For ambient guitar, I'd say the pedalboard is on point. Some people forget that delays often have built in reverb effects or that can stack delays. Me, I prefer to have more on a board just bc I can do more for certain situations. For example: if I want a rhythmic delay going on (like a U2 or evh style) but I want the tone to kind of fade in and out, I'd use a wah to articulate that idea. If I wanted crazy delay with resonant reverb and synth-like sounds, I'd use my caverns (with reverb modulated, delay put on a mild setting for a filler), stack it with a heavier delay and then use my whammy 5 for chordal harmonies. In some instances, I might just put my reverb on mild, delay on a slightly thicker setting, turn on my TC Helix and arpeggiate chords with my fingers. With that being said, my opinion on guitars, amps and effects goes as such: a decent set up goes with an instrumentalist like a construction worker goes with his tools. Your mind has many ideas and the tools behind those ideas can help make it happen. You don't necessarily have to have the best ones, just know how to pick your battles when it comes to getting the job done.
Great video, and a good advice at the end 😊 - it's always the player that makes the music, not the pedalboard. Said that, I would also add a reverb into the chain to give you wide washes of sound if you need them. I love ending on an huge reverb letting the room still resonate the sound while the song fades out. The guitar equivalent of a long sigh.
Hello Bill, thank you for the refresher course. I tend to agree with your minimalist set-up, although it can be hard to resist the temptation to keep adding to the board. Anyway, suggestions for future video topics: Playing ambient guitar live, how to approach venues and secure gigs, What's the future of ambient guitar? Could it go mainstream? Ambient guitar in collaboration with other musicians
Thank you again Bill. Living in the virtual realm of amp modellers, impulse response sims, and digital effects plug-ins, keeping the effect chain under control is essential, and it's great to get the skinny from a true exemplar of the genre.
I agree with your choices except .... I'd add a looper .. Boss produce some cost-effective units that will allow you to create sonic landscapes or simple drones over which you can improvise.
Chords Of Orion I really look forward to this looping video, especially when it comes to ambient sounds and drones. How do you do to create nice connections between the beginning and the end on a loop with a drone or when you have long reverb tails you don’t want to loose? A mystery so far... But I guess you have some nice tips for us. 👍😊
The best ambient setup I've ever had is my Mark V clean channel with the MXR Reverb going into a Seymour Duncan Dark Sun. I can just get lost for days :)
Well my idea for another topic is ( don't know if it's possible) to have ambient chord melodies of say classic ballads and if so you may want to show how to create one. Thanks, I enjoy your videos.
Love your music! And I really like your instructive videos and your ambition to help us understand that it isn’t the size of the wallet that matters. If possible it would sometime be interesting to hear what ambient music you could create with a multieffect pedal, like the Boss ME-80 or something similar.
Niklas Lång ME80 is great. It has everything you need in one unit. Lots of different ways to go but the ME80 is certainly acceptable. I think Bill’s pedalboard might have a power supply underneath that his pedals are being powered by.
Niklas Lång Bill has many videos demonstrating lots of different pedals and his compositions are all very soothing and peaceful. So many nice vibes. I encourage you to try to watch many of them. He’s a great teacher, takes his time doesn’t rush thru what he’s trying to teach.
Chords Of Orion Thanks Bill! It doesn’t really surprise me, so I guess I should have checked first... 🙃 But I sure will now. 👍 I actually play the violin and have started to play electric and have been doing so for the past two years now. Great fun, and I play a lot more now. (As you already guessed, with an ME-80 and some other pedals...) But as I said, in spite of the fact I’m a violinist, I find your videos very inspiring. We’ll see what kind of ambient violin music I’ll be able to create in the future. ✨🎶✨
I know that you have mentioned a couple of times in videos about your guitar tone settings. I'm wondering if you could do a video showcasing some examples with a few different style guitars (to fit everyone's needs) on how different tone and volume adjustments "on the guitar" can change the character of the ambient feel of the signal. Thanks!
