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Looking for Reverby-Twinkly


alanfc

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hey everyone, this tone is escaping me---

 

a clean tone, sparkly, reverby, with delay, single coil, dare I say TWINKLY

 

remember the very end of the Miami Vice theme song ? Like THAT !. I bet that's probably Msr. Hammer on the synth, but I want that. I've come close with my bridge & neck pickup combined, along with a little delay..... but the reverb on my amp isn't capturing it. Plus I don't want to go to my amp every time during a gig and fiddle with ANY knobs. I think I'll need a reverb pedal for this- do you think so?

 

I'll try to think of some more examples. I hope I don't need to buy a Chorus pedal too. Either way , if anyone knows what the heck I'm talking about, could you please share any tips you may have?

 

thanks alot

-Alan

Rivera + Fender Strat
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Well, maybe a phase-switch, that is, a switch to literally reverse the phase of one of the pickups, maybe that would do what you want, more or less; though that can sound kinda brittle, too.

 

I absolutely love the sound of all three single-coils on simultaneously in parallel (in phase); very lush and shimmery and sparkly; clucky, not quacky.

 

If you do try a chorus pedal out, try the T.C. Electronics Chorus/Flanger + Pitch Modulator (a long-@$$3d name for a little pedal), they're not only one of the best, there's a little trick that I've found that you can do with them...

 

Run both of the stereo outputs of the pedal together, either by a Y-cord or two cords going to the same channel on a multi-input amp (like on classic Fenders), anything that will combine both signals in mono.

 

Then, set the little "Mode" selector toggle-switch on the T.C. Chorus pedal to "PM", and set the "Speed" and "Depth" controls all the way down, so that there is no modulation.

 

Now use the "Intensity" control to dial in as thin and sparkly an out-of-phase tone as you desire! The two outputs are out-of-phase with each other, so setting the controls tis way yeilds a blendable, continuously-variable way to use it. In the "Chorus" and "Flange" modes, the effected-signal merely cancels itself out.

 

Also try some tempo-tweaked delay repeats that allow you to be playing notes on top of repeats for that cool spanky sparkly effect. (I know that doesn't affect the "tone" per se, but it will work well for what you're aiming for here.)

 

Any effect that adds an octave-up will likely make you sound "twinkly", as well.

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

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This is why I'm a guitar player - because terms like "reverby-twinkly", "clucky" and "quacky" have real significance as tonal parameters.

 

Other than that, I can't help - I'm more of a "creamy-crunchy" guy myself...

 

 

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yeah well I just joined this band where I have to use a clean sound about 1/3 of the time and I'm a little lost.

 

I am usually all into the "crunchy-chaotic" type sound myself. Maybe if I could stumble across/dial in "creamy" I'd like that too!

 

Thanks CAEVAN for that idea- I'll try anything assuming I can buy me one of those doodads you're talking about anytime soon.

Rivera + Fender Strat
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Excellent link there, synthetic!

 

I get a great bright pristine-clean sound from either of my Les Pauls using the "Black Face" model on my Johnson J-Station, with fairly heavy compression and the speaker-sim model completely BYPASSED. EQ'd to taste, lotsa 'verb, some tape-flavored delay, and NO CHORUS or other effects. Sounds killer!

 

http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/icons/icon2.gif Judge for yourself... click on my signature below to hear my Les Paul (with P-90s) on both the clean and overdriven parts.

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

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Synthetic- O man thats exactly what I'm looking for. I practically jumped out of my chair when that guy started playing

 

Caevan- that clip was really cool, dare I say =beautiful=. This too is what I'm looking for. I think I want something halfway between the super chimey stuff on Synthetic's link and your sound. This is going to take some patience. I'm not so worried about it for our recording, but for live I'm really going to have to get it together

 

thanks again guys

Rivera + Fender Strat
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Originally posted by synthetic:

This is a cool article (with sound downloads examples) that talks about getting that sort of sound. Essentially, playing the neck pickup direct to the board with compression.

 

http://www.virtualsoundstudio.com/articlehareightiesguitars.shtml

Hey Synthetic - great find on that article. Send a link over to the "Computers/Single Coil Hum" thread! ;)

 

I was going to suggest the following set up:

 

1. Middle pickup on a strat

2. Big compression

3. Chorus

4. single echo delay (no feedback) set just past 40 ms so you can hear a distinct echo, mixed in at about 30% so you can hear the echo but it doesn't drown out or clutter the direct sound.

5. Maybe "scoop" the EQ with lower mids and a bit of bass and treble boost.

 

Good luck!

 

footnote: as general information, 40 ms is just about the border between the hearing "chorus" doubling and two separate attacks.

 

0-10 ms = flanging

10-30 ms = chorus

30-40 ms = doubling

>40 ms = echo

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Actually, chorus and flanging vary the delay. The depth setting controls how much the delay changes, and rate controls how fast the change is made. But the initial delay is the difference between chorus and flange.

 

Yeah I bookmarked that link long ago, super cool for 80s fools like me. I just ordered my first Strat, I can't wait to hear all of those pickup settings for myself.

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For me I get the twinkly thing with a strat to a deluxe with the reverb way up, a roland space echo and guyatone chorus pedal. I was fortunate and got all these cheap, but you could definitely sub a danelectro delay for the space echo and I don't think the guyatone's are too expensive.
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-

thanks guys-

 

between the time I posted this and now, I worked alot with EQ on the clean channel with my current massive rig (1 Rivera amp w/reverb, 1 Delay pedal) and stumbled across a good clean tone that has space and twinkle and actually good to my ears. Using a combo of the bridge and neck pickup.

 

I do plan on getting some sort of reverb =pedal= so I can control reverb for use on the clean sounds only. Using the amp's reverb will be a hassle because I hate it on my raw dirty sound which I use 2/3 of the time . I also have this 20+ year old blue Boss compressor I may try for the cleans..

 

Where in the chain would I put the compressor? Between guitar and boost pedal, then into amp input?

 

thanks

 

-edit

I just went home and tried the Compressor for the clean sound and it was great, I was JAN HAMMER !!... keeping that. As for Compressor as a solo boost = absolute noisy crap !. I'll go back to my Blues Driver for a boost

Rivera + Fender Strat
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well

since we were getting all culinary before, I can tell you that the sound is like champagne tickling your nose and tongue. Has some edge to it but has , twinkle, but not harsh. I know that soudn I have in my head was probabaly Jan Jammer's synth but I got it now anyways.

 

So unless you're totally joking with me, I'd say to my ears, there is no yellow or no cream.

I'll try to find a link to that old theme song. Its just that tiny end run that he does at the VERY end of it.

Rivera + Fender Strat
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The Miami Vice lick was most likely a synth, probably Yamaha DX-7 or Fairlight. So it started with Jan emulating a guitar with his synth, then evolves to emulating his synth on a guitar. I guess that's irony.
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