Wrapped up in a small and affordable unit, Source Audio''s Soundblox 2 Multiwave Bass Distortion is an excellent tool for adding grind and grit to your bass tone.
When it comes to tools for generating distortion, bassists often get the short end of the stick—especially in terms of keeping the tone robust and solid without enveloping it in low-frequency mush. First addressing these woes with their very popular Multiwave Bass Distortion, Source Audio has integrated that pedal into their Soundblox 2 line, repackaging its wide-ranging distortion tones into a much smaller and more affordable unit, while still retaining all the versatility and unique tonality of its predecessor.
Heavy Metal Thunder
The cast-aluminum housing of
the Soundblox 2 Multiwave Bass
Distortion contains an incredible
amount of overdriven tones
that are generated by a powerful
56-bit digital processor. There are
23 modes to choose from—along
with a 24th for conventional,
clean boosting—and these are
easily accessible from the pedal’s
rotary knob. The modes fall into
two categories: A multi-band
set that splits the signal into ten
frequencies and distorts them
individually before slapping them
back together, and a single-band
mode that processes the tone
like a standard distortion or fuzz
box. Since the multi-band modes
treat each of the 10 frequencies
separately, the distortion tones
are much more refined and
detailed than what you may be
accustomed to hearing from your
current bass overdrive. Add an
adjustable multi-level noise gate,
dedicated controls for dry and
wet levels, 3-band tone shaping,
choice of buffered or true bypass,
two programmable presets, and
the ability to integrate Source
Audio’s Hot Hand motion sensor
ring or Dual Expression pedal—
and you’ve got yourself a seriously
powerful device for driving
your bass tone into saturation-drenched
oblivion.
Ratings
Pros:
Tons of range. Great response. Multi-band
modes are just the ticket for keeping even the wildest
distortions tight and crisp.
Cons:
Extreme settings on the octave and foldback
modes can be overwhelming.
Tones:
Ease of Use:
Build:
Value:
Street:
$169
Source Audio
sourceaudio.net
Divide and Conquer
Armed with a Fano Alt de
Facto PX4 bass and Verellen
Meatsmoke tube amp, I started
exploring the Multiwave’s single-band
modes. Source Audio’s low-end
fire-breather grumbled with a
vintage-rock grind, and the tones
got meatier as I dialed in the foldback
modes, which contain some
of the pedal’s fiercest, nastiest fuzz
tones. These particular sounds
are not for the faint of heart, but
I found that pulling back on the
Fano’s volume knob helped rein
in the stoner-doom rock timbres
to reveal a fine and detailed set
of midrange frequencies that
bloomed with heavier picking.
The pedal also provided beautiful octave and Moog-ish synth tones with superb tracking and muscular lows, along with some very wild and bizarre envelope filtering.
If you’re a bassist who struggles with getting a distortion or fuzz tone that holds itself together and sits well in a mix, this pedal’s multi-band modes just may be your saving grace. Moving between the single- and multi-band modes, I was completely stunned by the incredible difference between the two. While the tones themselves were generally the same, the multi-band modes possessed wider, more 3-D qualities that greatly helped the overdriven tones’ low end and midrange—even after piling on ridiculous amounts of gain. The foldback and octave modes shed their slice-up-the-middle attack qualities, and reacted more like a backdrop of lush, velvety low end—perfect for supplying a solid, low foundation to a band or recording.
The Verdict
Source Audio’s Soundblox 2
Multiwave Bass Distortion is an
excellent tool for adding grind
and grit to your bass tone, and
has more than enough sonic
options to carve a place in your
rock or metal band’s mix. And if
you enjoy pushing your rig to the
furthest dimension of Sabbath-soaked
saturation, you’ll be hard-pressed
to find another pedal
that can achieve this with as
much clarity and wide expanse.