Re: Octave Effect Pedal question

["G." <gigs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

<quote>
Date: Tue, 18 May 2004 11:35:30 -0700 (PDT)
From: Jp Pagan <jpl_pagan@xxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Octave Effect Pedal question

Hi all,

  i've read a couple of times of people using an
octave pedal in their effects chain, the twist being
that they don't actually use the octave effect: they
turn the octave effects down or off and use the pedal
as a kind of distortion box. jason ricci does this,
for example: (from his website) "I turn the octave
effects off and the direct level up, creating a very
clean sort off compression/distortion effect." he
specifically uses the Boss Oc-2 pedal.
  question is this: why? i mean, if you aren't going
to use the effect, why not just get a plain distortion
pedal? if there's a difference, does anyone know how
this was figured out, or why the difference exists?

   curious,
          --Jp
</quote>

Hi Jp.
Andrew or MN might be able to answer this more fully than me.
But I asked Jason why the BOSS OC-2.  He said, because he owned it and it
works, why fix what ain't broke.   He's basically using it as a kind of
compressor/preamp ... you can get the same results by using something like
the HC or a preamp/compressor - it just beefs up the tone and signal driving
the amp harder to get the kind of distortion & tone Jason likes.  When I
transcribed his interview with MN for Planet Harmonica, he was using an SM57
which definitely needs help to get the signal up to drive an amp hard since
its low impedance.
If I was going for that sound I'd prefer to find an early Shure 545 wired
hot.

Jason likes the sound of digital effects, for instance he prefers digital
echo - not my thing, but that would explain why he likes the effect the Boss
OC-2 effect pedal has on his sound.

There are lots of ways you can skin this cat.  Jason appears to have used
the method that was in his lap.

I've tried the BOSS OC-2 as intended, the biggest flaw is that it simply
doesn't handle chords - if you try to vamp or use any intervals the sound
goes to utter shit.
Playing single note was underwhelming.  If you're interested in octave
effects there was a good thread on this group recently.
There are definitely better brands out there than BOSS.
You might look into an emulator or digital effects unit like Behringer or
Digitech which use 24 bit technology for instance.

Cheers,
- -- G.