Great video, with very useful advice. I really appreciate the effort put into these. I use Behringer pedals, and while they're obviously on the cheap territory, my budget is limited and I use the aux loops on my mixer anyway, so the original signal from my synths run completely clean. I'd strongly recommend to everyone to get a mixer with aux sends and extra channels, so you could send and return the wet signal to the master through additional EQ and mix it to taste. There's no universal rule, but having that extra control can really make a difference in your sound.
Thanks so much for the kind words GalenAus. I remember seeing that there wasn't much high production quality in the synth niche so I attempted to bring some. Hopefully it's working. Any suggestions for things you'd like to see on the Channel?
I always have an idea of how my ring mod can be used to weave a distorted electronic sound into my dry signal, but it never seems to do it the way i think it will.
Nice videos on pedals. Great job, new sub. Pedals are addictive, but I tell people all the time, with the right fx, even a really cheap keyboards cam sound glorious! I’m a big fan of digital delays and reverbs, but for modulation and overdrive/distortion, gotta be analog! You seem like a fan of Way Huge. How’s the headroom on their stuff? Is it a guarantee I’d need a re-amp? The Moogerfoogers are pricey.....but sooooo worth it. There aren’t a lot of pedals that allow so much flexibility, CV control/modulation, and of course that added little Drive knob is like icing on the cake. Its a legit analog drive, better than many pedals costing $100-200. I use the one on the phaser and clusterflux often, and sometimes just the drive on the clusterflux without even engaging modulation. Plus, you never need to worry about headroom with foogers. I cam run a synth, even a hot modular, and it can take it. If it does clip, it might even sound good. If the big foogers are too much....the minifoogers are equally as capable, just not quite as full featured. The mini chorus is outstanding, and can do stereo by switch and a y-splitter cable. They are very reasonably priced, but still sound highend and undeniably analog.
For reverb, I use TC Electronic Hall of Fame. Analog reverb with a nice variety of options. Makes my modeling synth sound like a real analog synthesizer.
It'd be cool to see how you use your synths to modulate other units. Those inputs offer a world of possibilities, particularly on those synths with built-in FX.
I would say it went well. Very informative and great video to learn from. Sometimes we forget what type of pedal to use, and we also forget about impedance. So thank you for the video.
Without any further delay, I must send you some feedback... 😅 awesome video man. You’re becoming one of my fave synth/Gear channels! I would really like to see more vids from you on using multiple fx pedals on a synth (such as minilogue, or any synth), and a decent order to use them in the effects chain! I know it can be experimental but I would love to see your order that you like to use the pedals in and some combinations of your effects pedals on a synth. i.e would you use Polara first or last in chain, I ask because it has stereo out, but most other pedals only have a mono input, so it would have to go last unless it’s used as mono? So far I use the minilogue and polara reverb and the Volca FM (mini DX7 :)) looking for new effects pedals to add to my setup! The ‘Supa Puss’ delay is tempting me bro, lmao. Cheers
Um Boss Compressor ME-30, SuperPhaser ArionStereoChorus, Dunlop Cry-baby Wah. Love the Polara have a Kurzweil K2kSv3 with DigiTech efx built-in that can pretty much imitate that effect and other things as well. The DigiTech efx unit that came with the older Kurz's has a dark, brooding and warm characteristic sound to it. The KDFX on the later models is also very good it's in the same ilk as the Eventide or Lexicon stuff. But DigiTech is no slouch either and has unique dimensions to it's sound that I like. As does that DigiTech Polara ur using (As u said there's no accounting for personal taste) They also (the Kurz's) have IO's (digital & analog) that u can use to process external audio, guitar & vocals through them. Not that that's anything revolutionary but is still a cool tool to utilize those stellar effects (like ur doin' with the Polara) on other instruments good stuff thanx dude.
You're very welcome Chris. Making sure my channel has the highest production value in the music community is the goal.....oh yeah and Synth stuff too haha. Let me know if there is any content you'd like to see made here, I'm always open to ideas!
Great Video Noir! High quality as always! i have bit of feedback though, I love the short & concise format of your videos, but sometimes it can feel like you are breezing over information from time to time. e.g. not having long enough sound examples of the pedals. might just be me, but sometimes having an extra ten seconds per pedal would have made the world of different. just a thought :)
Mr Horjey definitely good feedback! I appreciate it! I'm sure you're can understand how hard it is to hold an audience's attention so I was trying to find a good balance between knob twiddling, me actually playing, the visuals themselves and my big mouth haha. I thought I got it, but I'll definitely look to put more of an emphasis the sound examples in an interesting way. Thanks again for watching, feedback like this only improves the channel!
old video, but nonetheless I'm very happy with the pedals I've gotten together for my pedal board (primarily used on Wurly, synths, and drum machine). Source audio programmable EQ (perfects the wurli tone and can be used for general tone shaping on other sounds) into Dunlop bass wah (I love both the spring action and the fact that the low end remains along with the bandpass effect) into EHX Ring Thing (basically a multi fx pedal (ring/phase/trem/chorus/all sorts of crap in between) with 9 presets due to the way you can manipulate ring mod and pitch shift and their built in LFO) into Mooer Ocean Machine (2 delays and a reverb each with 9 algorthims, and a looper with reverse and half time, all individually routable in real time (think recording a loop with reverb and delay on it, then twisting a knob to put that loop back in front of the reverb and delay without any sonic hiccup, and all 4 effects can move like that) for $300. its the best pedal rig.
