Effects Bay

I love it when give away winners send me photos of themselves with their prizes! The Source Audio Soundblox 2 Stingray give away was a hot give away to say the least. A high end pedal like the Stingray deserves the attention it got, and I’m glad it found a happy home. I would like to again thank the nice people at Source Audio for offering it up to a lucky EffectsBay reader. Please, please, please take a moment and check out their site. They make AWESOME pedals and worth a look!

The winner, Kevin, was also kind enough to talk about the pedal, and his set up….and make a Pedal Line Friday entry!

Hi Hank,

The package came in earlier this week while I was traveling for business. I was excited to get home and try it out but that was a long couple of days.  I was blown away with the various stickers, t-shirt and of course the pedal itself.

I quickly moved some pedals around on my board to make it fit into the layout.  It is a really nice pedal with a load of functionality.  I can’t believe how easy it is to use;  i know that i will continue to learn things in the upcoming sessions as i get use to the pedal and the amazing depth of customization of tone.

I came home from work on Friday to find that my wife had it plugged into her setup.  I had not had Source Audio on my radar prior to this but it is a line of products I will look more into based on the functionality and inter-connectivity.  Given her use of it I may just have to buy my own.

I included a photo with me posing with the pedal and wearing the t-shirt (fits great) with my treasured 1972 Les Paul Recording.

As promised, I also have a submission for Pedal Line Friday.  My line is as follows:
1) Ernie Ball MVP Jr Volume Pedal
2) Korg Pitchblack Tuner off of the AUX jack
3) MXR Dyna Comp Compressor
4) Source Audio Stingray Multi-Filter
5) Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi
6) MXR Stereo Flanger (early 1980’s version)
7) MXR EVH Phase 90
8) Strymon BigSky Reverberator
9) VOX Double Deca Delay

Playing into a VOX VT20 amp with the VFSS Bank footswitch capable of using amp presets.  The board is a PedalTrain 2 with VooDoo Lab power unit mounted to the underneath.

Thanks again for pedal, t-shirt and running the site.  It is always great to see how and what others are using.  With a million different pedals and manufacturers a good resource is a great place to start to find a new tone.

Keith

I would like to take the time and thank the kind people at Source Audio. They have been a long time supporter here at EffectsBay. I absolutely love their products, and I’ve mentioned in the past, they focus on innovation and pushing things to their limits. If you’ve never heard of Source Audio, please visit their web page, like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter. They post great demos and offer excellent news/tips.

Okay.. Now to the winner. The winner of the Source Audio Soundblox 2 Stingray Give Away is … Keith W. of Snoqualmie, WA. Congrats Keith! The pedal will be wrapped up and ready to ship Monday morning. And since you liked EffectsBay and Source Audio on Facebook, I’ll throw in the ‘L’ Source Audio shirt as well!

Normally I don’t stack up give aways right after each other, but this month is a hot month of give aways. For you that don’t know, currently there is a FANTASTIC give away for Celestial Effects right now.. so don’t miss out on that. Details here!

When it comes to effecting your signal, you’re hoping to create a sound that takes you places outside of the general dry signal of your instrument. By using effects, you emphasize parts, create and build ambiance, etc. To stand out of the mix, to provide intensity. We all know *why* we use effects.  When I plugged into the Source Audio Soundblox 2 Stingray, I was expecting filter/modulation. We’ve heard it plenty of times. Autowah, phaser, enveloping wobbling effect, etc. Well.. I was utterly blown away by this pedal.

There are some pedals I’ve played that do what I expect it, but there are others that actually open you up to creativity. This is one of those part/song writing pedals. There are so many options with this pedal that I would lead to song parts for me. Fantastic creative tool! What initially caught my attention, were the extremes the Stingray could achieve. Sometimes extreme means un-usable, but they were able to push things so far, yet completely awesome and usable!

The next item that I noticed is the site. The amount of processing power this pedal can pull off, with this small of a footprint, is incredible and within a very sturdy enclosure.

This pedal is both complicated and extremely easy to use. At first, the options are many, but after a few passes, it’s really super easy and efficient. The first item of business.. this pedal has 2 presets.. which is great! You can define individual presets and saving is a snap! You can configure the pedal to go into tap tempo mode as well, where one of the buttons is tempo control.

The Stingray has 12 filter effects that span across different areas of enveloping – Single peak, Low pass, Phasers, High pass and Multi peak. There is an ‘option’ knob that is assigned to a particular option mode – Frequency, resonance, mix, volume, drive and tone. Set the mode.. adjust the level with the option knob. There are also Depth and Speed knobs. The Mod Source is basically the wave pattern – Sine, Square, etc.

With the Stingray, you can go extremely subtle to crazy over the top. The ability to add drive is fantastic too. To me, this is the ultimate filter pedal.. hands down.

