Electro Harmonix Pedals do "Dark side of the Moon"

baranger1 · Joined: Apr 12, 2008 Posts: 76 Location: Chicago

Electro Harmonix Pedals do "Dark side of the Moon"

Hi everybody.
I posted a second "Effectology" clip on the EHX blog.
This time I had a ball making the guitar and pedals emulate the classic EMS Synth from the Pink Floyd song "On the Run".

The EMS synthesizer has always been a favorite of mine and now I have a version of it right at my feet!

Clip is here:
http://www.ehx.com/blog/effectology-dark-side-of-the-moon

The "how to" and pictures are here:
http://www.ehx.com/forums/viewthread/1208

Thanks for listening.
Bill Ruppert

BobTheDog · Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2009 1:37 pm Post subject:

Hi Bill,

I am having problems with those links in Safari 4, I just see nothing!

Cheers

Andy

BobTheDog · Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2009 1:41 pm Post subject:

After a few retries the audio is playing.

You have surpassed yourself with this one, absolute quality.

Andy

baranger1 · Joined: Apr 12, 2008 Posts: 76 Location: Chicago

Thank you Andy!

Bill

a100user · Joined: Oct 28, 2003 Posts: 158 Location: UK

That is so cool.

Still want a EMS AKS though Wink

GovernorSilver · Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 3:18 pm Post subject:

I must agree, this is the most impressive demo I've heard from you yet. Amazing!

baranger1 · Joined: Apr 12, 2008 Posts: 76 Location: Chicago

Thanks Gov!
Hey what have you been up to?

Andy whats up with the pitch shifting experiments?

Bill

GovernorSilver · Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 2:43 pm Post subject:

Hey Bill, I've been playing my Moog Voyager and cello a lot more than guitar lately. I just got back from New Directions Cello Festival 2009 and it was quite inspiring.

As far as pitch shifting goes, I haven't fooled with it much aside from standard usage of VG-99 tunings. I gave up on trying to make it work with my RMC'd electric cello a while ago. The HOG works so much better with the cello. I'll probably get a StringPort and whip up a Max patch to round pitch values played on the cello to nearest MIDI Note Number. As you know, Roland's implementation interprets pitch on fretless instruments as MIDI Note Number plus MIDI Pitch Bend, so that it is possible to trigger, for example, Ab on your receiving synth when your stopping finger is actually much closer to A. I am particularly interested in exploring the KARMA functionality on my Korg M3, which processes MIDI input. I realize the guys in the band Animal Collective already beat me to the MIDI guitar->M3 KARMA idea, but I still want to fool around with it. Along similar lines, I want to try some things with Numerology, which can also receive MIDI input.

I may eventually transition the VG out of my setup, but it will take time to accumulate the gear to replace it:

Min. one good overdrive
Min. one good fuzz
Delay unit
Reverb unit

Then again, I may also just turn to a 100% software solution for amp modeling, effects, etc. Probably a 2nd laptop to run it all.

I still think the VG is a great unit, but I'm becoming more and more of a cellist and it doesn't work well with cello.

BobTheDog · Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2009 9:00 am Post subject:

GovernorSilver · Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2009 3:57 pm Post subject:

Whoops i didn't realize the question was posed to Andy. Embarassed

I'll probably piggy back off of Andy's discoveries as well as whatever Bill has to share. Cool

baranger1 · Joined: Apr 12, 2008 Posts: 76 Location: Chicago

Hey guys,
Wow you two are doing cool things!!
I wish we had a lab we could hang out at:-)

Gov the Cello is fantastic,
I would love to hear it effected.
Its a like a baritone guitar you can bow!
I can only imagine the possibilities.

Andy you are in new waters my friend.
I would love to hear more sounds from you!
How are you getting on with the latency?
That would be the down side for me.

