Post-rock sounds from Strymon BigSky & TimeLine - advice please

garytwalker1

Got a question for the post-rock experts on here. My board is built around a Strymon BigSky and a TimeLine and I'm struggling a little with combining them both to get a really nice epic post-rock sound for tremolo-picked washes. I'm using a Fender Tele with Monty's PAF replica in the neck or a Gretsch Tennessee Rose, into a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, a J Rockett Archer for clean boost and a Red Witch Famulus as the distortion. I've come up with a couple of things using the Pattern setting on the TimeLine and the Cloud or Bloom on the BigSky, but I find that either the picking attack is too audible or it becomes so vast it takes over everything else in the mix. Either way, it doesn't sound quite right. I'm shooting for the kind of sound Sigur Ros, Explosions In The Sky, Daughter, The National etc get and I'm sure I can get something perfect with the combination of the BigSky and the TimeLine but I've been searching for the best part of a year and it's still eluding me. Would really appreciate any suggestions  

Moss

In general, less is more when it comes to this

Try a modulated tape delay at about 400ms with a fairly long plate reverb, both set fairly at about 50% mix as a basis for tremolo picking

Maybe a slightly higher mix and longer reverb (maybe with an octave-down shimmer) for swells and chordal stuff

BintyTwanger77

Moss said:

In general, less is more when it comes to this

Try a modulated tape delay at about 400ms with a fairly long plate reverb, both set fairly at about 50% mix as a basis for tremolo picking

Maybe a slightly higher mix and longer reverb (maybe with an octave-down shimmer) for swells and chordal stuff

Just tried this, works beautifully.

Deijavoo

What @Moss said. 

Also, I've just got home from jamming, I love both of those pedals so much. 

Moss

BintyTwanger77 said:

Moss said:

In general, less is more when it comes to this

Try a modulated tape delay at about 400ms with a fairly long plate reverb, both set fairly at about 50% mix as a basis for tremolo picking

Maybe a slightly higher mix and longer reverb (maybe with an octave-down shimmer) for swells and chordal stuff

Just tried this, works beautifully.

Awesome - don't own either so was a bit of a guess based on stuff I've used at various times

Glad it works

BintyTwanger77

Who gave a LOL to the OP? Why? Actually why the f**k...?

Branshen

If your pick attack is too audible, what u want to do is to make your delay repeats darker. Try turn the tone all the way off as a starting point and turn up the brightness gradually until you reach something you like. 

Drew_TNBD

garytwalker1 said:

Got a question for the post-rock experts on here. My board is built around a Strymon BigSky and a TimeLine and I'm struggling a little with combining them both to get a really nice epic post-rock sound for tremolo-picked washes. I'm using a Fender Tele with Monty's PAF replica in the neck or a Gretsch Tennessee Rose, into a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, a J Rockett Archer for clean boost and a Red Witch Famulus as the distortion. I've come up with a couple of things using the Pattern setting on the TimeLine and the Cloud or Bloom on the BigSky, but I find that either the picking attack is too audible or it becomes so vast it takes over everything else in the mix. Either way, it doesn't sound quite right. I'm shooting for the kind of sound Sigur Ros, Explosions In The Sky, Daughter, The National etc get and I'm sure I can get something perfect with the combination of the BigSky and the TimeLine but I've been searching for the best part of a year and it's still eluding me. Would really appreciate any suggestions  

Are you using the amps FX loop? If so... don't.

Put them right up front, before any of your distortions. Then use the mix knobs to dial in just a very tiny amount, feedback to taste.

What will happen is that on the first pluck, you'll get a bit of delay..... and if you stop playing, it'll echo off quite cleanly. But if you do multiple plucks, the tails of the delay and reverb will build and build and build, because the amp/distortion will get more driven at the front end.

This is the secret to big post-rock washes imho. Checkout my band if you want to hear how this sounds: www.bridgedisaster.co.uk

hugbot

The bloke from the national also appears to put some of his delays before drive

WarpedSounds

I'd recommend all of the above. Look into an ebow too. Infinite sustain and no attack. 

