Effect switching on (or about) the first album

[vh junkie]

I guess I am hoping Bill and Phil will chime in here... but everyone feel free!

The thing that is bugging me revolves around the secret pedal, and where it appears on the first album songs. I'm sure all of this has been hashed over again and again, but this place could use a little juice so here it is...

I have been playing thru several setups and I keep seeing where that little extra is needed:

1) Atomic punk: The intro and the solo
The phaser is on the the whole time, right? The secret sauce seems to really help on the intro and the solo.

2) I'm the One: Feels right in the solo, but could also be used in part(s) of the intro.

I guess I am wondering, if any one else has heard the same thing.
The other thing that occurs to me is that there are time when it would be easiest if the phase and secret pedal could both be turned on with one switch?

[Mr.Farva]

Have a listen to these.

https://soundcloud.com/mr-farva/the-atomic-punk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

https://soundcloud.com/mr-farva/im-not-the-one" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[mr.twistyneck]

micro amp, or graphic eq, or a Throbak Overdrive Boost, or an EP3 boost, or a Uni-Drive will get you some sick tones reminiscent of the 1st album.

http://www.twistyneck.net/twangedband08 ... twisty.mp3 Throbak OD and 6 band EQ

http://www.twistyneck.net/twistyOF08141 ... eqverb.mp3 same setup, recorded a little too hot

there are threads on both of these:
http://forum.metroamp.com/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=39630" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; I'm The One

http://forum.metroamp.com/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=39657" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; On Fire

all with some additional EQ and verb in Post. I think Ted and Don were the actual secret pedals

I thought the TOD+6band was awesome. I landed a Uni-drive and it was just sick (and i suck, b/c I said I'd do sound clips and never did). currently, i have a newer micro-amp that i stomp on when i have to do solos or eruption or whatever live, and that gets the extra hair needed. between these three setups, it's just the minor differences in hair - but the uni-drive is just stupid over the top.

I also have a Doomi-drive (clone of a uni-drive) but got discouraged trying to dial it in and stuck it in a drawer. i have an MXR ten band as well, but it is extremely farty and it's been shelved as well.

anyway, if it sounds good, it is good. have fun!

[Tone Slinger]

A tube screamer type pedal also can do it,but you keep the drive very low and kickup the level. A Boss Ge-7 is the bomb though, cause it lets you set the sliders to unity and only use the level slider for a gain boost. It is tight sounding and doesnt 'impart fart' like LOADS of other pedals. You keep the articulation on the muted pedal tones like in 'I'm The One' etc. The Tube Screamer also does that, but maybe to a fault (lo/hi band pass filter).

[vh junkie]

Thanks Twisty for reminding me about those threads! The CSOD or TOD are what I am talking about for certain parts (phaser, flanger, leads) it just brings out the best in the sound. The trick, in my mind, is to adjust the thing until you cannot tell any difference when it is engaged; THEN make slight adjustments to the gain and tone controls to give that little added something.
Doesn't always sound good though... don't like it for the intro to ATBL, for instance. So if it was used, I think it needed a way to be turned off, so it can't be hard-wired in one of the "other" boxes in the setup.

[rgorke]

A tube screamer type pedal also can do it,but you keep the drive very low and kickup the level. A Boss Ge-7 is the bomb though, cause it lets you set the sliders to unity and only use the level slider for a gain boost. It is tight sounding and doesnt 'impart fart' like LOADS of other pedals. You keep the articulation on the muted pedal tones like in 'I'm The One' etc. The Tube Screamer also does that, but maybe to a fault (lo/hi band pass filter).

The thing with the GE-7 is that the frequencies are different than the MXR eq. Not much but just a little different. The GE-7 sounds good, but the MXR just something else....even with the hiss that my wife even asked about. I stopped playing and she asked, "what's that noise?"

