Re: [Harp-L] simulate horn section

["Jerome P." <jersimuse@xxxxxxxxx>]

To my opinion : Pitch Shifter (one octave down, mixed with your sound), a
very little bit of auto wah can help to soften the attacks of the notes,
multiple delays (at least two with different times) to simulate a sort of
natural sustain, and a bit of distortion if you want to simulate a trumpet.
Now the problem is not only the kind of effects you take but the effect
itself, a same kind of effect can sound very differently depending on the
brand or the software you use.
It's the beginning of a long research process :-)

Best regards,

Jerome Peyrelevade
www.jeromepeyrelevade.com


2016-04-21 17:20 GMT+02:00 Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>:

> Robert Hale wrote:
> <What is the most horn-like effect I can get from one harp and a processor?
> <
> <Octaves?
> <Pitch shifter?
> <auto-wah?
> <
> <...all of them in a stew?
>
> A pitch shifter can do octaves as well as other intervals.  Whatever
> interval(s) you're using, the short answer to your question is that a pitch
> shifter set to an octave down is a good starting point for horn simulation.
>
> The harmonica is a (free) reed instrument.  The easiest thing to emulate
> with a harmonica where horns are concerned is other reed instruments, e.g.
> the saxophone.  According to research by Roland and Yamaha, most of a
> listener's perception of a musical sound is shaped by the attack, i.e. the
> initial portion of the sound.  it's the attack that tells us what
> instrument we're actually listening to. If you start with a reed
> instrument, it's relatively easy to convince the listener that you're
> playing a different reed instrument, as opposed to a brass instrument,
> piano, bells, etc. That said, I heard an arrangement of Louis Armstrong's
> "West End Blues" by Sandy Weltman where the harmonica did a pretty
> convincing job of emulating a trumpet, with no FX at all.  Just get those
> attacks right...
>
> Harmonicas generate a lot of energy in the upper mid and high frequency
> ranges, not so much down low.  An octave pitch shift down does a lot to put
> the harp into the same range as a tenor sax, and from there it's just about
> what you play.  Adding higher octaves, fifths, etc. gives you very
> interesting timbres, but I doubt that most people would perceive those
> sounds as coming from a (real) horn.
>
> In my opinion, the most important effect for any electronic musician is a
> delay. For harmonica, the next most important (in my opinion) is a pitch
> shifter.  Right after that are vibratos, rotary speaker FX, and autowah.
> The last thing in line  for harmonica is chorus, flanging, and other
> time-based modulation FX--they're nice, but not essential.  (Those are
> personal opinions based on what I like to hear, not dictates from on high,
> of course.) All of these FX are available in robust form in most multi-FX
> devices at very reasonable prices.  I prefer the Digitech RPs and Zooms.
>
> Regards, Richard Hunter
>
>
>