The History of The Humble Ear Plug

So just who invented the ear plug and what did they use it for? Well no-one so far has been able to dig up an ancient ear plug, but the earliest reference to ear plugs was made in Homer's epic poem the Odyssey written in around the end of the 8th century BC. By this reference we know they were being used then but what were they used for?
In Homer's Odyssey ear plugs were used to drown out the bewitching song of the Sirens (beautiful creatures whose haunting song would lure sailors into the ocean and to their deaths).

Early Materials for ear plugs

Odysseus's crew may have used wax pairs to help shut out the song of the Sirens. However, it is believed that other materials were also used including clay, cotton, wood, ivory or even silver - nothing but the best to insert into the ear holes of the noble classes!
Modern silicone pairs were invented by Ray and Cecilia Benner who marketed their new silicone version at swimmers as silicone is a waterproof material. This was to help prevent what was known as 'swimmer's ear', which is a particularly painful infection referred to by medics as otitis externa.

Uses for ear plugs

We don't suppose that many were sold to sailors to shut out the song of the Sirens, but they were used just as they are used today, to shut out noise and to protect you from water and dust.
Today they are used in just the same way for many of the same reasons. Only today's modern noise nuisances, include aircraft noise, loud music, industrial machinery, loud snoring and traffic noise etc.
Many people find them helpful for blocking out their partner's snoring, allowing them to share the same bed with their partner for years. Musicians use them to protect them from tinnitus, as do concert goers. Both workmen and swimmers use them to block out dust and water.

Moulded Ear Plugs

Regular users, however, can increase the risk of ear infections, especially if they are shared or are ill-fitting. Custom and moulded versions can help to prevent this by being moulded to the exact shape of your ear.
Thermoplastic molded ear plugs also contain an antibacterial compound which further protects you. Although moulded pairs don't come in silver or ivory, they do come in a range of funky colours to suit your mood.

Guitar Effects Pedals - Chorus

This is one you probably already intuitively know! You're likely familiar with the vocal term "chorus" -- as in "many voices singing at once". A guitar "chorus" pedal does the same thing -- it makes your guitar sound like two or more guitars playing in unison at the same time.
What makes chorus work is that it really does try to act like two or more players playing at the same time. In real life, two people playing the exact same thing will never be completely synchronized. They'll start each note at a slightly different time, perhaps pitch the notes slightly differently, hold them differently, etc. They'll be really close -- but it won't be exact. This slight "offness" is what makes a chorus sound different from a single voice -- the slight variances in the signals make the sound richer and fuller.
A guitar chorus pedal works by splitting the guitar signal into two pieces ... and then delaying one of those pieces a fractional amount. The delay is very slight -- too much would yield a reverb effect -- but it's enough to shift the wave form of one signal path so that it no longer exactly matches the original signal path.

Consider wave form as a sine wave graph. Now, take the exact same wave form, shift it just a fraction, and place it on the same graph as the original wave form. What will you see?
When one form peaks, the other will be slightly off. When one wave begins to rise, the other will be just a touch behind. The resulting tone will sound much like two guitars playing in unison in real time. The sound will be fuller, richer, and also have a slight "shimmer" to it.
A chorus is effective on a clean guitar signal as well as on a dirty or distorted one. A clean chorus will also fill a room better than a straight unaltered signal.
Note that a chorus effect doesn't really alter the pitch of the tone -- it doesn't try to sound like two guitars playing in harmony (octaves, fifths, fourths, etc). Again, while the chorus effect is slightly similar to a digital delay or reverb effect, it's very, very slight ... just enough to give the sound that typical chorus "shimmer". Also, most choral effects only add a second guitar signal to the mix ... but some can add the effect or three or more guitars at the same time.

Electric Guitar Effects and Sounds

You may often hear people discussing electric guitars and electric bass guitars use the word 'effects' when talking about the things which can be achieved with these instruments. However, for beginners it isn't always clear what is meant by the word effect - so exactly what are the effects that can be achieved by playing either an electric guitar or an electric bass guitar?
Since electric guitars of all kinds are, by their very definition, electronic, most of the effects that can be achieved are electronic ones - altering the tone of the guitar in some way, or affecting the actual pitch of the notes, or even making changes to the overall sound of the guitar. You may have heard electric guitars used in a variety of different types of music, from gentle songs to hard rock, from the flat slappy sounds of funk to the distinctive sounds created by jazz musicians. To some extent these different sounds are created through the playing techniques used. Picking gently with your fingers will of course create quite a different sound from plucking the strings with a hard plectrum, or slapping the strings with the fingers. Each of the different genres or styles of music uses different playing techniques - but these techniques are only half the story. Much of the style and sound is created electronically, through the use of these effects that alter the sound, pitch or tone of the guitar.
The effects that can be applied to the sound created by the guitar can be included in a number of different ways. Pedals can be used, so that the guitarist can temporarily apply a distortion effect by using his foot to press the pedal down. In other cases, the effect is generated by the amplifier. In this way, a variety of either pre-set effects or dials which allow the performer to choose which type of effect to use, can be activated. In this way, the digital signal from the guitar is fed to the amplifier, which then applies the effect immediately. This type of effect usually is used to change the overall tone of the guitar, creating more of a richer voice, or a pitch change perhaps. These effects are permanent, until the guitarist stops and changes the settings on the amplifier.

