Martin
1115 posts
Feb 06, 2017
2:09 PM
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I wonder if there is a way to use a Harp Attack and get *more* distortion out of it, than what you get when going to the hilt with the gain knob?
I´m going to do a recording (low level projct) where I´d like an almost ridiculous amount of distortion. Normally I go to my RP pedal for this, I have such a sound programmed, but the HA distortion does sound a tad more "organic", if that´s the word.
I´ve got various amps and mics and pedals in the studio -- and feedback is not going to be a problem -- and I was thinking if there´s some way to serially connect the HA to get more out of it?
What I don´t have right now is an overdrive/tube screamer pedal (I can borrow), but from memory I think they have sounded just as artificial as an RP.
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1847
3994 posts
Feb 06, 2017
3:13 PM
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some times you can "starve" the voltage by running 8 volts instead of 9 volts. works good on fuzz type pedals.
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Killa_Hertz
2190 posts
Feb 06, 2017
4:47 PM
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Interesting 1847. HA is 18 volt ... But i get the point.
If i use my HA in tandem with another od pedal or high gain pedal .. It works pretty well. I ve gotten good sounds mixing it with the joyo american.
I have no need for that high of a gain ... But i alwayslike to play around with different combos and see what i can get.
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Martin
1116 posts
Feb 07, 2017
4:49 AM
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@Killa Herz: Strange -- I´ve tried the Joyo American and the HA. Nothing much seemed to happen. But I don´t recollect the order I put them in.
How do you chain them?
No, that extreme high gain has its severe limitations, but sometimes that´s the sound you need and this is one instance for it.
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Killa_Hertz
2193 posts
Feb 07, 2017
5:26 AM
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Martin im not sure which order i used ... But the joyo has rediculous amounts of gain .... If thats not enough .... Idk what is .. Lol
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NathanLWBC
111 posts
Feb 07, 2017
8:18 AM
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There is an internal trim pot that can add more dirt, but the pedal loses character that way. I would stack another OD or distortion with it to get the desired effect.
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--Nathan Heck
General Manager, Lone Wolf Blues Co.
customerservice@lonewolfblues.com
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Killa_Hertz
2195 posts
Feb 07, 2017
8:28 AM
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Good to know nathan.
Thats what i did. Used the joyo for the gain and the HA for the warmth. I tried to set the joyo as tone neutral as possible. There are probably better options. I would try some of the drive effects on the RP unit. See which ones combine well with the HA and dont add too much of that SS processed sound.
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NathanLWBC
112 posts
Feb 07, 2017
9:01 AM
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If you have a preset for an OCD, I would try that first. Or, even a Big Muff on low settings sounds fairly pleasant.
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--Nathan Heck
General Manager, Lone Wolf Blues Co.
customerservice@lonewolfblues.com
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Martin
1117 posts
Feb 07, 2017
4:28 PM
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I have cooked up a very far out distored sound on the RP, that I can boost with the Joyo pedal. Sounds great on the lower harps, and on this cut I´m going to be playing a G harp part of the time, but when I move up (to a C harp, 2nd and 3d octave) the sound gets more and more like this angry sewing-machine that we don´t wanna have too much dealings with. Therefore I hoped for the HA, for a less artificial sound but with the same amount of dirt. But I will experiment.
Thanks for the input.
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MindTheGap
2099 posts
Feb 07, 2017
11:35 PM
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When you use very high gain, and clipping, which is inevitable, you'll get more or less a square wave from anything so it's all going to sound similar. There's no magic in tubes when you get into that regime.
I understand that high-gain pedals like the Big Muff Pi do this, but then have high-cut filters to knock the corners off to turn it into a complex, characterful sound (possibly even organic). And have several stages of this.
So it's possible you could emulate this with a chain of pedals, one to do the high-gain/clipping bit and one afterwards to filter. The AS has some strong filter powers so worth a try using last.
Hopefully you'll post an example when you get a good noise!?
