.
As I delved into musical styles and began to study songs by ZZ TOP, Guns and Roses, Pink Floyd, and others, I realized the importance of distortion in songs.
Personally, I prefer the clean sound of the electric guitar, no effects. Still, some songs require a more metallic and dominant sound.
In one of the rehearsals and recordings, I played with a local rock band. I remembered that they asked me to play one of the rehearsals and one of the recordings with a distortion effect. I did not have such an effect because I wanted to keep the sound of the guitar clean.
The band keyboardist who realized I did not understand the basic effects of a guitar connected me to such an effect because I needed to play with him. I was sure this sound would tarnish the guitar’s original sound and could ruin the quality of the solo I created for their song to make it sound more pleasing to the ear when the guitar is in its natural state.
After an in-depth search of professional forums and watching dozens of YouTube videos on the myriad effects of distortion, I searched and found a quality distortion pedal.
It accompanied me on the first two albums and set the tone for some of the songs that appear there. A month after I purchased the distortion effect, I looked for another “Wah Wah” effect. It’s a pedal that almost every guitarist in the world has. Jimmy Hendrix used to use this effect a lot in his songs.
One of the guitarists who played with me from time to time in the jam session meetings in my house saw that I was purchasing more and more effects that I needed from month to month and realized that it is an expensive business. He recommended that I purchase a professional multi-effect that famous guitarists use containing hundreds of quality and professional effects.
I did not like the idea because I believe a quality effect should be unique and stand on its own and not as a set of built-in effects. Turns out I was wrong because it was true in the 80s and 90s. The technologies today have improved drastically.
However, in performances, I prefer to use individual effects pedals. I have found it more effective and comfortable for me.
I searched and found the model he recommended, and it looked like I needed a “professional course” to learn to use it.
A week after I purchased this huge POD and read the instruction booklet, I did not know how to use it and could not find a single effect. I was sure that whoever sold it to me sold me a spoiled product. I felt helpless and confused.
I kept recording songs with the old effects. Eventually, I felt like I was missing something and decided to devote a whole day to research and development until I learned to decipher the code and knew how to work this sophisticated system independently and properly. I can say that perseverance has paid off for me in this case.
Suddenly everything that was “closed and blocked” in front of me opened up to a variety of effects. Since this was my first time, I did not really know the power that this amazing system had. I started hearing sounds I had never heard in effects for a guitar.
I wasted no time and decided to record a song just for the sake of experience to see if it is possible to create a song using multiple effects during the same song. I wanted to know how the end result would sound afterward.
After 5 hours of recording, this song “New Vibes” born. It is a new and refreshing taste in music and even quite different from my usual playing style.
Have fun
