Effects and Chain Recommendation/Questions MegaThread

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CalvinDooglas: Dec 5, 2002; Watch For Fleeing Immigrants

Where can I get a replacement pot for a Crybaby Classic? mine makes a lot of noise.

# ? Jan 15, 2010 21:44

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# ? May 9, 2024 16:09

Gorilla Salsa: Dec 4, 2007; Post Post Post.

iostream.h posted:

Just looking for a new perspective on my effects chain.

EHX Big Muff Pi
EHX English Muffin
EHX Micro Synth
Seymour Duncan Shape Shifter (tremolo)
Voodoo Labs Tremolo
Morley Bad Horsie Wah
TC Electronics Nova Delay
Ernie Ball Volume Pedal Jr

I plan on adding an Eventide Pitch Factor in there at some point, and I also have an Alesis Quadraverb GT in my effects loop (mainly for weird ambient effects, not for the preamp) and probably a chrous and flanger at some point.

Any thoughts on the order of all this? I've been experimenting with things but would like to get a fresh perspective. Traditionally I've been a guitar -> wah -> amp kind of guy, but my influences have been greatly broadened in recent years.

This will be going into a variety of amps, mainly Orange, Marshall and a 5150 2x12 combo.

I emailed you:

Sorry to respond so late, it's been a busy day for me. Hopefully I'm not the first, but here goes anyway

My suggestion would be:

Ernie Ball VP Jr. > Bad Horsie Wah > Big Muff Pi > English Muff'n > Microsynth > Nova Delay > Shape Shifter > Voodoo Labs

If you add a Pitchfactor, it would probably work best after the wah, because from what I know, pitch shifters like to see really clean signals.

The volume pedal can go either at the end or the beginning of the chain, depending on how you want to use it. I prefer to use a volume pedal the same way some people use volume knobs. By putting it at the beginning of the chain, you can starve say, the Big Muff, of input signal and get some really cool sounds. If you go this route, I suggest you try it out by playing a bassline very softly with the volume at about 25%, then doing an octave slide up and down while you crank the volume pedal forward and play the same bassline. It conveys power, and it's pretty drat rad. Other people like to use their volume as an overall mute or a preamp starve. This is why the Tremolo and delay pedals go at the end of a chain, though, because they're generally meant to effect the overall sound. Using Delay and Tremolo together yields nothing of interest.

Wahs are normally placed before distortion, but some guys use them after. You should try it out both ways, but I'm placing my bets on before distortion, personally.

I have been fortunate enough to own both a Big Muff Pi and an English Muff'n at the same time in my life. In my experience, the English Muff'n is incredibly crisp and clear, but a bit lacking on the gain side, especially when compared to the Big Muff Pi. I'd actually venture to say that they're complete opposites. The BMP is huge, fuzzy and messy, the Muff'n is cleaner, clearer and crisper. The order of the two pedals doesn't really matter if you don't plan to stack them, but if you ever felt like you wanted to use them together, this is the way to go. The English Muff'n takes the BMP's huge, messy sound, and tidies it up. There's still ludicrous amounts of gain, though, so it'll be chaos when you're not playing, but the other stuff is what's fun anyway.

The microsynth is such a unique pedal that it really doesn't work with anything other than delay and tremolo. You might have a different opinion, but I tried everything.

# ? Jan 16, 2010 00:19

iostream.h: Mar 14, 2006; I want your happy place to slap you as it flies by.

Awesome, that's actually pretty much how I've been setting it up, and yeah, the Muffin is the total opposite of the Pi but that's why I have both of them. The Pi is it's own effect, but I only really use the Muffin as a bit of a solo boost or a little pre-crunch going into whatever amp I'm using (it totally changes the dynamic of the Rockerverb's overdrive and seems to add quite a bit of depth), going into the JCM it makes it seem like an entirely new amp, REALLY makes a huge difference there.

I'm having fun using the wah with the Microsynth, I haven't laid down any tracks with it, but it's a lot of fun so far, really I'm still experimenting with it at this point, it's vibe hasn't really hit me yet, however, things get REALLY interesting when I put it after the Quadraverb and feed some weird, out-there reversed delay into it.

# ? Jan 16, 2010 06:05

Thumposaurus: Jul 24, 2007

CalvinDooglas posted:

Where can I get a replacement pot for a Crybaby Classic? mine makes a lot of noise.