Thanks and nicely presented. Any plans to discuss the order of effects and how that shapes the sound? Lastly, thoughts on the E-Bow and apologies if you have covered this elsewhere. Thanks
Hello David: I've done a couple of videos on pedal placement - looper before or after delay, and distortion before or after volume pedal. Also, I have a few EBow tutorials and a shootout with the Joyo and TC Electronic versions.
Hello Bill,Hard to believe 5 watts is enough for modulation effects. I’m looking into buying the Laney LT 5 studio head. But worried it isn’t a good platform format for ambient. But obviously you are using a low wattage rig. I want to stack different delays and reverbs. What’s your thoughts?
Hi Bill, many thanks for this tutorial. By the way, can you do something similar to program an ambient rig just with the Headrush pedalboard? many thanks in advance! best wishes
This is one of the rare videos where I use an amp. The amp used in this video is a small custom built tube amp and the mic is an old EV Cardinal. I generally use an amp modeler, so no amp and no mic. The Strymon Iridium is one of my favorites.
By a back-of-the-envelope estimation, your pedalboard would cost somewhere around $1300. Can you achieve the same or nearly the same result with a multieffects pedal? The answer has to be, Certainly, to some unspecified degree. Have you ever tried ambient guitar using something like, say, a Zoom G6 for $400 or a Boss ME-80 for $310? How close can you get in sound to your separate-pedal pedalboard.?
Sure - you can achieve this basic setup with almost any multi-effects / amp modeler unit. I have lots of vids here on the channel using multi-effects, so lots of examples. Here's one with the old Line 6 FX-100: ua-cam.com/video/2tK44FyXjx0/v-deo.html
Great information, thanks! :) If possible, I'd be very interested in a selection of nice amp modelers, because I'm just looking into what I should look for to put between my pedals and audio interface. :)
That amplifier sounds so much better than your modelers!!! So much warmer and rounder -- you hear more of the low end. I think, however, if you wind up using a guitar with a Floyd Rose, you can just go back to the modeler because the tone on those guitars is so tinky no amplifier can make the tone sound good.
My question is how do you record stereo effects through one guitar amp you"ve miced up? They all seem to be mono. Or do you need to run left and right FX out into two seperate amps and mic them up seperately?
If you want to use amps for stereo, then yes, you will need to use 2 amps in the manner you mention. I don't normally use amps, I use amp modelers, which generally makes it easier.
Hi, Bill! Your music is majestic, been listening for several yers and so now i’m on my way of guitar ambient. Should I put a volume pedal before or after compressor and distortion? What do you think about avoiding using volume pedal by turning the potentiometer on a guitar?
Putting before the distortion controls how much of your signal going into the distortion, putting behind the distortion will control how much distorted tone coming out from distortion
11:07 you should really put something like extreme caution to people who trying to simulate this setup in a daw with just digital effects. The delay feedback resonance for this reason might be devastating if not controlled in digital environment, you gonna save people's ears from exploding
I still love mine for specific patches (basically to sound like Slowdive), but it definitely has its limits. I'd at least say get a volume pedal and a compressor to go before it into your CDR. Those two pedals make a world of difference when messing with the CDR.
Great videos, thank you. I am just getting started and I was wondering if you had an opinion on the Orange Crush 35RT and the Katana 50 MKII. Would appreciate hearing your insights as I am leaning towards the Orange Crush. Have a great day.
For ambient guitar, I'd say the pedalboard is on point. Some people forget that delays often have built in reverb effects or that can stack delays.
Me, I prefer to have more on a board just bc I can do more for certain situations. For example: if I want a rhythmic delay going on (like a U2 or evh style) but I want the tone to kind of fade in and out, I'd use a wah to articulate that idea. If I wanted crazy delay with resonant reverb and synth-like sounds, I'd use my caverns (with reverb modulated, delay put on a mild setting for a filler), stack it with a heavier delay and then use my whammy 5 for chordal harmonies. In some instances, I might just put my reverb on mild, delay on a slightly thicker setting, turn on my TC Helix and arpeggiate chords with my fingers.
