If you want to enhance your Guitar playing experience and create
rich and varied sounds for your performances, then the obvious means is
by use of Electric Guitar Effects Pedals. Here are five 5 popular
Effects Pedals in common use, with brief explanations of each.
1. Compression
This is an extremely useful pedal, which is probably the hardest to use, and the least understood. Effectively the Compressor enables the performer to play over a wide dynamic range - from soft rhythmic chords to blistering solos - while maintaining the same output volume of the Amplifier. This way the audience can not only hear those softer passages, but also the more dynamic lead work without drowning out the other musicians (and making your 'ears bleed').
Another effect put to good use, is the ability of the Compressor to enable long sustained notes, far beyond the natural ability of the instrument. Ideal for all those eyes closed, posing moments while stretching that note for as long as possible.
Care must be taken when using a Compressor, as improper use can lead to the introduction of noise,or lead to a rather bland dynamic performance.
2. Tremolo
A very popular Pedal used in the 60's and is still used today. The Tremolo Pedal produces a vibrato effect to the single note or chord by changing the amplitude (volume) of the signal, by a variation determined by the user. The Pedal allows control of both the signal depth and rate of the speed variation. On a technical note, a sine wave is applied to a Voltage-Controlled Amplifier, which affects the signal from the Guitar. It's the Frequency and Amplitude of the sine wave - which the controls alter - that effects both the rate and depth.
3. Overdrive and Distortion
These Pedals amplify the guitar signal to the point where the sound produced is anything between a warm rich 'clipped' sound to a dirty or gritty tone. The number of controls, and hence the available tone variations, vary from pedal to pedal from just a few simple pots and a footswitch, to more complex versions incorporating Tone Shaping facilities.
4. Wah Wah
Another extremely well known Pedal. This produces an effect, which sounds similar to a human voice saying - yep you've guessed it 'wah'. The effect is produced by a foot pedal in the form of a rocking treadle, and is great for enhancing your lead or rhythmic playing.
Getting a bit technical again, the Wah effect is produced by a low-pass filter whose cut-off frequency is control by the foot pedal. Interestingly, this type of low-pass filter is used often in modern Dance or Trance type music where the high frequencies of the song are gradually filtered out until only a kind of muffled beat is left. The effect is then gradually reversed until all frequencies are restored again.
5. Phaser
Finally the fifth pedal for this article is the Phaser, and is probably the best known. Basically, two signals are produced from the Guitar signal going in, and then they are mixed together but slightly out of phase. This is what produces the Phasing effect.
Conclusion
Guitarist set up their effect pedals in two ways. By use of mutli-effects Units that have various types of Guitar Effects in one 'box' - which range in price depending on the facilities available. However, as most are now microprocessor controlled, huge variations of range of tone and parameter are at the guitarist's disposal.
The second method is where individual pedals are 'daisy chained' together by short cables. Many guitarists have favourite individual pedals, which they prefer and know very well, therefore they adopt this method. Also, if you are on a low budget, pedals can be bought separately as time goes by, and added to the chain. The downturn is that the set-up time takes longer and more cables are involved (which always seem to go wrong at the gig).
1. Compression
This is an extremely useful pedal, which is probably the hardest to use, and the least understood. Effectively the Compressor enables the performer to play over a wide dynamic range - from soft rhythmic chords to blistering solos - while maintaining the same output volume of the Amplifier. This way the audience can not only hear those softer passages, but also the more dynamic lead work without drowning out the other musicians (and making your 'ears bleed').
Another effect put to good use, is the ability of the Compressor to enable long sustained notes, far beyond the natural ability of the instrument. Ideal for all those eyes closed, posing moments while stretching that note for as long as possible.
Care must be taken when using a Compressor, as improper use can lead to the introduction of noise,or lead to a rather bland dynamic performance.
2. Tremolo
A very popular Pedal used in the 60's and is still used today. The Tremolo Pedal produces a vibrato effect to the single note or chord by changing the amplitude (volume) of the signal, by a variation determined by the user. The Pedal allows control of both the signal depth and rate of the speed variation. On a technical note, a sine wave is applied to a Voltage-Controlled Amplifier, which affects the signal from the Guitar. It's the Frequency and Amplitude of the sine wave - which the controls alter - that effects both the rate and depth.
3. Overdrive and Distortion
These Pedals amplify the guitar signal to the point where the sound produced is anything between a warm rich 'clipped' sound to a dirty or gritty tone. The number of controls, and hence the available tone variations, vary from pedal to pedal from just a few simple pots and a footswitch, to more complex versions incorporating Tone Shaping facilities.
4. Wah Wah
Another extremely well known Pedal. This produces an effect, which sounds similar to a human voice saying - yep you've guessed it 'wah'. The effect is produced by a foot pedal in the form of a rocking treadle, and is great for enhancing your lead or rhythmic playing.
Getting a bit technical again, the Wah effect is produced by a low-pass filter whose cut-off frequency is control by the foot pedal. Interestingly, this type of low-pass filter is used often in modern Dance or Trance type music where the high frequencies of the song are gradually filtered out until only a kind of muffled beat is left. The effect is then gradually reversed until all frequencies are restored again.
5. Phaser
Finally the fifth pedal for this article is the Phaser, and is probably the best known. Basically, two signals are produced from the Guitar signal going in, and then they are mixed together but slightly out of phase. This is what produces the Phasing effect.
Conclusion
Guitarist set up their effect pedals in two ways. By use of mutli-effects Units that have various types of Guitar Effects in one 'box' - which range in price depending on the facilities available. However, as most are now microprocessor controlled, huge variations of range of tone and parameter are at the guitarist's disposal.
The second method is where individual pedals are 'daisy chained' together by short cables. Many guitarists have favourite individual pedals, which they prefer and know very well, therefore they adopt this method. Also, if you are on a low budget, pedals can be bought separately as time goes by, and added to the chain. The downturn is that the set-up time takes longer and more cables are involved (which always seem to go wrong at the gig).
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