Thank you!!! Pedals and synths is not discussed much these days. As you stated, onboard FX are nice but, pedals provide more varieties of flavors to help sculpt a uniques sonic profile. BTW I just SUBSCRIBED... nice channel.
Arnaldur Ingi Jónsson Another vote here for the El Capistan. I run my Mother 32 and Minilogue through it. It's got a fantastically warm sound for a digital pedal.
Yeah I concur with others that your episodes are well produced. Each video feels like a show that’s worth watching even if it isn’t relevant to something I’m interested in. So thank you for that. Also I use a guitar multi effect pedal right now that I picked up used for 45$ and it has all the effects including much needed compression, so far I haven’t noticed any lacking of fidelity and it is fun.
Thank Pierce! Really appreciate you being so kind, it means more than you know. So what’s interesting is that you mentioned having compression built into your multi FX pedal and that’s one thing I’m missing. I almost would rather have that than the overdrive pedal I had. Convenience is really there with the way you went! Which multi-FX pedal is it?
Noir Et Blanc Vie it is delta labs, which I’ve never heard anywhere else, it is good when dialed back significantly less than all the presets meant for guitar. It is giving me a way to explore those effects on my budget as a student. I have realized watching your video that effects are a as important to a synth as the resonant body of a guitar or violin. I am considering a synth like the Behringer deepmind that includes effects on board because they are so integral to the sound.
The pedals I may end up going for are : a Vox Wah, a Electro Harmonix Big Muff Pi (for that distortion) a Marshall drive Master Overdrive (in case I wanna really take the lead in a song), an Ibanez SC10 Super Chorus (should I wanna go clean without the crunch) a Maxon Digital Delay/Echo, a Boss Phase Shift (combine that with both Maxon and the next pecdal), a Boss CH1 Super Chorus , a Digitech RP50 (I would use it for a hub to double up on any of the pedals that I mentioned), and lastly a Cathedral Reverb (just to really add to the Ibanez and Boss chorus pedals).
Great Video-Thanks again! That Digitech Polara sure sounds sweet....Now I must decide: Do I get that, or the Boss RV-6. Wish I could try them side-by-side to determine my choice-but alas I live far away from a decent music store. Any thoughts?
Very nice! Sir, would it be possible for pedalnoobs as myself, to do a small video on the connection and signalpath with eurorack and/or synths please? Do you need a special eurorack module for pedal integration? Are they in series in the case of multiple pedals? Do you use the eurorack mixer module to come back or straight out from the last pedal into the outboard mixer? Etc.. keep up the nice informative videos!
i got a moog subphatty with an ehx 8 step ,a moogerfooger 102 ring modulator ,a ehx cock wha ,a ehx nano looper and a digitech rp360,with all that stuff i got more than enough for the moment .the ehx 8 step is really usefull to control the synth or the pedals.great video
Great video! I recently started getting into pedals. I purchased the eventide timefactor and the moog MF - 108. I'm looking at the MF 102. Have you ever used a patchbay in your studio? I believe that's the road I want to take in my studio so I don't have to keep plugging and unplugging them into various synths, but I'm not completely sure what the best way is to go about setting it up. Any suggestions? Also, what are you using to power your pedals?
Ahhh, well unfortunately for the specific Moogerfoogers I own I don't actually have any other power than the bricks that came with them. I need to move over to a dedicated unit that will power all my Way Huge and Moog pedals. Maybe in 2018...we'll see. I hate plugging and unplugging stuff as well. So what I did was get an interface that also has ADAT. That way I plus everything into that and then route via software. Cubase mainly...I haven't ever used a patchbay, but that's only because I just buy more cables and route everything through main interface. I hope this makes sense :)
Noir Et Blanc Vie That makes sense. I'll try it. So do you give each pedal it's own channel then? How exactly are you routing it in your interface? Thanks!
Great video. Don't you have to lower the line level signal coming from the synth, before reaching the pedals? I understand that, many if not most pedals, are rated for a much lower instrument level signal input coming from guitars or basses.
So, the way I have it setup is that the first pedal is a Moogerfooger (also, I have an updated pedal video) that said. The Moog pedals have a super high dynamic range on the input, so I can use my synth at a normal line level into those pedals. You are correct though, I’ve owned some pedals that required me to lower the level of my synth to not distort the input. :)
Love the vids and great production. Was hoping to see how they are connected though... I've heard it's bad to plug directly from a synth to a pedal since it puts out WAY more voltage than a guitar. Can it damage the pedal? I have an Arturia Minibrute and all Pigtronix effect pedals if that helps.
Gotta give it to Earthquaker for making quality, synth-friendly pedal effects. For anyone into the more gritty & experimental, the Fuzz Master General's more than capable at bringing some sick tone beyond the overrated Acid distortion. Copped one at Moogfest '17 and love it.
Yes but some cheaper pedals give less than desirable results, as synths produce a much hotter signal than a guitar would. If you're a synth nut, I'd recommend you save up and not skimp on fair cheap circuits.
direct box as in direct injection? nah that's not really what they're used for. I mean they amplify your signal obviously, but that's because it's intended to be used connected to a mixing board or interface. If for whatever reason, you'd like to run less gain-out on your synth, just lower the Master Volume knob. tldr; no, EQD pedals are fine run straight from a synth to the stompbox. you're fine
I apreciase your hard work on this videos, thank you very much for such a good production! Keep doing it! I have a question, im planning on buying a synth, around 500, but I don't know which, if analog or digital, im still searching my own sound, what would be a good option at that price for a beginner... I would like you do a video explaining the difference in the sound and the options different synths have at that price. I was thinking in the Minilogue, the Microkorg and the Bass Station II... Tranks a lot for you great content.