I get asked about the bypass of these pedals too. The Soundblox, is quite innovative by allowing you to go from True Bypass to Universal Bypass if desired. The Universal Bypass is their version of a buffered bypass, if you’re wanting true bypass you can set that as well.

Overall, this pedal is crazy good. If you’re interested in a filter pedal.. look no further. Source Audio.. has done it again!

Also, I want to mention that the Source Audio Soundblox 2 Stingray give away is still happening. Do not miss out on this people! To enter go here: Source Audio Soundblox 2 Stingray Give Away!

GIVE AWAY IS CLOSED. Um.. wow. Very excited about this one. It’s been a little while since we had a Source Audio give away! Source Audio is a fantastic company out of Woburn, MA that started in 2005. I’ve been following them from the early days. What I really like about Source Audio – they really push the technology to achieve great functionality and tone. They are extremely innovative in their designs and thinking.. love it!

So let’s talk about the give away. First.. I want to thank Source Audio for giving this great pedal away. Definitely, check out Source Audio. They have lots going on, and their pedals are top-shelf all the way! Check out their site, Facebook and Twitter! The Source Audio Soundblox 2 Stingray pedal normally sells for $170, so this is a great opportunity for a lucky someone!!!

The Source Audio Soundblox 2 Stingray is a multi-filter pedal. But just like in the Source Audio way, the ability to dial in what you want is to an extreme level. There are 12 filter effects, with the ability to overdrive and with 4 modes of filter modulation. The pedal has MIDI capabilities (with Soundblox Hub).

Check out this demo video:

I’m going to a random entry on December 2nd. I will email that random entry asking for the answer to the question listed below. You will have 24 hours to respond with the answer. If the 24 hours passes and I don’t hear from that finalist, I will select a new random entry and repeat the process until I receive confirmation from the winner. This is open to everyone. Yes, that means international! Also, one entry per person. Please read that last sentence again… “one” “entry” “per” “person”.

The submission form will be open until December 2nd (Tue) 2PM MST.

On top of that, Source Audio is sweetening the deal. If you like EffectsBay and Source Audio on Facebook AND you’re chosen as the winner, you will win a ‘L’ t-shirt for FREE!

So, it’s pretty much a no-brainer to like EffectsBay and SourceAudio on Facebook! Just click the ‘likes’ below.

Please take a moment to Tweet, Share, Email this give away to your gear friends. We all like free gear right?

So the question is…. “When you think of ‘filter effect’ what musician/band comes to mind?”

GIVE AWAY IS CLOSED

Reverb is a funny thing. I remember a few years ago, I wouldn’t be caught dead with a reverb pedal in my line, now I have two on my board currently. Now you see and hear various levels of reverb on many guitarists boards. Because of that demand, there are a ton to pick from now-a-days. So what’s the best? What’s the most popular. If you’re interested in getting a reverb, this might be a good resource to pull from. So we need your help! Please vote what you think is the best reverb out there. If you see a pedal missing from the poll, let me know by commenting below. For now, I just pulled 30 units out there.

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Steve Stevens is pretty badass. Thinking about this guy with Billy Idol, is pretty classic. For years, I thought he played with PiL but later found out that was actually Steve Vai, but still, this guy is pretty timeless. I was stoked to see this Premier Guitar Rig Rundown of Steve Stevens! He spends a long time discussing guitars and amps, but I wanted to see what he did about pedals… and he went into some good detail.

Below is a break down of pedals

Rack 1
Foxrox Electronics Paradox TZF
Boss SL-20 Slicer
Mooger Fooger MF102 Ring Modulator
Skrydstrup R&D Buffer/Booster

Rack 2
Source Audio Soundblox Pro Multiwave Distortion
MXR M109 6 Band EQ
MXR Phase 90 CSP026 Script 90
Chandler Little Devil Colored Boost
MXR M108 10 Band EQ (painted)
Joe Meek Floor Q Compressor
GuitarSystems VibeTool

On the Floor
Roland GR-33 synth
Skrydstrup R&D SC-1 System Controller
Peterson Strobostomp Tuner
DigiTech Whammy DT
Crystal Encrusted Dunlop CryBaby Wah
Boss FV-500H Volume Pedal
Ernie Ball Volume Pedal

Let me know your first experience listening to Steve Stevens. Also, if you notice anything incorrect or missing, please let me know by commenting below!

I know today is not Friday, but due to the large queue of Pedal Line Friday, I thought I do a few on Wednesdays! Today’s pedal line is from Casey Scott. If you have a pedal line (doesn’t have to be in a board) for your rig, please email me a photo, bio, description of pedals and routing to pedalline@nulleffectsbay.com. Every Friday I’ll showcase a pedal line submission. Make sure you include any links to your band or music page.

