I removed the effects from our songs

[Help!I'maRock!]

We lost our bassist last month. It was an amicable parting, but a necessary one, from all sides. The other guitarist is now on bass and we've reconfigured as a trio. We may look for another guitarist this fall, but that's a ways off.

Over the past month, I started showing up to rehearsals with just a guitar, a SNARK TUNER, and my trusty Mr. Sage built Double Pickle Drive. As we've re-arranged everything, I've made notes on what effects will stay and what will go. In all, I removed delay from 4 songs, reverb from 4 songs, tremolo from 2 songs, phase from 2 songs, and distortion from 2 songs.

Our next rehearsal is in two weeks. In the interim, I'll be playing the songs with new effects arrangements. The songs are less of a tap dancing adventure, and I think they sound better too. IMO, effects are best used sparingly. It's ok to bring something just to use it once during a set. Just so long as that instance is exactly the right part. If not, then leave it home.

[ThisDyingSoul76]

Re: I removed the effects from our songs

I come from this school of thought. I have lots of effects but I don't neccessarily use them all the time. At first with a new song I'll experiment with different effects but often I'll leave it without. When I do use effects, I usually use them in a subtle way.

[blueman335]

Re: I removed the effects from our songs

I come from this school of thought. I have lots of effects but I don't neccessarily use them all the time. At first with a new song I'll experiment with different effects but often I'll leave it without. When I do use effects, I usually use them in a subtle way.

Same here. Effects are easily overdone and can get really tiring for an audience to listen to. But in moderation, they can add variety and dynamics. I've heard guys use chorus for an entire gig, and it was horrible. I wanted to hit him over the head with that pedal.

[Aceman]

Re: I removed the effects from our songs

We use a LOT of effects - but 80's metal has a lot of delays (I have three different ones on my board) and chorus is all over, and flange etc…

BUT! We are very careful in application. Lead w/ Delay general not played with delay on rhythm. Both guitars do not use chorus at the same time, etc…

You do have to use discretion to avoid sounding crappy. Effects do sound so frictkin' cool it is easy to over do it.

[Lampy H]

Re: I removed the effects from our songs

The presence of effects can be cool. The absence of effects can also be cool.

[BriGuy1968]

Re: I removed the effects from our songs

I'm kind of the effects guy in my band as the other guitarist uses just a wah and my Zoom G5 has tons of options packed into it. But by and large, most of the songs we play are without effects (except a little reverb of course).

Effects are fun to play with and can give you a wider tonal palette, but a little goes a LONG way. We're a cover band, so I try to only use them when they're present in the original recording. Also, most of them are set for "just a little bit." For instance, chorus or flange are set very slow to the point of almost not hearing it... just enough to add some extra character, but no bounciness.


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[Gainstage]

Re: I removed the effects from our songs

Use of effects is as much an art form as just playing. They are tools, which when used as an extension of the instrument the creativity they inspire can push you in new directions and ideas. Using too many effects usually gets washed out in a band format. I know everyone hates "less is more" but that is sort of what it means.
Just kicking something on once in a while lifts the boredom and changes the whole dynamic of the tune.
An accomplished player has to learn to play with the effect and let it become an extension of the sound, an inexperienced player will use too many things at one time which create a wash of sound but the quality and technique of playing is just not there, hence how pedals got a bad name, a cover gloss for bad playing. They let the pedal(s) make the noise instead of playing the pedal.
Used with a sense of creative musicianship, effects can lift the song into a more interesting and sonic bliss than a plain tone which is just boring as hell song after song. Imagine Jimmy Page's The Rover or Achilles Last Stand without the phaser, the phaser makes those tunes sound incredible. How often does Jimmy use a phaser, hardly ever but when he does the whole thing lifts to another level. Or how Jimmy uses various and vastly differing delays to create something really cool to listen to. Some of that blues on the 1st album has stood the test of time just so listenable and interesting because the cat is a genius and he applied that sense of creative genius even using effects.

[blueman335]

Re: I removed the effects from our songs

Effects do sound so frictkin' cool it is easy to over do it.

Right. It's like desserts. They taste great and you look forward to them, but you don't want all your meals to be nothing but desserts. You need some substance too.

[Mincer]

Re: I removed the effects from our songs

I think it is interesting how the sound of a band changes if you lose someone. Another player might add more effects to songs to fill up more space, but there is no right or wrong thing, only what the song needs. We dropped our keys player, and everything got slower, heavier, and groovier.

[ThisDyingSoul76]

Re: I removed the effects from our songs

For chorus or flanger, I usually like to set mine to where you'd barely notice it's there until I've turned it off. For reverb and delays, unless I'm doing something where the effect becomes part of the solo or riff like harmonizing with the delay repeats or a rhythmic thing like Edge or David Gilmour often use delays for, I keep them so low you only really notice them when I stop playing. And typically only for parts of songs. It's rare that I'll use something for an entire song.