Mateo Maya I may be able to do something like this in the future. The hard part for me is I have to buy all the synths I review, so I usually only have 1 or 2 on hand at a time. I would really want to give sound examples and comparisons at the same time you know. I will give you this secret though. I'm reviewing the Monologue for Halloweens Episode...maybe that could help you make a choice since I think that synth is a real winner!
Man, I LOVE the vibe you have going in this video. The old-school edison lightbulb, the steampunk glasses, the sounds & production are on-point. I hope you continue to grow and make this high quality content. I been getting into my Moog Mother-32 combined with electronic drums, vocals and piano. If you get bored check out my channel for some music you might like, I dunno
If your synths don't have onboard effects, I think the basics would have to be reverb and delay, but I guess everybody is different, anyway, great video! :)
What about the ohm input of the guitare pedal compare to the ohm output of the synth ? it rarely matches (guitares are not synth after all) ; we had some issues with this and while investigate this, I saw post on the internet of people using (ohm) attenuator between synth and pedals ; What do you think about this problem ? Great videos as always :) cheers :) Louis
So when you play live shows, are you running stereo? And if so, what pedals are stereo, just reverb? And also, do you do 2 cables coming out of your synth into 2 different DI boxes?
Could you let know what kind of speaker connect after effect pedal in you show case, guitar speaker or regular speaker ? I kind of confused which one is correct.
Awesome! been wanting to see someone do this. Question: have you ever had conflicts with analog synths and pedals? I had a distortion pedal causing power fluctuations that would glitch and even crash an OS. I've heard of this happening to other people. Is there a stomp-box sized power conditioner? would love to hear any suggestions or precautions concerning pedals that can end up sending volts. Thanks!
There is a sort of stomp-box power conditioner....Voodoo labs makes a pretty cool ass one...It's not cheap though, but you'll have what you need for different polarity pedals as well.
The Voodoo Pedal Power 2+ pretty much sets the standard for pedalboard power conditioners and is basically the next step up from the OneSpot multi-power cable thing. I want to say it was between $150 and $200 and can provide conditioned power for about 6-8 pedals, plus has a couple other cool features. I've had up to three at one time and would recommend it hands-down for any serious pedalboard. That said, I have no idea if it would fix the OS-crashing problem you've described! I am definitely *no* expert on electricity but I have to say, it seems pretty strange that a stompbox pedal could affect the operation of a computer OS... don't take my word for it, but to me it *sounds* like something else may have been the cause of the computer issue. I'm happy to be wrong and learn something from your experience, so if you have any more info please post it here, I'll definitely read about it!
my rig goes: Moog Sub37 and Arturia mini brute > custom made AB/XY Pedal (A=Moog B=Arturia, X= pedal Chain 1 Y= Pedal Chain 2. able to have bothA+B run into X and Y together, Or seperate. Saturnworks made it for me) *Pedal Chain 1= MF102 Ring Mod> MF103 12 Stage Phaser>MF104M Analog Delay>Mr.Black Supermoon Reverb>Tc Electronics Ditto Looper. *Pedal Chain 2 Minifooger Drive>MXR Blue Box (Volume Mod)>EHX POG>MXR Phase 90>Earthquaker Afterneath>Minifooger Delay>Ec Electronics Ditto Looper. Pretty awesome to have a looper at the end of each signal pathso I can lay two indepentent loops over one another and mess with the volumes as well. Fun stuff and I am a freaking nerd....
Well here’s the thing, I got the limited original one as soon as it was released. I’m thinking the new one is the same, at least I hope so. It’s a fantastic sounding pedal IMHO.
I still think pro synth players are better off using rack mount effects than a pedal board. It is definitely not cheaper but I feel it fits the form factor, especially if you are sitting behind several synths while performing.
Love the video! So getting into production, I'm always at a crossroad when getting something new like a pedal or a synth. Do I go analog, or digital? I'm really liking the pedals you showed, specially the reverb, but I'm also looking at Valhalla Shimmer which is at $50. Any pointers you have..
Adnan Alsannaa Zoom ms70 cdr is a great first pedal to get imo. It has a great selection of chorus, delay, and reverb effects and sounds fantastic. It's easily the best synth pedal for under $100 IMO.
Adnan...FIrst tip is DON'T do what I did when I started. If I were to start again I'd go with a multiFX pedal. The Zoom ms-70CDR looks like a suggestion. It will definitely take you a long way. Honestly, I'm a freak for analog, so I only go analog (except for the Digitech Polara, but it has a reverse effect which is awesome so there's that lol)
I have have both ms50g and ms70cdr, my 2 cents is they are emulations, way cheaper and kind of a buffet style taste test, but not the real deals, like 65-75% there, close enough for me
Your videos are awesome! Jus a question though. I play more guitar than synth. But I’m planning to use 1 pedal board for guitar and synth, output through the amp. Any advice?
Hey Sean, I do exactly this. I’ve just been plugging and unplugging. I’m gonna find a better solution for this soon, I’m thinking I need to get a mixer, but we will see.
Could you use an a/b/y selector? Coming out of your pedal board into the a/b/y pedal...and then coming out of your a/b/y pedal you could have one go to the amp and then one go to the house mixer.
Thank you so much for this. There is not enough synth + pedals content out there IMHO. Personally, I have several Strymon pedals (Big Sky, Volante, Ola chorus) and had an El Capistan before (replaced by the Volante). These are incredible pedals. I'm looking at the Moogerfoogers. Take care and thanks again. @mano1music (instagram)
I was thinking I would plug some of my guitar pedal fx into the send-return of a small mixer and blend them into the audio from my synths (volcas for now) as needed. Does that make sense and would I still need a passive DI?
