love all the content. it's cool to hear about how the board comes together, but I can probably speak for the masses when I say we really want to hear it. I am considering migrating from a board that's too big to something like this, but it means moving to devices like the H9 and HX Stomp. Hearing how you make those multi-effects work in a live setting would be incredibly helpful. How do you get the sound you want in the moment from a pedal that does multiple things?
It's a tough choice with multi fx. You basically have to say to yourself "okay, I'm going to use this unit that makes 8,000 different sounds for just one or two things". But with my own music, which is always my main focus, I have the luxury of being able to change what those things are very regularly. Multi fx are great tools to build up libraries of different options and to be able to recall them at the touch of a button. The drag comes when you change the function of the unit from say octaves and fuzzes to reverbs and delays. You really have to change the location of the pedal in your signal chain, and that generally requires a board rebuild.
What make the OC2 better then the new ones in your opinion?
They are just made with different chips, and have a character that I like. The newer pedals are all trying way too hard to be perfect, and in doing so they totally miss the point of what makes the old OC-2's so unique and quirky.
Love the video, and the approach you take to making boards!
I’m curious with running the OC-2 into the FMeron, what sort of sounds/textures are you looking for with the FMeron?
it's important to note that I don't ever run the OC-2 and the FMeron at the same time. They just happen to fulfill similar basic functions in terms of octavers and synth sounds so they end up next to each other in the beginning of the chain. The FMeron is really about having a very convincing synth sound on the board with great tweaking options in terms of the shape of the waveform. The OC-2 is just a subby sinewave that is pretty one dimensional.
Great vids! I have a question for you. How do you set up a single pedalboard to play with an amp and ampless? I’m the former touring bassist for the Motown group The Miracles where a pedalboard wasn’t needed as I was always running through an on stage mic’d Ampeg amp to get that Jamerson sound. Back in the 80s I was doing a lot of studio work in LA as a former student of Max Bennett who got me into that game. But effects weren’t much of a thing back then for bass. But now I’m playing in situations requiring effects and it’s a real education process for me being an old school 60 something bassist. Your vast experience in this area would be greatly appreciated!
I think my first thought would be having an option to come out of the pedalboard two ways: 1) quarter inch into an amp and 2) DI/XLR out into the house or console.
Just having a nice DI somewhere in your chain, either post or pre effects would be a simple fix.
👍
Great thank you so much! I thought that might be the trick but wasn’t sure about the di box position in the chain.
Janik, do you have an affiliate link for the Velcro?
I don't actually have any affiliate links for anything... I need to look into that. But you can find it on amazon. Just search for Dual Lock by 3M.
@@janekgwizdala Thank you!
Hey! Impressing how professional the process of making the pedalboard can go. I have an issue for which you may have advice: I’m newly using the HX stomp in my rig, sometimes alone, sometimes chained with other pedals as you do, but I’m still struggling on getting a constant volume out of my rig as I switch between presets etc. Especially on the stomp when I use a very different sounds between songs like added compression or distortion and so on. How do I get a more predictable and regular volume level? Thanks for the video, always great content :)
You need to make sure you're adjusting your input and output gains on each preset if there's a massive difference in volume between them. And be aware that your signal will jump in volume when you use the parallel path option in a patch.
I know I'm late to the party but I would love to hear your personal thoughts on the importance (and use) of the EP Booster on this board and/or for any of your other past or future boards...
P.S. Great video. Your stuff is incredibly informative and entertaining. Thank you for sharing!
It all depends on what I need at the time. It’s a great option when you need a nice warm vintage pre amp sound that takes up very little space. And at that price it’s hard to beat. It’s obviously very limited in terms of its features but it earns its place in a board very easily. I love it when i need something super punchy for s clean sound that’s also very light to travel with.
My guess was $4,500. Not far off. Beautiful board. Keep up the great content. 🤘
I’m jealous of your White HX Stomp every time I see it I regret getting black 😂
Hi Janek! What's the brand of that board?
00:45
Mybe if you let all the old velcro in the pedalboard doent take so much time i do the same thing like you but i found that is more usefull to leave the old velcro and try to find the rigth spot or put another ones side by side the old ones ...
Space and efficiency is the key here. I need every spare millimeter on the board, so it has to be from scratch each time.
@@janekgwizdala I want to be like you ...but i lazy and i have a huge pedalboard jajajaja
Hi Janek, one question: in your opinion, is the analogue ep boost better then the digi version that sits in the HX Stomp? Very enjoyable and informative video, it’s a pleasure, man!!! Little works of art. 🥰
I think they are very close to the feeling being the same with the Stomp. The issue is always more about where I have the Stomp in my signal chain. To use the EP booster clone I would have to have it first in the chain. I would then lose all the other things I use it for like sequencing, modular synth, and harmonizer patches.