Hey Effects Bay!  I’ve done some major updates to my board and wanted to share.  A while back, I remember reading something about the Effects Bay crowd liking to see (major) updates, to track how a pedal board evolves. Well, this is a pretty major leap forward for me, and I thought you all would like to see it.

Here’s my updated pedal board, now with a Loop-master from Loop-Master Pedals. Here’s the rundown: From the guitar, the signal hits the LS Effects Tone Messiah Line Buffer (for my money, the best buffer on the market). Then, it goes into the Loop-Master.

Loop 1 is the volume/EQ/Filter loop.  It starts at the Morley Stereo Volume Pedal (discontinued), Boss Harmonist Pitch Shifter (w/ Pedal Label!), Source Audio Soundblox Pro Poly Mod Filter (auto wah, EQ, LFO effects, funk-in-a-box!), then a Tech 21 Killer Wail Wah (discontinued – best sounding “full range” wah I’ve ever head!).

Loop 2 is my “drive” loop, which is all Way Huge stuff – The Pork Loin (light OD/boost), the Green Rhino (Medium OD), the Swollen Pickle (Fuzz), and the Fat Sandwich (Distortion). I can do this because the Swollen Pickle isn’t finicky – sounds great way back in the chain.  As you can see, I love Way Huge stuff, mainly because it’s so flexible.  I can pull TONS of different tones out of each pedal.  I love them all, but the Green Rhino sounds its best when the amp is turned up.  When the amp is turned down, I tend to use the Fat Sandwich and my volume knob for heavier OD / distorted sounds.

In between the Master Bypass switch and Loop 1, you see the “Reverse” switch. That inverts Loops 1 and 2. This lets me do fuzz into wah or wah into fuzz, as well as a host of other cool effects (like running distortion into a filter effect).

Loop 3 is my modulation loop, which is all Digitech Hardwire stuff. This loop is Chorus, Phaser, Tremolo/Rotary/Vibe.  The Hardwire pedals sound great and have quite a few variations on each “tribe” of effects in them (plus, they’re built like tanks).  BTW, the “Vibe” setting on the TR-7 is the best Univibe copy I’ve ever played. Trems on that pedal are great too. Loop 4 is my delay/reverb loop. This one is a Way Huge Supa Puss analog delay, a Digitech Timebender Digital Delay, and a TC Electronics Hall of Fame Reverb.  The pedal you see in the far upper left of the board is a re-housed Digitech FS3X. I put it in a much smaller enclosure (project box from Radio Shack). I just use it to switch memory patches on the Timebender. After Loop 4, the Loop-Master goes to the amp. Brian at Loop-Master was good enough to include an “always on” output to the GFS Tuner (which is hard to see in this picture, but it’s the pedal just to the left of the Loop-Master).  Also, the Loop-Master has a Master Bypass, for when I want to kill everything and run straight to the amp.  I’m thinking about adding an overdrive/boost to the front end (in between the buffer and the Loop-master) to go for a straight assault on the front end of my amp w/out a lot of signal behind it.  I may bring one from home and see how it sounds.

The board itself is 3 layers of 1/2″ plywood with aluminum angle and is handmade. The “layers” are accomplished by using bolts as support columns with nuts and washers as supports for the three “decks.”  It’s rock solid (and quite heavy). There are rubber feet on the bottom to keep it from moving around on either carpet or tile.  The whole thing is powered by 2 Voodoo Labs Iso5‘s, and one Visual Sound One Spot (for the Harmonist – don’t ask why ), plus the factory adapter for the Timebender.

So far, I’m really digging this configuration.  I’m not in love with the Boss Harmonist, but it does the trick (for now).  It will probably get replaced by the Eventide H9 when it comes out.  That’s all for now.  Thanks for letting me share.

Casey

I’ve been a fan of Reeves Gabrels for some time now, but definitely been more interested in what’s he’s been involved in since he recently signed on with the Cure last year. Reeves played guitar with David Bowie for years in the 1990s (where I first heard of him).  I’ve been a Bowie fan for years as well as a major Cure fan for years. Following Reeve’s Facebook page, he announced he was building a new board and I thought it would be cool to break it down, he definitely has some great pedals on that board!

Ernie Ball Jr. Volume
Line 6 DL4 Delay
Boss Dimension C Chorus
Timmy Overdrive (not 100% sure)
Bearfoot Model H 4K
Bearfoot Honey Beast OD
Creation Audio Labs MK 4.23 Clean Boost
Ernie Ball 6185 WAH Pedal

TC Electronic Flashback X4 Delay
TC Electronic Corona Chorus
TC Electrinic Hall of Fame Reverb
Electro-Harmonix Ravish Sitar
Bearfoot Baby Pink Booster
Maxon FL9 Flanger
TC Electronic Vortex Flanger

Source Audio Soundblox2 Orbital Modulator
Bearfoot Evergreen Compressor
ISP Decimator Noise Reducer
Boss TU-2 Tuner
Source Audio Soundblox2 Multiwave Distortion

GigRig QuarterMaster 6 Bypass Loop Strip

The only pedal I wasn’t 100% sure about was the Timmy Overdrive. This does fit the controls layout, footswitch position and color. If you see anything incorrect or missing, please let me know by commenting below. Also, let me know if you’re a Cure/Bowie/Reeves fan!

