guitar pedals with a keyboard?

[Laura]

I have this Digitech guitar pedal panel. Well I thought about hooking the keyboard up to it & see what sounds I could get. Has anyone ever tried this?

I tried it and most of the sounds aren't any good but there is a 'triplet' and a "fifths" sound that are VERY cool! Especially with a nice 'delay."

Amazing what you can get when you experiment!

Laura

 

[Gratwhol]

Well, if you get a desired effect by using it, then I can't see why you should not use it.

<<Gratwhol>>

 

[RotorOnTop]

yep, experimenting is a key to creative music and progressive innovations, try a "discumbobulator" on E piano

 

[Laura]

yep, experimenting is a key to creative music and progressive innovations, try a "discumbobulator" on E piano

Yeah, most of the pedals sounded like crap, that's what theyre supposed to sound like right? I mean with names like "grunge" and "thrash". People want guitars to sound "dirty". In fact when I played with these I said "that sounds just like the Guitar voices on my keyboard".

However... the Octave and 5ths are Great, just like one of the effects in my son's Reason soft synth.

 

[Gratwhol]

How many different pedals do you got on that panel? Would it be possible to assign them to different tasks like switching sounds/sustain on and off?

<<Gratwhol>>

 

[Laura]

How many different pedals do you got on that panel? Would it be possible to assign them to different tasks like switching sounds/sustain on and off?

<<Gratwhol>>

I don't know...it's just a cheap digitech guitar panel with up & down footswitches. It has controls for amp models, gain and effects. Actually you can assign a lot of things like Delay and tremolo. But in general it is made for rock guitars that get lots of grunge, fuzz, thrash etc. Possibly if I found a 'clean' setting it would work. But it is a pain to set up the effects you want & find them again later, so I would n't use this in a live setting where I needed the effects quickly.

 

[Gratwhol]

Ok, fair enough, considering that they're guitar pedals after all..

<<Gratwhol>>

 

[Laura]

Effects

Ok, fair enough, considering that they're guitar pedals after all..

<<Gratwhol>>

Actually if you just wanted "tremolo", delay & stuff like phaser/flanger, I wonder if you could just buy those individual stompboxes they make for guitars. If you're not familiar with rock guitar... each pedal is for ONE effect.

The digitech is a combo box that has an up & down footswitch and there are about 40 factory presets & room for lots of variations. But like I said you have to cycle thru them linearly so it would be a real pain to find the right one at the gig...

kind of like keyboard voices

What I have really wanted to find is a module you can hook up to your keyboard that would enable you to get lots of 'effects'. I found you can do this with MIDI and VST instruments... now all I need is a portable version of this that I can take to a jam.

Nobody seems to make anything like this for under $1000.I asked at Guitar Center and he shows me the Mini Moog. $1200.

 

[RotorOnTop]

"If you're not familiar with rock guitar... each pedal is for ONE effect."

Hi Laura, thi is one topic I can chime in on, I played rock guitar for over 25 years in bands, thinking it was my third musical instrument professionally, I played drums and bass in bands prr, but...I still play guitar, have a 87' PRS and tube amp. I don't like effects pedals with my guitar the only pedal I use is a wha-wha, other than that its clean or overdriven. I do have stomp boxes, and have had the "pedal panels" as you have called them..I prefer individual stomp boxes over the all-in-one pedal boards. My favorite is just amp tube tone. So...I can talk guitar, amps, effects I have tried them all over the years...even pedal boards haha..the discomobulator is a type of envelope filter, and envelope filters are used alot on bass guitars (and guitars) to create a wah type effect that can be used with out a pedal, sounds awesome on a clavinet type key. I also have a Digitec delay that I put inline on my keys, I use this to augment a "Mini Moog" type sound by actually manipulating the controls (knobs) on the stomp box...a mini moog for 1200bucks is a steal.

 

[Laura]

Hi Laura, thi is one topic I can chime in on, I played rock guitar for over 25 years in bands, thinking it was my third musical instrument professionally, I also have a Digitec delay that I put inline on my keys, I use this to augment a "Mini Moog" type sound by actually manipulating the controls (knobs) on the stomp box...a mini moog for 1200bucks is a steal.

cool! just curious, what made you switch from guitar to keys, or do you still play a lot of guitar?
I also play guitar & bass but frankly I'm a little too old to stand up & gig w/a bass for 4 hrs. My shoulder/back just can't take it. Plus I really like the augmented & weird creative chord patterns that I just can't do on guitar.

Which kinds of keyboard voices work best for you with guitar effects?

 

[Gratwhol]

Yeah, I know that guitar pedals are for one effect only, but I was thinking that the pedal set would be something "out-of-the-ordinary" (I've never heard about a pedalset like that before). I can't really see the point in a pedal set with 40 different presets when you gotta cycle through them all to find the ones that you use. Isn't there some sort of registration memory that you can use to quickly find the ones you like?

