The Best Bass Envelope Filters Reviewed (2024)

The envelope filter effect is a fixture in the worlds of funk and rock guitar. If you're wanting to explore and expand your sound, you're going to need the best bass envelop filter you can find.

If you want that classic wah wah sound but want to skip the expression pedal, you NEED a bass envelope filter. Maybe you've heard it called an auto-wah, Q-wah, T-wah, or some other name.

Whatever you call it, it is responsible for some of the most distinct basslines out there.

IN THIS REVIEW

The Best Bass Envelope Filter
The Best Sounding Bass Envelope Filter Pedal
Our Top 6 Picks
Best Bass Envelope Filter Review
Best Budget Pedals
1. Mooer – Bass Sweeper
2. Mooer Audio Micro Envelope Analog Auto Wah
Best Mid-Range Pedals
3. Electro-Harmonix Micro Q-Tron
4. MXR M82 Bass Envelope Filter
Best Premium Pedals
5. Aguilar Twin Dual Envelope Filter for Bass
6. Source Audio SA143 Soundblox Pro Bass Envelope Filter
How To Choose The Right Bass Envelope Filter
What Features To Look For
How Do You Use A Bass Envelope Filter?
Frequently Asked Questions
Best Budget Bass Envelope Filter
Conclusion

The Best Bass Envelope Filter

If you want to get straight to our top pick and skip the rest of the list, here you go!

The Best Sounding Bass Envelope Filter Pedal

Our top pick for Overall Best Bass Envelope Filter is the Source Audio SA143 Soundblox Pro Bass Envelope Filter. It has every feature you could want and is fully customizable.

Our Top 6 Picks

Best Budget Pedal

1. Mooer – Bass Sweeper

2. Mooer Audio Micro Envelope Analog Auto Wah

Best Mid-Range Pedal

3. Electro-Harmonix Micro Q-Tron

4. MXR M82 Bass Envelope Filter

Best Premium Pedal

5. Aguilar Twin Dual Envelope Filter for Bass

6. Source Audio SA143 Soundblox Pro Bass Envelope Filter

Best Bass Envelope Filter Review

As you can see, we've split this list into three categories; Best Budget Pedal, Best Mid-Range Pedal, and Best Premium Pedal.

Best Budget Pedal

1. Mooer – Bass Sweeper

Versatile

The Mooer Bass Sweeper is a fantastically versatile pedal. You can get the funky auto-wah sound you want for both bass guitar and a standard six string.

Mode Switch

This pedal allows you to easily change from playing clean to a fuzz sweeping effect with the flip of a switch. Clean will retain the wah sound you would expect while the fuzz option adds a classic fuzz effect to your tone.

3 Knob Setup

The face of this pedal has three knobs to control your sound; range, reso, and intensity. Range adjusts the frequency range of the effect. Reso, or resonance, adjusts the resonating intensity. Intensity controls how sensitive the effect is to your dynamic playing.

Features: bass & guitar; clean & fuzz sweeping switch; metal shell; small & compact; true bypass

Dimensions/Weight: 1.75 x 4.25 x 2.25 inches; 5.6 ounces

True Bypass? yes

Input: 1 x ¼"

Output: 1 x ¼"

Pros

small profile
good mid boosts
good for bass or guitar

Cons

reports the switch feels flimsy

2. Mooer Audio Micro Envelope Analog Auto Wah

Description:

4 Knob Setup

The Mooer Audio Micro Envelope Analog Auto Wah pedal gives you a bit more control than the previous Mooer Bass Sweeper above. This unit features control using four knobs instead of just three; Q, Decay, Tone, and Sensitivity.

Q controls the size of the frequency band; narrow with high peaks or wide with low peaks. Decay controls how quickly the filter opens and closes. Tone adjusts tone and frequency range. Sensitivity controls the strength of the dynamic response to your playing.

Multi-Instrument Use

Similar to the Bass Sweeper, this pedal also works well with both bass and a standard guitar. That means if you play both instruments with two different pedal boards, you can add this to both boards for a fraction of the cost of more expensive pedals.

Compact Design

An overly crowded pedal board is the bane of many a musician's existence. You don't have to worry about that with this pedal. Not only is it compact with a very small profile but it is also super durable with an all metal shell.

