Octaver vs. Source Audio C4 Synth Pedal as an Octave?

[Nicholas Genaro]

Would this pedal be considered a "two-fer" in that you'd get an octaver and a synth in one? Is it too complicated to use as a solo octaver?

It seems like a really cool idea but I'm wondering if I just need to get a standalone octave?

 

[GMC]

Would this pedal be considered a "two-fer" in that you'd get an octaver and a synth in one? Is it too complicated to use as a solo octaver?

It seems like a really cool idea but I'm wondering if I just need to get a standalone octave?

Actually a C4 is a lot more than that.
It's got ALL of the Spectrum's filters in it.
It's got a temolo in it, even a little Chorus too.
It's got a Sequencer, harmoniser, octave up and some FM synth options.

However, I mostly use mine as a cool OC-2 clone. Which it does impeccibly well. It's my most used patch.
I have a patch on the Neuro community that is an OC-2 clone, Control 1 is mapped to the wet dry mix (very useful for synth dub) and Control 2 is mapped to some extra fuzzy dirt to really synth up the octaver. I have a Funkularor patch that basically is the same except it adds an expression pedal control quack filter.
Adding an Expression pedal is really usefull with the C4.

 

[Nicholas Genaro]

Actually a C4 is a lot more than that.
It's got ALL of the Spectrum's filters in it.
It's got a temolo in it, even a little Chorus too.
It's got a Sequencer, harmoniser, octave up and some FM synth options.

However, I mostly use mine as a cool OC-2 clone. Which it does impeccibly well. It's my most used patch.
I have a patch on the Neuro community that is an OC-2 clone, Control 1 is mapped to the wet dry mix (very useful for synth dub) and Control 2 is mapped to some extra fuzzy dirt to really synth up the octaver. I have a Funkularor patch that basically is the same except it adds an expression pedal control quack filter.
Adding an Expression pedal is really usefull with the C4.

How hard is it to learn the software and nuances?

 

[bassbrad]

In some ways using a C4 just for octaver or envelope filter may be overkill but it does admirably for both duties. Remember that it will also support Spectrum sounds.
Digging into Neuro or synthesis is a challenge but one well worth tackling for all the superior sounds you can create and deliver.

 

[Diegombass]

It does the OC-2 pretty well, but I prefer the OC-2

 

[sunbeast]

Soundwise it does a great OC-2 and is obviously tonally FAR more tweak able than an OC-2, feel-wise analog is still much more immediate and so I generally still use my OC-2 or MXR Vintage Bass Octave (OC-2 clone) as they feel like an extension of my playing more (and I use octave a lot these days).

 

[GMC]

I forgot to say, my patch is called "GMC - OC2".
A lot of guys say that the C4's OC-2 sounds close but not spot on...however...use the filter control in the specific voice channel and you can tune it to taste. Thisis the control option that pretty much dials inthe favious flavours between clone variants...MXR for example. I tend to prefer a slightly brighter take on the regular OC-2 (Filter set ot 50%) but most agree that around 35% is pretty close.
The real OC-2 has some issues, it doesn't like really hot inputs, it can clip easily and there's a difference in output level between fully wet and fully dry. It's not a true bypass, but is buffered. This can cause issues with some analogue dirt pedals later in your chain. There are some great boutique Clonmes of the OC-2 that adress some of the Boss pedal's limitations...it's an old pedal design for sure.
Nobody has mentioned the Boss OC-5 and it's a serious contender for sure. However, the C4 is a LOT more versatile and can keep you entertained for weeks. One of my fav patches for sheer fun is the "one patch and you are done" Donna Summers "I feel love" patch...pluck a noate and you are done...big grins all round and your keyboardist will admire you deeply!
The C4 is potentially a stereo pedal (if you want it to be) and offers a lot of additonal benefits over and above what a simple OC-2 can offer. It's pricing isn't a lot more than a new boutique OC-2 clone.

 

[bassbrad]

I have been able to emulate most of the octavers I have as well as most of my envelope follower collections with the C4 or Spectrum and then go further in getting my ideal sound, using the presets I am able to tune each effect to my different basses. As @GMC mentions additional control options really help to nail those sounds.

 

[Nicholas Genaro]

I have been able to emulate most of the octavers I have as well as most of my envelope follower collections with the C4 or Spectrum and then go further in getting my ideal sound, using the presets I am able to tune each effect to my different basses. As @GMC mentions additional control options really help to nail those sounds.

