Guitar pedals (in sound design)

[Hink]

I also have a Sansamp GT2 (as mentioned above) that I never use in front of my amp as it ruins the tone, and the cab sims make it sound terribly boxy.

Mate, wtf is that all about? My GT2 sounds like shite through the amp too, infact it sounds better direct. Never understood that!

I sometimes use my PodXT before the amp, that can work nicely.

Also, I like the Big Muff before amp on guitar, and also DI on bass.

the GT2 imo is more an emulater then a pedal...

[multree]

I gotta try running some drums thru my Yamaha T100.... it's collecting dust now that I have no band....

it's a shame really... those 4x12 don't get much play either

[Har]

Well, I certainly do a lot of guitar-based sound-design and general weirdness, so - for guitar, Chapman Stick and bass for both "normal" sound and "mangled/Weird" sound ...I use:

-- SansAmp GT2 (yep, me too )
-- SansAmp Bass Driver DI
-- Hughes & Kettner Rotosphere Mk. II Leslie-simulator/tube pre
-- Digitech Whammy Pedal (great fun for making your guitar sound like a Theramin, and combined with ring modulator software allows for truly zany results )
-- Morley volume pedal for "bowing"/slow-attack effects
-- Ye olde CryBaby wah pedal, which I tend to use more for filter effects than traditional wah-wah

(I've also got a pair of ancient MXR pedals, a Phase 100 and a Flanger, though I really haven't used them much recently)

After all that...everything goes to the board and soundcard, and then it's software all the way, using anything and everything I can get my hands on; there's just so much cool software available that's perfect for turning guitar tones into...well, anything but guitar-like.

Another "secret weapon" of mine for weird guitar noises that's not a pedal is heavy Dunlop stainless steel pedal-steel tone/slide bar...great for those "Meddle" era bowed-guitar effects Dave Gilmore used to do.

For live gigs: these days I've only been playing out live on bass and Chapman Stick with a tiny lil' acoustic cover band trio for fun, so not as much call for crazy sound design and effects (though given the chance... ) - for that my live rig centers around an Eden CXC210 bass amp (great full-range combo) and a rack containing a Lexicon MPX1 and a small Alesis mixer. I'm planning on bringing out the Rotosphere soon as well for making the guitar half of the Stick sound organ-ish.

[lunarhalo]

Ask me which I'd rather have in my studio?

Ummm... which one would you rather have?

[multree]

Ask me which I'd rather have in my studio?

Ummm... which one would you rather have?

I would think the nicer sounding one..... but I guess it's the nicer looking one after all

[Count Feedback]

I've been using pedals a lot lately, in my live and recording setup.

My typcal setup is:
Moog Prodigy > Boss Tuner > Danelectro "Hash Browns" Cheapo-Flanger > Boss OS1 Distortion > Boss PS2 Delay/PitchShifter.

I can come up with some mighty soundscapes with that array. The Boss Delay pedal is awesome for real-time tweaking, I can get get a real dubby vibe from it. Throw in some filter tweaks through some distortion - and look out! Sonic bliss.

Sure, pedals are a little dirty, but that's part of their charm - something you can't really get from ultra-clean plug-ins (which I still use).

Actually since I've rediscovered my pedals - I wanna get more! Kinda like crack....

[Sascha Franck]

I'm occasionally rerouting/rerecording some signals through my Whammy or Cry Baby wah.
Well, actually the wah is getting used less and less, I can get more "mangled" results from plugins, but I haven't found anything to replace the Whammy - I do not use it often though, especially since these days I'm doing most of my work on a stereo I/O card.
And then, I'm no experimental kinda dude anyways.

[Hink]

I'm wondering for all those who use a lot of pedals....what do you do about the hiss? I have an old rocktron hushII that works okay (it beats a gate anyhow) but I'm wondering if someone else has come up with something better...like I say, I use very little fx...

[Sleek Month]

Mate, wtf is that all about? My GT2 sounds like shite through the amp too, infact it sounds better direct. Never understood that!

Are you guys serious???

GT2 is an amp sim...it's like saying:"Yeah, this amp doesn't sound good through...an amp.