There are other more complicated items of electronic equipment which are usually used by those more experienced players, and these can include items such as amplifier simulation software, which uses computers to affect the sound of the guitar, especially where the guitar is being recorded.
One of the most obvious effects used in electric guitar playing is distortion, where the sound of the guitar is distorted in such a way that it almost sounds as though the guitar is on the verge of having an argument with the amplifier! This effect is most commonly heard in rock music, especially heavy rock, and also in metal. Usually this effect is applied through the use of a pedal, since it is only used on certain, usual sustained notes during the song. The variety of distortion effects is huge, and this can be applied using pre-sets. These pre-sets usually work by taking the raw waveform of the guitar and clipping the signal.

Different Kinds of Bass Guitar Effects

Bass guitar effects are equipment used to alter the audio signal from the instrument to the amplifier.
While bass effects could give you a new signature, it is always recommended to give it just a subtle twist so as not to overlap with the guitar section of the band. Effects made for bass guitars are similar to lead guitars, but is designed to fully optimize the distinctive tone of a bass guitar.
There are two types of bass guitar effects according to technology: analog and digital. Analog bass effects involve the physical alteration of parts and voltage to produce different sounds. Most analog bass effects are customized depending to the need of the bass player. Digital base effects involve microchips with computer programs and predefined algorithms to mimic particular sounds. It is more advanced and covers a wider range of audio effects. Today's bass players prefer the digital sounds because it is more convenient and cost efficient.
Bass guitar effects can also be categorized depending on their pedals: Multi-effect and dedicated. Multi-effect pedal or a rackmount is a unit that consists of several pedals. You can preset your effects and conveniently turn it off or on while on stage. While many agree of its flexibility and convenience, the more effects it houses, the less quality it produces. Dedicated effect pedal or stompbox produces a single sound and in much more quality compared with multi-effects pedal.

Fuzz box is another bass guitar effect most notably used by Paul McCartney in the song "Think for Yourself" in the 1965 Beatles album, Rubber Soul. It has a dirtier and edgier sound than overdrive and distortion. Bass compressors, as the name suggests compresses the sound to make louder or quieter. Manipulating the bass compressors will either give some volume or punch in the song or subtle and quiet texture. Funk bands of the 60's and 70's uses "wah-wah" pedal bass effects most notably Melvin Ragin. The late Cliff Burton of Metallica extensively used wah effects on several songs such as "The Call of Ktulu" and "For Whom the Bell Tolls".
Overdrive bass effects produce a "buzzing" or "growling" sound which can be heard on rock and heavy metal songs. Early bass players use guitar distortion pedals because bass effects are not commonly popular back then. Rage Against the Machine used bass distortion effects for their album the "Evil Empire".
Think of bass guitar effects as the dressing on a salad, nothing else. While it adds flavor to the music, it should never steal the real value from the main ingredients. There are many more effects out there, but a constant idea remains true: bass guitar's role in the band as provider of the beat and rhythm should never be compromised by introducing different sound effects.

Confused by Guitar Effects: Clean/Boost, Compressor, Distortion, Overdrive, Fuzz?

There are so many guitar effects pedals on the market and it is hard to know what the difference is between them. Categorizing effects pedals has been difficult. There has been little consensus on how to do this. There are six common classifications: Dynamics, time based, tone, filter, pitch/frequency, and feedback/sustain. This article will focus on the Dynamics Classification and the Tone Classification.
Dynamics Classification: Clean Boost/Volume Pedal, Compressor Pedal, microphone amplifier.
Clean Boost/Volume Pedal; Amplifies the volume of an instrument by increasing some aspect of its electrical signal output. These types of effects are usually used for "boosting" volume during solos and preventing signal loss in long "effects chains"
Examples: Fender Volume pedal, Dunlop MXR Amp effect, Visual Sound True Tone Clean Boost
Compressor Pedals; stabilize volume and smooths a note by dampening its onset and amplifying its sustain. Compression is achieved by varying the strength of a signal to ensure volume stays within a specific dynamic range.
Examples: Dunlop's MXR custom Comp pedal, Erockson Compressor/Sustain pedal, Boss CS-3, Aguilar TLC Compressor, BBE Benchpress pedal.
Microphone Preamplifier or "preamp"; Increases a microphones low voltage output to levels that can be picked up and used by equipment such as mixing consoles and headphones.