Would you recommend one over the other ?

 

[Nicholas Genaro]

I forgot to say, my patch is called "GMC - OC2".
A lot of guys say that the C4's OC-2 sounds close but not spot on...however...use the filter control in the specific voice channel and you can tune it to taste. Thisis the control option that pretty much dials inthe favious flavours between clone variants...MXR for example. I tend to prefer a slightly brighter take on the regular OC-2 (Filter set ot 50%) but most agree that around 35% is pretty close.
The real OC-2 has some issues, it doesn't like really hot inputs, it can clip easily and there's a difference in output level between fully wet and fully dry. It's not a true bypass, but is buffered. This can cause issues with some analogue dirt pedals later in your chain. There are some great boutique Clonmes of the OC-2 that adress some of the Boss pedal's limitations...it's an old pedal design for sure.
Nobody has mentioned the Boss OC-5 and it's a serious contender for sure. However, the C4 is a LOT more versatile and can keep you entertained for weeks. One of my fav patches for sheer fun is the "one patch and you are done" Donna Summers "I feel love" patch...pluck a noate and you are done...big grins all round and your keyboardist will admire you deeply!
The C4 is potentially a stereo pedal (if you want it to be) and offers a lot of additonal benefits over and above what a simple OC-2 can offer. It's pricing isn't a lot more than a new boutique OC-2 clone.

I think this convinced me to buy it !

 

[bassbrad]

I have both and do find the Spectrum easier for nailing octaver and envelope sounds because of the less complex UI [user interface on Neuro] but the C4 has so much more potential for creating sounds, textures and control. On the C4 I often mix synth voice and pitch textures with octaver feeding onto the envelope for complex sounds not possible on the Spectrum. For the cost difference I say go for the C4 and learn to use its extra features or not. I have both to give me more options with my signal chain and creating modifying sounds for performance. The C4 I treat as a stand alone effect and the Spectrum works in conjunction with my Aftershock, Ultrawave and also often as a stand alone effect.

 

[sunbeast]

I forgot to say, my patch is called "GMC - OC2".
A lot of guys say that the C4's OC-2 sounds close but not spot on...however...use the filter control in the specific voice channel and you can tune it to taste. Thisis the control option that pretty much dials inthe favious flavours between clone variants...MXR for example. I tend to prefer a slightly brighter take on the regular OC-2 (Filter set ot 50%) but most agree that around 35% is pretty close.
The real OC-2 has some issues, it doesn't like really hot inputs, it can clip easily and there's a difference in output level between fully wet and fully dry. It's not a true bypass, but is buffered. This can cause issues with some analogue dirt pedals later in your chain. There are some great boutique Clonmes of the OC-2 that adress some of the Boss pedal's limitations...it's an old pedal design for sure.
Nobody has mentioned the Boss OC-5 and it's a serious contender for sure. However, the C4 is a LOT more versatile and can keep you entertained for weeks. One of my fav patches for sheer fun is the "one patch and you are done" Donna Summers "I feel love" patch...pluck a noate and you are done...big grins all round and your keyboardist will admire you deeply!
The C4 is potentially a stereo pedal (if you want it to be) and offers a lot of additonal benefits over and above what a simple OC-2 can offer. It's pricing isn't a lot more than a new boutique OC-2 clone.

If I could get an analog octaver with all the tonal shaping of a C4/Spectrum I’d be in heaven! For me it is the digital pitch-tracking limitations of the C4 that make me prefer the OC-2 and other analog octavers when I can- the C4 is among the fastest tracking pitch-trackers I’ve used, but still nowhere near as fast as an analog octaver. I still use them all for their synth sounds, but for straight analog octaver sounds I stick to the analog octaver (these days I am more and more choosing the MXR Vintage Bass Octave, which can be found cheaper than an OC-2 -mine was only $100 used- and without many of the weaknesses of the OC-2). If I didn’t have space for both I’d be totally fine with the C4 filling all those roles but fortunately I usually can make space for both and relegate the C4 to straight waveform synth or filter duties.

