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pedals to create ambience
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SirMjac28
Patiently Waiting For The Next British Invasion
Not sure you'll be able to get much from fifty bucks, but reverb into a distortion (as opposed to the normal reverb after everything else) can create some really huge and interesting washes of sound.
delay & verb are the 2 biggies for "ambience".
not many good pedal options in that price range. Behringer, Joyo, EHX Nano, & maybe some used BBE.
for <$50 i'd look for an older used rack multi fx box.
not many good pedal options in that price range. Behringer, Joyo, EHX Nano, & maybe some used BBE.
for <$50 i'd look for an older used rack multi fx box.
A delay can do some mighty fine tricks if you're into that. I used to set is to a long delay with a fiftyfifty mix (or full volume if your delay has only that knob), and run a volumepedal before it. Close the volumepedal, pluck a note or chord or whathaveyou, and gradually swell the volume. The delay should hold the note while you close the volumepedal, pluck the next note and swell that in. Sounds dreamy and ethereal and spacewhaley and good. I used to do this with a distortion in front for a different flavour, but you can experiment with it.
Also, if you have an analog delay, you might be able to set it to infinite repeat and pluck a note, then mess around with the speed knob. It will sound like a record speeding up or slowing down and if you mess around with enough with that it can get to sound like what people in the fifties imagined space would sound like, if you catch my drift.
I'm not certain any delay will do for that last effect, i borrowed one from my guitarist and it didn't do this. The delay i'd use is an old digitech digidelay, on setting 4.
Also, if you have an analog delay, you might be able to set it to infinite repeat and pluck a note, then mess around with the speed knob. It will sound like a record speeding up or slowing down and if you mess around with enough with that it can get to sound like what people in the fifties imagined space would sound like, if you catch my drift.
I'm not certain any delay will do for that last effect, i borrowed one from my guitarist and it didn't do this. The delay i'd use is an old digitech digidelay, on setting 4.
Reverb is the ticket. Needs to be a good reverb though. The IE Nimbus does a swell job. The TC Hall of Fame...I was on the fence with it when I had it. It does some things well, but its easy to get the bass to sound like mud
+1 to delay and reverb being big effects for ambience.
I'll also add a couple suggestions: You might try a Boss PS-5, I've got one and it can do some neat tricks. I've also heard some super trippy stuff from the Boss PS-3. They're on the PS-6 now, so you'll have to find both of these on the used market. I suspect the PS-3 will be out of the $50 range, but it might be worth picking up regardless.
The second would be to see if you can find a decent used multi-effect. Since you won't be using it very much, a multi might have more to play with for the same price... reverb, delay, flanger, phaser, chorus, vibrato, maybe a ring modulator, maybe a drone (sitar) effect like my old Korg AX1B... all sorts of stuff to play around with.
Also, I'm not a fan of EHX pedals at all (topic for another discussion
), but one of my favorite sources for ambient sound ideas (although I don't really do a lot in practice) are the Invalid Link Removed videos. Man, the guy that does those videos is an effects savant... I can't even wrap my brain around some of that stuff. lol Maybe you can find some inspiration there too?
5sg.
I'll also add a couple suggestions: You might try a Boss PS-5, I've got one and it can do some neat tricks. I've also heard some super trippy stuff from the Boss PS-3. They're on the PS-6 now, so you'll have to find both of these on the used market. I suspect the PS-3 will be out of the $50 range, but it might be worth picking up regardless.
The second would be to see if you can find a decent used multi-effect. Since you won't be using it very much, a multi might have more to play with for the same price... reverb, delay, flanger, phaser, chorus, vibrato, maybe a ring modulator, maybe a drone (sitar) effect like my old Korg AX1B... all sorts of stuff to play around with.
Also, I'm not a fan of EHX pedals at all (topic for another discussion
), but one of my favorite sources for ambient sound ideas (although I don't really do a lot in practice) are the Invalid Link Removed videos. Man, the guy that does those videos is an effects savant... I can't even wrap my brain around some of that stuff. lol Maybe you can find some inspiration there too?5sg.
You can also take the reverb-delay combo to the next level of spacy-ness with a feedback looper, you may throw in a fuzz pedal too for extra awesome points
they do get a bad rap alot but i will say from honest experience that the reverb machine is good. also it tends to souns alot darker than other reverbs for example my RV-3.
if you want i can film a demo of it for you.
Unrepresented
Something Borderline Offensive
For nice feedbacky segues between songs I use a combination of delay and a nice sustain friendly dirt box.
