Effects and Processors
5.0 / 5 based on 3 ratings
- Created by: Luke
- Created on: 09-04-14 15:55
Chorus
Description
- Original signal mixed with slightly delayed version
- Caused by LFO modulating the sound
- This gives the signal a thicker sound - as if there are multiple players playing at the same time
Examples of use
- The Police - Walking on the Moon
- Nirvana - Come As You Are
Controls
- Wet/Dry - balance between original and altered signal
- Intensity - amount of modulation - higher intensity means more obvious chorus
- Rate - speed of modulation - meaured in Hz
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Flanger
Description
- Two identical signals are mixed together
- Second signal delayed by less than 20 ms
- Then fed back into flanger
- Creates a swirling effect
Examples of use
- Queen - Keep Yourself Alive
- The Small Faces - Itchycoo Park
- Tears For Fears - Head Over Heels (3 mins in - drums)
Controls
- Wet/Dry - balance between original and altered signal
- Rate - speed of the modulation (caused by LFO)
- Feedback - How much of the signal is fed back into flanger - higher feedback means a more pronounced flange sound
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Phaser
Description
- Combines original signal with a copy which is out of phase
- Creates a sweeping sound
- Used mainly on guitars and electric pianos
Examples of use
- Pink Floyd - Have a Cigar
- Jimi Hendrix - Little Wing
- Radiohead - Paranoid Android
Controls (exactly the same as chorus)
- Wet/Dry - balance between original and altered signal
- Intensity - amount of modulation - higher intensity means more obvious phase
- Rate - speed of modulation - meaured in Hz
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Tremolo
Description
- Modulates the amplitude (volume) of a signal
- Used in old guitar amps (called vibrato)
Examples of use
- Tommy James and the Shondells - Crimson and Clover
- The Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter
- Radiohead - Bones
Controls
- Rate - speed of LFO that affects the frequency of amplitude variation - can be synchronised with the tempo in DAWs
- Depth - amount of modulation - higher modulation means more obvious tremolo
- Wave - changes the waveform of LFO
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EQ
Description
- Controls the tone of a signal
- You can cut or boost specific frequencies
Examples of use
- Used in every song as it is an integral part of the mixing process and allowing sounds to blend together
Controls
- Frequency - sets the frequency (Hz) to be affected (cut/boosted)
- Gain - sets the volume (dB) of the frequency - This is where the cutting and boosting happens
- Q - sets the range of frequencies around frequency setting affected by the gain setting - higher Q means less frequencies are affected
- Master gain - sets the output level of the whole unit
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Reverb
Description
- Reflection of sound off surfaces
- Gives the impression of space
- Makes the sound seem more natural
- Generally applied digitally now but it can also be created by playing the sound into a room and then recording this again
Examples of use
- Like EQ, it can be found in almost every recording in some form
- It can help blend the sounds together if used sensitively
Controls
- Wet/Dry - balance of original and altered signal
- Pre delay - time in ms between initial signal and the early reflections - gives impression of room size
- Reverb time - the time it takes for the signal to decay by 60 dB
- High cut filter - removes high frequencies from the reverb
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Delay
Description
- Repeats original sound after an interval (generally quite short)
- Produces an echo-like effect
Example of use
- Angels and Airwaves - The Gift
- Twin Atlantic - Serious Underground Vibes
- Although less common than reverb and EQ, this effect is used in many songs, but these choices feature very prominent delay
Controls
- Wet/Dry - balance between original and altered signal
- Delay time - frequency of echoes
- Feedback - how much of the altered signal is fed back into the delay unit - number of echoes
- High/Low cut - removes high/low frequencies from delayed signal
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Compressor
Description
- Reduces the dynamic range of the sound it is applied to
Examples of use
- All songs use compression, but especially more recently as the whole track is often heavily compressed
Controls
- Threshold - the amplitude the signal must be before the compressor starts working
- Ratio - The amount the volume is reduced by compared to the input level - e.g. 4:1 means for every 4dB above the threshold the input is, it will become 1dB at output
- Attack - time it takes (ms) for the compressor to work after the signal goes above the threshold
- Release - time it takes (ms) for the compressor to stop working after signal goes below the threshold again
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Expander
Description
- Increases dynamic range by reducing the force of the signal that passes lower than the threshold that has been set
Examples of use
- Due to their similarity to compressors, expanders are also generally used in all professional recordings
Controls
- Threshold - the level at which the expander begins to work
- Ratio - the amount by which the expander reduces the signal that is below the threshold
- Attack - the time it takes for the expander to begin working after the signal falls below the threshold
- Release - time it takes for the expander to stop working after the signal rises above the threshold again
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Gate
Description
- Allows signal to pass through once it has reached a certain threshold
- Stops unwanted audio and noise from being heard
Examples of use
- Gates, again are used in most, if not all, professional recordings
- Particularly used with signal that is recorded with a sensitive microphone, which picks up more noise and therefore a gate is important
Controls
- Threshold - level that the signal must rise above before the gate begins working
- Attack - time it takes for the gate to open after the signal has surpassed the threshold
- Hold - time that the gate stays open for after the attack
- Release - time it takes for the gate to close after the hold time
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Distortion
Description
- Creates an effect similar to that of an amp being overdriven
- Gives a fuzzy quality to the sound
Examples of use
- Most rock and metal songs involve distorted guitars
Controls
- Drive - amount of distortion
- Tone - makeup of the harmonics (and therefore the tone)
- Level - overall level of the output signal
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