Gov,I am using a EHX English Muffn right now for all my overdrive stuff.
Into a clean amp or clean amp sim like the VG-99 it is amazing.
It sports 2 12ax7 tubes run at 300 volts.
Best transparent od I ever owned.
From clean to Hiwatt to Marshall 50.I was shocked first time I heard it.
Check it out.
They are found used on Ebay for $125 or so.
Not meant to be an ad ,I just am crazy about mine and I bought it!

Bill

BobTheDog · Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 11:14 pm Post subject:

GovernorSilver · Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 8:33 pm Post subject:

The Sitar model on the VG-99 is the one model I recall sounding pretty good with my electric cello. Todd Keehn, the luthier, used an RMC pickup system, which makes it pretty convenient to plug the e-cello into polyphonic processing gear. I'll see about recording a demo of the cello with VG-99. Sad to say, but events in Iran are inspiring me to draw upon some of my Persian classical music background, meager as it is. The cello with its absence of frets is ideal for this music, with its microtones and such.

I went to bowed strings by way of fretless guitar. The viola seemed like a good passport into the world of community orchestra (violists always in demand) so I used that instrument to get some education in classical music, sight-reading, etc. Then I took up cello, which is more versatile in some ways - one can play a wider variety of chords, bass lines, and of course lead lines. The bow allows the player to summon the equivalent of sustained feedback tones with certain harmonics emphasized at any time, without need for a cranked amp. On the other hand the bow is much harder to learn to operate in a predictable manner than picks and fingers.

As far as dirt pedals go, I'm about to order a Fuzzhugger AB-Synth. The wild oscillation is a good fit for our band. I couldn't figure out how to get a sound like it in the VG-99 and at the price the maker is asking, I figured it was cheaper, in terms of time, to just get the pedal than spend more hours on the VG-99. Further on the horizon, I'm thinking of the Rock Block, which is a 1-watt tube amp in a pedal with both a speaker out and a line out, separate level knobs for each, etc.

baranger1 · Joined: Apr 12, 2008 Posts: 76 Location: Chicago

Gov.
You already have it all!
Buy this:
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103712&numProdsPerPage=60&y=6&x=10&retainProdsInSession=1
$5.00

Plug the adapter it into your VG99 mag input.
Plug your guitar into one and the output of one channel into the other.
Stay in mono and adjust the output of the channel going back into the input as the feed back control
The other output channel is your main out.
Its the same thing as the feedback pedals.
(I never told anyone this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Bill Ruppert

GovernorSilver · Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2009 12:46 pm Post subject:

I ordered the Fuzzhugger, but I'm going to get that Radio Shack adapter anyway! Brilliant idea, Bill!

I'm also going to pick up a dummy plug, as you demonstrated with the 'copter sounds.

baranger1 · Joined: Apr 12, 2008 Posts: 76 Location: Chicago

Gov I checked out the Fuzz Hugger and you can not go wrong!
Looks like a blast.
I almost bought one ....well I might:-)
The dual jack I showed you will allow you to feedback ANYTHING.

Let us know how you like the Fuzz unit.
I bet you get unreal stuff with the cello.

Bill

GovernorSilver · Posted: Wed Jul 01, 2009 2:06 pm Post subject:

Sure thing, Bill! Will definitely post a report and hopefully a recording.

This demo helped sell me on the Fuzzhugger:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAskWMf5Rp0

A lot of these boutique oscillating fuzzes seem to go for $200 or more. The AB Synth's price was one thing that caught my attention - I paid $139 for mine ($129 for basic fuzz plus Bass Mod and Bass Mod toggle). The other thing was Bobby's clear demonstration of the musical playability of the oscillation mode, how it can be controlled entirely by the player's manipulation of the guitar knobs and general guitar playing.

I've briefly fooled with my e-cello running through the VG-99's overdriven amp models and a couple of pedal models. I've no doubt it'll be something else through this unique real fuzz pedal.

I better get around to recording my e-cello with the sitar model on the VG, while I still have it.