[efraser68]

micro amp, or graphic eq, or a Throbak Overdrive Boost, or an EP3 boost, or a Uni-Drive will get you some sick tones reminiscent of the 1st album.

http://www.twistyneck.net/twangedband08 ... twisty.mp3 Throbak OD and 6 band EQ

http://www.twistyneck.net/twistyOF08141 ... eqverb.mp3 same setup, recorded a little too hot

there are threads on both of these:
http://forum.metroamp.com/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=39630" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; I'm The One

http://forum.metroamp.com/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=39657" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; On Fire

all with some additional EQ and verb in Post. I think Ted and Don were the actual secret pedals

I thought the TOD+6band was awesome. I landed a Uni-drive and it was just sick (and i suck, b/c I said I'd do sound clips and never did). currently, i have a newer micro-amp that i stomp on when i have to do solos or eruption or whatever live, and that gets the extra hair needed. between these three setups, it's just the minor differences in hair - but the uni-drive is just stupid over the top.

I also have a Doomi-drive (clone of a uni-drive) but got discouraged trying to dial it in and stuck it in a drawer. i have an MXR ten band as well, but it is extremely farty and it's been shelved as well.

anyway, if it sounds good, it is good. have fun!

Twisty ~ them clips is golden! Especially the Throwback + MXR

[jnew]

micro amp, or graphic eq, or a Throbak Overdrive Boost, or an EP3 boost, or a Uni-Drive will get you some sick tones reminiscent of the 1st album.

http://www.twistyneck.net/twangedband08 ... twisty.mp3 Throbak OD and 6 band EQ

http://www.twistyneck.net/twistyOF08141 ... eqverb.mp3 same setup, recorded a little too hot

there are threads on both of these:
http://forum.metroamp.com/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=39630" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; I'm The One

http://forum.metroamp.com/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=39657" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; On Fire

all with some additional EQ and verb in Post. I think Ted and Don were the actual secret pedals

I thought the TOD+6band was awesome. I landed a Uni-drive and it was just sick (and i suck, b/c I said I'd do sound clips and never did). currently, i have a newer micro-amp that i stomp on when i have to do solos or eruption or whatever live, and that gets the extra hair needed. between these three setups, it's just the minor differences in hair - but the uni-drive is just stupid over the top.

I also have a Doomi-drive (clone of a uni-drive) but got discouraged trying to dial it in and stuck it in a drawer. i have an MXR ten band as well, but it is extremely farty and it's been shelved as well.

anyway, if it sounds good, it is good. have fun!

Twisty ~ them clips is golden! Especially the Throwback + MXR

I'm with ya. Sounds good and the man can play.

[mr.twistyneck]

Thanks guys!

I think it is important to disclose that unless I went back through the threads and reviewed the pictures I took of the rig and settings (also shown here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3D355s60zrQ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;)... I wouldn't actually be able to tell you right now what the settings on the TOD and MXR 6 band were.

I forgot.

Does this sound familiar?

This is not an unusual occurrence. in 1988 I had the most killer thrash tone ever. I remember - kind of - what pedals I used, and I know for sure the guitar and the amp. But I couldn't tell you what each pedal's settings were or how I had the amp settings. Within 2 years of that, I had probably gone through a dozen or more major equipment "re-shuffles" - and sometimes I would have the forethought to write down signal paths and settings; most times I did not. To be fair, the lion's share of these rigs were nothing but fountains of bad tone - but every now and then I'll go back and listen to a tape and curse myself for not documenting whatever it was that I did. When I was 20, I didn't really think I'd live to be 44.

It isn't unthinkable that old Ed VH forgot a lot of stuff. Sometimes it is hard to believe because after the fact there is so much media that rehashes the same "isms" and "hear-tell", coupled with the fact that there is some marketing and patent savvy mixed in with the gaps of knowledge (intentional or otherwise).

So that's why I'm glad this board (and the PPBB before it, and to a certain extent TGP) is here - it's a place to archive notes and such, and share ideas, scoff at others, and watch tonal drama when it pops up.