Hey Janek great video. I crafted My Pedalboard out of a chopping board wrapped in Gaffa tape and large strips of Velcro, very proud of it 😅 How come you don’t just get big long Velcro strips for the whole board and instead just use the small pieces?
Space is at such a premium on these boards I tour with, I simple can't waste a single inch of space if I want to maximize the results.
Now, please make an Andertons style video - "sound like Janek Gwizdala without busting the bank" 😁
HAHAHAHHAA. I've actually tried to do that several times, but it just never seems to come out the right way, and I've thrown the videos in the trash. I've really tried hard to find a budget version of the board too... tons of $25 amazon purchases and cheap pedals from china etc... So far, no dice.
@@janekgwizdala 😆Could it be done with something like Line 6 HX Stomp?
What makes the OC-2 better than newer models of the Boss Octave pedal. The latest version OC-5 claims OC-2 performance with better tracking and other features for ~$160. Is there something in the tone of the OC-2 that makes the hunt for a used one (at least double the price of an OC-5) worth it?
The old OC-2's are kind of shitty. That's what makes them unique, quirky, and very musical in my opinion. All the new stuff is striving for perfection, and that's the exact opposite of what I'm looking for in a subby sound analogue octaver.
You are always using so many pedals. My question is - what's your thoughts on switchers? (like gigrig, or morningstar or any other) Why are you not using any switchers? (to change order of pedals, or take some of the chain when you not using it)
thanks :)
At well over $1,200, the gigrig is something I could never justify using for what I do. I'm guessing that if you have a serious touring gig with a huge pop act, or you're part of a massive rock band, it makes a lot of sense. In fact, I think those are the situations that switchers tend to make the most sense anyway. You could of course add any kind of cover band, wedding band, or original band where you play the same set, or at least the same book of songs, every single gig.
If I was in that situation, I would totally have every sound I needed pre-programmed and available at the touch of a button on a switcher. But what I do is improvise, and as soon as you introduce a switcher, it takes away a lot of creative options. I think it's also a preference thing. I'm sure there are people out there who play improvised music that have incredible setups that involve switchers. But my preference is to be hands-on and move knobs and press switches.
I've tried using the Boss ES-5, the morningstar MC3, MC6, and MC8 as well as the ML5. I've also tried programming some midi controlled stuff into the HX Stomp XL to control other pedals on my board. But it's a lot of information to retain as to where everything is, and so far has only hindered performances rather than enhancing them.
I'm sure with the right person doing the setup and the programming I could find some things that might work well for my own band, but I've yet to get to that point.
@@janekgwizdala Thank you so much for finding the time to give such an in-depth answer. I really appreciated it🙏🏻
Tuner Pedal?
I use the tuner in the Line6 HX Stomp
40 Seconds into the video and I already have some advice. Don't use the Black 3M Dual Lock because of that foam sticky crap that comes apart when removing thus making that task harder and less clean. I have found from experience that the Clear 3M Dual Lock is much easier to work with.
Whoa, I was about a grand off, as in low balled that! My pedal nerd senses are effed, big time! One question, are you using the "Stomp" as the brain? Or in series? I'm slowly wading my way into the HX Stomp waters and I'm digging it for recording. Still haven't gone full bore into the live realm
On this board it's in series. The function of the Stomp always depends on the board build and the current set of needs.
never really understood pedals. i only need 2 or maybe. they are fun none the less
I was guessing about 3500 - 4000€ but including cables. Did you kick the BP-1 for more effects real-estate and because you are only using you amps DI anyway?
Great board anyway :) oh and I would love to hear you talk about (your) watches at some point ❤ there are some unsung heroes in some of your vids!
Cheers from Germany
Can definitely do some watch videos… maybe on my clips channel. I took the BP-1 off this board because I needed something simpler and compact. I wasn’t too bothered about the DI aspect of the chain. In fact, I rarely use the DI of the BP-1 when I’m playing live. It’s just a really nice preamp for me.
What are the most important pedals to have as a bass player at a conservative church? I personally run a tuner, boom ave comp and boost, demon fx preamp, caline comp, 10 band eq, noise reduction, out to di. No amp. Pedalboard out to sound engineer who puts it thru subwoofer. Sorry for not keeping it brief. Love your videos!
I can’t recommend pedals as I don’t know the kind of room you’re playing in. With that much compression and eq in your current signal path, it seems like you feel the need to work the sound a lot for the room. I would personally strip it all down to as little as possible and work on the natural sound of the bass before you add a bunch of stuff.