You'll either need a Reamp box to do it correctly, Radial makes one OR you need the first pedal in the chain to accept a line level. The moogerfoogers accept line level so that's my trick.
Thanks! Luckily, at least one of my pedals (Zoom MS-70CDR, awesome btw), accepts line-level. Also, for anyone reading this, this looks like a cheap and nice reamp box: www.diyrecordingequipment.com/products/l2a
You know, this isn't exactly answering the question you asked - but I've also found it very simple and musically effective to use top-quality digital VST effects in the computer paired with an analog/physical hardware Synth like your Volcas. Since the original tone is still analog/hardware you get 90% of "the sound" and in a typical busy mix/song/track, few listeners have ears skilled enough to notice the difference with digital vs hardware effects. I do have a re-amping box in my music studio, but when inspiration strikes I often prefer software / VST effects that I can hot-swap between with no cables, re-amping hassles, etc. Then again, nothing beats the sound, cool factor, and reliability of an outboard effects pedal(board), so different strategies for different situations...
Remote God, very cool. I'm coming from an exclusively PC/software background and I know how convenient and fun VSTs can be. I still fear involving the PC or even an iPad will distract me, so I try to stay with hardware now. But how do you even connect different hardware to different VSTs? I guess you have an audio interface with several inputs (mine only has two). I guess one can also do with a USB mixer. Or is there some other trick?
Hey Adil, great question. Glad you've experienced the joy and endless distraction of virtual effects XD and it sounds like you have a really good reason for avoiding the computer - I can relate to how distracting it is, when you can instantly jump on the internet, social etc... instead of sitting down to focus on producing.. in other words I think you've got a great reason for sticking to hardware... That said, YES my audio interface going into computer is fairly beast - 8 independent inputs and preamps for mics/instruments/hardware synths etc. To be honest, I could do almost the same with 4 inputs, but it's really convenient never having to plug or unplug anything in the studio, so yea that's part of why my workflow is relatively pain-free :)
César it’s actually not the level of the synth it’s the impedance of the pedal itself. Certain pedals take line and instrument level...if you look at pedals from say Neunaber Audio they actually take very hot signals. It’s really up to the manufacturer, obviously I couldn’t go more in depth as this was just about covering the pedals I use and a short explanation of how you can work synths and pedals together without too much setup or fuss.
These videos are refreshingly well produced
Thanks!! Just trying to bring the community here something more than the bare minimum 🙌🏾🎉
Great video, with very useful advice. I really appreciate the effort put into these. I use Behringer pedals, and while they're obviously on the cheap territory, my budget is limited and I use the aux loops on my mixer anyway, so the original signal from my synths run completely clean. I'd strongly recommend to everyone to get a mixer with aux sends and extra channels, so you could send and return the wet signal to the master through additional EQ and mix it to taste. There's no universal rule, but having that extra control can really make a difference in your sound.
This was a phenomenal video mate. You're really tapping into a gap on youtube thats been sorely needed. Really appreciate the effort you put in!
Thanks so much for the kind words GalenAus. I remember seeing that there wasn't much high production quality in the synth niche so I attempted to bring some. Hopefully it's working. Any suggestions for things you'd like to see on the Channel?
these glasses man, they make the channel ! jokes aside, your videos are top notch keep doing them and the views will come
This the first time I’ve ever heard a ring modulator sound good
I always have an idea of how my ring mod can be used to weave a distorted electronic sound into my dry signal, but it never seems to do it the way i think it will.
Sonic State but sexier. "Time to get alittle funky" - Noir Et Blanc Vie
HAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAH. Nick has nothing on me.......
Oh except well a crap load more subs lol
You should check TC Electronic Hall of Fame Reverb. Bought it for MicroKorg and it worked quite great.
I started out on synth switched to guitar and now started messing with synths again. I have over 140 pedals to work with gathered from over the years.
I kinda know the feeling with a VST effects folder that is about 20x larger than my DAW program itself XD
You're gonna have a great time
So what is your favourite pedal?
Do you have to lower the Sub37's output in order to keep some pedals from cliping?
Love using MXR's carbon copy analog delay on the Prophet 08 and Minibrute. Just makes everything sound bigger!
hello! how are you handling the inputs/outputs from the synth and the pedals
do you use a mixer? DI? what do you have connected after the the pedal?
I love your videos. You are so articulate and intelligent. It’s really refreshing!
Nice videos on pedals. Great job, new sub. Pedals are addictive, but I tell people all the time, with the right fx, even a really cheap keyboards cam sound glorious! I’m a big fan of digital delays and reverbs, but for modulation and overdrive/distortion, gotta be analog!
You seem like a fan of Way Huge. How’s the headroom on their stuff? Is it a guarantee I’d need a re-amp?
The Moogerfoogers are pricey.....but sooooo worth it. There aren’t a lot of pedals that allow so much flexibility, CV control/modulation, and of course that added little Drive knob is like icing on the cake. Its a legit analog drive, better than many pedals costing $100-200. I use the one on the phaser and clusterflux often, and sometimes just the drive on the clusterflux without even engaging modulation.
Plus, you never need to worry about headroom with foogers. I cam run a synth, even a hot modular, and it can take it. If it does clip, it might even sound good.
If the big foogers are too much....the minifoogers are equally as capable, just not quite as full featured. The mini chorus is outstanding, and can do stereo by switch and a y-splitter cable. They are very reasonably priced, but still sound highend and undeniably analog.
