timmerman
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Distortion? I think most of us like it, but how do you get it? Do you use the one which is already in your amp, or use a seperate floor-unit or......
There are many distortion-flavours, and most of them seem to be based on popular sounds from the 60s, 70s and 80s.
So to get all these different sounds you could buy a lot of different pedals, or you could try to get the most out of the pedals you already have. Makes sense eh?
So let us say you have this available:
# one distortion pedal
# one EQ pedal
# a splitter-box to go from one input to two outputs
So now we could make, let us say subtle sounds[not so in your-face-distortion] Use your slitter ,on one side, for straight sound and the other side for distortion. Now you can mix both sounds and blend them to how you would like it.
You could buy a line-selector [e.g. a Boss LS-2] this could work as a simple mixer or a splitter-box or an A-B box. With the line-selector you have a little bit more control over the levels which come from both channels.
If you have a recorder or an amp with a effect-loop you could put your distortion-unit in the loop and mix the volume with your straight level. All too easy eh?
For putting more bite into your distortion-box you could use the EQ to add colours which are lacking in your distortion. So you can turn a mild distortion into a more agressive box. You can experiment with various EQ pedals , e.g. you could try a parametric EQ which is more subtle than a grafic EQ
If you have a few distortion-pedals you could mix them to create a different kind of sound, so you could set one at a mild level, and the other one could be more extreme. If you blend them both you will create a new colour.
As far as sounds I think in opposites: for the bright pick-up I use a dark distortion sound to make it stand out, rather than enhancing the sound of the pick-up, and for the dark pick-up I use a reverse strategy.
Of course with all of this, you could just buy the gear for what kind of sounds you would like, but you could also use "limited" gear, and get the most out of it. So using small amps to create big sounds.
So what kind of techniques do you use to get distortion-flavours? Do you use dedicated gear, or just experiment with what you have got?
Eddie de Timmerman
There are many distortion-flavours, and most of them seem to be based on popular sounds from the 60s, 70s and 80s.
So to get all these different sounds you could buy a lot of different pedals, or you could try to get the most out of the pedals you already have. Makes sense eh?
So let us say you have this available:
# one distortion pedal
# one EQ pedal
# a splitter-box to go from one input to two outputs
So now we could make, let us say subtle sounds[not so in your-face-distortion] Use your slitter ,on one side, for straight sound and the other side for distortion. Now you can mix both sounds and blend them to how you would like it.
You could buy a line-selector [e.g. a Boss LS-2] this could work as a simple mixer or a splitter-box or an A-B box. With the line-selector you have a little bit more control over the levels which come from both channels.
If you have a recorder or an amp with a effect-loop you could put your distortion-unit in the loop and mix the volume with your straight level. All too easy eh?
For putting more bite into your distortion-box you could use the EQ to add colours which are lacking in your distortion. So you can turn a mild distortion into a more agressive box. You can experiment with various EQ pedals , e.g. you could try a parametric EQ which is more subtle than a grafic EQ
If you have a few distortion-pedals you could mix them to create a different kind of sound, so you could set one at a mild level, and the other one could be more extreme. If you blend them both you will create a new colour.
As far as sounds I think in opposites: for the bright pick-up I use a dark distortion sound to make it stand out, rather than enhancing the sound of the pick-up, and for the dark pick-up I use a reverse strategy.
Of course with all of this, you could just buy the gear for what kind of sounds you would like, but you could also use "limited" gear, and get the most out of it. So using small amps to create big sounds.
So what kind of techniques do you use to get distortion-flavours? Do you use dedicated gear, or just experiment with what you have got?
Eddie de Timmerman