@@janekgwizdala ok. I do have problems hearing myself on stage even with in ears. I don't get the impression that I'm being heard. It's about 50 feet wide and 9 feet ceilings. I'm on a stage that could fit about 3 mini grand pianos. The sound engineer keeps telling me to turn down. I wish I could hear myself in my in ear monitors.
The room has carpet everywhere.
@@XxBigguy3xX If you don't have an amp onstage, why is the sound engineer telling you to turn down? You could play at max volume on your instrument, and it's the engineers job to adjust that for the house. Unless one of your pedals is sending a signal so hot that it's clipping, the engineer should just concentrate on doing their job in the house.
If you're on IEMs, do you have a separate monitor engineer? if so, there shouldn't be an issue with hearing yourself. That's just a question of knowing what to ask for in a mix, and making sure the monitor engineer can deliver that to you.
Once the amp is out of the picture, there is no "can you turn down". Only, "hey, I need some more bass in my mix".
@@janekgwizdala gotcha.
This board is crazy! It’s way expensive than my main now days 😂
Anyways… Janek, you could use doble output power cable, don’t you? Is there a reason to it? I use Cioks too and I never even reached 40% power on it and I use to power about 11 pedals with it, 2 been the Stomp and the H9.
Btw, my guess was 5k
I'm not a huge fan of daisy chaining the power. If it's possible to have dedicated spots for each pedal, I'll take it every time.
I was gonna guess about 5k, so pretty close !
5? I thought 2 looking at the thumbnail.
@@DVDFRMN once I saw all the pedals, i knew it was gonna be more. Iron Ether pedals aren’t cheap, plus all the others
@@_B_E_A_D_G_C i forgot about all the stuff below, of course he had to have an HX stomp in there, i forgot how good those Iron Ether pedals are, might have to invest...
@@DVDFRMN yeah they are great from what I gather. Just hard to come by , like most small batch boutique pedals . I’m on the waitlist for a few of them
Hi Janek. I'm curious about why you don't use a DI pedal on the board. Could you share some thoughts about DI pedals? I would really appreciate your opinions. Btw thanks for all the inspiring contents you've created. They really help me a lot.
I do use DI/preamps on my boards, just not on this one. I knew I was playing some local gigs in town that didn't need a dedicated DI on the board, and I wanted to save a little weight. So I opted out of the Caveman or the Noble, and just went with the light and simple EP Booster by Xotic.
Hi Janek, to be honest my guess was about $3,7K. Please also respond to the following topic: do you have any experience with Universal Audio UAFX Galaxy '74 Tape Echo & Reverb or Boss RE-2 or Boss RE-202 Space Echo? Have you tried them at all and compared them with each other or in relation to the gear you use? Do you see any usage of them in your creative music playing? Could you please give your comments, statement or advice. Thanks.
Unfortunately I don't know those units and haven't played them. I am a big fan of tape echo though, and there are some pretty killer blocks in the HX stomp for that kind of sound that I'll use from time to time. The Eventide H9 Max also has some great sounding delays that I have used in the past.
Very cool board! What cable and plugs are you using? And do you think it matters what kind to use in terms of noise and signal loss? I’m doing the planning for putting a pedalboard together right now and this video is very helpful!
I'm using the Squareplug SP500 Low Profile for the right angle plugs, and the SPS5 for the straights. I love them, but I can't say I've done shoot outs between these and any other brands. They were just recommended to me by someone I trust very much.
I was thinking around $3,500 but clearly I’m not taking notice of pedal prices! :-)
You clearly have much more important things to occupy your time with. Hats off to you for that!
Maybe 7k$ ❤
🎉
At least $5000 or more, total.
Why don't you just run big strips of peadlboard tape on the board, like someone would for the rails of a pedaltrain, that way you're not needing to constantly redo the small squares any time you change your board?
It's way cleaner to do it like this. Space is at a massive premium, and I need every square inch of the board operating at maximum capacity for me.
seems like pedal collection is to bassists what sports cars are to millionaires :)
Algorithm boosting comment 😉
Wow! 😳💸 You buy pedals here and there and end up with a considerable investment-that is better not to share with your partner 😂 Have you consider “carpeting” your pedalboard so you can easily move around your pedals? 🤔 Taking out the Velcro is a hassle. 😰
It's too messy to carpet the board. I need to use all the space efficiently, and keep each build as clean as possible.
Jesus Christ just get an FM8 better effects routing no noise no cable problems nothing going down mid gig
Batteries better sound !
Oh and an editor and 360 amps
The FM8, while very good at what it does, is not a pedalboard. It doesn't allow for the same kind of live improvisation that individual pedals afford me in this configuration. Multi-effects as an element of a pedalboard can be a great enhancement, but alone they don't offer enough real-time manipulation for what I do.
If I was on a gig that played the same set with the same collection of sounds every night, an FM8 would be a no brainer.