BASS FILTER SHOOTOUT // Boss AW-3 vs. MXR Bass Envelope Filter vs. EHX Q-Tron

In Canada we call it Ottawa

hey man, which slider do you use for your camera?

I like BOSS pedals but their Envelope sucks.

Boss was harsh and noisy but had the most expression, which I love. MXR was middle of the road…not as potent. Qtron was the subtlest, but had the sexiest graphics for sure. I wanted it to Qtron to be the winner but no go for what I’m looking for.

I had all three. All three had problems. The envelope filter is inherently flawed since there are so many factors that make the sound.

Source Audio Manta for me

I had the MXR - played it for a while, and sold it. I also experienced the woofy quality that he described and that's what led me to get rid of it. Currently I have a BassBalls, which is cool, but not tweakable enough for me. I'm looking at the QTron, which is what led me here. Also looking at the bass Mono Synth. Decisions, decisions...

I'm a lifelong Boss pedal fan, but that MXR sounds the best, by far, to me. Buying one soon. Thanks for the video!

I was little disappointed in the MXR, actually, I hear what you mean about the "woofiness" and it sounds a little off to me - it's sort of the same problem I have with the filters on my multifx mostly. The other two seemed to have a much smoother curve.

The main difference I could hear is just general roll off, which I think is mostly due to slightly different settings for sensitivity. The AW-3 was breaking up as well.

Props for the Jacksonbacker on the wall stand. Surprisingly great instrument.

The MXR is 200 euro’s now. Expensiver than the BOSS.

Running an octave up pedal before the MXR envelope filter will give the pedal a higher, quack like sound

The limp bizkit killed me 😆 🤣 😂

I've owned y Q-Tron+ for 4 years now and it's still my favorite pedal to flip on whenever you need to add that classic, raw envelope filter tone. It's sure to funk up any bassline! I agree with Dave in regards to the peak problem, sometimes due to the dynamic nature of the pedal if you don't hit the string right it can produce a sharp peaky noise. However, running your bass compressor or a limiter after the envelope filter in your signal chain fixes this problem and actually enhances the overall tonal quality of it! I would highly recommend the Q-Tron for anyone who's trying to funk up their bass playing! That being said, I was loving the tone of the MXR so if I ever get a chance to demo one at a local music shop I'm definitely going to check it out!

Love my
BOSS AW-3 &
ROLAND EV-5
from Adawliah Al-Khobar Saudi Arabia

The q tron misses the up/down switch that would make it really great. As it is, only the lpf is usable, high pass on bass just screams for a reversed sweep…

The Digitech Bass Synth Wah is an absolute winner and cheap as chips too been my go to since 2006

I'm kinda impressed with the Q Tron. Think it would be good for a first envelope filter.

I am a happy owner of a Boss AW-3 pedal, and I admit that it sounds like a plastic toy, comparing to MXR.
Can't find MXR M82 anywhere, it's a rare gear.

The Q-tron plus with its ability to slow down the filter sweep is the best. You can also reverse the sweep for an "ow" sound instead of a "was." I just wish these features were available without having to dedicate so much space on my board, not to mention the 24V adapter.

I need that shirt

Here is my "Big Three" Bass envelope filters: Seamoon Funk Machine, 3Leaf Audio Groove Regulator and the Boomstick Audio Bottom Feeder (bass specific clone of the DOD 440).

Where can I buy that shirt!!!!!? I NEED IT~

I’ll tell you what I really want now is the 3/4 shirt with a T-Rex playing bass!

I own the Mxr and I used to used the bass balls back in the day. The Mxr is a wild bit of gear and takes caressing to get a sweet sound and the overtones are pretty wild when the filter closes

Q tron sounds the best to me. I should've kept mine.

out of these 3, q-tron "wins" hands down. the mxr sits a solid rung below despite the top quality build and features, and the boss is a totally different beast with some amount of overlap. my opinion in usage fits this hierarchy as well. as mentioned, the boss is great for a lot of sounds but I just wouldn't use it as my primary filter sound.

Of these choices, I preferred the Boss. However, mine isn't one of these. I have an F-Pedals Punq Monk. Designed in Italy for Flea. This thing sounds equally great with bass or guitar!

I would have thought I'd see separate start and stop frequency knobs similar to the ehx micro synth. That's a pedal worth discussing on its own. Not the easiest to use. My biggest issue is it cuts off the longer notes.

Its a toss-up for me the MXR sounds amazing but that Qtron is a sleeper....

I like the fwonkbeta

Nice video, and that September jam at the end is KILLER.

Envelope filters are funny pedals, because you don't just step on them and change your sound; you kinda have to play the pedal. The MXR is the winner for me. Sounds great, has a straightforward control setup, and the clean blend is just a must. Great review! Really liking this series!

the boss has cool features but the MXR sounded the most musical to me

Boss is so underrated!!! 💀🤟

The MXR is favored by bass players for a reason. It is the most musical of the three. I do like them all, but the MXR will make my board.

Another cool video. The Bass Channel always puts out great content. To me it feels like finding “the” envelope filter sound is an ultra elusive endeavor. I’ve been through a ton of them. For those who commented not being able to afford one or other, buy used. More than 90% of all my gear I bought used. Happy hunting

Q-Tron Plus here. Gives you the extra features you wanted. Having said that, they all sound different so you could legitimately end up with all of them!

Boss - Have no need for those vowel modes and I thought it sounded thin in all settings.
MXR - Sounded full and warn, no low end loss. Can definitely tell it is made for bass.
EHX - Classic sound but a bit harsh at times.

My personal favorite of these three would be the MXR.

I triple dog dare you guys to make a video on the DOD FX25. would love to know how you feel it stacks up to these 3

From my experience with each brand...MXR.
Boss seems pricey and EHX lacks an "edge".

Picked up the MXR from Zzounds a few months ago. Fun as hell. Thank you Zzounds for being my go to. And thank you guys for another awesome video.

Great video again, really enjoying this concept. That said I suppose your Wiretap recording setup wasn't a great fit to get the best out of a filter effect, much less compare different ones against the same playing dynamics. Oh well, understandable. Also, that September was fire.

Is the MXR M82 Bass Env Filter any different to the M188 Bass Auto Q? I remember checking out vids of the Auto Q many years ago and thinking if I ever need an envelope filter, this would be the one!

Listening back to this It’s gotta be MXR for me. The most rounded and for me easy on a gig with versatility is choice.l though I do like the oddness of that Auto-Wah BOSS has too

All in all, it could be a good idea to buy a good multi-effect processor and have them all.

Soundwise (to me, anyway…), the EHX Q-Tron nano has a more “punchy-er” sound. The fact its at the bottom end pricewise is just an added bonus. Will pick one up to replace the Walrus Audio Kangra (i will use that delicious Fuzz effect the Kangra offers tho..)😎🤘🏼