Tremelo with a Tap?

smo · #1 10-03-2010, 09:12 AM

Hi all - title says it all really;

I'm curious about tremelo's, 'specially ones that have a tap, like the Cusack Tap-A-Whirl, the new Diamond, the Empress, the Duncan SS etc etc.
I'm sure there's more - feel free to add

Anyone have experience with Tap tempo Tremelo's?
Thoughts?

bigchiefbc · #2 10-03-2010, 09:22 AM

The Boss FDR-1's tremolo can do tap tempo. Also, the Moog Bass Murf is much more than that, but also has a mode to do tremolo sounds, and you can tap the tempo with a separate footswitch.

Those are the two I've used, and I have to say that tap tempo is very handy for deep choppy tremolos, or anything that you want to sound beat-locked. If you're just doing a subtle bit of tremolo to give your line a little bit of color, then it probably doesn't matter. It really depends on the style of music and the intended use.

Robertron · #3 10-03-2010, 09:27 AM

The use of Tremolo in the intro to "Central Nervous Piston" by El Ten Eleven is a good example of how a Tremolo sync'd to the beat is very useful. Of course, you don't need a tap tempo to get your tremolo sync'd up, but it makes it WAYYY easier.

It's also good for changing the speed of your tremolo without having to stop playing and bend down and play with knobs, great for spontaneous jams with your buddies or just between songs for quick setup.

smo · #4 10-03-2010, 09:29 AM

Thanks mate.
I'm pretty much looking for one as adaptable as possible, and I love a good choppy trem. Murf is a little bigger than I have space for! :O
The trem I use currently isn't too easy to adjust whilst playing, so the tap, and brake features of the Cusack/Empress etc look pretty useful.

Here's another one I just stumbled on;
http://ironether.com/pedals/cygnet/
Is that a photo-eye in the middle?
Can you adjust the trem speed or multiplyer with that?

Robertron · #5 10-03-2010, 09:39 AM

No photo-eye, but you can ask for extra Expression pedal inputs to control the speed and/or multiplier with an expression pedal for each input. I've been considering it for my home modulation board.

bassbrad · #6 10-03-2010, 10:02 AM

AdrenaLinn III can tap tempo all it's effects including tremolo, delay, chorus, flange, vibrato

smo · #7 10-03-2010, 11:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robertron

No photo-eye,.....

Ha ha - yeah that's the LED.
I kinda assumed seeing as the footswitches were so far apart.
It *would* be cool to have a trem/mod/echo pedal with an eye to control things on the fly tho.

That adrenaline 3 is a bit more than I need, but cheers for the link.

Anyone have a Cusack or Eventide? What's the verdict?
Do they have any problem with a hot bass signal clipping the input?

behndy · #8 10-03-2010, 11:16 PM

Iron Ether Cygnet. get the expression pedal mod.

http://ironether.com/pedals/cygnet/

it's freaking PERFECT.

iualum · #9 10-04-2010, 05:29 AM

...the T-A-W is tremendous...I've experienced zero clipping...

...I may be able to help you here...PM if you'd like to talk...

behndy · #10 10-04-2010, 10:31 AM

man i'm a goof. i didn't even see that you'd mentined the IE Cygnet.

Taylor does AMAZING work. his Oxide is a BEAST. i'm waiting on a Xerograph from him also. i got my M9 off of my board because while awesome, i was using like 3 of it's effects. and the tremollo's were interesting. but Taylor put everything i could ever want from one in a little box. it's the same size/orientation as a 3 Leaf Groove Regulator I.

with the wave form selector, the VERY responsive depth knob and an expression pedal you can easily go from dreamy waves to super clean choppiness that you can play tricks with using the expression pedal on the multiplyer section.

i've used a few (always liked the Earquaker Hummingbird II, but no tap tempo) and seriously, Taylor got everything right. it's just perfect.

.... can you tell i like it?

Jared Lash · #11 10-04-2010, 10:53 AM

I absolutely loved my Empress when I had it - even bought the same one back after selling it once and the Diamond Trem is fantastic as well. I'm very curious to try out the IE Cygnet as well.

The Line6 M9/M13 can do tap tempo controls of pretty much all modulation including tremolo so that might be something to look into.

And two more (albeit expensive) options are the Moog Ring Mod with an MP-201 to control speed (fantastic trem sounds AND whacky noises!) or the Lightfoot Labs Goatkeeper which has very cool pattern trems.

smo · #12 10-05-2010, 08:52 AM

MMmmmmmm. Very interesting!

I have to admit, this is gonna be one very hard decision to make.

Has anyone ever owned more than one of either the Cygnet, TAW or Eventide?