I saw Pigtronix post this today, and had to repost. I’m quite fascinated with musicians that loop, and here we have Evan Marien doing some looping with the Pigtronix Infinity Looper AND using the MIDI sync via Ableton Live (which is a great piece of software)

This is the first looping video I’ve seen featuring bass and Ableton, so this gets the gears rolling for sure. The Pigtronix Infinity Looper is a great looper, and one on my short list of new pedals to pick up.

Here is the video posted by Pigtronix:

If you notice Evan moving his right hand causing the swelling effect (note the ring), that is the Source Audio Hot Hand, which is super fun!

I went ahead and broke down the pedals used for this demo for those that are interested:

Pigtronix Infinity Looper
Source Audio Soundblox 2 Dimension Reverb
Source Audio Hot Hand 3 Wireless Effects controller
Markbass MB7 Booster 7-Band Bass Graphic EQ
Boss SYB-5 Bass Synthesizer
AKAI APC20 Performance Controller

Let me know what you think by commenting below!

Today’s pedal line is from Ricky Wilson. If you have a pedal line (doesn’t have to be in a board) for your rig, please email me a photo, bio, description of pedals and routing to pedalline@nulleffectsbay.com. Every Friday I’ll showcase a pedal line submission. Make sure you include any links to your band or music page.

Hi, my name is Ricky Wilson and I am a bass player and I occasionally play guitar for my own projects. I play a Peavey T40 bass, with an Ampeg 8×10 cab and a T.C. Electronic Staccato 51′ amp.  I recently put this pedal board together in order to make it more efficient for me to set up for shows.  I built the pedal board within a two week period.  It has 8 outlets wired into it as well as a power switch and an IEC power inlet for a C19 connector (which delivers the power from an outside source).  The pedals on the left pedal board are mostly powered by the light blue power strip at the top and the pedals on the right pedal board are powered by their own adapter.

My main pedal board (The one on the left hand side) is as follows:

1. Morley Volume Pedal:  I use this pedal mostly with my delay to make swells or if we end a song by letting the note ring out I will usually use this pedal to drop out a bit quicker.

2. Digitech Whammy: I use this pedal mostly for the detuned effect when I play with my band.  When recording my own stuff I use this pedal on the 4th/5th setting alot. All around great pedal.

3. Dunlop 105Q Bass Wah: I use this for typical wah effects.  I like to use this pedal with my Boss Flanger on the Gate/Pan effect with a high depth.

4. Source Audio Soundblox Bass Envelope Filter: I use this pedal if a few songs of ours to get a bass funk vibe.

5. Digitech Bass Synth Wah: This pedal has some really cool options.  I use this pedal mostly for more sustained parts that I want to sound really weird.  It drops the volume a bit but not enough to worry about.

6. Ibanez PD7 Phat-Hed Overdrive:  I have tried a few overdrive pedals (not a lot) but I always come back to this one for some reason. Sounds great

7. Boss OC-2: Sounds great with the PD7 pedal. Custom paint job on this one

8. Boss Temolo/Pan: I use this pedal with the depth all the way down and on the tremolo setting with the rate going fairly fast.  I only use this pedal in a couple of songs.  Sounds amazing

9. Boss Flanger BF-3: I mostly use this pedal on the Gate/Pan mode with a high depth and a somewhat quick rate.

10. Behringer Ultra Vibrato UV300: This pedal is pretty cheap but the sounds you can get out of it sound really cool.

11. Strymon Timeline Delay:  Just recently bought this pedal and it is an amazing delay.

Pedal Board on the right hand side is plugged into my amp as an FX Loop

1. Boss Bass Chorus CEB-3: I use this pedal on a lot of our songs

2. MXR Blowtorch: This pedal is used to give my signal extra overdrive

3. Way Huge Swollen Pickle (fuzz): Used in some heavier parts of our set

4. Moogerfooger Lowpass Filter:  Used throughout most of our set.  Has a smooth quality to it.

5. Moogerfooger Bass Murf : I use this pedal mostly for the Modular synth type sounds you can get out of this pedal.  Usually during a weird Jam session.

6. Boss Slicer: This is another pedal like the Bass Murf that is used during jam sessions that just sounds really trippy.

Here are my current projects:
www.facebook.com/musclebeachwreckingcrew
www.soundcloud.com/musclebeachwreckingcrew
www.soundcloud.com/Ricky-Wilson

Past Projects:
www.myspace.com/sigmoidargonaut