Might try spraying some contact cleaner in it first(CAIG DeoxIT is a good one Radio shack should have it)or look here.

# ? Jan 16, 2010 07:30

royalejest: Oct 31, 2006; Clapton is God.

What's the best volume pedal out there?

I had an old 70's-era Ernie Ball one, but it really dulled my highs, so if there are any that would avoid that, that would be swell.

Last resort, I'm probably going to get the EHX Signal Pad, which is just a cut, but I'd like to be able to do swells.

# ? Jan 16, 2010 16:05

Zakalwe

May 12, 2002

Wanted For:

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royalejest posted:

What's the best volume pedal out there?

I had an old 70's-era Ernie Ball one, but it really dulled my highs, so if there are any that would avoid that, that would be swell.

Last resort, I'm probably going to get the EHX Signal Pad, which is just a cut, but I'd like to be able to do swells.

A treble bypass cap on your old volume pedal would probably have done the trick.

# ? Jan 16, 2010 17:17

Gorilla Salsa: Dec 4, 2007; Post Post Post.

royalejest posted:

What's the best volume pedal out there?

I had an old 70's-era Ernie Ball one, but it really dulled my highs, so if there are any that would avoid that, that would be swell.

Last resort, I'm probably going to get the EHX Signal Pad, which is just a cut, but I'd like to be able to do swells.

The newer Ernie Balls are great, but the string method they use scares the ever living hell out of me, so I use a Boss volume pedal. Just make sure you get the FV-500H because the L one will absolutely destroy your high end.

# ? Jan 16, 2010 17:46

CalvinDooglas: Dec 5, 2002; Watch For Fleeing Immigrants

Thumposaurus posted:

Might try spraying some contact cleaner in it first(CAIG DeoxIT is a good one Radio shack should have it)or look here.

$25 for a new pot? gently caress me, I'll do the cleaner first. What happens if I get a different resistor value for this pot?

And what are some simple mods for the MXR compressor that would make it actually useful? I know you can mod it to a Ross, but I've had trouble finding instructions.

# ? Jan 16, 2010 19:38

Thumposaurus: Jul 24, 2007

You might have to screw around with the position of the rack on the gear to get back to your previous "sweet spot" you had before if you switch resistances.

# ? Jan 16, 2010 20:22

Gorilla Salsa: Dec 4, 2007; Post Post Post.

Bumping this thread to ask what kind of fuzz will get me this sound:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xEZP73SSEo

(posting this in this thread so I don't get "buy a Laney" responses.)

EDIT: I have a Big Muff Pi at the moment, and while it gets close, it doesn't seem to quite get there. I'll play around with it more, but I'd still like some suggestions.

Gorilla Salsa fucked around with this message at 12:42 on Feb 11, 2010

# ? Feb 11, 2010 12:23

Col.Kiwi: Dec 28, 2004; And the grave digger puts on the forceps...

Doesn't really sound like fuzz is involved to me. Sounds like some fairly light overdrive into a cranked amp which is at the point of serious power tube breakup. The rhythm guitar anyway. The lead I think is a similar setup with a bit more boost up front and a little more trebly. You could probably fake this fairly convincingly with any number of dirt pedals (I'm thinking about maybe the wasabi distortion or definitely the barber dirty bomb) but which would be the best choice probably depends on the rest of your setup. What kind of amp are you using? Are you trying to make this sound on stage, to tape, or at bedroom levels for your own ears?

Col.Kiwi fucked around with this message at 17:36 on Feb 11, 2010

# ? Feb 11, 2010 17:29

Agreed: Dec 30, 2003; The price of meat has just gone up, and your old lady has just gone down

ProTone Monster fuzz will do exactly that sound but it's kind of pricey.

# ? Feb 11, 2010 18:05

Gorilla Salsa: Dec 4, 2007; Post Post Post.

Col.Kiwi posted:

Doesn't really sound like fuzz is involved to me. Sounds like some fairly light overdrive into a cranked amp which is at the point of serious power tube breakup. The rhythm guitar anyway. The lead I think is a similar setup with a bit more boost up front and a little more trebly. You could probably fake this fairly convincingly with any number of dirt pedals (I'm thinking about maybe the wasabi distortion or definitely the barber dirty bomb) but which would be the best choice probably depends on the rest of your setup. What kind of amp are you using? Are you trying to make this sound on stage, to tape, or at bedroom levels for your own ears?

