Noticing

/363 - Old Tricks

I quickly recorded this yesterday afternoon for a few people on the Offset Guitars Forum. I had posted a picture of my pedalboard awhile ago and got a few requests for info on my setup with the 2x Freeze pedals running in a feedback loop. I had the idea before the super ego came out -- that adding an internal feedback loop to a Freeze would let you stack sounds. That may be true but I killed 2 units (both resurrected by EHX for a nominal fee) trying to do the smd soldering required to try it out. Using a feedback looper was the next best thing. You need to play with the amount of feedback and freeze volume to avoid runaway oscillation, but it does stack sounds. It also adds some interesting overtones as it's also recapturing the original frozen sound so there is phase and tuning modulation. I love it.

Signal is jazzmaster > pedalboard (only using freezes) > THR10 > mixer > iPhone. No added reverb or anything -- all sounds are just guitar and the Freezes. It's touchy, as feedback loopers always are. You can hear the oscillation building every time I stomp after turning up the feedback knob, but I like drones so it works for me. Crank it too high and it’s just immediate over the top howling/squealing. Not sure what's going on with the panning in the audio, but that's not an effect of the pedals. Interface weirdness I guess. I’ve posted about this before, but the video helps understand what’s happening I think.

/254 - Freeze Drones

I have owned and loved the EHX Freeze pedal since it was released. At the time I was primarily a bass player without a synth, trying to figure out how to make the drones I wanted to make — and the Freeze was it. I experimented a few times trying to add an internal feedback loop to let me add layers of frozen notes (this was before the Superego, and I should add that I didn’t end up liking that at all) and I ended up killing the pedals both times. Luckily EHX has a great repair program! In the end I put my freezes in an effects loop and it adds the most wonderful subtle modulation to the captures. This has only the barest amount of reverb on it. Best in headphones.

/110 - Drone/Drowse

I often find that drones after the fact have lost some/most of their magic, which is sad but says something about the act of creation I guess. While this was going I laid on the floor and went to another place for awhile.