Effctology Vol.19 “How to turn you guitar into a Moog synthesizer”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TR1iubF-4gg

Effctology Vol.19 How to turn you guitar into a Moog synthesizer

If you are guitar player and use effect pedals, you owe a lot to the development of modular synthesizers.

The modular synthesizer consists of separate specialized modules connected by patch cords. Combining the signals generated by multiple modules into a common audio output allows a potentially infinite number of configurations, leading to a potentially infinite number of sounds.

Modules consist of oscillators, filters, envelope generators, ring modulators, noise sources, LFOs and more.  The effect pedals used by guitar players accomplish many of those same things and can be patched together just as it’s done on a Moog modular synthesizer.

When you look down at your pedal board, what you see are really the building blocks of a modular synthesizer.

Below are some of the settings used in Episode 19.

Switched-On Bach

“Lucky Man” Solo

To create noise sweep effects I used white noise generated by a Big Muff distortion cranked full up.
Using a dummy plug to turn the unit on with nothing connected to the input, I connected the output to a Micro Synth for manual filtering.

An LPB-1 booster can be used after the Big Muff to help generate even more noise.

The acoustic guitar was recorded through a 12AY7 Mic-Pre

Vintage electric bass sound setting:

The late Bob Moog (left) with EHX founder Mike Matthews.

If you have any questions please ask.
Thanks for watching.
Bill Ruppert

Moog is a trademark of Moog Music, Inc.

what, no settings to duplicate Bob Moog & Mike Matthews with your readily available set of grandparents? :D

bill, how did you filter the square wave from the big muff into a sine wave? that sound killed me!!!

oh and freakin amazing as always!

Friedjesseradio thank you!

The Big Muff is a distortion unit which clips your guitar signal when it distorts.
In other words it cranks up your guitar signal to the point that it smashes the top and bottom of the wave. This smashing causes the wave to be flat on the bottom and the top. It’s called a square wave as when viewed on an oscilloscope, it is square!
With the distortion comes tons of bright high end harmonics.When you turn down the tone control on a Big Muff you remove some of the high-end harmonics the square wave begins to smooth its edges. It begins to look much more like a sine wave. Below is a picture showing a almost square wave and a sine wave.

friedjesseradio - 30 November 2010 07:57 PM

bill, how did you filter the square wave from the big muff into a sine wave? that sound killed me!!!

oh and freakin amazing as always!

That were some very cool and usable sounds! :D

Can i make the glide/portamento effect with another non-vocal pedal???

It is possible but not with a EHX product..

Don’t want to spam other brands in threads like this..

Yes you can do a portamento sound using the Ring Thing in the pitch mode using a foot pedal.
It will not be automatic so you will have to use your foot to sweep into each individual note.
Not the same but will give you a portamento affect.
The only downside will be if you’re playing a very long solo your foot is going to get tired!

mauriciomf - 01 December 2010 06:29 PM

Can i make the glide/portamento effect with another non-vocal pedal???

Two or three days before you did this, I was wondering if you were making new effectology volumes. Great as always, and, once again I fell in love with the portamento used on the guitar (also on the pink floyd vol.).

Great work as always Bill. 

Mike needs to make a Bill Ruppert pedal, and include that V256 glissando in there.

julian - 01 December 2010 09:07 PM

Great work as always Bill. 

Mike needs to make a Bill Ruppert pedal, and include that V256 glissando in there.

Agreed!!! Maybe implement this on the microsynth pedal (with a sawtooth voice), or in a new synth pedal!!!

Bill,

Wow, wow & oh yeah, WOW!  Bill, what a superb Effectology contribution - AS ALWAYS!  When “Lucky Man” came out I was a long haired young teenager in Brooklyn, NY; driving my family & neighbors mental, playing over and over and over and over- Lucky Man.  The Synth solo at the end of the song was pure bliss to me.  Years later, I caught my Irish Mom humming the entire solo when it came on the radio.  That is how much see heard it way back when.  Anyway, your Guitar sound of this synth solo is sublime, Sir!  You are the reason I have gone out a purchased more EH pedals in the last 18 months.  I hope you are on the EHX Payroll, if not, Hey Mike M. - Bill should be!  I must now lift my Jaw off the desk & get back to work.  Bless you Bill.  I look forward wearing out my mouse clicking your video clip over and over and over and over and over and over…..

Brooklyn
Thank you so much for writing.
You made my day!
I love the story about your Mom.
That is so cool.
Thanks again.
Bill

Brooklyn - 02 December 2010 12:26 PM

Bill,

Wow, wow & oh yeah, WOW!  Bill, what a superb Effectology contribution - AS ALWAYS!  When “Lucky Man” came out I was a long haired young teenager in Brooklyn, NY; driving my family & neighbors mental, playing over and over and over and over- Lucky Man.  The Synth solo at the end of the song was pure bliss to me.  Years later, I caught my Irish Mom humming the entire solo when it came on the radio.  That is how much see heard it way back when.  Anyway, your Guitar sound of this synth solo is sublime, Sir!  You are the reason I have gone out a purchased more EH pedals in the last 18 months.  I hope you are on the EHX Payroll, if not, Hey Mike M. - Bill should be!  I must now lift my Jaw off the desk & get back to work.  Bless you Bill.  I look forward wearing out my mouse clicking your video clip over and over and over and over and over and over…..

THANKS Julian!

julian - 01 December 2010 09:07 PM

Great work as always Bill. 

Mike needs to make a Bill Ruppert pedal, and include that V256 glissando in there.

Hi Bill,

Amazing work with the V256. Really enjoyed your videos.

I’m having trouble getting my arms around the hook up for Lucky Man.  Did it go like this >> 

Dummy TS plug into Big Muff, with it’s output to 1/4 input of V256
Guitar’s TS 1/4” converted to XLR input on V256
V256 XLR output converted to 1/4 TS > Pitch Detune > etc.

Does the Big Muff really go into the instrument input of the V256 and how should the balanced XLR be wired into a 1/4” TS or should it be a TRS jack?

Thanks!

Rick