Last Edited by MindTheGap on Feb 07, 2017 11:44 PM
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Martin
1118 posts
Feb 08, 2017
8:27 AM
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Thank you MindTheGap, you are a very helpful guy and I appreciate it.
Maybe I´m out on something of a goose chase here, in view of what you say about distortion. I´m always out for that *other* sound, and then I live with a slight frustration that I can get it (money, techno incompetence etc). I´m not alone there.
The project now is recording a harmonica version of Peter Greens somewhat "psychedelic" instrumental "The Supernatural". No commercial pursuit at all.
I already have a demo, done to a very rough backing track (that will be completely re-done in the near future) with my own playing (just put down in haste, very inaccurate) but I´m not, as I say above, happy with the sound in the upper register.
I am not suffering from the delusion that in general "sound trumps playing", but in some instances you gotta have The Sound. If not, you can just cancel the project.
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Hakan
557 posts
Feb 08, 2017
9:51 AM
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Wow the internal trim put was fun to adjust! 90 degrees to the right and it suited my sound vision much better. It was set rather low when i got it. I only tried it with my small table amp. Next step will be to try it live through a PA
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Martin
1119 posts
Feb 09, 2017
6:23 AM
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Hm, out of curiosity I opened up mine. Couldn´t see a thing that looked like it was adjustable ...?
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NathanLWBC
113 posts
Feb 09, 2017
6:43 AM
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Older models will have one black dial trim pot below the tube. Newer models will have that one in addition to a second trim to the left of it. The second trim is the one that will adjust your saturation. Older models are fixed with a resistor; we switched to a trim probably 4 or so years back to better account for the variation in the tubes.
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--Nathan Heck
General Manager, Lone Wolf Blues Co.
customerservice@lonewolfblues.com
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Martin
1120 posts
Feb 09, 2017
10:47 AM
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Thank you, Nathan. Even more curious now!
Are there picures or some sort of diagrams of this somewhere?
I am a hardcore technophobe (of the retard kind), and I can wreck perfectly fine things just by looking at them -- fiddling in the dark with a valuable pedal scares me a bit.
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Hakan
558 posts
Feb 10, 2017
5:32 AM
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It was great to use the HA live just through the PA when the trim put was adjusted 90 degrees clockwise. It opened up more and had a dirtier sound without to much mudiness (according to me but i know there are many opinions about harmonica sound). This was a pedal i had some doubts about if i should keep it or not. I will defintely keep it!
Håkan
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NathanLWBC
114 posts
Feb 10, 2017
7:02 AM
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I carefully tune them all with a signal generator and oscilloscope, but you can approximate with your ear. Turn the left trimmer to taste. Then, with all of the knobs on the face at noon, turn the right trimmer to balance your sound level (volume).
@Martin...I don't have a diagram for this, but it's pretty obvious if you take the back off what we're describing. It's a white part with a black dial. It looks like an oreo. There is nothing else on the circuit board that looks similar. It probably has a drop of glue on it; it's easily removed with some needle nosed pliers.
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--Nathan Heck
General Manager, Lone Wolf Blues Co.
customerservice@lonewolfblues.com
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Harp Study
233 posts
Feb 10, 2017
7:04 PM
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So if mine only has one internal black pot does that mean I don't have the saturation adjustment that we are talking about? I guess I could just try and turn it, but if you've dialed it in I'm a little concerned that I'll get it off and won't be able to get it back in.
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NathanLWBC
115 posts
Feb 13, 2017
7:21 AM
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@Harp Study...Yes, that means your saturation is fixed by a resistor instead of a variable trim. I believe we made that change in 2013. The other trimmer is just balancing the output of the tube with the input signal.
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--Nathan Heck
General Manager, Lone Wolf Blues Co.
customerservice@lonewolfblues.com
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Harp Study
234 posts
Feb 13, 2017
9:46 AM
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Thanks Nathan.
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