Good pedals for weird effects?

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metanoiastudios
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Good pedals for weird effects?

Post by metanoiastudios » Fri Dec 12, 2008 10:41 am

I originally started this thread wondering if there were any all-in-one alternatives to the Jomox T-Resonator, an effects processor with the ability to feed different delay signals into different filters and LFO, but now I'm more interested in effects that are good for making all kinds of weird noise, but reasonably cheap. I'm not asking about your typical distortion and tremolo pedals, but something like ring modulator pedals, multi-filter pedals, things like the moogerfoogers, etc.

I just got an Arion SAD-3 for cheap, and will maybe get another SAD-1 delay pedal soon. My intentions are to hook these up to my live keyboard rig, and make all kinds of weird that could be used for interludes or whatever. Having different pedals as opposed to only one box would open up more room for creativity too.

Any suggestions?
Last edited by metanoiastudios on Sat Dec 13, 2008 3:25 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by centurymantra » Fri Dec 12, 2008 11:43 am

I know just about nothing about the Jomox stuff, but have just gotta say that it looks incredibly cool. I'd love to play around with it.

The Resonator Neuronium has always kind of flipped me out...looks like an audio tweakers wet dream.

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metanoiastudios
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Post by metanoiastudios » Sat Dec 13, 2008 3:26 pm

Oh man, that thing looks killer! price...not so much :cry:
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Post by PeterAuslan » Sat Dec 13, 2008 3:36 pm

http://4mspedals.com/ - I have the noise swash for umm making noise.

These look fun but have not tried them yet.
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Post by ;ivlunsdystf » Sat Dec 13, 2008 4:02 pm

This is a bit downmarket/ghetto, but I must mention it: The Boss GT-6 lets you play about 10 effects at the same time and it is full of weird crap like guitar to MIDI converter and arpeggiator and pitch bend with expression pedal. It does quite a number on the sound. I have mine hooked up via MIDI to the computer so I can run a GUI (found somewhere on the web) and change patches without ever touching the actual pedal board. They can be had for cheap; not the same cachet as the boutique stuff but lots of fun. GT-8 and 10 would be the same, but even moreso I'm sure.

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Post by AstroDan » Sat Dec 13, 2008 4:49 pm

There's probably about a million thousand awesome effects out today, but without having heard half of them, I bet the Memory Man could hold it's own for hands on tweaking weirdness. Quality vintage sci-fi.
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Post by Jay Reynolds » Sat Dec 13, 2008 5:21 pm

I love me some Line 6 FM4.
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blackdiscoball
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Post by blackdiscoball » Sat Dec 13, 2008 6:13 pm

cheap and weird but Im not sure if its any good is the danelectro sitar swami. Sounds nothing like a sitar...but its weird? I own one and still have never found a use for it but... I will someday.
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Post by wren » Sat Dec 13, 2008 7:39 pm

The SAD3 is fun for weird noises. The SAD1 is actually a really nice-sounding DM2/AD9-style analog delay; my personal favorite of that family. The DOD FX90 is worth looking into as a weird analog delay because it can go 100% wet.
The Ibanez AW7 is an autowah with a really awful fuzz built into it. Doesn't sound good on its own, but when you use it before a distortion, especially a lofi, static-y fuzz, look out! Sounds like a Microsynth but way, way cooler and more unstable. And the Ibanez FZ7 is a great pedal for totally destroying whatever you're putting through it. Nasty, thin, shrill, and piercing for typical fuzz tones, useful for that moment when you want it to sound like your amp is melting and dripping all over your speakers, catching them on fire (you need to use it in conjunction with another distortion to get this effect).
Danelectro French Toast is a fantastic, huge-sounding fuzz with an octave switch that can get pretty absurd.
There are some really cool Devi Ever/Effector 13 fuzzes out there that do some pretty unique things.
The Alesis ModFX series can be awesome, but not the most friendly for use in a live environment.
There are some cool Electro-Harmonix effects that are a little on the pricier side: Flanger Hoax, Polychorus, Tube Zipper, etc.
Just generally stacking gain pedals in ways you normally wouldn't can result in some really interesting effects.
And finally, feedback loops and pedals with trim pots are always handy. 8)

Really, though, I think the weirdness of effects comes from how you use and approach them more than which ones you buy. I've made some incredibly whacked-out sounds with just a Zoom G2, a pair of Arion SAD1s, and a Boss PH2, and it's amazing how many different kinds of sounds I could get out of them just by putting them in different orders and keeping the same settings. I'd suggest getting to know what you already have, learn what that's capable of, and learn how to translate your ideas into reality. If what's in your head can't be obtained by what you have, great; buy something new, but exhaust every possibility first and you may discover what you were looking for plus ten or twelve new sounds. Personally, I think that's more productive than buying that crazy filter/distortion/delay/wtf? unit and expecting it to be weird for you. Weirdness comes from within. IMO.
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Post by in a little rowboat » Sat Dec 13, 2008 10:41 pm

blackdiscoball wrote:cheap and weird but Im not sure if its any good is the danelectro sitar swami. Sounds nothing like a sitar...but its weird? I own one and still have never found a use for it but... I will someday.
i had a buddy that made the swami his "signature sound"...which to my mind was just god awful

but weird it is!

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Post by RefD » Sat Dec 13, 2008 10:41 pm

superaction80 wrote:I love me some Line 6 FM4.
HELL YES!

also, using the individual outs on the Akai Headrush 2 (tape echo mode) to feed various other pedals and then combining them with a small mixer can be yet another gateway to strange.

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Post by in a little rowboat » Sat Dec 13, 2008 10:43 pm

Im in love with the boss ps3, i get some great stuff with my re-20 and a exp pedal, then of course theres the crowther prunes n custard with my dd6...wow

oh and forgot about my Headrush...terrific

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fuck multi fx-zoom alesis, dod etc

Post by calaverasgrandes » Sat Dec 13, 2008 11:58 pm

I am not gonna say you cant get a good sound out of a zoom-alesis-art whatevs. But straight pedals are always way better to me.
I actually get the best weird sounds by chaining 3 or 4 pedals that are similar.
I like using a dod flange, an ibanez chorus, maybe an EH flanger and another DOD phaser, all on very subtle settings with similar but not identical sweep rate. Its awesome this way because it doesnt have that relentless identical effect like you have heard so much before. This also works awesome with fuzzes, some fuzzes seem to fight each other on harmonics so much that at full gain you just get shitty static and little guitar. If ya pair up 2 competing fuzzes and pare back the gain they will roar on quiet parts and sizzle to a stop on loud parts.
for single pedals that Death by Audio pedal with the effect loop...Total Sonic Annihilation (thank you google) is awesome. It does some kind of M~S or something with whatever effect is in the sidechain and twists it up. Even with a fuzz its insane. I also love my mooger fooger lowpass and my EH ring mod.
Cheezy DX keyboard thru ring mod=love.
also effectrons.
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Post by kayagum » Sun Dec 14, 2008 7:32 am

I've said this before, but the effects section on the Boss SP202/303/404 Dr Sample is worth more than the actual sampling itself.

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Post by llmonty » Sun Dec 14, 2008 7:52 pm

i have this copilot antenna2 pedal as my main make crazy fucked up noises sounds. They have other cool ones too - http://www.copilotfx.com/products.html
richmond is a really cool town - supafuzz

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