Of all the strange and crazy implements
that find their way onto pedalboards,
few are as fun to imitate with the human
voice as the envelope filter. Try it: Whether
you replicate the sound with a “bwow,”
“bwoop,” or a slow-motion “yaaaaar,” an
envelope filter is a blast to mimic. But
they’re even more fun to play. And there’s no
doubt that the sound of an envelope filter—
especially on bass—will make folks smile,
bob their heads, and move their hips.
Although instrumentalists in every genre
have used the envelope-filter sound— “What
I Am” by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians
and U2’s “Mysterious Ways” are two famous
pop-rock examples—it will always be most
closely associated with funk and disco. A short
list of great envelope filter-based hits and hooks
includes “Higher Ground” (Stevie Wonder
played a Hohner Clavinet through a Mu-Tron
III), “Release Yourself” (a hit for slap pioneer
Larry Graham), and “Funkify Your Life” (a
New Orleans funk staple, thanks to Meters
bassist George Porter, Jr.). But the patron saint
of the envelope filter is undoubtedly Parliament/
Funkadelic bass icon Bootsy Collins, whose
contributions to the “wow” bass cannon
include such classics as “P- Funk (Wants to
Get Funked Up)” and “#1 Funkateer.”
The key to any envelope filter is how it
reacts to your playing. Instead of the effect
being controlled by a footpedal, as with a
wah-wah, envelope filters react to the volume
of the input signal. Play the same bass line
with your fingers and then more intensely
with your thumb, and you will trigger wildly
different sounds, even on the same preset.
Envelope filters respond in such an interactive
fashion that you change the sound of the
effect by making even slight adjustments to
your technique, and what happens when you
do this is a big part of the thrill.
The Soundblox Bass Envelope Filter,
brought to us by the folks behind the
Soundblox and
Soundblox Pro products
(including the acclaimed
Multiwave Bass Distortion), offers
the standard elements of envelope-filter
goodness while adding a couple of unique
features of its own. And if you’re a bass player
itching to add extra flavor to your playing,
the Soundblox has the means to do it.
Purple Reign
Unlike the instantly identifiable Bootsy,
the Soundblox BEF flies its freak flag on
the inside. The knobs and lettering are
strictly utilitarian and the plastic enclosure
eschews vintage pedal styling clichés for a
tech-influenced look. The Frequency knob
allows us to choose which frequency to,
well, freak. Sweep Range controls the direction
and breadth of the filter sweep. Speed,
meanwhile, allows you to control attack
and decay times simultaneously or choose a
fast attack while varying the decay.
The Hot Hand motion sensor, which
has its own input on the Soundblox, allows
you to modulate speed and depth with a
ring you can wear or put on your headstock.
And then there are the 21 presets (seven
2-pole low-pass filters, four high-pass filters,
two single-peak filters, four triple-peak
filters, two peak-and-notch filters, and two
phase filters) that all produce related, but
distinct variations on that “wow” sound
you’ve heard in a thousand funk jams. The
pedal also has thoughtful touches like an
active analog bypass that routes the bypassed
signal around the digital signal processor.
Filtration System
I started my envelope-filter excursions by
plugging in my Jazz Bass-style Sound Trade
5-string, choosing a random preset, and letting
my fingers fly with a freaky, wet sound
that would be instantly familiar to any funk
fan or dance-floor regular. I also experimented
with longer vowel-ish sounds by
opening up the Sweep range and keeping
the Frequency knob tilted toward the low
frequencies for some bottom-end emphasis.
Scrolling through presets and playing with
attack and decay settings produced endless
variations, but I was most satisfied when I
balanced freakiness with fat low end. And
thanks to the 56-bit digital signal processor
and 24-bit converters, the Soundblox BEF
always sounded crystal clear.
Although quack addicts, so to speak, will
love this pedal’s quick envelope-filter tones,
it can produce a great longer phase sound
too—which I discovered using Presets 20, 21
(phase), and 3 (2-pole low-pass). And you can’t
use this pedal without experiencing the joy of
making an envelope filter talk—just put the
Speed at 3 o’clock and set the Frequency and
Sweep to noon while on Preset 15 (triple-peak)
for some sweet talking bass flavors that are
rich with moving vowel sounds and can work
almost like a talk box as you vary your attack.
Because dynamics are so crucial to how
envelope filters work, slap-bass techniques
become especially fun. Starting with Preset
2 (2-pole low-pass), I percolated on a low
D, working the ghost notes for all they were
worth. The pedal’s fast reaction time was
awesome, but when I started working with
long decay times and 4-pole filters (Presets
8 through 11), I started to appreciate the
more spacious feel. And with the included
motion-sensing Hot Hand ring attached to
my picking-hand pinky, I blissed out on the
added harmonics—and sense of working
magic—I could conjure by sweeping my
hand in conjunction with my picking action.
The Verdict
Back in the ’70s, the Musitronics Mu-Tron
III envelope filter had the market to itself.
And while there are a lot more options for
bass players these days, few envelope-filter
devices have the expressiveness of those
old analog units. What really sets the $120
Soundblox Bass Envelope Filter apart is
that the device packs in so many easy-touse
presets, a flexible control set, the Hot
Hand expression controller, and a real feel
for what made analog envelope filters like
the Mu-Tron so special. It’s not the only
envelope filter that’s small, lightweight, and
versatile. But at the intersection of affordability,
cool sounds, and sheer funk appeal, this
Soundblox unit stands on its own.
Buy if...
you’re ready to accept the
funk into your life.
Skip if...
you’re allergic to the dance floor.
Rating...