Worth noting that Jonsi from Sigur Ros doesn't use delay at all. He uses a cello bow and reverb. I think it's an old TC M350 studio rack unit into the loop of a Marshall stack. He also uses bass drives for dirt and treble booster built into his custom made LP-esque guitar. 

BintyTwanger77

WarpedSounds said:

I'd recommend all of the above. Look into an ebow too. Infinite sustain and no attack. 

Worth noting that Jonsi from Sigur Ros doesn't use delay at all. He uses a cello bow and reverb. I think it's an old TC M350 studio rack unit into the loop of a Marshall stack. He also uses bass drives for dirt and treble booster built into his custom made LP-esque guitar. 

The "Cigaroos" preset on the H9 is fantastic.

WarpedSounds

Yes, I heard the use the Space in studio. Sounds epic. 

meltedbuzzbox

BintyTwanger77 said:

WarpedSounds said:

I'd recommend all of the above. Look into an ebow too. Infinite sustain and no attack. 

Worth noting that Jonsi from Sigur Ros doesn't use delay at all. He uses a cello bow and reverb. I think it's an old TC M350 studio rack unit into the loop of a Marshall stack. He also uses bass drives for dirt and treble booster built into his custom made LP-esque guitar. 

The "Cigaroos" preset on the H9 is fantastic.

Really? Never liked that much myself

BintyTwanger77

meltedbuzzbox said:

BintyTwanger77 said:

WarpedSounds said:

I'd recommend all of the above. Look into an ebow too. Infinite sustain and no attack. 

Worth noting that Jonsi from Sigur Ros doesn't use delay at all. He uses a cello bow and reverb. I think it's an old TC M350 studio rack unit into the loop of a Marshall stack. He also uses bass drives for dirt and treble booster built into his custom made LP-esque guitar. 

The "Cigaroos" preset on the H9 is fantastic.

Really? Never liked that much myself

Fair enough...

ModeEchoVerb, though...it's Robin Guthrie in a box!

stefken147

Gotta agree, never thought much of that Cigaroos preset, been a while since I checked it out tho.

Personally this is where the Eventide probably edges it over the Strymon stuff for these sort of sounds, it takes over your sound in a good way if that makes sense!

BintyTwanger77

stefken147 said:

Gotta agree, never thought much of that Cigaroos preset, been a while since I checked it out tho.

Personally this is where the Eventide probably edges it over the Strymon stuff for these sort of sounds, it takes over your sound in a good way if that makes sense!

That's why I like to have both options.

WarpedSounds

I think the Strymon stuff can get pretty OTT, which I love. I mix a Neunaber Wet, El Cap and Carbon Copy in too for some beautiful noise.

BintyTwanger77

@WarpedSounds These big reverbs I've got...the Big Sky and those on the H9...

Do they tend to be less useful in a live context as opposed to the studio/home practice

As I've said on other occasions, Nick McCabe is my hero and that's the kind of sound I'm after, but I can't help but think that too much reverb live is going to teeter from ethereal to mushy.

WarpedSounds

It depends what you're going for. I love the mush in some contexts. Whatever works for you. 

The Big Sky is great. It has so many options that work for me, but you have to love verb to fork out. Quite often I pair it with a Stereo Wet. They pretty much cover all bases. 

I'd definitely say you have the gear so get in the fx ballpark, but Nick also a pretty unique style. That's a whole other topic!

Check this for early Verve-esque tones: 

mellowsun

I don't tend often use the Timeline and the BigSky together as they are both very rich effects, it can get a bit much.

A mono delay (e.g. Carbon Copy) into the BigSky sounds better to me, or the Timeline into the Hall of Fame on the Plate or Room setting.

ewal

I've tried out some of the suggestions on here - distortion after delay/reverb and turning down volume and tone controls to good effect. However I saw Mogwai last week, and I was just as impressed by their total noise sections. I can get close to it with a Muff going in to my Avalanche Run - I've found the Muff totally comes alive going in to the reverb/ delay. I guess the rest of the effect just comes from sheer volume.

Any other solid wall of noise tips?