Re: [Harp-L] Re: LOWRIDER BAND "Lowrider" AND SPAH seminar on effects

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

rex wrote:
<I was just playing around with a one octave down pitch shift plus delay on the RP. I think this particular patch started out as an "amped up" sound <but some time ago I turned everything but the pitch shift and delay off. Just for fun I played a Suzuki Humming tremolo in G through this and <wow....Phantom of the Opera!  Do these usually mix the shifted pitch with the original? Is this mix determined by the "effect level"?

The mix of shifted pitch with original is generally set on the RP with a "mix" parameter; other FX use "effect level".  Both terms pretty much refer to the same thing: how much of the effected tone (as opposed to the original) is present in the output.  

The choice of how much of the pitch-shifted signal should be mixed with the original is up to the player.  On some of my RP patches that use the pitch shifter I put the mix of the pitch-shifted signal under expression pedal control, so the play can decide in the moment how much of the shifted pitch to put into the sound.  In general, when the shifted pitch is less than 50% of the overall sound, the resulting tone sounds decidedly electronic and "synthy", which is not at all a bad thing for many musical situations.  When the shifted pitch is up around 90% or more in the mix, the resulting sound is more like a "real" instrument (e.g. a lower-pitched harmonica, or a tenor sax).  

Some time ago I posted a few clips of pitch-shifted tones at various mix levels to this list. Prior to that, I had never set the shifted pitch's mix to 99%; when I did I was amazed at how much the result sounded like a bass harmonica, right down to the relatively slow attack.

With the upcoming harmonica band event at SPAH, it's a good time to note that a harmonica player armed with one harmonica, a pitch shifter, and a looper can produce a very satisfying harmonica band sound.  Add various modulation FX to one or more of the loop layers and the sound becomes quite modern.  Within the next few days I'll post links to a few loops I've recently created that use pitch shifting, rotary speaker, and other FX (plus beatboxing in some cases) to create full-band arrangements with a single harmonica.

Regards, Richard Hunter