How to choose processors and effects for electric guitars?

One of the favorite topics of every guitarist, which is guitar effects. The choice of cubes is huge. They allow you to amazingly expand the sound palette. Thanks to them, we can sound completely different in each song, greatly diversifying our game.

Types of cubes

Each of them usually has a single role to play. It is enough to press them with the foot to activate them, thanks to which we can change our sound not only between songs, but also during them.

Sometimes the cubes looked completely different. Some have tons of knobs and some have just one. It should be remembered that the more knobs, the wider the room for maneuver in modeling the sound. Let’s not forget, however, that there are legendary picks, which, despite the fact that they do not have so many knobs and tonal possibilities, but the sounds they allow, are now history.

True bypass. What is it actually? Imagine a situation that we play with a guitar connected to an amplifier and our only effect is a chorus. When we play with the chorus on, it changes our sound, because that’s its function. However, if we turn off the chorus, we will return to the basic sound of the electric guitar. True bypass removes the effect of the effect turned off from the final tone, as it causes the pickup signal to bypass the effect turned off. Without true bypass technology, the effects slightly distort the signal, even when turned off.

Today we meet two types of dice: analog and digital. You shouldn’t decide which is better. It’s best to see it this way. Analog can sound more traditional and old-fashioned, while digital ones are the essence of new technologies and possibilities. Professional guitarists use both types of picks.

Fuzz

For fans of old sounds, incl. Hendrix and The Rolling Stones, this is exactly what will take you back in time. The oldest type of distortion sound still used around the world.

Overdrive

A classic of distortion sound. From light dirt to hard rock with high sound clarity. Overdrive effects deliver great medium distortion tones and are the most frequently chosen effect for “boosting” the distorted channel of tube amps.

Distortion

The strongest distortions. A rock of hard rock and heavy metal. The most predatory of them are great even in extreme genres of metal, acting alone, while the more moderate ones can not only perfectly “burn up” the distortion channel of tube “ovens” in order to obtain all heavy and sharp sounds, but also work alone within hard rock and heavy metal.

Delay

A treat for those who want to sound mysterious. The delayed echo will allow you to achieve the effect known from “Shine on You Crazy Diamond” by Pink Floyd. Delay is extremely spectacular and will certainly be useful for every guitarist.

Reverb

Most likely we already have some reverb in the amplifier. If it does not satisfy us, do not hesitate to reach for something better in the form of a cube. Reverb is an effect that is used very often and should not be taken lightly. It is he who is responsible for the reverb, which causes the sound of our guitar to be perceived as if it was spreading around the room, and whether it is small or maybe as large as a concert hall – this choice will give us the reverb effect.

Chorus

To simplify it, it can be said that thanks to this effect, the electric guitar sounds like two guitars at the same time. But it’s more than that! Thanks to this, the guitar will sound much wider and, how to say it… magically.

Tremolo

This effect allows for such tremolo and vibrato that neither our fingers nor the movable bridge allow. Such a cube will slightly change the frequency of the sound at regular intervals, producing an interesting, eye-catching sound.

Flanges in phase

Two effects that will allow you to sound out of this Earth. The sound will lengthen in an unusual way. Eddie Van Halen, among others, used the effects of this effect in many songs.

Octaver

The Octaver adds a sound an octave or even two octaves away to the basic sound. Thanks to this, our sound becomes much wider and better audible.

Harmonizer (pitch shifter)

It adds sounds harmoniously compatible with the sounds we play. As a result, playing one guitar gives the impression that two guitars are playing at equal intervals. Just choose the key and you’re ready to go. Iron Maiden’s guitarists have accomplished this art with two, and sometimes even three guitars. Now you can get a similar sound with one guitar and a floor harmonizer effect.

Wow – Wow

Needless to say, the wah-wah is a popular guitar effect. This effect allows you to “quack”. There are basically two types: automatic and leg-controlled. The automatic wah – wah “quack” by itself, so we don’t have to use our leg. The second type of “duck” gives more immediate control over its operation at the expense of the fact that we have to operate it with our feet all the time.

Equalizer

If we feel that our guitar has too little bandwidth, and turning the knobs on the amplifier does not give anything, it’s time for a floor equalizer. It gives you more control because it is multi-range. Thanks to it, you can make really precise corrections.

compressor

The compressor allows you to equalize the volume levels between soft and aggressive playing, while maintaining the original dynamics. Besides, even the best guitarists sometimes hit a string too weakly or too hard in live situations. The compressor will compensate for the volume difference in such situations.

Noise gate

The noise gate will allow you to get rid of unwanted noise, which often occurs especially with strong distortion. This will not distort the sound as you play, but it will eliminate any unnecessary sounds during pauses in play.

Looper

It is a very useful tool if we want to accompany ourselves and then play a solo on this accompaniment, for example. The looper will allow you to record, loop and play the lick that will come from the loudspeaker of our amplifier, and during this time we will be able to record everything that comes to our mind.

Tuner

The cube-shaped tuner allows you to tune even in very loud conditions without disconnecting the guitar from the amplifier. Thanks to this, we will be able to tune in quickly, for example during a concert in the break between songs, and even when we have a longer pause in a song.

Multi-effects (processors)

A multi-effect is a collection of effects in one device. Processors are most often based on digital technology. When choosing a multi-effect, you should pay attention to what type of effects it has. The multi-effects are cheaper than the collection of many effects, but the individual cubes still present a better quality sound. It should not be forgotten that the advantage of multi-effects is their price, because for the price of the multi-effects, we sometimes get a huge amount of sounds, while for the same price, the picks will give us a narrower sonic palette.

Summation

Effects are the apple of the eye of many professional guitarists. Thanks to them, they create their eye-catching sounds. It’s a good idea to expand your sonic spectrum with effects or multi-effects, as this will give you more expression to convey to your music audience.

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