Loving your channel man!
It's all the info I'm looking for and the production value of your videos makes it fun to watch.
Keep it up!
For reverb, I use TC Electronic Hall of Fame. Analog reverb with a nice variety of options. Makes my modeling synth sound like a real analog synthesizer.
im gonna get my very first synth, a microbrute and wanna experiment with some pedals. thanks for sharing your setup
It'd be cool to see how you use your synths to modulate other units. Those inputs offer a world of possibilities, particularly on those synths with built-in FX.
"You'll need pedals! This is a personal choice..."
*Buys 3 Analog Heats and an Analog Drive*
Perfect.
Man, I'm just attempting to bring some sort of entertainment...Is it working? ;)
OH yeah. Loved this series; as usual, can't wait for the next video! :)
I would say it went well. Very informative and great video to learn from. Sometimes we forget what type of pedal to use, and we also forget about impedance. So thank you for the video.
Without any further delay, I must send you some feedback... 😅 awesome video man. You’re becoming one of my fave synth/Gear channels! I would really like to see more vids from you on using multiple fx pedals on a synth (such as minilogue, or any synth), and a decent order to use them in the effects chain! I know it can be experimental but I would love to see your order that you like to use the pedals in and some combinations of your effects pedals on a synth.
i.e would you use Polara first or last in chain, I ask because it has stereo out, but most other pedals only have a mono input, so it would have to go last unless it’s used as mono?
So far I use the minilogue and polara reverb and the Volca FM (mini DX7 :)) looking for new effects pedals to add to my setup! The ‘Supa Puss’ delay is tempting me bro, lmao. Cheers
Um Boss Compressor ME-30, SuperPhaser ArionStereoChorus, Dunlop Cry-baby Wah. Love the Polara have a Kurzweil K2kSv3 with DigiTech efx built-in that can pretty much imitate that effect and other things as well. The DigiTech efx unit that came with the older Kurz's has a dark, brooding and warm characteristic sound to it. The KDFX on the later models is also very good it's in the same ilk as the Eventide or Lexicon stuff. But DigiTech is no slouch either and has unique dimensions to it's sound that I like. As does that DigiTech Polara ur using (As u said there's no accounting for personal taste) They also (the Kurz's) have IO's (digital & analog) that u can use to process external audio, guitar & vocals through them. Not that that's anything revolutionary but is still a cool tool to utilize those stellar effects (like ur doin' with the Polara) on other instruments good stuff thanx dude.
Exceptionally good episode. Stepped up production values. And thank you.
You're very welcome Chris. Making sure my channel has the highest production value in the music community is the goal.....oh yeah and Synth stuff too haha. Let me know if there is any content you'd like to see made here, I'm always open to ideas!
Nice and very informative, can you explain how to connect it to a synth? Thanks
Great Video Noir! High quality as always! i have bit of feedback though, I love the short & concise format of your videos, but sometimes it can feel like you are breezing over information from time to time. e.g. not having long enough sound examples of the pedals. might just be me, but sometimes having an extra ten seconds per pedal would have made the world of different. just a thought :)
Mr Horjey definitely good feedback! I appreciate it! I'm sure you're can understand how hard it is to hold an audience's attention so I was trying to find a good balance between knob twiddling, me actually playing, the visuals themselves and my big mouth haha. I thought I got it, but I'll definitely look to put more of an emphasis the sound examples in an interesting way. Thanks again for watching, feedback like this only improves the channel!
Noir Et Blanc Vie keep it up! you're on a roll ATM, can't wait to see how you're channel grows :)
Dude the way you talk makes my day. Great video, thanks.
Goddamn that reverb made my day.
old video, but nonetheless I'm very happy with the pedals I've gotten together for my pedal board (primarily used on Wurly, synths, and drum machine). Source audio programmable EQ (perfects the wurli tone and can be used for general tone shaping on other sounds) into Dunlop bass wah (I love both the spring action and the fact that the low end remains along with the bandpass effect) into EHX Ring Thing (basically a multi fx pedal (ring/phase/trem/chorus/all sorts of crap in between) with 9 presets due to the way you can manipulate ring mod and pitch shift and their built in LFO) into Mooer Ocean Machine (2 delays and a reverb each with 9 algorthims, and a looper with reverse and half time, all individually routable in real time (think recording a loop with reverb and delay on it, then twisting a knob to put that loop back in front of the reverb and delay without any sonic hiccup, and all 4 effects can move like that) for $300.
its the best pedal rig.
Thank you!!! Pedals and synths is not discussed much these days. As you stated, onboard FX are nice but, pedals provide more varieties of flavors to help sculpt a uniques sonic profile. BTW I just SUBSCRIBED... nice channel.
Great video! Ive just been looking at some little mooer pedals for my sh-01a
Dude thank you soooo much, i finally get how synth's work. such great info, your a hero to me! best vid evaa!
This episode is so well done. Great job!
The Strymon El Capistan and DECO go beautifully with polysynths
Good suggestions Arnaldur! I really need to test out some Strymon pedals.
GEOsynths did a nice video demonstration of the DECO, something to check out
Arnaldur Ingi Jónsson Another vote here for the El Capistan. I run my Mother 32 and Minilogue through it. It's got a fantastically warm sound for a digital pedal.
Yeah I concur with others that your episodes are well produced. Each video feels like a show that’s worth watching even if it isn’t relevant to something I’m interested in. So thank you for that. Also I use a guitar multi effect pedal right now that I picked up used for 45$ and it has all the effects including much needed compression, so far I haven’t noticed any lacking of fidelity and it is fun.