With that being said, my opinion on guitars, amps and effects goes as such: a decent set up goes with an instrumentalist like a construction worker goes with his tools. Your mind has many ideas and the tools behind those ideas can help make it happen. You don't necessarily have to have the best ones, just know how to pick your battles when it comes to getting the job done.
The compressor is a great pedal. I bought it because I liked the sound you had and I was not disappointed. It is highly recommended
Great video, and a good advice at the end 😊 - it's always the player that makes the music, not the pedalboard.
Said that, I would also add a reverb into the chain to give you wide washes of sound if you need them. I love ending on an huge reverb letting the room still resonate the sound while the song fades out. The guitar equivalent of a long sigh.
Sounds great Bill. Wonderfully clear explanations. That Reverend looks the business and sounds excellent. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful!
Hello Bill, thank you for the refresher course. I tend to agree with your minimalist set-up, although it can be hard to resist the temptation to keep adding to the board. Anyway, suggestions for future video topics:
Playing ambient guitar live, how to approach venues and secure gigs,
What's the future of ambient guitar? Could it go mainstream?
Ambient guitar in collaboration with other musicians
Cool vid. I have to say I liked the clean sound a lot. A little Steve Howe-ish.
Great content bro, thanks for everything! love from Chile
Thanks for your hard work and positive attitude.
Thank you again Bill. Living in the virtual realm of amp modellers, impulse response sims, and digital effects plug-ins, keeping the effect chain under control is essential, and it's great to get the skinny from a true exemplar of the genre.
Sick reverend! Love it
Nice guitar Bill.
I agree with your choices except .... I'd add a looper .. Boss produce some cost-effective units that will allow you to create sonic landscapes or simple drones over which you can improvise.
Oh, this is just super minimal to get started. Update looper discussion to come!
Chords Of Orion I really look forward to this looping video, especially when it comes to ambient sounds and drones. How do you do to create nice connections between the beginning and the end on a loop with a drone or when you have long reverb tails you don’t want to loose? A mystery so far... But I guess you have some nice tips for us. 👍😊
That's pretty cool for a basic setup. I think I'll see what I can fit on my pedaltrain metro 20
Wonderful video! Looking forward to next one!
Thank you so much for the video this helped a lot!
Finaly what i was waiting for! More of your priceless experience. Ty ty ty
I just wanted to say Thank you so much, You've have help me so much on my journey! God bless you
The best ambient setup I've ever had is my Mark V clean channel with the MXR Reverb going into a Seymour Duncan Dark Sun. I can just get lost for days :)
Bought my se 277 soapbar today. hopefully its was no mistake... it will be delivered in 2 weeks. dont know wether baritone Sounds good clean
Beautiful sounds you’re getting here bill
Thank you. Most helpful!
You're welcome!
Big thumbs up on this video. In return I'm going to inflict some ambient guitar on the universe and you!
I just got an overdrive and an analog delay pedal. Next on my shopping list is a compressor and volume pedal.
I use VX50AG Yamaha APX500II Mosky spring reverb Mosky BE5 Flashback II delay NUX MG100
Well my idea for another topic is ( don't know if it's possible) to have ambient chord melodies of say classic ballads and if so you may want to show how to create one. Thanks, I enjoy your videos.
You keep it so real. It's great.
Nice job, Ser Davos!
Try a digitech freqout at the front of the chain adds great overtones!
Good stuff - the only other thing I'd add is a nice subtle chorus effect, but that's just me ...
Great you got back to this series! Please do one on frippertronics (and frippertronics on a budget!)
Love your music! And I really like your instructive videos and your ambition to help us understand that it isn’t the size of the wallet that matters. If possible it would sometime be interesting to hear what ambient music you could create with a multieffect pedal, like the Boss ME-80 or something similar.
