Lead Guitar with no attack?

[AuraCore]

Hi all

May be a really dumb question ...

What kind of FX would you use to create an electric lead guitar sound with no attack, i.e. one that smoothly "fades" in? Don't know how to describe this any better, sorry.

The "base material" is coming either from Revitar or one of my Kontakt guitar samples.

Thanks for the help.

[tomg]

Reverse the guitar part or try something like this.

http://www.niallmoody.com/ndcplugs/reversinator.htm

[ew]

Or you can just automate the appropriate mixer channel's volume. After all, in real life you do that either with the guitar's volume pot or with a volume pedal...

ew

[AuraCore]

Or you can just automate the appropriate mixer channel's volume. After all, in real life you do that either with the guitar's volume pot or with a volume pedal...

ew

Is that really how it's done? Honestly, I have no idea. But when listening to a couple of songs with such an effect, I would have thought it's been done differently. Sometimes, those no-attack-notes kind of "flow" into each other, and that wouldn't be possible with volume automation (or, at least, I wouldn't know how to do this).

[tomg]

Or you can just automate the appropriate mixer channel's volume. After all, in real life you do that either with the guitar's volume pot or with a volume pedal...

ew

When they first get a way to record guitar most guitar players want to do the reverse track effect. Hendrix or Bucannan?

[tomg]

Or you can just automate the appropriate mixer channel's volume. After all, in real life you do that either with the guitar's volume pot or with a volume pedal...

ew

Is that really how it's done? Honestly, I have no idea. But when listening to a couple of songs with such an effect, I would have thought it's been done differently. Sometimes, those no-attack-notes kind of "flow" into each other, and that wouldn't be possible with volume automation (or, at least, I wouldn't know how to do this).

I'm not kidding. Play the track in reverse..

[philipc68]

One way is to put a compressor on the signal. By adjusting the attack and sustain on the compressor you can eliminate the natural attack of the guitar, even to the point where it sounds backwards.

[bongo_x]

an ebow. that's what you're hearing on a lot of records if that's what you're talking about. www.ebow.com

bb

[kovacs]

It can also be done with good picking technique, or by playing with your fingers (no nails). A very smooth attack can be heard as virtually no attack.

[kovacs]

It can also be done with good picking technique, or by playing with your fingers (no nails). A very smooth attack can be heard as virtually no attack.

Ah sorry I didn't read the "fade in" part. Please disregard - I thought it was all about the attack sound.

[Lunch Money]

The TonePort features an "autoswell" plug-in which is just an envelope. Once it receives signal, it slowly raises gain. I've also used the other techniques mentioned.

Overall, though, I'm with bongo. Most of the time it's an e-bow. It takes a few moments for the string to begin vibrating in sympathy to the ebow, so that's the "fade-in"... nothing more than the string working up to the required energy. Then once it's going, the e-bow will hold the notes while you use legato technique.

Simply take the e-bow away from the strings and then re-"apply" it to get a new "fade-in".

Greg

[AuraCore]

It can also be done with good picking technique, or by playing with your fingers (no nails). A very smooth attack can be heard as virtually no attack.

Ah sorry I didn't read the "fade in" part. Please disregard - I thought it was all about the attack sound.

No no, I think you're right. I guess "fading in" was a bad description, its just that there's no audible attack. If you have Genesis' "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight", there's what sounds like a heavily processed guitar in the first 1-2 minutes of the song. Jeff Beck's "Where were you" between 1:25 and 1:35 is also an excellent example.

The compressor approach looks promising. Need to do some more experimenting with it.

[AuraCore]

The TonePort features an "autoswell" plug-in which is just an envelope. Once it receives signal, it slowly raises gain. I've also used the other techniques mentioned.

Overall, though, I'm with bongo. Most of the time it's an e-bow. It takes a few moments for the string to begin vibrating in sympathy to the ebow, so that's the "fade-in"... nothing more than the string working up to the required energy. Then once it's going, the e-bow will hold the notes while you use legato technique.

Simply take the e-bow away from the strings and then re-"apply" it to get a new "fade-in".

Greg

Cool, so where's that e-bow VST?

Seriously though, thanks for the suggestions.

[ford442]

or you could cut off the attack in a wave editor and use it in a soft-sampler

[ew]

"Where were you" is volume knob- Jeff's said so in many an interview.

ew