Using individual pedals LIVE

[champbassist]

At the very onset, let me say that I am a total newbie to the fx world and I have no live experience playing with them.
My question is this: how do I go about using individual pedals live? I know that there is stuff like MIDI pedal switchers, etc. but how do players using individual pedals adjust their settings live?
For example, in Steve Vai's live rig from 2007 he had 3 pedals hooked up to a little Fender combo on his live rig.
Again, on John Petrucci's rig from 2007-08 he had a bunch of pedals on his rack. Who adjusts the settings on these? Are multifx units the only solutions? (And switchers?)
Thanks!

 

[Step]

turning the knobs?

or am I missing something here..

 

[Bootzilla]

Maybe they don't adjust the settings? or they turn the knobs (or have someone do it for them).

 

[champbassist]

turning the knobs?

or am I missing something here..

So just no solutions at all. I WILL have to turn the knobs after every song. So, does Joe Satriani have to bend and turn knobs all the time as well? Because with Chickenfoot he has no switchers, multis, nothing. Just a pedal board with individual pedals.

As I said I do not know of any possibilities.

 

[Step]

Either he does bend down and turns the knobs themselves, or he keeps them on the same setting for the whole performance, I can't imagine anything else...

 

[cheapbasslovin]

It's called the tapdance. Some guys use bypass loopers to group pedals or for easy access to all the switches as seen here (the multi color job in the middle):

Most just arrange the board so that you can reach all the switches, but there are a ton of methods of switching and control. I couldn't begin to go through them all (I'm pretty ignorant on how many of them work myself).

Edit::: I believe I misunderstood. I change my settings at the onset of almost every song I use effects on.

 

[megadan]

Generally most people set their pedals before hand to the sounds they like, then activate them live in only an on/off capacity.
Sometimes guitar players bend the time knob on their delay pedal with their foot/toes.
Some units have tap tempo.

 

[René_Julien]

I think you are too confused and therefore your question is confusing to us.


Mostly, most people who get an effect pedal find one favourite setting on it and just use that one setting all the time.
Some people go through the trouble of setting up a pedal before a certain song they are playing.

Or if you have one pedal, and you have 2 favourite but very different settings (with very different results obvious) you can get 2 of the same pedal on your pedalboard.


Multieffect modules have the advantage of a large numbers of presets.
But their disadvantage is that you have to program more and go through a lot of banks and patches while playing. (This is personal, I don't like it. I like seperate pedals and stomping on it when needed.)


The example you gave, the pro players... well, they have a lot of money and can afford such complex systems.
MIDI routers and switching systems and loopers. I am afraid that will be over your head at the moment since you are a newbie. (they are over my head too.)


The general use of single effect pedals when playing is: stomping ON .... stomping OFF.
Turning knobs is just setting up the pedal before you play.

Off course there are other solutions if that's what you want to do... tweaking a certain control in realtime.
That why expression pedals are for... if a certain effect unit has something to be expression controlled.

 

[Tusec]

Well, pedals kind of fall into two categories. There are general purpose pedals like overdrives and compressors that you tend to leave on all the time. Usually you find these pedals' sweet spot and don't change the settings much. Then there are special effect pedals like flangers or delays or whatever. You usually only use these at certain spots in certain songs and you have them set up in advance to give the sound you need. In neither case do you really have to twiddle the knobs on the fly. I would say that for 95% of pedal users, it's mostly set and forget.

 

[champbassist]

I think you are too confused and therefore your question is confusing to us.

Agreed. More than confused, it's that I just don't know. Where I come from, hardly anyone uses effects on a bass eek: I know). And NO guitar player uses individual pedals. Everybody uses multis. I just don't know how this stuff works.
So I don't know if there is anything that could be used to tweak pedal settings, etc.

Or if you have one pedal, and you have 2 favourite but very different settings (with very different results obvious) you can get 2 of the same pedal on your pedalboard.

But TEH MONEYZZ?

And I'd like to thank you René for suggesting the CE-5 to me in a previous thread. It's great!

 

[René_Julien]

Agreed. More than confused, it's that I just don't know. Where I come from, hardly anyone uses effects on a bass eek: I know). And NO guitar player uses individual pedals. Everybody uses multis. I just don't know how this stuff works.
So I just don't know if there is anything that could be used to tweak pedal settings, etc.



But TEH MONEYZZ?

