Drive pedal question...

[Joses]

Hi, a bit of a noob question here...apologies if its been asked and answered already, i've been unable to find anything on it.

I've noticed that when i use some drive pedals for soloing, all sounds great until i hit 2 single notes together.

e.g. I'm using a Blackstone which abosultely rocks for lead work, but if say i hit a G note (2nd string, 8th fret) and then an F (3rd string, 10th fret) - while still sustaining the G - i get this real bad sounding mesh of sound that sounds like my dog died or something...it happens with some other drive pedals too, but not all...

Can anyone shed light on this occurence?

Thanks in advance!
Joses

 

[edder]

Hi, a bit of a noob question here...apologies if its been asked and answered already, i've been unable to find anything on it.

I've noticed that when i use some drive pedals for soloing, all sounds great until i hit 2 single notes together.

e.g. I'm using a Blackstone which abosultely rocks for lead work, but if say i hit a G note (2nd string, 8th fret) and then an F (3rd string, 10th fret) - while still sustaining the G - i get this real bad sounding mesh of sound that sounds like my dog died or something...it happens with some other drive pedals too, but not all...

Can anyone shed light on this occurence?

Thanks in advance!
Joses

i remember there's a term for this but its 130 am and i'm like *hic*.

intermodulation?
or something like music theory Fifths or something like that...

its the pedal design issue.

 

[PatheinRaindropMoe]

heh, been drinking again?

anyway, i also dont know, but just wanna say, how bout playing it clean, does it sound dissonance also? If it does, most likely with drive added in, it will be more worse

worst come to worst, check the interval of of the notes, check up some theory stuff on intervals and see where it goes

 

[Joses]

someone on tgp mentioned about gain stages created by the pedal and frequencies being out of alignment when u play certain note combinations...i suspect its a pedal thing like edder said as i don't really get it with some other drive pedals

anyways thanks for the replies guys

 

[keithC]

i get that sometimes too, i always thought it was pickup...

 

[ShredCow]

What I can say is this.

Let your ears decide if they like that harmonic interplay.

Personally, I love it to bits and I think it lends very cool texture/flavour to sounds. There are other drive pedals that sort of "minimise" that harmonic interplay but the thing is - its a natural occurrence; just whether your drive masks it or emphasizes it.

The Blackstone emphasizes it, which is one of the reasons why I enjoy playing it. Fuzz pedals do too.

Take a TS type and there, you'll still hear it but much more muffled.

Again, let your ears decide.




Alternatively, experiment with intervals. The F and G notes would be a major 2nd apart, kinda dissonant but try shifting either note closer, now its JARRING (a minor 2nd) but to me, I think there's potential in music there.

Go back to F and G. Now shift one note further apart... you'd get a minor 3rd interval - basically a minor chord kind of thing. If you shift the F note down 1 fret to E, then you got an E minor chord going on. Now don't move anything, shift your G up a fret to G# - you got a Major 3rd interval and you're basically playing an E major chord.

Have fun.