By Tom Mulhern
Modulation effects can be used, overused, and abused. All approaches have their place, and can either add flavor or drown the listener in swirling, shifting sound. When we talk about modulation effects, we’re in the realm of phasing, flanging, chorusing, tremolo, and rotating-speaker effects (such as the Uni-Vibe and its many variations). Most are cool on their own, but when packed into a signal chain with other effects–especially other modulation effects–they can produce some surprisingly extreme timbres. I know that effects aren’t always cheap, but you can find some bargains, and each of the following scenarios works just as well with stomp boxes as with rack units. Mix ’em and match ’em.
Think of effects as building blocks. Other than remembering to always connect the output of one box with the input of the next, there are no laws or rules that you have to follow. Try as many combinations and orders as possible. And remember: If you don’t have something, use something else. These are just suggestions. You may come up with even better sounds (and I’m betting that you will!).
Phaser Attack! Using a phaser and a delay, you can set your guitar to Stun, and show your audience you mean it. Place the delay after the phaser and turn the phaser’s sweep rate up as high as it will go (okay, within limits–say, at the speed of fast gargling). Now add a long echo, at least a half-second, with some regeneration. Now give the guitar a quick whack. It should sound all warbly and then die away slowly. Great for a weird ending chord, it can also be used for weird solos, especially if you venture into the feedback zone with your amp (be careful–it’s easy to get out of control).
Stun Gun. Use a fuzz followed by a tremolo followed by a noise gate for this. Set your favorite distortion amount and tremolo speed. Go ahead and get extreme with the tremolo depth, if you want. Set the noise gate pretty high so that no sound bleeds through until you whack your axe.
Chorus Eruptus. This one requires at least a chorus and a delay with a feedback (regeneration or effects loop), and if you have two choruses, it’s better. Plug the chorus into the delay’s effects loop, and set the delay to to a long time that’s a multiple of the rhythm of the song. Add a fair amount of regeneration to the delay so that once it starts re-echoing your chorus, the sound gets progressively thicker. If you have a second chorus, add it before the delay and set it for a subtle sound.
Nosy Flanging. This one usually works better in your home studio than live, but you make the call. Split your guitar’s signal with a Y-cord, splitter box, etc. Send one signal right into your amp. Send the other signal into a graphic EQ or a wah-wah pedal plugged into a flanger. Plug that into the amp’s other channel (if they can operate simultaneously), another amp, or any other place you want to hear it. If you use a graphic EQ, turn down the lowest and highest bands, and leave mostly midrange, and maybe a little bit of highs. If you’re using a wah-wah, open it up big and bright. Your guitar will sound big and crunchy, but there will be a sharp, nosey edge mixed in. If you use both a graphic EQ and a wah, rock back and forth on the wah for emphasis.
Remember This: The diagrams show signal flow, not literal connections. Your input may be on the top or the right side of the box (or the rear, if it’s a rack-mountable), and your output on the left side, so just follow the signal flow of output of one box to input of the next. Got it? See you next time!