Hmmmmmmm....I hadn't given it that much thought. I'd ideally be using a Mark V on the clean channel, and I'd like to be able to get the sound both live and when recording.

I'm playing around with a rat and my Big muff in different settings to get that sound. It's wierd, pick attacks seem to cause breathing with the Rat, but not with the BMP.

EDIT: I've also been thinking about the Wooly Mammoth by Zvex.

Gorilla Salsa fucked around with this message at 18:45 on Feb 11, 2010

# ? Feb 11, 2010 18:18

Agreed: Dec 30, 2003; The price of meat has just gone up, and your old lady has just gone down

The RAT is a slew rate distortion, it has a fairly true-to-the-input sound, one of the things that makes it such a versatile pedal that works well and lets you retain the character of your instrument. Big Muff Pi type circuits tend to squash the poo poo out of what you're running into them and give you the sound of a BMP (also making it a versatile pedal, but in a different way, if you get what I mean).

The ProTone Monster fuzz is based on the Big Muff Pi, but it is hotrodded to hell and back. Really absurdly heavy fuzz from it, Dennis from ProTone refers to it as a fuzzstortion and it's an apt description. If you're considering Zvex, it isn't out of your price range. Plus it looks cool :v:

# ? Feb 11, 2010 21:44

Professor Science: Mar 8, 2006; diplodocus + mortarboard = party

You might want to check out the Blackout Effectors distortion pedals; the Musket may be able to make the sound in the rhythm part fairly well. I'm extremely happy with my Twosome. Pricey, sure, but if you want that kind of sludge sound, it sounds really good.

# ? Feb 12, 2010 03:42

Bolek: May 1, 2003

I was hoping you smart effects people could help me in identifying what the effects used in this track are and what I could use to recreate them. I am specifically interested in the oscillating distorted sound that comes in here and is especially prominent here

I realize that this might very well have been done with MIDI and not with a guitar, but I am also aware that guitar effects are pretty advanced now, with computer programs with LFOs and such (obtaining which is not out of the question)

Thanks a lot.

# ? Feb 12, 2010 04:19

Gorilla Salsa: Dec 4, 2007; Post Post Post.

Bolek posted:

I was hoping you smart effects people could help me in identifying what the effects used in this track are and what I could use to recreate them. I am specifically interested in the oscillating distorted sound that comes in here and is especially prominent here

I realize that this might very well have been done with MIDI and not with a guitar, but I am also aware that guitar effects are pretty advanced now, with computer programs with LFOs and such (obtaining which is not out of the question)

Thanks a lot.

Check here.

# ? Feb 12, 2010 05:13

Bolek: May 1, 2003

Gorilla Salsa posted:

Check here.

Thanks! I'll repost there.

A different set of people may go to this thread though, so if someone can guide me in the right direction here it would be very appreciated.

# ? Feb 12, 2010 05:27

Hubis: May 18, 2003; Boy, I wish we had one of those doomsday machines...

Posting this for Hammer Floyd to drool over:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPZrAPfOwn0

# ? Feb 25, 2010 20:38

Agreed: Dec 30, 2003; The price of meat has just gone up, and your old lady has just gone down

I got my review copy of Amplitube 3 in today.

Normally it's kind of hard to get worked up and excited about new software when you've played literally every single thing out there, but after spending some time with Amplitube 3, I'm able to get back to the sort of giddy excitement that I used to get when I'd try something new. The sound, the user interface, the functionality have all been greatly improved, and the new models and the newly remodeled preexisting models all sound really good, too. I played with the new polyphonic resonance filter for half an hour or more, just setting it up for different sympathetic notes and messing with the filter to get a very interesting cello-like sound out of it. My wife found it really relaxing, even though the amp model feeding the resonance filter rack unit was a Mesa Mk. III model cranked. I haven't even had time to really go deep into it, but the new cabinet and room simulator sets a new standard. That's is a bold statement, given how well Guitar Rig 4's Control Room cab simulation sounds; it's good, but the new AT3 cabinet, room, and mic modeling is the first fully functionally, totally dimensional cab sim, so good that I think people might retire their IR collections once they get to know it. Anyway, this is just a quick blurb.

This is going to be a big deal. I'll have more to say about it soon. I want to really get to know it before I speak too much on it. I'll be writing a review for FrugalGuitarist.com for publication on Monday (target), and on my software and gear review blog I'll be covering it in-depth and posting clips, taking requests, etc.

