Re: [Harp-L] Harmonica and effects

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Slim wrote:
<Of course if you know how to branch your signal path and mix it back 
<together, all you would need to do is run any old pitch shifter set at 
<100% effect (input signal not routed to output) into any old delay 
<device also set at 100% effect and then mix the result back in with the 
<signal coming off your mic.

The chain described here will work, and you might also want to try it backwards--i.e. put the delay BEFORE the pitch shifter.  Depending on what kind of delay you're using (analog versus digital, etc.) and how you set up the delay (e.g. whether you roll off the high frequencies) you'll get a different sound.  The fading repeats from the delay may trigger the pitch shifter in interesting ways.

On a broader topic related to effects, creating patch sets for the RP250 using four different mics has really reminded me how much the choice of mic influences the sound of any effect.  I was surprised to hear how good my Astatic JT30VC bullet-type mic sounds through the RP250 when it's set up to produce basic blues tones, but effects like chorus and flange just sound like mush through that mic.  I know now why so many blues players say "I don't like effects"--the reason is that the bullet mics they use are incapable of making anything besides delay, reverb, and rotary speakers sound good.  (Okay, octave doublers sound okay too.  But that's it.)  Neither the Astatic nor the Bottle o' Blues can make a clean sound that's worth hearing twice--I don't care what kind of amp you're putting it through, these mics don't do clean.  And if you can't do clean, a lot of effects don't work very well.

Vocal-type mics like the Shure SM57, Shure 545, and Electrovoice RE-10 really sound great with effects like chorus and flange--you can hear all the details in the sound, and it's lush and beautiful.  However, these mics produce a noticeable amount of intermodulation distortion in the upper register, so you have to be very careful how much distortion you add into the sound from the amp side. The Audix Fireball V sounds even better with these kinds of lush modulation effects--the clarity in the high end is amazing, and the sounds are sweet enough to put in your coffee. The Audix isn't quite as punchy in the low end as the vocal mics, but its resistance to feedback allows you to compensate by dialing in more gain or distortion on the amp side.

The mic is by default (and always) the first effect in your effects chain, meaning that it has a potent effect on every other effect in the chain.  The good news where that is concerned is that there are plenty of good dynamic mics selling for $100 or thereabouts, so it's a cost-effective way to change your sound.  In other words, if you want a wider range of sounds, the first place to look might well be a different mic. And if you don't like what you're hearing from your effects box, try taking your amp and the effects box to the local music store and trying a different mic.

Regards, Richard Hunter
latest mp3s and harmonica blog at http://myspace.com/richardhunterharp