Thank Pierce! Really appreciate you being so kind, it means more than you know. So what’s interesting is that you mentioned having compression built into your multi FX pedal and that’s one thing I’m missing. I almost would rather have that than the overdrive pedal I had. Convenience is really there with the way you went! Which multi-FX pedal is it?
Noir Et Blanc Vie it is delta labs, which I’ve never heard anywhere else, it is good when dialed back significantly less than all the presets meant for guitar. It is giving me a way to explore those effects on my budget as a student. I have realized watching your video that effects are a as important to a synth as the resonant body of a guitar or violin. I am considering a synth like the Behringer deepmind that includes effects on board because they are so integral to the sound.
You deserve waaaay more subscribers dude.
The pedals I may end up going for are : a Vox Wah, a Electro Harmonix Big Muff Pi (for that distortion) a Marshall drive Master Overdrive (in case I wanna really take the lead in a song), an Ibanez SC10 Super Chorus (should I wanna go clean without the crunch) a Maxon Digital Delay/Echo, a Boss Phase Shift (combine that with both Maxon and the next pecdal), a Boss CH1 Super Chorus , a Digitech RP50 (I would use it for a hub to double up on any of the pedals that I mentioned), and lastly a Cathedral Reverb (just to really add to the Ibanez and Boss chorus pedals).
Synth + Reverb = Synthwave Movie Score
Great Video-Thanks again! That Digitech Polara sure sounds sweet....Now I must decide: Do I get that, or the Boss RV-6. Wish I could try them side-by-side to determine my choice-but alas I live far away from a decent music store. Any thoughts?
I love this channel! You should really consider doing pedal reviews for synths.
Very nice! Sir, would it be possible for pedalnoobs as myself, to do a small video on the connection and signalpath with eurorack and/or synths please? Do you need a special eurorack module for pedal integration? Are they in series in the case of multiple pedals? Do you use the eurorack mixer module to come back or straight out from the last pedal into the outboard mixer? Etc.. keep up the nice informative videos!
i got a moog subphatty with an ehx 8 step ,a moogerfooger 102 ring modulator ,a ehx cock wha ,a ehx nano looper and a digitech rp360,with all that stuff i got more than enough for the moment .the ehx 8 step is really usefull to control the synth or the pedals.great video
Thank you. I’ve always thought about trying EHX stuff, do you find it to be quality and long lasting? I’ve only had the big muff
hi,for the moment i never had any kind of problems with ehx pedals .they are well made .
your videos are so great and inspiring. thank you for this series!
Beautifully produced video!
Thanks John!! I've got a long way to go to reach your prolific level of producing content. Thanks again for tuning in!
Great video! I recently started getting into pedals. I purchased the eventide timefactor and the moog MF - 108. I'm looking at the MF 102. Have you ever used a patchbay in your studio? I believe that's the road I want to take in my studio so I don't have to keep plugging and unplugging them into various synths, but I'm not completely sure what the best way is to go about setting it up. Any suggestions? Also, what are you using to power your pedals?
Ahhh, well unfortunately for the specific Moogerfoogers I own I don't actually have any other power than the bricks that came with them. I need to move over to a dedicated unit that will power all my Way Huge and Moog pedals. Maybe in 2018...we'll see. I hate plugging and unplugging stuff as well. So what I did was get an interface that also has ADAT. That way I plus everything into that and then route via software. Cubase mainly...I haven't ever used a patchbay, but that's only because I just buy more cables and route everything through main interface. I hope this makes sense :)
Noir Et Blanc Vie That makes sense. I'll try it. So do you give each pedal it's own channel then? How exactly are you routing it in your interface? Thanks!
Great video. Don't you have to lower the line level signal coming from the synth, before reaching the pedals? I understand that, many if not most pedals, are rated for a much lower instrument level signal input coming from guitars or basses.
So, the way I have it setup is that the first pedal is a Moogerfooger (also, I have an updated pedal video) that said. The Moog pedals have a super high dynamic range on the input, so I can use my synth at a normal line level into those pedals. You are correct though, I’ve owned some pedals that required me to lower the level of my synth to not distort the input. :)
Love the vids and great production. Was hoping to see how they are connected though... I've heard it's bad to plug directly from a synth to a pedal since it puts out WAY more voltage than a guitar. Can it damage the pedal? I have an Arturia Minibrute and all Pigtronix effect pedals if that helps.
I like the glasses, it's original. But still, why are you wearing sunglasses inside? Love videos like these.
Watch the video interview with me, it explains everything.
ive been looking at a few reverbs what do you think of these...
big sky
boss rv 500
boss rv 6
Gotta give it to Earthquaker for making quality, synth-friendly pedal effects.
For anyone into the more gritty & experimental, the Fuzz Master General's more than capable at bringing some sick tone beyond the overrated Acid distortion. Copped one at Moogfest '17 and love it.
Suped_BIGRIG_350mph that means I can plug analog synth directly to pedals? (And don't worry about instrument/line levels thing?)
Yes but some cheaper pedals give less than desirable results, as synths produce a much hotter signal than a guitar would. If you're a synth nut, I'd recommend you save up and not skimp on fair cheap circuits.
Suped_BIGRIG_350mph thanks, although I ask you specifically for earthquaker devices pedals. Don't they need a direct box?
direct box as in direct injection? nah that's not really what they're used for. I mean they amplify your signal obviously, but that's because it's intended to be used connected to a mixing board or interface.
