Bass effects
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bass effects are electronic devices used to modify the tone, pitch or sound or electric bass guitars. Effects can be housed in effects pedals, bass amplifiers, bass amplifier simulation software, and rackmount preamplifiers or processors. While they are not used as often as guitar effects, bass effects still play an important role in many genres such as rock, metal, blues and funk.
Contents |
[edit] Types of Bass Effects
[edit] Distortion-Related Effects
Distortion effects include distortion, overdrive and fuzz.
Distortion is an important part of an electric guitar's sound in many genres, particularly for rock, hard rock, metal and sludge. A distortion pedal takes a normal electric guitar signal and distorts the signal's waveform by "clipping" the signal. There are several different types of distortion effects, each with distinct sonic characteristics.
Some distortion effects provide an "overdrive" effect. Either by using a vacuum tube, or by using simulated tube modelling techniques, the top of the wave form is compressed, thus giving a smoother distorted signal than regular distortion effects. When an overdrive effect is used at a high setting, the sound's waveform can become clipped, which imparts a gritty or "dirty" tone, which sounds like a tube amplifier "driven" to its limit.
Fuzz is intended to recreate the classic 1960's tone of an overdriven tube amp combined with torn speaker cones.
[edit] Equalization-Related Effects
Equalization effects include equalizer, wah, auto-wah and phase shifters.
An Equalizer adjusts the frequency response in a number of different frequency bands. A graphic equalizer (or "graphic EQ") provides slider controls for a number of frequency region. Each of these bands has a fixed width (Q) and a fixed center-frequency, and as such, the slider changes only the level of the frequency band. The tone controls on guitars, guitar amps, and most pedals are similarly fixed-Q and fixed-frequency, but unlike a graphic EQ, rotary controls are used rather than sliders. A Phase Shifter creates a complex frequency response containing many regularly-spaced "notches" in an incoming signal by combining it with a copy of itself out of phase, and shifting the phase relationship cyclically. The phasing effect creates a "whooshing" sound that is reminiscent of the sound of a flying jet. A Wah pedal is a foot-operated pedal is technically a kind of band-pass filter, which allows only a small portion of the incoming signal's frequencies to pass. Rocking the pedal back and forth alternately allows lower and higher frequencies to pass through, the effect being similar to a person saying "wah". An Auto-Wah is a Wah pedal without a rocker pedal, controlled instead by the dynamic envelope of the signal. An auto-wah, also called more technically an envelope filter, uses the level of the guitar signal to control the wah filter position, so that as a note is played, it automatically starts with the sound of a wah pedal pulled back, and then quickly changes to the sound of a wah pedal pushed forward, or the reverse movement depending on the settings.
[edit] Time-Based Effects
Time-based effects include delay/echo, chorus and looping.
A Delay or Echo pedal creates a copy of an incoming sound and slightly time-delays it, creating either a "slap" (single repetition) or an echo (multiple repetitions) effect.
Chorus uses a cycling, variable delay time that is short so that individual repetitions are not heard. The result is a thick, "swirling" sound that suggests multiple instruments playing in unison (chorus) that are slightly out of tune.
Extremely long delay times form a looping pedal, which allows performers to record a phrase or passage and play along with it. This allows a solo performer to record an accompaniment or ostinato passage and then, with the looping pedal playing back this passage, perform solo improvisations over the accompaniment.
[edit] Pitch-related Effects
Some pitch related effects are octavers and pitch shifters.
An Octaver mixes the input signal with a synthesised signal whose musical tone is an octave lower or higher than the original.
A pitch shifter is a device that alters the pitch of the instruments. They are generally used with an expression pedal to give a smooth bend-like effect.
[edit] Multi-effects Pedals
A multi-FX pedal is a single effects device that contains a number of different effects in it. Some multi-FX pedals contain modelled versions of classic effects pedals or amplifiers.