I try to use them to enhance the music, not to become the basis for my sound. Maybe to bring something forward that doesn't stand out so much in my playing without effects... For example, chorus on an overdriven guitar seems to really bring pinch harmonics up front without adding extra distortion. When used right, it can also thicken a tone up as if a second guitarist is doubling you; but often I find it makes guitars sound thin.

I will take issue with anyone who says effects use equals lack of creativity though... Someone like Steve Vai or Joe Satriani who can come up with really dramatic and in your face effects and find a way to use them in a musical way is just as creative as the guy who has no effects and figures out how to change his sound by how and where he picks along the strings. But often watch a guy who has mastered effects to where they use the most insane sounds in a way that is actually musical and you'll notice they have also learned to manipulate their tone with the guitar controls and the above mentioned changes to how and where they pick the strings.

[blueman335]

Re: I removed the effects from our songs

I will take issue with anyone who says effects use equals lack of creativity though... Someone like Steve Vai or Joe Satriani who can come up with really dramatic and in your face effects and find a way to use them in a musical way is just as creative as the guy who has no effects and figures out how to change his sound by how and where he picks along the strings. But often watch a guy who has mastered effects to where they use the most insane sounds in a way that is actually musical and you'll notice they have also learned to manipulate their tone with the guitar controls and the above mentioned changes to how and where they pick the strings.

Agreed, and I have my share of pedals. Effects can open doors to creativity in the right hands, my favorite example of a master of effects is Hendrix.

[IMENATOR]

Re: I removed the effects from our songs

Distortion is the best effect ever, I think I can sure live without anything else, I played for 13 years with no FX pedal at all and I never felt I was missing anything, recently I got into wah, chrorus and echo but the thing I care and tweak the most is my distortion sound. I can always make nice effects with tone, volume, floating bridge, harmonics, heck even switching pick ups back and forth.

[TimmyPage]

Re: I removed the effects from our songs

Same here. Effects are easily overdone and can get really tiring for an audience to listen to. But in moderation, they can add variety and dynamics. I've heard guys use chorus for an entire gig, and it was horrible. I wanted to hit him over the head with that pedal.

I saw Mike Stern not long ago. I've always had trouble listening to his albums, the chorus sound kind of started to wear on me after a few tunes, but seeing him live where the chorused sound was in stereo and surrounding him was amazing. I think it comes down to what type of player they are and how they use it, and with Mike (at least live) you could really hear what he was going for tonally and where he wanted his sound to sit in the mix. I've actually realised more recently that distortion and fuzz tend to tire my ears out a lot faster than smartly used modulation, and I hate to say it but I really don't like the sound of drive with a lot of forms of modulation, vibe and fuzz are really cool for the Hendrix/Trower thing but in general I like keeping my modulation over a simple clean tone.

In general I view the guitar as an extension of the synth. You don't ever hear the real sound of the guitar, it's all magnets and wires and pots and tubes and speakers, our effects pedals are just as much a part of our sound as the synth player who has a million extensions in front of them to play with LFO's and filters.

[Help!I'maRock!]

Re: I removed the effects from our songs

I think it is interesting how the sound of a band changes if you lose someone. Another player might add more effects to songs to fill up more space, but there is no right or wrong thing, only what the song needs. We dropped our keys player, and everything got slower, heavier, and groovier.

I think this goes doubly so for bass. Our bassist was half rhythm guitarist. He wasn't just riding the low octave, but he definitely played non-traditional parts. I actually loved what he did because it gave me the space to fill out with an effects laden sound. Our new bassist used to play in a Beatles tribute act. He's straight up McCartney, nearly all the time. He's also more present in the mix. Taking away the time based effects was a necessary component to the complete change in the rhythm section. Our drummer is our weak spot, but has started to improve with a more present bassist. It was a good change, just one nobody wanted to make given the circumstances.

[ThisDyingSoul76]

Re: I removed the effects from our songs

I think this goes doubly so for bass. Our bassist was half rhythm guitarist. He wasn't just riding the low octave, but he definitely played non-traditional parts. I actually loved what he did because it gave me the space to fill out with an effects laden sound. Our new bassist used to play in a Beatles tribute act. He's straight up McCartney, nearly all the time. He's also more present in the mix. Taking away the time based effects was a necessary component to the complete change in the rhythm section. Our drummer is our weak spot, but has started to improve with a more present bassist. It was a good change, just one nobody wanted to make given the circumstances.

I always found every time a member of a band I was in left, the person replacing them totally changed our sound. Drummers especially. One band I was in changed drummers from a guy who was heavily into Rush for a guy really into Tool and Soundgarden. We got heavier and darker with the change.

When the second drummer left, the next guy was from a blues background. The drums got simpler but we became more dynamic. The heaviness stuck as he was a huge sabbath fan and we changed bassists at the same time for a guy who was really into Megadeth, Dream Theater and GNR.