The gOatkeeper looks amazing, but a little too elitist for me, and Moog just wouldn't fit on my board. Ta for the idea's tho ;D

Jared Lash · #13 10-05-2010, 09:09 AM

I've owned the TAW, Diamond and Empress and may be trying a Cygnet soon.

The only issues I had with the Cusack was (1) it has almost TOO many options and (2) the square wave didn't give a hard enough "chop" for my tastes/needs. But it's a phenomenal trem as are the Empress and Diamond and they all have a lot of common ground.

The main draw to me of the Cygnet (besides further supporting Taylor) is the mod for expression control of the multiplier.

scotch · #14 10-05-2010, 09:28 AM

Love my Empress. Big plus is that there is no audible 'thumping' sound when the pedal is on, but you aren't playing. Digitally controlled tempo, but all-analog signal. Sounds great and is very tweakable! All the way from hard chop - to subtle pulsing. 2-speed mode ramps up like a Leslie from slow to fast (with both tempos being adjustable). Plus, it has adjustable gain to compensate for the apparent loss of volume that trem's impart.

DreadRaver · #15 10-05-2010, 09:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jared Lash

The only issues I had with the Cusack was (1) it has almost TOO many options and (2) the square wave didn't give a hard enough "chop" for my tastes/needs.

Curious as to which version of TAW you had.

We do hear about the "too many options" from people, but then again when you limit the choices there's always someone who want to be able to tweak this or that.

We've got a brand new demo video that might help:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PY0pU...layer_embedded

I'll ask Jon (Cusack) about the square wave issue, seems to me you should be able to dial in a hard chop, but I'll see what he says.

Jared Lash · #16 10-05-2010, 10:06 AM

Mine was used so I'm not sure which version it was but I believe it was early. Black with yellow knobs. Part of the reason I sold it was that it was frustrating not to have an actual rate knob or level control, two things that have since been remedied.

The "too-many-options" comment is slightly tongue in cheek but the trem DOES have a lot going on. And unfortunately I think a lot of the subtleties of some of the wave forms (that make them sound so good on guitar) are lost on bass.

As for the hard chop, I like having a sound like the old Vox Repeat Percussion - which the Earthquake Hummingbird does or the "killswitch" like sound of the Diamond Tremolo. Even the Empress does a super hard chop. When I had the TAW the square wave sounded good but it just wasn't as "abrupt" sounding as the others I mentioned.

Swimming Bird · #17 10-05-2010, 10:33 AM

I occasionally use my eventide pitchfactor for tap trem and tap sequenced trem. You can midi beat sync. Also, in BPM mode you can use an expression pedal for multiplier similar to the Cygnet. I say similar because there are way more beat options, which can be somewhat problematic when trying to land on a specific one, say if you only want to use two or three at fairly different beat divisions.

You don't always have awesome control over the waveform, and it isn't intended as a trem, so it's not always user friendly for that purpose. I wouldn't get it just for trem sounds, but it can do lots of other things.

Edit: Thinking about it, I assume that the modfactor has a significantly more robust trem, but I've never tried it.

gastric · #18 10-05-2010, 10:40 AM

Consider the Line6 M9 if you also need delays, reverbs, etc. It can do beat synced to nearly all of the time based effects. And it's not much bigger than a couple large sized stomp boxes. Has a tuner. Even if you exclude all the useless effects in there, and there's a lot, it still has a lot to offer for the price.

Wud · #19 10-05-2010, 12:16 PM

I've got to say that the Iron Ether Cygnet will probably be my next pedal purchase.
Ticks all the boxes for me, in terms of sound, pedal size and features.

4Mal · #20 10-05-2010, 12:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gastric

Consider the Line6 M9 if you also need delays, reverbs, etc. It can do beat synced to nearly all of the time based effects. And it's not much bigger than a couple large sized stomp boxes. Has a tuner. Even if you exclude all the useless effects in there, and there's a lot, it still has a lot to offer for the price.

How is the noise floor and fidelity on the M9 ? Is is truly studio use worthy ?

I have the TAW 2.2 I loaned it to a country guitar buddy for some Baritone tracks he was cutting - he put it along side his Empress - now he's after a TAW v.3 as he wants the presets - and the Empress is soon to be history.

One thing the TAW has in spades is fidelity and a very, very low noise floor - both are super important for my uses.

(I near to sold mine in gear lust for a U5. In the end, it was my UBass tha tfunded the U5. I'm happy to have the TAW still on my board. With my Dano Baritone or my Tele and a little bit of grit -The Tele has a P90 in the neck position - and those guitars and the TAW are just soooo swampy ...)