And I'd like to thank you René for suggesting the CE-5 to me in a previous thread. It's great!

... great that you like the CE-5. I love it too. (I don't use it live though but that is just personal.)

Now, lets take for example the CE-5.
Let's say you have found a great setting at high speed rate you can use on a lot of songs.
Suppose you like a certain setting on it with a slow rate chorus for several other songs.
Then in the long run it might be wise toget a second CE-5 next to your other one, both at different settings.
You just have to remember for which song you have to stomp which CE-5 one.

Or you can go to the trouble of tweaking it before each song comes up if you only have one.

Me personally... if for example I have 10 songs where the CE-5 needs to be in setting A and 6 songs where it needs to be in setting B I would get two of these pedals and not bother with bending over to tweak the pedal.

It's a comfort issue.

Tusec explained it very clear a few posts above: set and forget.

Like driving a car... you check your tire pressure and adjusts your mirrors before you go driving... you don't do these things while you are driving.
(Although I drive a Mercedes Benz which electricly controls the mirrors and has a readout of the tire pressure while driving. )


I'm in a similar dillema right now.
I have an EHX Memory Boy.
Which is delay and modulation.
I am considering getting a second one and put them both on my pedalboard.
One set up as modulation (vibrato) and the other set up as delay.

You basicly do what you want, as lons as budget allows it.

 

[bigchiefbc]

I have all singles, and I DO change settings here and there from song to song. Yes, by bending down and turning a knob. I change my LS-2 back and forth between A <-> Bypass mode and A+B Mix <-> bypass mode. I change modes on my Behringer BSY. I even change between two places on the range knob of my 440 filter (mid-song! )

Basically, it might not look pretty to bend down and wiggle a knob every now and then, but to me its worth it. Because I've never been happy with the tones I got out of a multi.

EDIT: I will add, however, that soundguys will get REAL nervous if they see you fiddling with knobs up on stage. That's why I always let them know ahead of time that I will be changing settings on my effects between songs, but I always promise not to touch the levels

 

[The Lurker]

I think you are too confused and therefore your question is confusing to us.


Mostly, most people who get an effect pedal find one favourite setting on it and just use that one setting all the time.
Some people go through the trouble of setting up a pedal before a certain song they are playing.

Or if you have one pedal, and you have 2 favourite but very different settings (with very different results obvious) you can get 2 of the same pedal on your pedalboard.


Multieffect modules have the advantage of a large numbers of presets.
But their disadvantage is that you have to program more and go through a lot of banks and patches while playing. (This is personal, I don't like it. I like seperate pedals and stomping on it when needed.)


The example you gave, the pro players... well, they have a lot of money and can afford such complex systems.
MIDI routers and switching systems and loopers. I am afraid that will be over your head at the moment since you are a newbie. (they are over my head too.)


The general use of single effect pedals when playing is: stomping ON .... stomping OFF.
Turning knobs is just setting up the pedal before you play.

Off course there are other solutions if that's what you want to do... tweaking a certain control in realtime.
That why expression pedals are for... if a certain effect unit has something to be expression controlled.

+1, unless of course it's something like a wah.

Loopers are easy.

MIDI is not easy.

Pete Cornish-style stuff used to be the beez neez back in the 70s and 80s, but not many people bother anymore.

 

[champbassist]

EDIT: I will add, however, that soundguys will get REAL nervous if they see you fiddling with knobs up on stage. That's why I always let them know ahead of time that I will be changing settings on my effects between songs, but I always promise not to touch the levels

Uh oh. Sounds ominous. Soundguys here in India are a bassist's worst nightmare. They KILL the bass. And if that's the situation in the States lord knows what they'll do here.

 

[thehangingmist]

well i bust open my pedal board ans make the sound guy's job hell! just kidding
to answer your questions: i hardly ever change any settings on my pedals in middle of a set. never had the need. but then i dont think i ever use or need an effect for too many songs which ask for a different setting for the same effct ya know. like my most used "effects" are my fuzz and wah and they stay with the settings i like forever.
and some sound guy's here in India are really good and give bass players a lot of sonic space

this is my board now, i got rid of some stuff
Link Removed

 

[grygrx]

I will say, there is nothing I hate more at a live show then some fool bending over and twiddling constantly.

 

[René_Julien]

I will say, there is nothing I hate more at a live show then some fool bending over and twiddling constantly.

I play with a fool who does twiddling standing upright.








The keyboardplayer.