Tone Classification: Distortion, Overdrive, Fuzz, Lo-Fi
Distortion and Overdrive; distort the tone by adding "overtones" creating different sounds such as "warm" "dirty" "gritty" types. Distortion effects produce the same amount of distortion at any volume. Overdrive units produce "clean" sounds at a lower volume and distorted sounds at louder volumes.
Examples: BBE GreenScreamer, Dunlop MXR Distortion III, MXR custom GT overdrive, Dunlop Zakk Wylde Overdrive Pedal, BOSS Bass Overdrive, Pigtronix Aria Distortion pedal, Pigtronix Disnortion, Visual Sound Jekyll & Hyde Ultimate Overdrive, and Route 66 American Overdrive.
Fuzz Pedal or " Fuzzbox"; A type of overdrive pedal that clips a sound-wave until it is nearly a square wave resulting in a heavily distorted or "fuzzy" sound. The Rolling Stones greatly popularized the use of fuzz effects.
Examples: Electro-Harmonix Big Muff, Visual Sound Angry Fuzz Octave, Boss Fuzz, Dunlop MXR Blue Box Octave Fuzz.

Guitar Chorus Pedal - Blending the Chorus Effect Into Your Tunes

There are so many sweet effects for you to use with your guitar and the guitar chorus pedal stands among them. With its ability to emulate the sound of multiple guitars from one tone, it can add a whole new sensation to your live show.
But what are some opportune times to actually use this neat effect without taking away from the song? There are going to be better places than others to use this effect. Here are a few suggestions:
Stand out in the middle of a guitar solo.
You know that it's your time to shine when it comes down to you wailing above the rest during a powerful guitar solo. Try your guitar chorus pedal the next time you blaze the frets and you can leave a better impression.
Use it to boost your lead parts in a heavy rhythm section.
Sometimes an intricate rhythm section that consists of constant strumming can drown out a weak lead riff. With some chorus on your guitar you'll be able to cut through more of the bass and middle ranges to be heard over the top easier.
Add more bulk to a rhythm section.
A guitar chorus pedal is mainly used to create the illusion of multiple instruments playing in sync with each other. If you want to give more bulk and power to a rhythm section, flip on your effect and suddenly you'll have other tones backing you up.

Now, not everything that you attempt with an effects pedal is going to be beautiful music to your ears. It's very easy to do too much and potentially wreck a song. Check out these tips to check your intentions with the effect.
Think about your purpose.
If the only reason you can find to use your guitar chorus pedal is "just because" then you probably shouldn't. Always have a purpose to use your effects, because they can create really awesome drama when used in moderation.
Always serve the song.
Using the chorus effect too much can run the risk of ruining a song. You'll know deep down if a part of your guitar tune has too much going on and you really shouldn't attempt to fit anything else in.
You can't be in the spotlight the entire time in a full band.
As much as we all wish we were the center of attention 100% of the time when we're playing with a band, we can't be. Check your ego at the door so you're not putting attention on yourself with an effect that isn't necessary.
A guitar chorus pedal can add some really neat and new dimensions to your playing, but you have to make sure your intentions are pure and what's best for the piece. As long as you stay true to the tune, you should be in good shape.

Distortion Pedals, Are You Ready to Expand Your Playing?

So you are finally starting to be able to play guitar well. Playing your favorite songs and solos with ease now. Now what? What are you going to do next to keep you entertained so you do not put down the guitar which you took so long to perfect. Now you need to curb your sweet guitar tooth with an awesome pedal to add dimension and flavor to your sound. Guitar pedals are what separate the acoustic guitars from the electric guitar. Not only expressing yourself in the notes you play, but also what tone the notes are played in. Adding a nice distortion to your guitar instead of going through your amp distortion is going to sound so much better and you will realize it right way. Either choosing a heavy metal to crank out some Metallica or getting a rough grunge distortion to play your favorite Nirvana licks, a distortion pedal is really going to be a solid pedal for you to have to start your first pedal board or to just mess around with.
Distortion pedals are pretty straight forward to use. You are not going to need a whole bunch of knowledge to work your first distortion pedal. All you need to know is how much distortion you want and then start playing! Just do not get too carried away or your guitar is going to buzz the whole time, unless that is how you like it. Personally I really like the heavy metal sound so when I play my solos it feels like I am screaming with my guitar, but I know everyone is different. Think about all the different songs you like and more than likely you will come up with a couple of specific sounds which you can take in consideration when choosing your pedal.

The point is, if you want to take your guitar playing to the next level you really need to think about investing your money into different pedals. You will be able to mimic different songs better, add versatility to your playing, and just plain out have more fun when you are playing. When choosing your first pedal, really make sure you do your research and listen to what the pedal sounds like before you spend your money. Demoing it for yourself would be the best option but not always possible. The best way to really get to know these pedals is to not only find a review of them but also to find videos of them online so you know what they really sound like.