All the gear? Now get an idea

randella

flying_pie said:

TTBZ said:

EQ pedals can be the best clean boost pedal out there.

Absolutely.

Also an EQ pedal at the front of the chain is a great way of cleaning up your overdriven amp into a crunch tone without having to worry about your guitars volume knob.

And an EQ pedal in the FX loop with a mid boost and high/low cut is an ideal instant lead tone.

And an EQ can even give a passable cab sim for into the PA.

EQ pedals are great. I could live with a pedal board of just EQs (and a delay.- shame you can't do that with an EQ)

EQs are great if you have an amplifier like mine, which sounds better when the power valves are pushed a little. Playing quietly can sound a little thin - EQ in the loop, add a tiny bit of 100Hz for some 'cab thump', take a tiny bit off the 6.3kHz to shave off any fizz.

It's a small difference but it makes the sound more enjoyable for me which means I play for longer. Theoretically that should mean I get better, but really what tends to happen is that I stay the same but just enjoy it more

Littlejonny

Instead of buying new pickups - use your tone controls, or even better an EQ pedal. 

For great overdrive out of a Hot Rod Deluxe, cut the bass on the amp and push the mids. Then stick an EQ in the FX loop and do the opposite there. Sounds like a Marshall...

When playing with a bassist - cut your bass. 
 

Secret_Sam

Anyone remember the tune "Resurrection Shuffle"?  Well here it is again.

I tried a couple of options for running a bass through software.  You can make this work like a stomp box if you have a loop switcher (preferably with blend for reasons discussed later).

Compressor > Loop switcher > rest of board

You then connect the loop send into your laptop audio interface and then the laptop output goes to the loop switcher return.  

If you are used to DAWs it is also easy to have a midi button or foot switch trigger laptop patch changes.

I tried a prototype with MIDI Bass (a mono version of MIDI Guitar 2), and driving a couple of VA synths.  I also tried it with Guitar Rig.

At 128 samples of buffer (or less), guitar rig is very usable.  At the same buffer size, there is noticeable lag using MIDI Bass.  If you are playing fairly straight time, you can compensate, and the tracking is otherwise accurate and copes well with fast playing.  What you won't be doing is playing Tool, Dilla beats or anything African or Cuban, because the lag will do your head in. If you reduce the buffer size it doesn't pop and click, but the tracking gets less accurate. 

I am told that blending the instrument direct signal with the synth is one way to deal with the lag.  I didn't get around to testing that, but that's why you may want a loop switcher with a blend control.

Conclusion:  adding Guitar Rig is a good way to add creative stuff into your chain, and is easy and solid.  Using MIDI Bass and synths produces awesome noises, but either needs a very fast laptop and careful setting, or is better saved for atmospherics and SFX 

There's a new version of MIDI Guitar coming out soon, so that may sharpen up the timing. We'll see. They are up against the basic arithmetic of sampling and interpreting low frequency signals.

BluesLover

A glass of single malt makes everything sound better.

Sporky

Aidanspaghetti said:

flying_pie said:

Putting a Boss metal zone straight into the bin is less bad than putting a Boss metal zone into the front of your amp

Fixed that for ya!

Anyone who can't get a good sound from a MetalZone shouldn't be allowed pedals. The EQ section is enormously flexible. 

Fiddlesticks_

I used to use a Little Big Muff with a Vox wah (the cheaper V845 one) left in the toe fully down position. I always thought that gave a really cool tone.

Strumit

BluesLover said:

A glass of single malt makes everything sound better.

Two glasses make things look better too!

Yorkie

TTBZ said:

A Marshall amp is the best MIAB you can get. I was on an endless MIAB hunt til I decided to stop messing about and get the real thing. 

If you want a Marshall in a box, you put a Marshall in a box.



Because nothing else will work. 

LionAquaLooper

Littlejonny said:

Instead of buying new pickups - use your tone controls, or even better an EQ pedal. 

 

Before all that - tweak pickup heights!

Back to FX topic :  +1 for all the EQ pedal tips above.  To add mine - get a Boss EQ200 so you can apply EQ presets pre or post the next pedal at a step of a footswitch.  It's effing amazing.  

A whammy + Miku pedal + digital delay sounds like a scene from an Anime porn movie.

Secret_Sam

Add modulation for the tentacle porn variant.  Says my friend. 

personalnadir

A chop trem going into a delay is a lot of fun. Works best if your trem or delay can do more rhythmic patterns