Agreed fucked around with this message at 07:21 on Feb 26, 2010

# ? Feb 26, 2010 07:17

h_double: Jul 27, 2001

I am really psyched to get my hands on AT3 (got in on the preorder deal), I was a little disappointed that "February release" apparently means the last day of the month, but it's just as well given that I am finishing up a project this week and the last thing I probably need is a shiny and complex piece of new software right now.

# ? Feb 26, 2010 07:59

Agreed: Dec 30, 2003; The price of meat has just gone up, and your old lady has just gone down

I'm basically getting rid of all but the most sentimental pedals, now, they're just redundant. So, I guess, pay attention to the gear thread if you want some dirt, some of it pretty cool and/or boutique stuff. Or just get AT3 if you've got a decent converter.

Guitar Rig 4 was cool when it came out, it still has a lot of really impressive things about it, and its synth control section still means there's stuff you can do with GR that you can only do with GR, but IKMM really seems to be leading the pack for sound quality. And that's for their pedal models, amp models, cab models, all of it.

Agreed fucked around with this message at 19:12 on Feb 26, 2010

# ? Feb 26, 2010 17:52

Scarf: Jun 24, 2005; On sight

Just had to post this... bad loving rear end.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPZrAPfOwn0

# ? Feb 26, 2010 19:02

Epi Lepi: Oct 29, 2009; You can hear the voice
Telling you to Love
It's the voice of MK Ultra
And you're doing what it wants

I love the Effectology videos, I want to buy everything to do the Crystal Shimmer one so bad!

# ? Feb 26, 2010 19:14

Hubis: May 18, 2003; Boy, I wish we had one of those doomsday machines...

Scarf posted:

Just had to post this... bad loving rear end.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPZrAPfOwn0

# ? Feb 26, 2010 22:24

Eric Cantonese: Dec 21, 2004; You should hear my accent.

Is there anything particularly useful that can be done with a broken Crybaby bass-wah pedal? I don't know why the thing doesn't work and any places I go to ask for repair costs make it sound like I might as well get a new pedal.

# ? Feb 26, 2010 22:56

Gorilla Salsa: Dec 4, 2007; Post Post Post.

TyChan posted:

Is there anything particularly useful that can be done with a broken Crybaby bass-wah pedal? I don't know why the thing doesn't work and any places I go to ask for repair costs make it sound like I might as well get a new pedal.

Describe the problem, and maybe one of us can help?

To answer your original question, there's a lot of stuff you can do. The Crybaby shell is basically a foot-controlled potentiometer turner. You could put in a Big Muff Pi's tone circuit, build a volume pedal, implant your favorite pedal and use the treadle to control whatever knob you like on it, etc. It all depends, really.

# ? Feb 26, 2010 23:02

Eric Cantonese: Dec 21, 2004; You should hear my accent.

Gorilla Salsa posted:

Describe the problem, and maybe one of us can help?

To answer your original question, there's a lot of stuff you can do. The Crybaby shell is basically a foot-controlled potentiometer turner. You could put in a Big Muff Pi's tone circuit, build a volume pedal, implant your favorite pedal and use the treadle to control whatever knob you like on it, etc. It all depends, really.

The switch clicks and then the pedal doesn't do anything. The signal still comes through, but it doesn't get affected at all no matter how little or how much I press down on the wah. I don't think it's a battery issue because I've changed out the 9V multiple times and nothing changes.

# ? Feb 26, 2010 23:07

spiritual bypass: Feb 19, 2008; Grimey Drawer

If it were me I'd take it apart and have some fun with a soldering iron. Couldn't possibly make it worse at this point.

# ? Feb 26, 2010 23:09

Eric Cantonese: Dec 21, 2004; You should hear my accent.

rt4 posted:

If it were me I'd take it apart and have some fun with a soldering iron. Couldn't possibly make it worse at this point.

I looked around and nothing looks broken.

I'm terrible at soldering, but I'd rather wreck a pedal trying to fix it than just leave it lying in my closet and gathering dust.

# ? Feb 26, 2010 23:13

Hubis: May 18, 2003; Boy, I wish we had one of those doomsday machines...

TyChan posted:

I looked around and nothing looks broken.

I'm terrible at soldering, but I'd rather wreck a pedal trying to fix it than just leave it lying in my closet and gathering dust.