Niklas Lång
ME80 is great. It has everything you need in one unit. Lots of different ways to go but the ME80 is certainly acceptable.
I think Bill’s pedalboard might have a power supply underneath that his pedals are being powered by.
I have a bunch here on the channel Mooer GE-200, GE-300, Line 6 AmpliFi FX, BOSS GT-1000, Headrush Pedalboard & Gigboard, Line 6 HX-Stomp, etc.
Niklas Lång
Bill has many videos demonstrating lots of different pedals and his compositions are all very soothing and peaceful. So many nice vibes. I encourage you to try to watch many of them. He’s a great teacher, takes his time doesn’t rush thru what he’s trying to teach.
Chords Of Orion Thanks Bill! It doesn’t really surprise me, so I guess I should have checked first... 🙃 But I sure will now. 👍 I actually play the violin and have started to play electric and have been doing so for the past two years now. Great fun, and I play a lot more now. (As you already guessed, with an ME-80 and some other pedals...) But as I said, in spite of the fact I’m a violinist, I find your videos very inspiring. We’ll see what kind of ambient violin music I’ll be able to create in the future. ✨🎶✨
Niklas Lång
Violin volume swells - sounds interesting. Violin with other pedals, delay and reverb, etc., could sound great.
I know that you have mentioned a couple of times in videos about your guitar tone settings. I'm wondering if you could do a video showcasing some examples with a few different style guitars (to fit everyone's needs) on how different tone and volume adjustments "on the guitar" can change the character of the ambient feel of the signal. Thanks!
Thanks and nicely presented. Any plans to discuss the order of effects and how that shapes the sound? Lastly, thoughts on the E-Bow and apologies if you have covered this elsewhere. Thanks
Hello David: I've done a couple of videos on pedal placement - looper before or after delay, and distortion before or after volume pedal. Also, I have a few EBow tutorials and a shootout with the Joyo and TC Electronic versions.
that first taste of distortion is a bitchin tone, man. i'm afraid that i'd stop right there and rock that all night!
Hello Bill,Hard to believe 5 watts is enough for modulation effects. I’m looking into buying the Laney LT 5 studio head. But worried it isn’t a good platform format for ambient. But obviously you are using a low wattage rig. I want to stack different delays and reverbs. What’s your thoughts?
Where would fit a reverb in this chain?
Hi Bill, many thanks for this tutorial. By the way, can you do something similar to program an ambient rig just with the Headrush pedalboard? many thanks in advance! best wishes
Hi Bill,
Can you please inform me of your mic choice and amp for ambient recordings.. Love this channel btw
This is one of the rare videos where I use an amp. The amp used in this video is a small custom built tube amp and the mic is an old EV Cardinal. I generally use an amp modeler, so no amp and no mic. The Strymon Iridium is one of my favorites.
GREAT!!!
I've just miss the reverb...
By a back-of-the-envelope estimation, your pedalboard would cost somewhere around $1300. Can you achieve the same or nearly the same result with a multieffects pedal? The answer has to be, Certainly, to some unspecified degree. Have you ever tried ambient guitar using something like, say, a Zoom G6 for $400 or a Boss ME-80 for $310? How close can you get in sound to your separate-pedal pedalboard.?
Sure - you can achieve this basic setup with almost any multi-effects / amp modeler unit. I have lots of vids here on the channel using multi-effects, so lots of examples. Here's one with the old Line 6 FX-100: ua-cam.com/video/2tK44FyXjx0/v-deo.html
@@chordsoforion Thanks for the quick reply!
Great information, thanks! :)
If possible, I'd be very interested in a selection of nice amp modelers, because I'm just looking into what I should look for to put between my pedals and audio interface. :)
Hey cool, I just found a few in your older videos. I think I might give the Mooer GE 200 a try for a start. :)
I believe in simplicity- we all need a setting that is easy to control.
Good observation!
Is a stereo volume pedal necessary to record in stereo, if after the volume pedal you employ all stereo delays, reverbs, choruses, etc?