Features: ideal for using with guitar or bass; Micro size and full metal shell, portable and durable; With true bypass footswitch and LED indicator light

Dimensions/Weight: 3.54 x 1.57 x 1.22 inches; Item Weight: 5.3 ounces

True Bypass? yes

Input: 1 x ¼"

Output: 1 x ¼"

Pros

great size for crowded pedal boards
fits any budget
warm tone

Cons

some reports that effect is not very strong

Best Mid-Range Pedal

3. Electro-Harmonix Micro Q-Tron

Description:

Mode covers Low Pass, High Pass, and Band Pass filters

3 Distinct Modes

The Electro-Harmonix Micro Q-Tron is the smaller, more compact version of the EHX Q-Tron+ XO. But don't let it's smaller size and fewer controls fool you. This pedal packs a big sound.

You can easily flip from three distinct modes; LP (low-pass), BP (band-pass), and HP (high-pass). Each mode will adjust the effect to prioritize the frequencies within their designated range (LP will affect low frequencies, HP with high frequencies, etc).

3 Knob Control

We mentioned the Mode knob above giving you 3 distinct sound options. In addition to the mode knob you also get a set of Q and Drive knobs.

The Q knob will control the peak of the effect. As you turn it clockwise, the peaks will become taller with the sound becoming more narrow while the opposite direction will have a widening and shallower effect.

Features: sweep filter; input signal controls cutoff frequency; filter pitch varies with volume; filter sweep sesitivity control determines the width of sweep range

Dimensions/Weight: 6.25 x 3.2 x 5.65 inches; Item Weight: 15.2 ounces

Input: 1 x ¼"

Output: 1 x ¼"

Pros

solid build
small size
fun auto-wah type sounds

Cons

touch sensitivity not very strong

4. MXR M82 Bass Envelope Filter

Description:

5 knob control;

So Much Control

With The MXR Bass Envelope Filter pedal you get five knobs to maximize your level of control over the effect and sound of your instrument; Dry, FX, Decay, Q, and Sensitivity.

Dry controls the levels of the original, unaltered dry signal while FX controls the level of the affected signal. Tune these knobs together to mix the perfect blend for you.

Sensitivity controls the response the effect has in relation to your playing dynamics. Q, like with the Micro Q-Tron above, controls the peaks and width of the effect. Decay controls how long the effect lasts before cutting off.

Reliable

This effects pedal comes with the Dunlop MXR quality you can expect. It is an all metal shell, durable pedal that is sure to last for the long haul whether your are playing at home for fun or on stage as a road warrior.

Features: Includes a 9V Power Supply and (2) 6" Patch Cables!; Bypass footswitch with LED; Dry control; FX control; Decay control

Dimensions/Weight: 5.5 x 4.5 x 2.5 inches; Item Weight: 1.3 pounds

True Bypass? yes

Input: 1 x ¼"

Output: 1 x ¼"

Pros

controls volume spikes
fine control options

Cons

Best Premium Pedal

5. Aguilar Twin Dual Envelope Filter for Bass

Description:

Velocity

The filter effect is controlled by the Velocity knobs on this unit. What is interesting is one knob controls the "up" effect of the wah while the other controls the "down" wah sound. You can adjust both of these knobs to your liking.

More Control

The other two control knobs are Blend and Threshold. Blend allows you to adjust the mix of both Velocity knobs together. If you prefer the "up" effect more than the "down, you can add it more heavily into the signal.

Threshold is similar to the Sensitivity control in other pedals. This sets how reactive the effect is to the intensity of your playing.

Features: Separate velocity controls for the 'up' and 'down' filters; Blend control adjusts mix between the filters; Nine-volt battery or optional universal power supply; Heavy Duty steel construction

Dimensions/Weight: 5.37 x 2.8 x 2.3 inches; Item Weight: 1 pounds

Input: 1 x ¼"

Output: 1 x ¼"

Pros

consistent sound across full bass range
like two pedals in one

Cons

slight decrease in volume when effect is active

6. Source Audio SA143 Soundblox Pro Bass Envelope Filter

Description:

All The Controls

The Soundblox Pro Bass Envelope Filter gives you full control over every aspect of your playing. There are six fully customizable (and savable) presets along with four modulation sources; envelope, LFO, expression pedal and Hot Hand.

Expression Input

The key feature of the envelope filter is that it is an auto-wah. Meaning you don't have to manually control the effect. However, there are times where fine tuning your articulation would be pretty convenient.