Does it look like the toothed bar on the pedal is turning the gear on the pot properly? Perhaps the on/off switch itself is broken?

If you have a multimeter (anything you can measure resistance with) it should be pretty easy to debug.

# ? Feb 27, 2010 00:25

h_double: Jul 27, 2001

code:

Dear customer,

Thank you for ordering from IK Multimedia, we appreciate your music business.

Your Digital Delivery order has been successfully processed.

The serial number for the product you have purchased is:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
ATX30-XXXXXXXXXXX-XXXXXX ---- AmpliTube 3 Crossgrade
--------------------------------------------------------------------------


Please follow the instructions below to register, download and authorize your software:

downloading now, trip report in a couple of hours

# ? Feb 27, 2010 00:34

Scarf: Jun 24, 2005; On sight

Hubis posted:

hah whoops v :shobon:

# ? Feb 27, 2010 00:39

Eric Cantonese: Dec 21, 2004; You should hear my accent.

Hubis posted:

Does it look like the toothed bar on the pedal is turning the gear on the pot properly? Perhaps the on/off switch itself is broken?

If you have a multimeter (anything you can measure resistance with) it should be pretty easy to debug.

So do I look for places where there is resistance or where there isn't? I have no idea how to use one of those things.

# ? Feb 27, 2010 01:11

Gorilla Salsa: Dec 4, 2007; Post Post Post.

TyChan posted:

So do I look for places where there is resistance or where there isn't? I have no idea how to use one of those things.

At the very least, you can test the switch to begin with very easily with a multimeter. If the switch is broken, that's probably the easiest fix you'll encounter.

# ? Feb 27, 2010 06:12

Hadlock: Nov 9, 2004

Edit: Oh hey, there's a "how do I get this sound" Q/A thread, nm sorry

Hadlock fucked around with this message at 21:55 on Feb 27, 2010

# ? Feb 27, 2010 13:40

Gorilla Salsa: Dec 4, 2007; Post Post Post.

Hadlock posted:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=criZzd1dzmc

How do I get that sound? I have a Telecaster on bridge into Valve Jr., and it's close, but I feel like it needs... something. Would a tube screamer give me what I need, or could I get away with an equalizer and pushing the volume up a bit? I tried it with a BBE freq boost but it's not quite there.

...Maybe I'm just looking for an excuse to buy a TS.

edit: I see that Delta Lab has rebranded the TD1 as the TO1. Was there a revision or is it simply rebranding to avoid a lawsuit?

Yo, try again, dude.

# ? Feb 27, 2010 14:38

Hubis: May 18, 2003; Boy, I wish we had one of those doomsday machines...

TyChan posted:

So do I look for places where there is resistance or where there isn't? I have no idea how to use one of those things.

If you can take a photo, we can point out places things might go wrong. What I'd start with is testing the connection between the input, through the switch, to the pot. Ideally, you should see no connection/high resistance with the switch off, low resistance after you click it. If not, you've probably got a bad switch (cheap fix if you don't mind soldering)

# ? Feb 28, 2010 15:22

Argali: Jun 24, 2004; I will be there to receive the new mind

Agreed posted:

I'm basically getting rid of all but the most sentimental pedals, now, they're just redundant. So, I guess, pay attention to the gear thread if you want some dirt, some of it pretty cool and/or boutique stuff. Or just get AT3 if you've got a decent converter.

Guitar Rig 4 was cool when it came out, it still has a lot of really impressive things about it, and its synth control section still means there's stuff you can do with GR that you can only do with GR, but IKMM really seems to be leading the pack for sound quality. And that's for their pedal models, amp models, cab models, all of it.

Just downloaded the AmpliTude 3 demo and I have to say that I'm very impressed so far.

# ? Feb 28, 2010 18:20

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# ? May 9, 2024 16:09

Dan Hollis: Jun 16, 2006; Surprise!!!

Argali posted:

Just downloaded the AmpliTude 3 demo and I have to say that I'm very impressed so far.

I am new to guitars, so I'm wondering if software like this simply replaces real pedals or does it enhance the gear you already have? Should I just forego buying effects pedals and buy something like AT3 instead? If so, how does the sound output work, a computer acting as a pedal between the guitar and your amp or are you playing right off your computer speakers?

# ? Feb 28, 2010 18:44

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > No More Drake > Musician's Lounge > Effects and Chain Recommendation/Questions MegaThread

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