We've got two guitar players in the band at the moment. And similar to you, RotorOnTop, the only pedals they're using are wah-wah pedals... in addition to some other pedal for switching amp presets quickly.

<<Gratwhol>>

 

[RotorOnTop]

cool! just curious, what made you switch from guitar to keys, or do you still play a lot of guitar?
I also play guitar & bass but frankly I'm a little too old to stand up & gig w/a bass for 4 hrs. My shoulder/back just can't take it. Plus I really like the augmented & weird creative chord patterns that I just can't do on guitar.

Which kinds of keyboard voices work best for you with guitar effects?

I have two main things I like a guitar effect with, one is a synth pad controlled by a digital delay, using the knobs of the modular unit to control the syth pad effect. The other is an envelope filter of types to add to an electric piano or clavinet. I stoppped playing guitar due to spinal disease, and can't hold it under my arm, against chest wall for any length of time. So, I started playing keyboards, and guitar has helped me in some aspects trying to improvise what I see on the neck to the keys. I still play guitar, but only in the studio at my own pace. I'm too old to "stand" up there too, 59 in eight days, whoah! Take care.

 

[RotorOnTop]

Yeah, I know that guitar pedals are for one effect only, but I was thinking that the pedal set would be something "out-of-the-ordinary" (I've never heard about a pedalset like that before). I can't really see the point in a pedal set with 40 different presets when you gotta cycle through them all to find the ones that you use. Isn't there some sort of registration memory that you can use to quickly find the ones you like?

We've got two guitar players in the band at the moment. And similar to you, RotorOnTop, the only pedals they're using are wah-wah pedals... in addition to some other pedal for switching amp presets quickly.

<<Gratwhol>>

There are so many pedal boards out nowadays its hard to pick just one to talk about, but most of them have multiple effects and even dynamic effects (ie compression) that offer multi effect layering in the pedalboard, plus individual pedals to set up your choices to call them up, most have like 4 pedals for this, kinda like sliders on a keyboard. I've never been a big fan of these units. Channel switching with-in the amp is cool and thats what I like to do. The type music I play guitar on is more bluesy, so I use a purist approach with a tube amp, and guitar, add some wha for leads...no not Shaft haha. Good luck with your band, got any music posted anywhere?

 

[Gratwhol]

Nah, we're a newly formed band. We're just playing some metal/rock songs at the moment for fun. We started making our own songs about a month ago, however, we really don't have any finished songs as of yet We are going to play at our first gig in about 3 months, looking forward to it

<<Gratwhol>>

 

[RotorOnTop]

Nah, we're a newly formed band. We're just playing some metal/rock songs at the moment for fun. We started making our own songs about a month ago, however, we really don't have any finished songs as of yet We are going to play at our first gig in about 3 months, looking forward to it

<<Gratwhol>>

don't know how old you are Gratwhol, but you definitely remind me of my youngest son (21) pretty much the same kinda situation, plays alternative, does covers and originals...they do some casual gigs and are trying to get their music together. I have two ther sons who also play, 27 year old on bass guitar (bands) and 42 year old son on drums (bands) they play weekend gigs. I'm hoping your gig in 3 months goes well for you and you all rock the house.

 

[Laura]

I'm too old to "stand" up there too, 59 in eight days, whoah! Take care.

Yeah, old age sucks, but I wonder if we are going to be seeing more & more keyboard players as time takes its toll.

Or at least Guitar Center will sell more orthopedic stuff like padded guitar straps & stage seats for guitarists.

I hate the term "baby boomers" but there are lots of them/us out there, we used to play music 'back in the day' until we got too busy with jobs & families... I wonder if in another decade when we start retiring, we'll have lots of time for music and we'll see more & more 'Vintage' reconstituted bands!

(no crazy stage antics though.)

 

[RotorOnTop]

HaHa...this is funny Laura, I was thinking how long it would be before I needed a wheelchair and alift to get in my van....plus now I have got to have a roadie and I can't find one hehe, would those stage seats from GC have a hole in them, humm...just kiddin'...I am a baby boomer, and was fortunate to have a wife (33 years) who plays and sings, we did countless gigs. All the friends I have still play, and most are over 50, check out Crossfire band on myspace, they are in Chipley Fl they got pics of me on there (Outpost at bottom) when I set in a couple weeks ago, dang I hate pictures anymore.
http://www.myspace.com/crossfirerock

 

[JimRH8]

yeah I mess about with my ZOOM B1 all the time; the cheaper/more retro the keyboard going through it the better the end result sounds IMO. it really brings drumbeats on old keyboards to life, the same blippy little polka beat sounds like a rob zombie song with a bit of overdrive, reverb and flanger !
I highly reccomend this if you happen to have one lying around or see one going dirt cheap - just for the fun of it like. my advice is use a plain sounding tone on the keyboard, (like "flute" or "organ" or something) for a better chance of getting good results.

experiment!