[Harp-L] Re: Lone Wolf and effects


On Oct 13, 2007, at 7:14 PM, J. Ross wrote:

You may not, but I do.  I always want more control, not less with an
effects pedal.  The first thing I thought when listening to those
samples was, it sounds really, really tame.  When the delay is set to
10 and you don't get all-but uncontrollable delays feeding back I am
seriously disappointed.  The more options, the more possibility to
get exactly what you want, when you want sound-wise.


Funny you should say that. I prefer less options with any effect. Here's my reasoning.

A pedal that can give you too much can cause problems on stage if you tend to use more then one setting.
If someone is a "set it and forget it" kind of player that the ok. They can dial in what they want during sound check then stomp it on when needed.
If you are the bandleader that is ok. You can control the breaks between songs in order to switch settings.

Here's where my needs come in.
I like to change effects/amp tone/mics according to the mood of the song. Not often, but at least 4-6 times during the gig.
Since I'm not the bandleader I can't stop the show to make the changes. It's got to be quick without distracting the band or audience. I also can't remember settings. Once a song begins there is no time to fudge getting the settings right. I like the fact you can't over dial on the Lone Wolf and kill your tone or turn a Howlin Wolf song into a Enrico Morricone soundtrack by accident. I use delay to add ambience to the room acoustics rather then noticeable echo to repeat notes. We don't play any songs where echo is used. A fast decay is more suitable.

Most effects I've tried are more overkill then useful for the harp, IMHO. I've heard players that use way too much reverb, octave or delay on stage or self produced cd's and it's hard to get past the effect to enjoy their playing. Overuse of effects can also date the music.

My own take on effects is that the audience should sense it being used without saying to themselves, he/she is using a chorus, flanger, delay, octave pedal.
It should create a feeling as the song is being performed rather then be analyzed for it's overuse.

It would be great if someone would start making pedals just for wind players that only add enough effect without making it sound syrupy or over processed.
But then, the whole smooth jazz market was created around that sound. I'd take a dry sax of Frank Morgan over a syrupy Kenny G any day.

I understand what you are saying about having a lot of options on dialing in your own sound. It's just most effects are tone suckers and every time the effect is
changed the amp/ volume or eq needs adjusted to compensate. I would rather think about the music then the effect or the fact I may add too much and have my playing analyzed rather then felt.

mike






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