Sitar Simulation

Xdrummer

New member
Has anyone actually tried the Electo Harmonix Ravish Sitar Pedal? The on line demos sound rather impressive.

As a follow-up - can anyone offer a comparison opinion of the Ravish vs. the Danelectro Sitar Swami? I have not heard a demo of the Swami but I get the impression the Ravish is a much more complex and accordingly better sounding simulation (and much more expensive).
 
Sounds good, definetely want to test that out.

Here is one refiew, starts at 1:30: youtube.com/watch?v=4GZGDYJ77xA
 
I had a look on utub & there's a "joke" demo but you can hear the Swami & it sounds OK.
I have a Yamaha FX500 unit from the late 80's that has a good sitar simulation and the rack mounted follow up has an even better one.
 
I'm ambivalent.
In terms of sounding even remotely close to an actual sitar, forget it. It doesn't. It is a cut above the sitar 'samples' that come with, say, Sampletank and a whole lot better than the sitar sounds that come as part of the 128 stock MIDI sounds with Cubase and HaLion. It absolutely batters the Swami, which is close to being an insult to sound itself and it knocks out with one sucker punch, the Danelectro electric sitar which is as close to being a sitar in sound as a kite is to being an aeroplane in intercontinental flight. It's easilly better than all the available competition.
But it does not sound like a sitar !
Part of the problem, and I understand and appreciate this, is that the developers of these simulations, going right back to the 60s, are thinking in terms of guitarists and a way to make things easy, not sitars and the way they create sound and need to be played in order to do so. There seems to be this logic that "it has strings, therefore at some level a guitarist should be able to play it". If only. I'd applaud if these creations actually managed to sound like a sitar. But they don't. I was surprized at the number of songs that I knew that it turns out feature electric sitar and over the years on hearing them my first thought was the same ~ 'that guitar is over twangy and trying to simulate a sitar !'.
It does not work.
Ironically, what has worked are sitar samples and the odd VSTi. It's ironic that something that can be triggered with a keyboard should come so close to the real thing. Swar systems and Sitar nation represent far and away the best that I've heard because they're actually sampled not simulated, if you get my drift.

Back to Ravish for a moment though. While as a sitar Ravish just ain't saying it, as a guitar pedal, I love it's sound. I like what it's "sympathetic" strings can do, I like the way it colours the sound and the way I tend to use the couple of pedals I have, simple exotic ambience is of no use to me. I would use it the same way I use the Clapton and Hendrix pedals from Digitech ~ as scope for more different sounds in my armoury. Sure, it will add a certain exotic flavour at times. I like the sounds that it seems capable of, but from a guitar and mandolin point of view, not a sitar one.
But I can wait. Sooner or later, one will turn up on Ebay or wherever at a cheapo price and at that point, like a lion that has carefully stalked it's prey or a vulture that recognizes when it's next meal has reached the end of it's line, I shall swoop and pounce !
 
the Danelectro electric sitar which is as close to being a sitar in sound as a kite is to being an aeroplane in intercontinental flight. It's easilly better than all the available competition.

I would be happy getting the sitar/guitar sound.:DI've always wanted one but now that Jerry Jones is out of business my only choices are a used one or a rogue.:mad:
 
I would be happy getting the sitar/guitar sound.:DI've always wanted one but now that Jerry Jones is out of business my only choices are a used one or a rogue.:mad:

I have an SX, which is probably about the same as a Rogue. What I'd like to do, to make it more sitar-like, is convert it to fretless. I'm sure I'll drag it to the next JF, if there is one, so just make sure you're there, Ukelele Boy!
 
Avoid the Rogue at all costs.

It is absolute junk, as the fingerboard radius and the radius of the sitar bridge are different, so you can never get the effect to work properly with all six strings at the same time. :( It's a total non-starter.

I went through two of them, gave up.

The best shot is to use a sitar VSTi with a MIDI keyboard.
 
you tube this for some novel ways of achieving this sound. hope it works out for you
 
Grim

Thanks for your detailed and well presented response. I completely understand your points. I too found myself surprised when I started to consider the number of songs (top 10 hits alone) with sitar and/or sitar simulation.

I don't think I'm inclind to buy the Ravish at full retail - but I'll be watching Eaby and Craigslist ...... or wait to see a price reduction. I think I could utilize the sitar simulation on a few tunes ........ with full appreciation of the limitations you've identified!
 
you tube this for some novel ways of achieving this sound. hope it works out for you
There's one guy on Youtube that tries to show you how to get a sitar effect on a guitar using a paperclip. I'm all for experimentation but when I heard the sound, I just wanted to fly to where the guy lives and slap his head like in the comedies of old where you got laughs for such violence and not retribution !!

I don't think I'm inclined to buy the Ravish at full retail - but I'll be watching Eaby and Craigslist ...... or wait to see a price reduction. I think I could utilize the sitar simulation on a few tunes ........ with full appreciation of the limitations you've identified!
I feel the same way. I'm looking to sell a few things on Ebay to raise the money. Hopefully, by the time I do that, the price will have come down or someone will be so pissed off with theirs that they'll sell it cheap ! In the meantime, Swarsystems do a good sitar sample but of course, it's MIDI keyboard driven. When I use it, I always do so in real time though.
 
A quick update ~ I bought the pedal some months ago but I only got around to using it yesterday. I used it on a mandolin and as I suspected, it sounds nothing like a sitar. But it does sound interesting, you can tweak it quite a bit and by balancing the sympathetic strings, you can get this odd organ sound shimmering around the notes you play. It's another colour for ambience.
 
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