Educate me on the ModFactor

[golfnguitarz]

I have been hunting through past posts to kinda learn about the MF. I saw where Eventide reps explained that the MF doesn't emulate famous pedals – not into the modeling thing, these are Eventide sounds. I get that. I don't have a bunch boutique pedals that I am trying to compare to, just Boss chorus and phaser.

Ok, so I have a few frustrations with the pedal, but maybe I just don't know how to dial things in yet.  (There are also a lot of things I really like about the pedal).

– EQ, I seem to keep finding settings or preset patches that have qualities I like except for the fact that they seem to alter the tone. Liquid chorus adds a ton of high end and I cannot find a way to compensate for it. Negative phaser gets me really close to the pedal I want to replace with that kind of honk/buzzy kinda sound, except, that the bottom end is noticeably reduced. I keep wishing for an EQ type function to compensate for these perceived changes. When I use my old pedals, they don't seem to affect the tone.

– Chorus, the Classic gets really close to what I want, and it does have the ability to alter the tone, but I notice this really subtle phasey quality to it and the other chorus patches as well. How do I dial that out, or how to keep from introducing that?

[timothyhill]

A lot of phase issues can be traced to using digital effects in a parallel loop. This can certainly cause a loss of treble and/or bass, depending on the effect and the settings used. If you're using the MF in a parallel loop, try setting the loop mix to 100% (basically turning it into a series loop) or try turning DRYKILL on (one or the other, but not both at once). Either should help get rid of any phase issues. You might try using the pedal in front of the amp, too (DRYKILL should be off in this case).

If you have bypass set to relay (true bypass), you may notice a difference in tone when the pedal is on. You might try DSP bypass, which will make active and bypass more similar in tone.

Can you give us some more details about your specific setup? Knowing what is plugged into what and how it's plugged in might help us to come up with some suggestions.

[golfnguitarz]

Yeah, sorry, should have included more info. MF running in front of amp along with the two Boss pedals I mentioned: Tuner, Wah, two Boss pedals, MF, then amp.

It's more of a "flangy-jet" sound. It's subtle, but I would say the Classic chorus has more of it than the other chorus's. I know part of it is that I am so used to my old chorus. I hate to even think about how long I have had that thing. I spent a couple of hours messing with it some more  this morning and was able to dial some of it out using the Dmod/Smod and Mod Source set to Random. The shape set to Random was kinda interesting as well.

The tone thing I mentioned is patch specific. I am not saying that overall the MF does a certain thing to the tone. I have just noticed it on certain things/patches.

Oh, and I am running the v3.

[timothyhill]

Ah, that makes more sense now that I know how you're running everything. I agree, the MF chorus sounds, especially Classic, are more "flange"-like than Boss chorus pedals. Reminds me, somewhat, of an EH Small Clone. It's still a great sound, but not really anything like the Boss CH or CE series, or the TC SFC. I'll always have a soft spot for the Boss CE-2, but it was my first chorus pedal 25 years ago and remains one of my favorites.

I agree also about the Random waveform. I use that a lot (not always, though) as the Mod Source; I think it sounds more "organic" or "alive" and I love how the MF gives you the ability to modulate the modulation. I find myself using an expression pedal to control the speed a lot, too. That's become an addiction of mine, after I got used to doing that with several Univibe clones.

Not sure if I can add anything more to what you've already discovered. Lowering the Intensity and Depth help some, too. Once you find some settings that work for you, I'd love to check them out, if you have the time to post them at some point!

Anybody else have any ideas?

[golfnguitarz]

I forget which chorus, but one or two of them, it seemed like if I lowered the depth, it brought out the flangy sound. Yeah, I'll post when I get satisfied with the patch. I am trying to be careful and not sound like a hater, I haven't auditioned a bunch of pedals, so I can't say what a "chorus" is supposed to sound like. I just know I don't like the flangy sound in a chorus and I know I like my CE.But it's a one-trick pony, thus the MF.

Anyway, 25 years, that sounds about how long I have had mine.

[timothyhill]

I completely understand where you're coming from… I don't like my chorus to sound like my flanger, either, and I get really picky when it comes to phasers, but that's another topic. LOL!

I still remember it like it was yesterday… I picked up that CE-2 and a DM-3 back in '85 and just fell in love. I've tried a lot of pedals since then, but those two are still a benchmark for me, especially the CE-2 – still my favorite chorus. They may have one trick, but it's a really good trick.

I like the chorus on the MF, but honestly, I use the MicroPitch on the PF more often, unless I'm using the PF for other duties. I don't think I could ever describe the MF as a plug-n-play kind of pedal, but I didn't really expect it to be, either. There are some great sounds in there, but it takes some work.

[timothyhill]

I've been rather busy lately, or I would have already done this… I'd like to take some time this week and see if I can find a few more ideas on how to get the MF closer into CE territory. Please give me a few days, ok?

[golfnguitarz]

No worries. It'll be interesting to see what you come up with. I got real close with the Liquid and Organic chorus's using the Random setting and the DMod and SMod. And I would be happy with those if they didn't have that added brightness to them. I tried different settings on the Bypass Type and sometimes I thought I heard a difference and sometimes I didn't. For me, I found that my ears would get a bit tired after a while. Once I took a break and came back, I felt my results were a little more accurate.

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