I’m personally not intimately invested in the “exact” OC-2 tone, though it does have a midrange voice that just fits well in a mix that most other analog octaves don’t. I’ve messed around with replacing my OC-2 with the C4 and just a handful of different OC-2esque patches and the tone is absolutely killer to me. Where the OC-2 wins is always the feel. Even when the OC-2 glitches out or distorts occasionally, it is always spot on with my playing so I can really lay into a groove. The C4 has just enough latency/lag on lower notes that it trips me up. The same can be said for other digital pitch tracking pedals like the Future Impact or EHX pitchshifters- I still use them too, but not as a replacement for an analog octaver.

 

[sunbeast]

I think this convinced me to buy it !

I just realized that on your other thread (about buying an octave vs an envelope filter) I recommended a Source Audio Spectrum to fill both roles, but in this thread I may come off as disparaging the Spectrum/C4 Octave functions which I really don't intend to- I just have a particular bias towards the feel of an analog octaver and have the room for both a dedicated octave and a synth pedal on my boards. In fact if you can only have one pedal to fill both of those roles I think either the Spectrum or C4 is about the best you can get anywhere close to their price point and I love my C4!

 

[Nicholas Genaro]

I just realized that on your other thread (about buying an octave vs an envelope filter) I recommended a Source Audio Spectrum to fill both roles, but in this thread I may come off as disparaging the Spectrum/C4 Octave functions which I really don't intend to- I just have a particular bias towards the feel of an analog octaver and have the room for both a dedicated octave and a synth pedal on my boards. In fact if you can only have one pedal to fill both of those roles I think either the Spectrum or C4 is about the best you can get anywhere close to their price point and I love my C4!

Which one should I get? C4 or Spectrum? I love the concept of it also being a synth too but unsure how much I'd use it lol

 

[sloppy_phil]

Which one should I get? C4 or Spectrum? I love the concept of it also being a synth too but unsure how much I'd use it lol

If that is the choice, then I think the C4 makes more sense; it can do everything the Spectrum can, and then plenty more besides.

 

[GMC]

Which one should I get? C4 or Spectrum? I love the concept of it also being a synth too but unsure how much I'd use it lol

I have both on my board and as #Bassbrad said The Spectrum is a slightly easier pedal to navigate un Neuro 3. However, The C4 is effectively a euro rack synth in a small box. The Spectrum is a subset of the C4 and I have both. I place my C4 early in my chain and my Spectrum after my c4, compression and dirt. I use my C4 as an octaver and synth and my Spectrum purely as a "best of breed" Filter. It can feel overwhelming editing the C4, it's is a huge learning curve.

The Spectrum is slightly esasier to navigate and still has a lot of access to many of the C4 synth patches. There's a massive amount of great patches available on Neuro for botht he C4 and Spectrum, but more for the C4. Initially, I flicked though the patches available on Neuro and used it as a pre-set machine until i started to understand the interface and more importantly, I neeeded to comprehend how subtactive sysnthesis works.

My Spectrum has about 30 patches in it's memory and my C4 is fully maxxed out at 128 patches...so that really points as to how versatile the C4 really is.
if you are looking for a kick ass octaver and filter both will serve you very well. If you are looking for a depp dive synth then the Spectrum will get you 80% there and the C4 is the daddy.

One trick that you can do with the C4 and Spectrum is fit a loop back cable from output 2 into input 1. This allows you to route 2 voices serially into the other 2 voices. It effectively makes it two pedals in one box. #Quatsmacher has a load of patches using this technique and it opens up another pantheon of useful features and tonal pallets.
Both pedals are years of fun and eduactional deep dive. For the days you don't fancy practising your runs and fills...this is a great distraction and opens up a whole different world of sounds.

 

[GMC]

If I could get an analog octaver with all the tonal shaping of a C4/Spectrum I’d be in heaven! For me it is the digital pitch-tracking limitations of the C4 that make me prefer the OC-2 and other analog octavers when I can- the C4 is among the fastest tracking pitch-trackers I’ve used, but still nowhere near as fast as an analog octaver.

It's a trade off, a very slight latency due to the C4's speed in reading a note...however....it tracks far lower and more accurately than any analogue octaver that I've ever owned / tried...and I've had quite a few. Your milage might vary. I'm not sure I can percive a sub 20ms latency in a live context. With my older Eventide H9's there was a very real and noticable latency. But with the modern and powerful DSP in the C4...it's really not an issue on my board.

 

[sydneytdc]

I recently tried a Helix One and found the OC-2 emulation really good. Did a number of gigs where it replaced my OC-2 - nice to have a bunch of other effects in there as well.