Hello folks, today I have for you a little rundown of some effects pedals from Origin. So if you’re looking to shape your bass sound for live performance, studio, or home play then this is the place for you.
Origin Effects is a uk company that are putting out some of the best pedals on the market and were nice enough to send a few along for yours truly to mess about with so I could bring you my thoughts. So without further ado let’s get into it.
CALI 76 BASS COMPRESSOR.
Compression is one of the foundations of a nice bass sound and has been for pretty much the entirety of the instrument. The Cali 76 does everything your usual unit does and then some!
I sat for a good few hours messing around with this funky little unit and was impressed not only by the control it gives you but the vast range over which it can be used. Its simple layout and nice chunky controls are smooth and precise in operation so you can really get exactly the control you’re after and the large LED band lets you see exactly where you are applying the compression and how aggressively it is acting on the input.
With controls for DRY, OUT, IN, RATIO, ATT/REL, and HPF, its amazingly easy to setup for a solid punch or a wider sweep to open the sound up without losing control of the tone. If you decide to be silly ( lets face it thats what we do here ) you can really push your sound to scare the life out of both your amp, audience, and yourself.
My personal favorite was using it with the ratio cracked pretty far up and a fairly even ballance between IN and OUT then playing around with the RATIO to trim my tone to something I would use live. A solid bit of kit with masses of range and potential to control your tone exactly as you would wish.
DCXBASS. Ok Im not going to lie and say I could get the best out of this unit but that is in no way a fault of the pedal itself. As with the other bits of kit the guys sent us this unit is a solid and beautifully finished product that immediately impacts your sound. Therein was my problem. I just couldn’t settle on a single tone for playthrough.
I found myself thinking ”this is cool but what if I just tweak that? Oh thats nice but I could move this just a little” long story short, a number of hours down the line and I still had not settled on a tone that i could leave alone.
With controls for LEVEL, DRIVE, L.F, H.F, and a mode switch between EQ and DRIVE then a threeway selector for voice with DRK, FLAT, and MED options you could spend days fiddling around and still not reach the limits of what this thing can do.
You want big, hefty low end grunt? No problem. How about some lighter, smoother sounding chill vibes? Got it. Nice fat mid sounds, covered bro. Honestly the only fault in this unit was me, the player. For someone that really knows what they want out of their sound then its an awesome bit of kit. For a giant child with a big bass rig its a rabbit hole that you will struggle to get out off.
BASSRIG SUPER VINTAGE.
This beast is designed to replicate the Ampeg SVT and 8X10 cab. To put it blandly, it does just that. If you could do it with an SVT you can do it with a BASSRIG.
With control for OUTPUT, BLEND, DRIVE, BASS, MIDRANGE, and TREBLE, plus switching for 800, 3000, and 220 on mids, an ultra high or low cut, an fx or fxbypass DI ground and lift, a 4000, 0, and 2000 horn cut and an LF, HF to amp EQ one would be forgiven for thinking it would be a little complicated. Happily its anything but. I started low on the drive and output then played with the tonal control until i found a great vintage sound. Once i was there it was a simple matter of upping the drive to dirty it up and adjusting the blend so I cound really push the sound through the amp without losing any of my initial setup. Trust me, this thing bites hard when you want to but reacts nicely when you roll back to really get that classic sound.
Shes a monster unit too. Not a dainty little thing but a big slab of metal that looks every bit as good as it sounds.
With a D.I. out for studio or straight to desk applications plus the usual input and output it lends itself nicely to both live and studio work and once again is a well built and sturdy bit of kit thats more likely to dent the stage before you dent it.
This is where I would normally tell you that its my favourite unit on test but………
BASSRIG 64 BLACK PANEL.
This is without doubt the single best bit of bass kit I have ever heard or used. I wanted Lizzy and got it. I wanted Megadeth and got it. I wanted Sting and I still got it!
Designed to give the sound of the Fender Bassman/Showman hooked up to a 2X15 cab. And like the super vintage it does exactly what it says. When you start playing with it is when it really gets fun. Even a hamfisted idiot like me can get sounds out of the black panel that should be reserved for studios and rockstars.
The same controls as the super vintage with the exception that the midrange sweep and selector are replaced with a MIDDLE and switching between TWD and BLK plus the ultra high and low cut replaced with BRIGHT and FAT, its once again easy to set up and play.
The range of sound on this pedal is superb and I dare say unmatched by its competitors. Quite literally any song I jammed to with this thing I found a perfect tone with zero problem. Fingerstyle, pick, slap, muted, pinched it didn’t matter, everything just found a voice that fit perfectly to each and every track. A sublime product all round.
Now the bit you’ve all been waiting for, Price. Origin effects are not £50 pedals you just pop on your board for a giggle. With the Cali 76 coming in around the £300 range, tha DCXBASS Around £250 and the BASSRIG’s at near £400 they are a serious purchase.
I can however state that they are worth every penny as they are some of the best built, solid, responsive and complete pedals I have ever seen or used. This is one of those cases where you truly do get what you pay for.
Big thanks to Chris and the guys over at origin effects for letting us have a play with their creations. Head over to Origineffects.com and check out the range they offer.
Now, where did I put my credit card?…………….