XOTIC
X-BLENDER
The Xotic X-Blender is a full-featured choice
that lets you have an internal equalizer to
adjust the bass, treble, and volume of the
effects loop. Its biggest feature (literally)
is the ingeniously huge Blend knob that is
perfectly adjustable with your foot! For quick
live adjustments of blend levels, this is a huge
time saver. For some effects, particularly
distortion pedals, relative volumes between
blended effects makes the apparent volume
of the output feel different than you might
expect. Giving a quick spin of the knob
with your big toe can cure some of these
discrepancies in a pinch.
26
TONE TALK //
TRY THIS: In the effects loop, place a
tremolo pedal before a delay pedal. Keep
the delays to a single repeat and set the
tremolo effect to be rapid enough for a
“shuttering” effect. Start the blend pedal
at 100 percent wet and play whole notes.
The tremolo effect seems to chop your note
up, letting the delay repeat the chops into
a little tornado of sound. Using your foot,
start to slowly turn back the blend setting
as you play. This is something truly amazing
about blenders: sounds that are otherwise
unusable can become usable in a real band
setting, like this interesting interlude as it
fades into a more complimentary texture.
Bass Blender Shootout: Comparing 6 Unsung Heroes of Low End