I'm slowly getting into making more use of effects in my playing, and I'm interesting in experimenting with more effected or ambient sounds. That might be using longer and more dramatic reverb sounds, degraded or modulated delays, or whatever. With the basic interest being more atmospheric or 'soundtracky' sounds that sit well in a mix with more conventional guitar tones, or pads that I can use when looping to improvise over.
I'm not really sure where best to start, though. I have a Flashback mini, but not wedded to it.
There seems to be a lot out there, whether that's mega-delay-reverb combination pedals, or quirky glitchy pedals from EQD, Old Blood Noise Endeavours, Walrus, or whoever. The OBNE Procession, for example, sounds great in videos, but ... maybe too much of a one trick (or three trick) pony?
I think the basic requirement is something that gives me a decent range of reverb sounds, possibly with modulation, and which either plays nice with the Flashback, or substitutes for it.
I'm open to buying one or two pedals, or spending a bit more on a 'do-it-all' solution, but I'm not going to be spending Eventide Space kind of money.
Matt
P.S. I'm handy enough with a soldering iron, and quite a few of the pedals on my board are DIY, so I'm open to DIY suggestions, too.
Comments
https://youtu.be/umtB3tK8_pw
I think being tuned down helps with those lovely sounds Rabea is getting.
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Go 2nd hand:
Boss rv5 has a cracking modulated reverb. Boss PS3 for some pitchshifted reverse delay.
More spendy are the neunaber immerse or v4 wet pedals.
Do it all solution might be the mooer ocean machine.
Then you have 2 more reverbs and trems to play with. A favourite switch helps it’s live versatility.
I’d have bought one but alas, no fx loop on my amp..
Rabea also plays some wicked sounding stuff here using a few tone city pedals: (he starts at 8:38)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9C70YVJQECQ
Other than delay, my single most important pedal for ambient sounds is a volume pedal to control the note attack.
Also, if you use a looper, you can create complex, highly textured ambient sounds simply by layering up simpler sounds one on top of the other - the 'orchestra' effect.
RV-6 is definitely one I've considered, as I've liked the sounds I've heard from it more than similarly priced other pedals (Polara, HOF).
affordable solutions:
Zoom G3 (new or old version)
Zoom cdr multistomp
both do reverbs and delays etc etc and can do several.effects at once.
the G3 includes a looper.
I cant see how a diy built would help, as reverb effects are digital. unless, say, it's one with a belton brick chip instead of dsp
So his pedal choices are naturally a good place to start looking, and then go from there.
Cannot recommend highly enough
Or use PC-based FX set ups, in a DAW or using amplitube / guitarRig (or similar)
Second hand Neunaber might be a go-er, though.
I eventually bought one, but before that I got a "cloud reverby" type patch for my AxeFx2, and started to tweak it
after 6 or 12 months with the Big Sky, I sold it on, because the AxeFx2 patch sounded better
So: the reason I am telling you (since you have excluded the AxeFx2) is that I know what's in that patch, and that may be helpful:
- The Amp and cab blocks (set to brighter than usual, with less bass - you need a crisper sound to not saturate the reverb and delay),
- other optional FX
- signal splits into 3:
- 2 parallel delays which then feed into a chorus and a reverb
- the other parallel signal bypasses those, and joins back at the end: this is the dry part, so changing the reverb output volume affects the dry/wet mix
The delays are both "Multidelay" set to "Diffusor", with different time settings, and 100% "master feedback"The chorus is a bit of analog stereo
the reverb is "Stone quarry" 100% wet, at -6dB output
From the Axefx2 manual, Diffusor is
I had tried previously to get some of these ambient FX with separate pedals, but since I had the AF2, it was easier to experiment with it. Another option could be buying some cheap but good delay pedals, and mixing them back together?
Also amplitube and guitar rig may be an option
If its just to experiment have you thought of the Zoom MS-50CDR ?
EDIT: I'm now an Axe FX user with no pedals at all. I've had the Big Sky and Timeline and yes, people swear by them, but they're not all they're cracked up to be IMO. Here's a few of my favourites:
- DIG
- Nova Delay
- El Cap
- Mooer Ensemble King
- Boss RV-5
- Neunaber WET
- Flint
But the above are expensive, as you know. I'd imagine you can do it cheaper.
View my feedback at www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/comment/1201922