Favorite Modulation Effect?

[TSJMajesty]

Def chorus! Clean for sure, and a touch in the right context with distortion, like a full barre, sus2 chord!!

Loved chorus the first time I heard a Boss CE2, and the ADA MP-1 had a stereo chorus built in that was so good!

But like anything else that you really love the sound of, ya gotta be careful not to overdo, or over-use, it.

 

[Achilles]

But like anything else that you really love the sound of, ya gotta be careful not to overdo, or over-use, it.

Soooo much terrible chorus stuff in the 80s. The Edge had everyone overusing dotted 8th delays
and Andy Summers did the same for chorus.

 

[FuzzyAce]

Soooo much terrible chorus stuff in the 80s. The Edge had everyone overusing dotted 8th delays
and Andy Summers did the same for chorus.

Back in the 90's I used one of those Marshall Valvestate combos for a time, I think it was the 8280. Mainly used it as a clean platform for wah and phaser and would only use the chorus as a boost/flavor for leads.
It had a great stereo chorus sound though.

 

[Sidler72]

I always thought that Pat Travers had a cool dirty sound with flanger/chorus.

 

[BahamaDada]

Clean: HEAVY chorus. I love it. I think it sucks for distortion.

As of effects nothing beats a Roland Jazz Chorus itself. The Boss Dimension is also nice

Distorted: LIGHT Phaser. No Phase90. Don't like that.

 

[2112]

Pre-gain - Past-Fx Elastic Mattress or a Univibe
Post-gain - Stereo Pitch Detune, Dimension Chorus or both

 

[dronerstone]

Favorite: my Stereo Poly Chorus RI from the late 90's

But it's huge and wacky and old and wants 24V, so it's not on the board.

 

[Stone]

Like them all and depends what is required, but i do love the lush sound of a Chorus for cleans or Pitch Detune for OD

 

[yek]

Rotary.

Dimension 2 chorus (Fractal) with very low mix.

 

[TJontheRoad]

No love for ring modulation? When you want weird, except no substitutes.

 

[yek]

I always thought that Pat Travers had a cool dirty sound with flanger/chorus.

+1

I don't care for a lot of the 80s hard rock cliche bands, but Pat Travers was cool. Esp. parts of the Black Pearl album. Master of the Wah too.
Like a heavier version of Rory Gallagher.

 

[dronerstone]

No love for ring modulation? When you want weird, except no substitutes.

I never "learned" ring mod.

What the secret to getting good sounds out of them - do you tune the pitch to taste?

Bought a really old vintage EHX Frequency Analyzer (with Ram's Head logo!) a few years ago, for 30€ at a pawn shop, because they didn't know what they had.

Didn't like it at all, and sold it on to a collector for a pretty good price that made both sides happy.

 

[TJontheRoad]

I never "learned" ring mod.

What the secret to getting good sounds out of them - do you tune the pitch to taste?

Bought a really old vintage EHX Frequency Analyzer (with Ram's Head logo!) a few years ago, for 30€ at a pawn shop, because they didn't know what they had.

Didn't like it at all, and sold it on to a collector for a pretty good price that made both sides happy.

Lots of different sounds can be made. From tremolo to metal grinding effects. Typically just a little wet in the mix is best. Too much is often too crazy and that's where ring mod gets a bad rap. Fixed pitch is good for tremolo. Variable pitch tracking for leads and riffs.

Ring mod isn't instant love. I used to hate it. But over time, I've experimented with it and found many sweet spots. It can sound especially glorious in stereo applications.

 

[FuzzyAce]

No love for ring modulation? When you want weird, except no substitutes.

I've never used it in a live, pedal board setup (even though I have the sound in a BitQuest). But I have used it in post as a subtle effect in a mix. It's a very interesting effect that can do a lot of things when you start tweaking.

 

[Achilles]

I've never used it in a live, pedal board setup (even though I have the sound in a BitQuest). But I have used it in post as a subtle effect in a mix. It's a very interesting effect that can do a lot of things when you start tweaking.

Alan Morse from Spock's Beard uses one all the time. Check him out sometime.

 

[FuzzyAce]

Alan Morse from Spock's Beard uses one all the time. Check him out sometime.

Been a minute since I listened to them, thanks for the reminder.

 

[Achilles]

@FuzzyAce

 

[dbagchee]

Phaser into dirt is my home base for modulation. I like it more subtle than whooshy. I love Univibe for the same reason.

 

[bikescene]

I am a phaser and vibe fan.

4 stage phasing is the sweet spot for me. Small Stone phasing on cleans is my favorite. I want to eventually get a Phase 90 for VH and a Boss PH-2 (more stages) for Incubus distorted phasing.

The Behringer VB-2 clone has held up as my main vibrato pedal. Also have a Danelectro Chicken Salad for budget univibe sounds to pair with strats.

The Small Clone is good enough for chorus when I want to reach for it.

 

[dronerstone]

Lots of different sounds can be made. From tremolo to metal grinding effects. Typically just a little wet in the mix is best. Too much is often too crazy and that's where ring mod gets a bad rap. Fixed pitch is good for tremolo. Variable pitch tracking for leads and riffs.

Ring mod isn't instant love. I used to hate it. But over time, I've experimented with it and found many sweet spots. It can sound especially glorious in stereo applications.

Thanks TJ! I'll give it a spin.

Where would you place them in the signal chain if you were rather new to ring mods?