Correct - it is not necessary if you place stereo effects after the volume pedal. I do not own a stereo volume pedal.
Ser davos?? It's ok if im going to put RC 300 at the end of the chain?? Then the line will go directly to 100 watts combo amplifier??
That amplifier sounds so much better than your modelers!!! So much warmer and rounder -- you hear more of the low end. I think, however, if you wind up using a guitar with a Floyd Rose, you can just go back to the modeler because the tone on those guitars is so tinky no amplifier can make the tone sound good.
Did your old prog rock band make any recordings?
Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/tetelestaiband Bandcamp: tetelestai.bandcamp.com/
@@chordsoforion yesssss I love it!
I don't understand why the compression doesn't go last in the line , I guess I don't know what it really does then.
My question is how do you record stereo effects through one guitar amp you"ve miced up? They all seem to be mono.
Or do you need to run left and right FX out into two seperate amps and mic them up seperately?
If you want to use amps for stereo, then yes, you will need to use 2 amps in the manner you mention. I don't normally use amps, I use amp modelers, which generally makes it easier.
Mr Fripp 2😁😁😁... Thanks
TC Electronic flashback triple delay is a nice choice used sub $200.
Just don't "buy" the $60 one on Ebay... that's a mod service NOT a pedal.
I thought you were playing a Rickenbacker at first....I got exited I'm a Rickenbacker fan
That would have been fun. It's been a looooong time since I've played a Ric.
Hi, Bill! Your music is majestic, been listening for several yers and so now i’m on my way of guitar ambient. Should I put a volume pedal before or after compressor and distortion? What do you think about avoiding using volume pedal by turning the potentiometer on a guitar?
Putting before the distortion controls how much of your signal going into the distortion, putting behind the distortion will control how much distorted tone coming out from distortion
Here's a video on ordering that I did a while ago: ua-cam.com/video/jsuKmAJo3Qc/v-deo.html . Volume knob will be discussed soon!
@@chordsoforion Thanks a lot! Best wishes
What if I don’t have an amp but was hoping to invest in a sound system instead? What amp simulator would you recommend?
HX Stomp with some expression pedals.
Nice 😎🎙🎸✅
Great stuff! If I had to strip my setup down, it would be a lot simpler. But what fun would that be? :) But it doesn't have to be complicated at all.
> Looking at the 15 pedals on my board
What is this "simplify" you speak of? Is that one of those fancy foreign words?
@@illegal_space_alien Hey, the new TC Plethora counts as 1 pedal, right??
@@JeffHendricks But of course! I didn't count my SA-C4, HOG2, or GK-Plex as more than one pedal.
Jeff Hendricks
More like one pedalboard.
11:07 you should really put something like extreme caution to people who trying to simulate this setup in a daw with just digital effects. The delay feedback resonance for this reason might be devastating if not controlled in digital environment, you gonna save people's ears from exploding
Sounds like a good tip for a recording based video.
Please use the baritone
Fear not!
Left out importance of a stereo rig with ambient playing. Echoes and choruses sound so much better.
That is coming up next week!
@@chordsoforion Cool
Great video and channel by the way
You should do an Asmr video you have a great voice for it
No Blue Sky!
No reverb pedal at all! Not for barebones basics.
Zoom Ms-70 CDR all day!
I still love mine for specific patches (basically to sound like Slowdive), but it definitely has its limits. I'd at least say get a volume pedal and a compressor to go before it into your CDR. Those two pedals make a world of difference when messing with the CDR.
Where is the Reverb??? It is essential!!
Not essential for me. ;-)
But you forgot the star wars figurine
First! ;-)
Great videos, thank you. I am just getting started and I was wondering if you had an opinion on the Orange Crush 35RT and the Katana 50 MKII. Would appreciate hearing your insights as I am leaning towards the Orange Crush. Have a great day.
Hey Daniel - no opinion here, as I have not used either of those amps.
@@chordsoforion thank you for responding.