MXR M85 Bass Distortion vs Source Audio After Shock Bass El Raton

#7
As much as I like the versatility of the After Shock, the MXR BD is a sweeter sounding pedal. I find that with digital models, they can come close to...but rarely exceed the best analogue pedals and I think this clip highlights that point. The MXR BD is one of the best analogue Rat distortions currently available and it's a really great sounding pedal. The After Shock can come close but it's more complex to use and it's not the only thing it does. It does what it does very very well, but it's RAT model doesn't sound quite as sweet as the MXR. The other great thing about the MXR is the silicon / LED clipping switch. It totally changes the character of the grit. Correct me if i'm wrong, but the SA pedal is stuck with the pre-modelled silicon diode RAT model.
 
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#8
GMC said:
As much as I like the versatility of the After Shock, the MXR BD is a sweeter sounding pedal. I find that with digital models, they can come close to...but rarely exceed the best analogue pedals and I think this clip highlights that point. The MXR BD is one of the best analogue Rat distortions currently available and it's a really great sounding pedal. The After Shock can come close but it's more complex to use and it's not the only thing it does. It does what it does very very well, but it's RAT model doesn't sound quite as sweet as the MXR. The other great thing about the MXR is the silicon / LED clipping switch. It totally changes the character of the grit. Correct me if i'm wrong, but the SA pedal is stuck with the pre-modelled silicon diode RAT model.
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I too would like to know as that was my complaint with the OFD rat model - however the aftershock rat 2 model in the neuro app sounds closer to the turbo rat to me yet a tiny bit smoother - kind of what I want. A bit of grind but not chainsaw take over the mix.
 
#9
FWIW, I have the MXR on my board and I use the AfterShock in my practice rig. I think both have their strengths, but for my basic distortion sound I prefer the MXR in my live rig, though it is right next to my SA Multiwave. My latest journey started with replacing my old setup with the SA Multiwave Pro, which I love, but I wanted to down size my board and wanted more natural sound distortion for non-synthy sounds. I bought the AfterShock hoping it would replace my Synth sound in the multiwave and the MXR to replace the regular dirt setting on the Multiwave Pro. I eventually wound up with a MultiWave 2 and the MXR to give my all the dirt settings I need.

To me, the After Shock sounds a little Hi-Fi and has a ton of cool stuff you can do with it. The MXR sounds more natural.
 
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#10
I've owned the MXR Bass Distortion and the Digitech Bass Driver. I liked them both, but the MXR does sound more organic. The Digitech always had a slightly more metallic sound and it seemed to get buried in the mix really easily at higher gain settings. I've never tried the Aftershock. I've listened to demos and I think it would be a great pedal to have around. I do believe the Digitech is a very under rated pedal, though. It met my needs for years. Right now my Mooer Thunderball (EHX Bass Blogger clone) is getting a lot of love on my 1590a board. Doesn't sound great by itself but sits really well in a live mix.
 
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#12
jcerio said:
I've owned the MXR Bass Distortion and the Digitech Bass Driver. I liked them both, but the MXR does sound more organic. The Digitech always had a slightly more metallic sound and it seemed to get buried in the mix really easily at higher gain settings. I've never tried the Aftershock. I've listened to demos and I think it would be a great pedal to have around. I do believe the Digitech is a very under rated pedal, though. It met my needs for years. Right now my Mooer Thunderball (EHX Bass Blogger clone) is getting a lot of love on my 1590a board. Doesn't sound great by itself but sits really well in a live mix.
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Yeah, I am a Digitech fan of sorts, which is why I wanted to try it. I would certainly recommend it if you only wanted to spend about $40. And it is very versatile and way better than the Boss ODB-3 IMO. I wanted to include it in a comparison for folks who are on a budget to see how it compares to the the latest digital tech and an analog pedal. Yes, the MXR does sound better for what is does. I am also a SA fan, and the After Shock is great tool to come up with standard and unique sounds with it's programmability.
 
#13
HelpImaRock said:
The Aftershock sounds great. I was all set to go for it, and then realized just how much programming is available. It was a rabbit hole I didn't want to go down. That's why I bought the MXR. And I've been very happy with my decision.
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For the demo, I didn't do any special programming except assign the Bass El Raton model to my Fuzz settin in green mode, so you don't really have to program on it to get good sounds. But you are right, I have spent hours fiddling with the thing, but I like to do that and see what comes out at the end anyway. The ability to have presets is great option for live use, set it and forget it, which is what I did with my MWBD Pro.
 
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#15
Best thing for me with the aftershock is I can have muff and rat and one other type of dirt assigned ( usually octave fuzz) in the one pedal and they all sounded pretty decent. Can't replace some pedals sure, but I'm pretty content between aftershock and other dirt I have to get all my flavours. Might ask the rat question in the aftershock thread - interested to see if turbo rat/led is featured
 
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