If for whatever reason, you'd like to run less gain-out on your synth, just lower the Master Volume knob.
tldr; no, EQD pedals are fine run straight from a synth to the stompbox. you're fine
saw this and thought it was great and did not need to bring it up
I use korg monotron delay. It's all analog tape delay with an ms20 style low pass filter.
I apreciase your hard work on this videos, thank you very much for such a good production!
Keep doing it!
I have a question, im planning on buying a synth, around 500, but I don't know which, if analog or digital, im still searching my own sound, what would be a good option at that price for a beginner...
I would like you do a video explaining the difference in the sound and the options different synths have at that price.
I was thinking in the Minilogue, the Microkorg and the Bass Station II...
Tranks a lot for you great content.
Mateo Maya I may be able to do something like this in the future. The hard part for me is I have to buy all the synths I review, so I usually only have 1 or 2 on hand at a time. I would really want to give sound examples and comparisons at the same time you know. I will give you this secret though. I'm reviewing the Monologue for Halloweens Episode...maybe that could help you make a choice since I think that synth is a real winner!
Man, I LOVE the vibe you have going in this video. The old-school edison lightbulb, the steampunk glasses, the sounds & production are on-point. I hope you continue to grow and make this high quality content. I been getting into my Moog Mother-32 combined with electronic drums, vocals and piano. If you get bored check out my channel for some music you might like, I dunno
Fresh stuff man! Please do keep making content!! Oh and thank you for being so kind, just being me I guess.
thanks for checking it out!! ya and anyone reading this should subscribe to +Noir Et Blanc Vie's channel cause he is awesome :)
If your synths don't have onboard effects, I think the basics would have to be reverb and delay, but I guess everybody is different, anyway, great video! :)
I agree, the delay is the to me the staple...Synths without effects can be wonderful, but with the right effects they can become ethereal!
analog synth + Valhalla VST reverbs = instant heaven for me :)
Great Vid thanks! Part 3 pls!
What about the ohm input of the guitare pedal compare to the ohm output of the synth ? it rarely matches (guitares are not synth after all) ;
we had some issues with this and while investigate this, I saw post on the internet of people using (ohm) attenuator between synth and pedals ; What do you think about this problem ? Great videos as always :)
cheers :)
Louis
So when you play live shows, are you running stereo? And if so, what pedals are stereo, just reverb? And also, do you do 2 cables coming out of your synth into 2 different DI boxes?
Good question, I personally use 2 radial DI boxes. The green ones, they’re mono. I love them
sweet, thank you. I hear they make stereo DI boxes too
Could you let know what kind of speaker connect after effect pedal in you show case, guitar speaker or regular speaker ? I kind of confused which one is correct.
Awesome! been wanting to see someone do this. Question: have you ever had conflicts with analog synths and pedals? I had a distortion pedal causing power fluctuations that would glitch and even crash an OS. I've heard of this happening to other people. Is there a stomp-box sized power conditioner? would love to hear any suggestions or precautions concerning pedals that can end up sending volts. Thanks!
There is a sort of stomp-box power conditioner....Voodoo labs makes a pretty cool ass one...It's not cheap though, but you'll have what you need for different polarity pedals as well.
Noir Et Blanc Vie wow great thanks for the suggestion! your channel kicks ass!
The Voodoo Pedal Power 2+ pretty much sets the standard for pedalboard power conditioners and is basically the next step up from the OneSpot multi-power cable thing. I want to say it was between $150 and $200 and can provide conditioned power for about 6-8 pedals, plus has a couple other cool features. I've had up to three at one time and would recommend it hands-down for any serious pedalboard.
That said, I have no idea if it would fix the OS-crashing problem you've described! I am definitely *no* expert on electricity but I have to say, it seems pretty strange that a stompbox pedal could affect the operation of a computer OS... don't take my word for it, but to me it *sounds* like something else may have been the cause of the computer issue.
I'm happy to be wrong and learn something from your experience, so if you have any more info please post it here, I'll definitely read about it!
my rig goes: Moog Sub37 and Arturia mini brute > custom made AB/XY Pedal (A=Moog B=Arturia, X= pedal Chain 1 Y= Pedal Chain 2. able to have bothA+B run into X and Y together, Or seperate. Saturnworks made it for me) *Pedal Chain 1= MF102 Ring Mod> MF103 12 Stage Phaser>MF104M Analog Delay>Mr.Black Supermoon Reverb>Tc Electronics Ditto Looper. *Pedal Chain 2 Minifooger Drive>MXR Blue Box (Volume Mod)>EHX POG>MXR Phase 90>Earthquaker Afterneath>Minifooger Delay>Ec Electronics Ditto Looper. Pretty awesome to have a looper at the end of each signal pathso I can lay two indepentent loops over one another and mess with the volumes as well. Fun stuff and I am a freaking nerd....
This rig is redic! Where can I see it in action.
Ill get to a vid right quick.
Is the blue hippo Limited because of the purple color? I mean. Is It the same as the blue one?
Well here’s the thing, I got the limited original one as soon as it was released. I’m thinking the new one is the same, at least I hope so. It’s a fantastic sounding pedal IMHO.
I still think pro synth players are better off using rack mount effects than a pedal board. It is definitely not cheaper but I feel it fits the form factor, especially if you are sitting behind several synths while performing.
This is why UA-cam is better than TV and netflix
What box should I use for guitar sounds on my synth?
I like the idea of many different individual pedals, it’s fun and you can really tailor it more than with a multi-effects box.
AAA
For what concern DI, if I am stereo, with 2 jacks, do i need 2 DI?
Yes you’ll need 2 DI inputs for stereo, there is a good one from Mackie that I have it’s under $60, try that one if you’re looking for a stereo DI.