That's where the optional expression pedal input comes in. Just plug it in and you can have full control just like with a standard volume or Wah pedal.

Features: 22 Filter Sounds including 2 Pole Low Pass, 4 Pole Low Pass, Single Peak, Triple Peak, Peak & Notch, and Phasers. Wet/Dry Mix knob

Dimensions/Weight: 8.25 x 4.25 x 2.5 inches; Item Weight: 1.1 pounds

True Bypass? yes

Input: 2 x ¼" (instrument/Expression Pedal)

Output: 1 x ¼"

Pros

a lot of sound options
customization
on-board EQ

Cons

steep learning curve

How To Choose The Right Bass Envelope Filter

With so many different bass envelope filter pedals to choose from, how do you know which is right for you? Let us help you narrow it down.

Before you can figure out which pedal to buy you should probably know...

What Is It?

An envelope filter, whether a bass envelope filter or guitar envelope filter, produces a sound similar to a wah pedal. The major difference is that a wah pedal is controlled by a foot, or expression, pedal while auto-wah/envelope filter auto adjusts the effect based on your playing dynamic.

What Does It Do?

It alters the audio signal by muting some frequencies while just changing the volume of others. Thus creating the "wah-wah" effect.

How Does It Work?

As we mentioned above, the effect is triggered by your playing dynamics. So the harder you play, the louder your signal. When the volume of your signal increases beyond a specific threshold, the effect kicks in muting or decreasing volume in select segments.

What's It Sound Like?

This effect is predominantly associated with funk, rock, and reggae music, although it can be used in other genres, as well. Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers gives a perfect example of what a bass envelope filter can (and should) sound like in the song "Sir Psycho Sexy".

What Features To Look For

If you're ready to pick up a new pedal, you will want to make sure it has most, if not all, of these features.

True Bypass

All true bypass means is that when the pedal is disengaged your audio signal is routed around, or bypasses, the effect circuitry. This means that no unintentional effect artifacts will make it's way into your sound.

Control Options

You will see that some pedals have just one single knob while others may have four, five, maybe even six or more. Each of these knobs will give you control over a different piece of the effect.

The more options you have, in theory, the more control you have over your end sound. To really tailor your sound to your liking, you are going to want as much control as possible.

How Do You Use A Bass Envelope Filter?

You know what it does, how it sounds, how it works. Now, let's take a look at how YOU can use one!

Like other filtering style effects, you will want to place this near the front of your signal chain and adjust your sound settings from there.

Knobs/Controls

One of the more common knobs or controls you will see is the Sensitivity control. This essentially sets the threshold of when the effect kicks in in response to your playing dynamics.

Other common features are:

Mode or Filter

Mode or filters usually come with two or three of the following settings; low-pass, band-pass, or high-pass. Those names may look confusing but they are pretty simple to remember.

Your instrument signal wave comes through in frequency bands. The first part of the name, for example "Low-pass", signifies the range of frequency. The second part, "Low-pass", just means that part of the frequency will be allowed to pass through.

So a Low-pass mode or filter means that any frequencies below a certain threshold will be allowed to pass through. Same with the others modes; high-pass allows highs and band-pass allows a range or frequencies around the midpoint.

Each mode or filter has it's own unique sound that can be a lot of fun to play with.

Range/Sweep

The range/sweep effect is how you can set the range of frequencies that is filtered through the effect. For example, you may want your higher tones to have more of that crying sound than the lower frequencies. You can adjust the sweep to include the higher register.

Attack/Response

You can control how slowly or quickly your effect will reach it's peak with this control. If you are familiar with flanger or phase effects, this is similar to their rate control.

Decay

Decay is a direct response to the Attack/Response function. Decay regulates how long the effect will last.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some of the more common questions we found while researching for this review.

Q1. Where does it fit in the signal chain?

We mentioned above that filter effects are typically placed in the front of your chain. The only effects you will normally want in from of this, or other filters, would be dynamic effects, like compressors.

Strymon.net has a wonderful write up on signal chain management. Their recommendations are:

- Dynamics (compressors), filters (wah), pitch shifters, and Volume pedals

- Gain (overdrive/distortion)

- Modulation (chorus, flangers, phasers)

- Time (delays, reverbs)

- "Volume pedals can go at the beginning or end of your signal chain to provide slightly different functionality in different locations in your chain."