That being said, if you use the more open sounding settings on there, ("Tweed" and "Center", for instance), they sound good through an amp...

I used mine to drive the front end of a Marshall on my entry in this month's contest, and it sounds good.

I used to use mine for a direct feed to the house P.A. when I played. The house guys loved that.

Let's see...for rock, the Cry Baby wah, MXR Phase 90 and Boss DD3 are indispensible for me.

In my country rig(!)I have a Vibrator, (that's it's name!), for tremelo and a Whammy pedal for general chaos.

Other gadgets I bring in occasionally are the boss oc-2 octave pedal, Big Muff and a volume pedal.

I've been messing around with compressors lately, but haven't found anything that does what I want yet.

My favorite "Secret weapon" is the epiphone EZ-bender. I really want a Tele with a Parsons/Green bender, but those are too expensive.

-S.

[Soniccat]

Although I have not used them recently (my guitar rig is sitting idle) I have used the following for several different setups.

Main setup

Boss Compression sustainer
Ibanez TS9
Boss CE3
EH Electric Mistress
Danelectric Dan=Echo
Boss Loop Station

Setup #2
DOD Supra Distortion
EH Big Muff Pi
Dunlop Crybaby (original reissue)
Morley Volume Pedal

I still have another group of pedals that I occassionaly use (EH Fuzz Wah, Digitech Wammy XP100, and a MXR Phase90) all the others are in storage at the moment. No room to use them in my small apartment.

Since I rarely use my amps (Fender Super 60 and Deluxe Reverb Reissue) due to apartment living, I run a Boss GT-3 into my computer for guitar sounds these days. Would love to get a house so I can crank my amps again. I miss the sound of an overdriven amp (Tubes are where it's at you know)

[tee boy]

Mate, wtf is that all about? My GT2 sounds like shite through the amp too, infact it sounds better direct. Never understood that!

Are you guys serious???

GT2 is an amp sim...it's like saying:"Yeah, this amp doesn't sound good through...an amp.


-S.

You bet your ass Im serious ole Sleeky boy.

The GT2 sounds like itchy bollocks through any amp Iv put it through. Yet direct it doesnt sound half bad. On drums is rules.

I get what you're saying about it being an amp sim, but its not just that. They boast in the manuel about how its perfect in any situation. Not so. This pedal is designed to sit infront of amps aswell as into desks. Unfortunately it fails miserably at the former.

Which is odd considering many pure amp sims sounds alright!

[Hink]

Mate, wtf is that all about? My GT2 sounds like shite through the amp too, infact it sounds better direct. Never understood that!

Are you guys serious???

GT2 is an amp sim...it's like saying:"Yeah, this amp doesn't sound good through...an amp.


-S.

You bet your ass Im serious ole Sleeky boy.

The GT2 sounds like itchy bollocks through any amp Iv put it through. Yet direct it doesnt sound half bad. On drums is rules.

I get what you're saying about it being an amp sim, but its not just that. They boast in the manuel about how its perfect in any situation. Not so. This pedal is designed to sit infront of amps aswell as into desks. Unfortunately it fails miserably at the former.

Which is odd considering many pure amp sims sounds alright!

tee boy remember one key difference are the tone controls are active...with the gt2 in the middle is zero and subtle changes create larger changes then in some other pedals...

[fateamenabletochange]

I use an Ibanez Analog AD-80 Delay from the 70's.Some joker told me they stopped making that chip when TV studios went digital.
Mostly I use a POD or thru Marshall Valvestate with bit of inbuilt overdrive and chorus. Most, out there, use of pedals I've seen was one of Tokyo Dub Warriors who had a whole bunch on a barstool like contraption,and made apocalyptic type noises with knob twiddling rather than playing his guitar much.Part of the On U Out of Control tour with Doug Wimbish a while back.

[respirator]

...I haven't found anything to replace the Whammy...

That's right. Anyone found a plug that can do smooth pitchshifting in real time? Like the Whammy?

[respirator]

And btw: Guitarist: Please shut up. Mame your own thread. I wanted to hear from sound designers. Not what your putting between six strings and amp...