Love the video! So getting into production, I'm always at a crossroad when getting something new like a pedal or a synth. Do I go analog, or digital? I'm really liking the pedals you showed, specially the reverb, but I'm also looking at Valhalla Shimmer which is at $50. Any pointers you have..
Adnan Alsannaa Zoom ms70 cdr is a great first pedal to get imo. It has a great selection of chorus, delay, and reverb effects and sounds fantastic.
It's easily the best synth pedal for under $100 IMO.
Adnan...FIrst tip is DON'T do what I did when I started. If I were to start again I'd go with a multiFX pedal. The Zoom ms-70CDR looks like a suggestion. It will definitely take you a long way. Honestly, I'm a freak for analog, so I only go analog (except for the Digitech Polara, but it has a reverse effect which is awesome so there's that lol)
Sounds pretty good. The Zoom ms 70 looks pretty nice and compact, so I ll check that out. Thanks!!
I have have both ms50g and ms70cdr, my 2 cents is they are emulations, way cheaper and kind of a buffet style taste test, but not the real deals, like 65-75% there, close enough for me
Your videos are awesome! Jus a question though. I play more guitar than synth. But I’m planning to use 1 pedal board for guitar and synth, output through the amp. Any advice?
Hey Sean, I do exactly this. I’ve just been plugging and unplugging. I’m gonna find a better solution for this soon, I’m thinking I need to get a mixer, but we will see.
Noir Et Blanc Vie I was looking at the boss ES 8. :)
Could you use an a/b/y selector? Coming out of your pedal board into the a/b/y pedal...and then coming out of your a/b/y pedal you could have one go to the amp and then one go to the house mixer.
Sorry, not quite sure what's an a/b/y selector. I'm assuming it's an a/b switch? I have a mixing link which kinda works.
Thank you so much for this. There is not enough synth + pedals content out there IMHO. Personally, I have several Strymon pedals (Big Sky, Volante, Ola chorus) and had an El Capistan before (replaced by the Volante). These are incredible pedals. I'm looking at the Moogerfoogers. Take care and thanks again. @mano1music (instagram)
Love your VIDS. I wish you produced more content tho.
Don’t you worry, I got some new shit on the way!
Strymon El Capistan, Blue Sky Rev, mmm... Boss DS-1 (perfect for Acid Stuff)
I so want to try out the Blue Sky....Thanks for the suggestions Christopher....I need a bigger pedalboard haha
3:00 anyone reminded of pink floyd's welcome to the machine?
Thanks Vikram, I love Pink Floyd BTW, what's your favorite album of theirs?
dark side followed by wish you were here followed by meddle :) i'm a huge fan but was born a generation late :/
Vikram Subramanaiam - my favorite Floyd albums in the exact same order too dude
I use eventide space and boss rv 500
I was thinking I would plug some of my guitar pedal fx into the send-return of a small mixer and blend them into the audio from my synths (volcas for now) as needed. Does that make sense and would I still need a passive DI?
You'll either need a Reamp box to do it correctly, Radial makes one OR you need the first pedal in the chain to accept a line level. The moogerfoogers accept line level so that's my trick.
Thanks! Luckily, at least one of my pedals (Zoom MS-70CDR, awesome btw), accepts line-level. Also, for anyone reading this, this looks like a cheap and nice reamp box: www.diyrecordingequipment.com/products/l2a
You know, this isn't exactly answering the question you asked - but I've also found it very simple and musically effective to use top-quality digital VST effects in the computer paired with an analog/physical hardware Synth like your Volcas.
Since the original tone is still analog/hardware you get 90% of "the sound" and in a typical busy mix/song/track, few listeners have ears skilled enough to notice the difference with digital vs hardware effects.
I do have a re-amping box in my music studio, but when inspiration strikes I often prefer software / VST effects that I can hot-swap between with no cables, re-amping hassles, etc.
Then again, nothing beats the sound, cool factor, and reliability of an outboard effects pedal(board), so different strategies for different situations...
Remote God, very cool. I'm coming from an exclusively PC/software background and I know how convenient and fun VSTs can be. I still fear involving the PC or even an iPad will distract me, so I try to stay with hardware now. But how do you even connect different hardware to different VSTs? I guess you have an audio interface with several inputs (mine only has two). I guess one can also do with a USB mixer. Or is there some other trick?
Hey Adil, great question. Glad you've experienced the joy and endless distraction of virtual effects XD and it sounds like you have a really good reason for avoiding the computer - I can relate to how distracting it is, when you can instantly jump on the internet, social etc... instead of sitting down to focus on producing.. in other words I think you've got a great reason for sticking to hardware...
That said, YES my audio interface going into computer is fairly beast - 8 independent inputs and preamps for mics/instruments/hardware synths etc. To be honest, I could do almost the same with 4 inputs, but it's really convenient never having to plug or unplug anything in the studio, so yea that's part of why my workflow is relatively pain-free :)
At this point.. Maybe 1 or two analogy pedals and Vsts will do you right
Thanks! : )
You're very welcome!
nice
Some synths have an output level way too high for guitare pedals
César it’s actually not the level of the synth it’s the impedance of the pedal itself. Certain pedals take line and instrument level...if you look at pedals from say Neunaber Audio they actually take very hot signals. It’s really up to the manufacturer, obviously I couldn’t go more in depth as this was just about covering the pedals I use and a short explanation of how you can work synths and pedals together without too much setup or fuss.
Genial
I wonder how many people watch these without realizing your user name means "black and white life" in french and that it's not your name.
you mean his middle name is not "Et"? heh