Poorly executed blends and well executed blends

[rfurtkamp]

I have parallel options galore, as well as the venerable and useful clean blends in my Ampeg Scrambler clone and the Fender Blender.

Also found the clean blend option (on both available at a time circuits, no less, if you're so inclined) on the Source Audio Kingmaker to be quite decent.

[BossMann73]

I was constantly disappointed with blends. Then I tried Dr Scientist. First an Elements and then a Frazz.

The Frazz
I loved the TAFM blend when I had it as well. I miss that pedal and have been considering getting one again.
I'm also definitely a fan of messing with parallel chains (and feedback loops, but that's a bit off topic). I use a Patchulator and Fewtility One to do this.

I was constantly disappointed with blends. Then I tried Dr Scientist. First an Elements and then a Frazz.

Damn, y'all just had to introduce this pedal to my consciousness! Now I have to get one. That thing sounds sick.

[themeanreds]

There are a number of ways to use blend circuits; what pedals work for you depends on how you use them, and your expectations as to the results.

Some bassists prefer a very present clean sound in parallel with the dirty tone. When blending in a bunch of clean tone to try and achieve a bigger, heavier tone, I tend to not like the sound at all. To my ears, it often sounds like it takes up more sonic space without sounding or feeling heavier. It's like being hit with a huge piece of paper instead of a brick. Hit me with a brick, dammit. A bit of clean tone-enough to feel more than hear-can be effective, though.

When I used a blend, I preferred to run a lowing gain pedal before a blended medium-to-high gain pedal; I liked the sound of the lower gain tone running alongside the boosted higher gain tone. If the two dirt pedals did not stack well, then the whole mess would sound terrible. This is why the TAFM did not work for me; I did not like how it sounded with a dirt pedal in front of it. A Rat thing set for lowish gain in front of a blended Big Muff thing, however, sounds great to me. I was not blending to retain clean low end, though. I wanted the clank blended with the sludge.

[spacelordmother]

I wanted the clank blended with the sludge.

The sound of a Muff run into a +/- 50/50 ODB-3 is

[themeanreds]

I wanted the clank blended with the sludge.

The sound of a Muff run into a +/- 50/50 ODB-3 is

I love the ODB-3 for blending and stacking, though I dig it before another dirt pedal, or an overdriven amp. ODB-3 into a grinding Rusty Box can be fantastic.

Also: The Caroline Shigeharu Fuzz is super awesome. IC Muff with a great midrange control, and the option of blending in an octave-up fuzz. Octave Fuzz and be on permanently, or activated via a momentary (wish it was latching) footswitch. Similar in a ways to Dwarfcraft Silver Rose, though I dig the sound and features of the Shigeharu apple more than the Silver Rose orange.

[coldbrightsunlight]

I was constantly disappointed with blends. Then I tried Dr Scientist. First an Elements and then a Frazz.

The Frazz
I loved the TAFM blend when I had it as well. I miss that pedal and have been considering getting one again.
I'm also definitely a fan of messing with parallel chains (and feedback loops, but that's a bit off topic). I use a Patchulator and Fewtility One to do this.

I was constantly disappointed with blends. Then I tried Dr Scientist. First an Elements and then a Frazz.

Damn, y'all just had to introduce this pedal to my consciousness! Now I have to get one. That thing sounds sick.

The elements is brilliant.

[jrfox92]

I'm also definitely a fan of messing with parallel chains (and feedback loops, but that's a bit off topic). I use a Patchulator and Fewtility One to do this.

+1, I have three parallel chains running on my board (with a TAFM in one of those chains) and the parallel dirt sounds great.

[rfurtkamp]

Parallel Scrambler/Blender is a thing of beauty, as is parallel RE-20 Space Echo and a real one!

[jrfox92]

Parallel Scrambler/Blender is a thing of beauty, as is parallel RE-20 Space Echo and a real one!

My third loop has an RE-20 in it.
I'm running it with a Y&Y, but I still thing it'd be better with another dirt in there.
What dirt do you usually run with yours, rfurt?

[rfurtkamp]

I have a ton of them on the main board (ES-8 and DB-11 4 loop switcher): Metal Zone. Blender, Scrambler, Bee Baa, Test Pattern, Test Pattern from Hell, Godbox Tesla 2, Noisekick Guano Loco all in the ES-8 and switchable order/parallel/crazy, plus Source Audio Kingmaker and Fab Tone in the post ES-8, pre-RE-20 positions.

[fuzzonaut]

I really like what Tom did with the Bass Bloom.

The OXFuzz Bass is great too.

[Wittgenstein]

Curious to see how bassists who use dirt with blends are finding the quality of their blend circuits. Some seem to be great, like the Darkglass A/O and the Left Hand Wrath Deluxe, and some others are not so great with phase issues, volume dropoffs, fuzz-above-the-clean sound not meshing etc.

Please list your favorites and not so favorites.

I'm really liking the blend in my Left Hand Wrath Deluxe. Out of all the pedals I own (owned) it seems to be the only one besides the darkglass where the clean tone seems to be connected to my dirty tone and they sit really well together. As an example of one I'm not crazy about I don't really like the blend on the TAFM, but I know I'm in the minority there.

I wonder why there are so many differences in performance of these circuits? You'd think it would be a fairly straightforward thing to design a good clean blend, but since I'm no engineer, I don't know.

metal zone $22

[Derelict78]

My favorite has to be the Gnomeratron VTF clean(ish) blend.

[Mudfuzz]

A bad blend vs a good blend depends on what you want really and the sound/feel you need.. the only "bad" blends to me are overly buffered ones that give you volume issues like barge and boss.

I think my all time faves are the Katanasound super bass fuzz [duh], the Fuzz Hugger Bassbloom and the MASSF Stary wisdom... that said I find that lately having a bunch of pedals with blend don't work for me as much as using a blending looper and putting a bunch of pedals in there [some with their own blends] to achieve the sound I want.. and so know I'm having a custom 5 loop looper that is a 3 and a 2 in one box so I can have the first 3 loops blend and not the last 2.. life in complex and stuff.

[oscillofuzz]

Purely based on the thread's title I thought I was on a whisky forum for a sec and was about to respond with my distaste for blends, but in the pedal world they definitely serve their purpose from time to time