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"Backwards" effect?




Hi there, I'm looking for a (preferably cheap) pedal that can a imitate a backwards recorded instrument (like Mick Karn's bass in the above track) in a live setting. Can anything come close to this?
Thanks in advance!

Sounds like a fretless and volume pedal if I were actually trying to play it live. Maybe two fretless bass players since the bass is featured as the main instrument...in good headphones there's a right to left echo too..actually moves around left to right too. Interesting piece.
 
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*googles* For $400+? Ouch!
image.jpeg

I built the BYOC clone. Pretty easy build and the kit is $75. Sounds and works great.
 
I've really got to check out more of Mick Karn's work. I know that if you're a Percy Jones fan, which I am a huge one, he's a highly recommended listen. To my ears the main element of this sound is based on the fact that it's a fretless bass. Everything else is like spicing on food. But without the bedrock basis of the fretless essence you could not truly achieve this particular sound. That's also not saying that the effects aren't a big part of it too.
 
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Thanks for all the suggestions, folks! I've googled a number of them and listened to samples.

The Danelectro one that someone mentioned, the Back Talk, sounds *awesome*... but, $300...

I might check out the clones of the Boss pedal mentioned, the Behringer or Mooer ones. I own a volume pedal, but I haven't been able to do a convincing "backwards" sound with it...

A reverse delay does sound better, to me, but I need to listen to more samples and maybe check a few out in the store.

I'm not looking to cover the piece I linked to in the OP, BTW--it's just an example of the tone I'm looking for. (That song is from 1984, so I doubt that's a reverse delay... I really think that's recorded backwards.) But I do play fretless, so at least I've got that part taken care of.


(Side note: that album is the one that made me pick up the bass to begin with--fretless, of course. I was in my mid-teens and a friend played that album to me, and my jaw hit the floor as they say. "What on earth is that sound? Is that a... bass guitar? How does he make it sound like that?" I bought my first bass, a cheap used P bass with the frets removed, not long after that.)
 
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Aside from the Boss Slow Gear, BYOC's clone Lazy Sprocket you could try to find an old DOD FX-15. Works quite differently than the Slow Gear (and related clones thereof).

Here's some related pedalia that does the reverse or similar thang...

Wow, some new ones (Walrus & Dano) to add to the list I've been compiling... The list continues to swell...

SWELL PEDALS

Boss Slow Gear

Boss PS-3/RPS-10

BYOC Lazy Sprocket, clone of Slow Gear

DOD FX-15:: Doesn't react to playing, but hit the switch to fade-in – more like manually manipulated fade-in on demand

Behringer SM200 Slow Motion

Line6 DL-4 Auto-volume delay (volume swell with delay-repeats added

Line6 Echo Park’s Swell option

Line6 M-series

Guyatone SV2 Slow Volume

Guyatone SV-M5Mighty Micro

Johnson J-Station

DigiTech GNX4

Pigtronix Attack-Sustain

Pigtronix Philosopher King

VFE Bumblebee

Zoom G2

Chicago Iron Parachute Wah

EHX Microsynth’s attack delay control

Malekko A.D. (attack decay)

Prescription Electronics Experience

Digitech DHP-66/Studio 5000

Digitech XP300 Space Station

Digitech RP200A

GATOR PAiA

Walrus Descent

Danelectro Back Talk


DIY Info at

BYOC

General Guitar Gadgets schematic, pcb layouts

SabroTone vero layout


I'm sure I'll find others if I keep digging...


PS: Any DIY stuff should still be considered, you can always get somebody else to do the soldering for you. Ex: BYOC Lazy Sprocket can be had from Axe and You Shall Receive.
 
Aside from the Boss Slow Gear, BYOC's clone Lazy Sprocket you could try to find an old DOD FX-15. Works quite differently than the Slow Gear (and related clones thereof).

Here's some related pedalia that does the reverse or similar thang...

Wow, some new ones (Walrus & Dano) to add to the list I've been compiling... The list continues to swell...

SWELL PEDALS

Boss Slow Gear

Boss PS-3/RPS-10

BYOC Lazy Sprocket, clone of Slow Gear

DOD FX-15:: Doesn't react to playing, but hit the switch to fade-in – more like manually manipulated fade-in on demand

Behringer SM200 Slow Motion

Line6 DL-4 Auto-volume delay (volume swell with delay-repeats added

Line6 Echo Park’s Swell option

Line6 M-series

Guyatone SV2 Slow Volume

Guyatone SV-M5Mighty Micro

Johnson J-Station

DigiTech GNX4

Pigtronix Attack-Sustain

Pigtronix Philosopher King

VFE Bumblebee

Zoom G2

Chicago Iron Parachute Wah

EHX Microsynth’s attack delay control

Malekko A.D. (attack decay)

Prescription Electronics Experience

Digitech DHP-66/Studio 5000

Digitech XP300 Space Station

Digitech RP200A

GATOR PAiA

Walrus Descent

Danelectro Back Talk


DIY Info at

BYOC

General Guitar Gadgets schematic, pcb layouts

SabroTone vero layout


I'm sure I'll find others if I keep digging...


PS: Any DIY stuff should still be considered, you can always get somebody else to do the soldering for you. Ex: BYOC Lazy Sprocket can be had from Axe and You Shall Receive.

Add Malekko Sneak Attack to that list ;).

IME, the most "reverse" sounding swell I've tried is the Sneak Attack, but it's decay is limiting sustained notes.

The next best, or best in the original list is the VFE Bumble Bee. The others can do it, but the BB has a very tweak-able trigger that really helps you very exactingly cut of the attack, while not re triggering at the end when you add the "fake" note start.

In the OP song I'm now hearing both reversed parts and swell parts. Given the year it was made it could be recording tricks or a rack device doing the reverse. I hear parts that have the attack reversed and parts where swell and technique make it sound backward. The joys of fretless as well, being able to start a note quiet and make it bloom as you slide.
 
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