[garbeaj]

micro amp, or graphic eq, or a Throbak Overdrive Boost, or an EP3 boost, or a Uni-Drive will get you some sick tones reminiscent of the 1st album.

http://www.twistyneck.net/twangedband08 ... twisty.mp3 Throbak OD and 6 band EQ

http://www.twistyneck.net/twistyOF08141 ... eqverb.mp3 same setup, recorded a little too hot

there are threads on both of these:
http://forum.metroamp.com/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=39630" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; I'm The One

http://forum.metroamp.com/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=39657" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; On Fire

all with some additional EQ and verb in Post. I think Ted and Don were the actual secret pedals

I thought the TOD+6band was awesome. I landed a Uni-drive and it was just sick (and i suck, b/c I said I'd do sound clips and never did). currently, i have a newer micro-amp that i stomp on when i have to do solos or eruption or whatever live, and that gets the extra hair needed. between these three setups, it's just the minor differences in hair - but the uni-drive is just stupid over the top.

I also have a Doomi-drive (clone of a uni-drive) but got discouraged trying to dial it in and stuck it in a drawer. i have an MXR ten band as well, but it is extremely farty and it's been shelved as well.

anyway, if it sounds good, it is good. have fun!

Goddamn...that sounded good. No joke. Sounds like you used a regular Fender tremolo on "ITO"...shit you keep it in tune better than me! What guitars did you use for these? Pickups? Amp?

[jnew]

[paulscape]

Ed must have absolutely loved the Boss GE10's when he first got them in Japan '78 and IMO that is one of the biggest changes in his setup between VH1 and afterwards. During VH1 recording he may have used the MXR 6 band - it was part of his rig during the club days and also their first tour (even if live photos show it unplugged). He wasn't randomly buying these things or tweaking them haphazardly - he was setting his frown curve on all his EQ's. He knew exactly what they did and how to apply them for gain, EQ and strengthening live cable signals. I remember someone recalling hearing the tapes of VH1 from sunset (was it MA?) and Ed's original tracking was quite hissy - and in addition he may have modded his MXR 6band too for less noise. After VH1 his tone was much cleaner and less noisey but still with his gain and EQ signature.

Ed changed pickups, guitars and even amps (live) often but only really changed EQ pedals once during CVH as far as I know between VH1 and VH2.

The Phase90 was important for giving his solos EQ dynamics but not gain...unless his phase90 was modded to help him as a solo boost or gain boost. He did mention he modded them but Im not sure exactly how and I think if it was you would hear it more prominently when he clicked it in.

Landee and Templeman did work their EQ and production magic but they weren't adding gain - it was mostly reverb dynamics, noise reduction and production of the band as a whole. Ed, his pedals and his marshalls almost always sounded good back in the day irrelevent of Warner Brothers studio engineering.

Ed's use of EQ pedals is often overlooked despite being integral to his early sound.

[mr.twistyneck]

Goddamn...that sounded good. No joke. Sounds like you used a regular Fender tremolo on "ITO"...shit you keep it in tune better than me! What guitars did you use for these? Pickups? Amp?

Thanks Garbeaj, just saw this. I used a Warmoth guitar I built 10+ years ago. it's an EVH clone. I can't remember the wood - probably alder - and the entire top is laminated plastic mother of toilet seat material - it was an option that Warmoth used to do. the trem on it was an older original FR that probably came off a donor Kramer, and it sits against the "wood"..or plastic would be a more appropriate description. the bridge pickup in that guitar is a Gibson with gold polepieces - something i picked out of the used pickup bin at the local consignment music store. I don't really know what it is. the amp is a 71 SL with pretty much a stock circuit, along with a HP and the pedals. by pretty much, i mean there are two mods on it that Todd at Nashville Amp Repair put in years ago to see if it would stop me from blowing up amps. one mod is a half power switch and the other is a limiter type switch, which if you kick them both in takes it down to about 30w output. I never used them and just leave them switched off.

[garbeaj]

Wow...that fooled my ears completely. Sounded so good I thought it was a standard Fender tremolo! Nice job!

[Santino]

Phase 90. It's not on all the time. I think there's bleed through. So it's off, but in line so it still lets a little phaser effect through. Or maybe it was added later and that's why it's very subtle at times. When he uses it in solos it's obvious. Yet barely there for some rhythm parts. It seems like its on all of I'm The One. Other than the intro /main riff it's hard to tell if it's on or off sometimes. Then leads it's definitely there. I swear sometimes mine sounds on and it's not. I don't have the old script logo to test my theory though. Anybody here got one?