Re: Re: More flexible electronic music setup

[Rick Walker <looppool@cruzio.com>]

On 5/23/12 11:11 PM, Johannes Korn wrote:
> Rat doesn't work too well for use with a synthesizer (your mileage may 
> vary). I love to use a Big Muff for that.
I second this recommendation and also concur with Matt about his 
Digitech DF-7 Distortion
Factory.

In the distortion world for guitarists, there are many fantastic 
solutions for fuzz, distortion, overdrives
and feedback pedals and I think most serious guitarists would probably 
look down their
respective noses at the few muti-distortion pedals that feature digital 
models of famous distortion
boxes (Ibanez Tube Screamer, EH Big Muff, Pro Co Rat, Dunlop Fuzz Face, 
etc.)
but Digitech and Boss's two distortion modellers are particularly 
effective for
use on keyboard sounds, precisely because they have a huge variety of 
sounds.

I have all the famous historical distortions and fuzzes in my collection 
and can say that the digital models
are not perfect, but I far prefer them when I am effecting human voice,  
any kind of mic-ed acoustic
sounds or keyboard sounds for their sheer versatility.

The Digitech DF-7 even has all of it's models arranged from the most low 
midrangey sounding to the most
trebly sounding so you can use the model switcher to do very hip sweeps 
of distortion from mid to highs
with a very cool little discreet square wave of silence thrown in 
between each sound for glitch-tastic fun.


And, as Johannes points out,  some of these distortion stomp box pedals 
actually don't sound good
on keyboards (notably the Pro Co Rat which is a wonderful distortion 
pedal for guitar).

Finally,  the best distortion sounds I've ever heard was at a recent 
Wire concert.   His sound design was
just amazing and extremely varied throughout the night.

I went up to check out his rack of pricey botique pedals and was 
astonished to see a
Line 6 XL multi effects pedal board as his ONLY effects.

He just go in there with his digital distortions and customized the crap 
out of them.
It sounded amazing.     So,   use your ears with whatever you end up 
using and you'll find
some good stuff in most pedals.

Rick Walker