[Harp-L] Re: Using an RP in a live situation

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

martin oldsberg wrote:
<Suppose youÂre in a situation like I am every now and then where you want a mainly clean, warm sound -- the band plays some sort <of country stuff -- have you found
< any use for the RP pedal in that context?
<IÂm trying to tweak mine right now, sacrificing a couple of RichardÂs reverb/delay patches but I ainÂt there, not by a long <shot."Go straight to the PA then."No, too harsh (a fabulously crappy PA) -- and also I want to use the reverb from the pedal, that <is a quality effect.


There are a few amp models that I rely on for a warm, clean sound:
1) The Twin Reverb model--clean and full.  roll off the high end EQ to avoid too much energy in the high treble frequencies.
2) The Tweed deluxe--warm, more obviously "amped," but not noticeably distorted; very nice for all sorts of material where heavy distortion is not required.  (A nice platform too for modulation FX like chorus, flange, and detune where you want a warm amp underneath the effect.)
3) The Direct model: as clean as the RP gets, but may require an overall volume adjustment if you've been using heavier amp models.  I use the Direct model for lots of my recording sessions where they want a "natural" harmonica sound.

With all of these amp models, EQ adds a lot to the tone, as does the cabinet model.  I generally avoid 1x12 and 1x8 cab models when I'm going for a natural sound, because those cabs add raunch to the sound.  I avoid Bassman cab models for the same reason (though I love the Bassman cab model for amped-up tones).  I generally make a point of using a cabinet model of some sort, because most amps (real as well as modeled) sound a lot harder-edged when they go direct to output without a cab (or cab model) in the signal path.  Where EQ is concerned, I generally start rolling off the treble at around 8 kHz, and I often roll off the bass from 100 hZ down too in order to prevent conflict with guitars, bass, and drums in the low end.  I might pump up the mids around 800 hZ if the mic I'm planning to use isn't already loaded with low-mid frequencies.  (Bullet mics are chock-full of those frequencies, in case you were wondering.)

If you find that your Direct amp model patches are too quiet compared to your heavier tones, you can always use the rightmost knob on the RP to bring the master volume level up or down as needed in performance (yes, you have real-time control over volume); if you don't want to bother with that in performance, use Xedit to set the relative volume levels for your patches so that their volume levels are all consistent.  (Or wildly not; it's up to you.  Sometimes it's nice to kick the pedal and hear the volume go from 4 to 11.)

Hope this is useful, thanks, Richard Hunter   


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