The hierarchy of modulation

[PFDarkside]

One of the coolest things you can do is set a flanger to speed = 0, then sweep the manual control for manually controlled Flanging. On a pedal like the Mobius or MD-200 (and many others) you can assign that to an expression pedal to sweep it manually, like at the end of a musical phrase.

To answer Ace’s original question, I’m going to think of them at typical and maximum settings, as anything set subtly is under the radar. For the most part I’m in agreement with a few modifications.

1. Tremolo (completely agree)
1a. Harmonic Tremolo (less pure volume modulation but the phasing becomes more “effected”
2. Chorus (blending the clean makes it not as extreme as pure seasick vibrato)
3. Vibrato
4. Phaser
4a. Univibe (a phaser, but to me the lumpy sweep is more extreme)
4b. Auto wah (filter based like phaser but even more limited bandwidth, so more extreme)
5. Rotary Speaker (I think it’s less over the top than Phaser but more “effected”; you know it’s rotary)
6. Flanger (at extreme settings it’s over the top, but low Regen and long delay times are basically chorus. If you have a highly tweakable flanger you can do chorus or flanger or vibrato since they are all really the same effect applied differently)
6. Ring mod

 

[Aceman]

oooh - forgot Ring Modulator!

 

[NegativeEase]

1) Tremelo x1000 over all others -


2) Univibe
3) Vibrato
4) Chorus (light)

5) Phaser if I'm being silly or trying to play some Ween.







6) NEVER FLANGER unless it is areal tape flange in the studio -or sounds like a real analog tape flange.
I can't stand the jet engine style flange for anything.

 

[Aceman]

Again - looking for a discussion on least to most "swirly"

But My list goes:

Tremolo - my very favorite, even though I don't use it that often
Chorus - because AWESOME everywhere
Flanger - make a statement if you are gonna
Phase - Meh, never my jam
Vibe - I should like/use this more
Vibrato - Skip. Don't even care

 

[NegativeEase]

Again - looking for a discussion on least to most "swirly"

but you can adjust the rate, depth, and mix of each effect for the intensity of it's sound on your tone -so I guess I'm a little behind on what is most swirly really -as I can make any of those effects more swirly that any other with the controls..

I guess I'm not following.

 

[Aceman]

but you can adjust the rate, depth, and mix of each effect for the intensity of it's sound on your tone -so I guess I'm a little behind on what is most swirly really -as I can make any of those effects more swirly that any other with the controls..

I guess I'm not following.

The overall most radically tone/sound changing

 

[Drak]

The most swirly, for me, is being in a small/medium-sized room with a real Leslie.
I've never experienced any other kind of swirl that can do 'that'.

Then (pedal-wise) Vibe, Trem, Phaser.
Vibe I only ever use at really slow speeds, phaser usually also slow, but a bit faster than vibe.
Trem is the only option I might use at a medium or faster speed that you might call 'swirly'.
None of the rest I really associate with swirly, although others certainly do.

 

[NegativeEase]

The overall most radically tone/sound changing

Well, an optical style tremelo can cut up your tone in a dramatic percussive way that no amount of phaser or flange can.

 

[beaubrummels]

You know, never thought of it that way, but that's a deep concept. A Whammy pedal, or even a wah - is a manually modulated EQ pedal.


OOOOH - OOOOOH - OOOOH. Pedal idea!!!!!!

A pedal, like a Wah, that could be set for Phase, Chorus, Flange or Tremolo where you could select to vary either the depth, rate or level of the effect!!!!

So image setting it to Chorus and then manipulating
- The level to fade the chorus into or out of a clean arpeggio, or into a section of a lead
- The depth to thicken a portion of a lead that was chorussed, or to reduce the depth when switching from clean to distorted
- the rate to add intensity to an arpeggio as the the notes went from 8ths to 16ths, or increase the rate during a solo and slow back down during rhythm.

You saw it here first {now waits for brilliant idea to be crushed with an example of this already out there....)

Consider how you could work phase, Flange etc. There are already terms that can do this sort of thing for rate.

You sound a bit like like Tom Scholz, but less Scholtzy

Drak had an excellent call on the Leslie. That is classic and should be on the list.

 

[GuitarStv]

oooh - forgot Ring Modulator!

Ring modulation is the most extreme . . . to the point of being unplayable unless it's heavily mixed with a dry signal, or set to run as a tremolo.

 

[Aceman]

Agreed - ring Mod is very very extreme. But awesome when ran right....but it isn't an everyday thing!

 

[PFDarkside]

I remember the first time I heard Paranoid in stereo, I got this vision of Iommi’s amp in the right channel just smoldering away during the solo...

 

[Demanic]

Can ring modulation be controlled by an expression pedal?

 

[PFDarkside]

Can ring modulation be controlled by an expression pedal?

If you have the right ring mod?

I’ve got an old big box Frequency Analyzer beast. It rarely sees the light of day.