Question for Mark Hammer

[Skidood]

Hi Mark

Again, it was great meeting you last week.
Could you refresh my >fuzzy< memory.
What effect did you demo for me which removes the note's initial  attack, allowing it come on gently? Was that the double ECF?
Also, you had one that you said was or could be very Hendrix-ish?
Do you have the schems for these on your site, or where could I find them.
Thx so much, you are an inspiration !!

Andy

[Mark Hammer]

Hi Andy,

I had fun too.

Sadly, the two recollected tones you mention were both made digitally, so no schem unfortunately.  Happily, they were both made by the fairly affordable Line 6 Echo Park pedal.

I *think* I gave you a PCB pattern for the Boss Slow Gear SG-1 pedal, the schematic for which can be found at www.generalguitargadgets.com
( http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=113&Itemid=159 ).

The SG-1 mimics *some* of the properties of a reverse-tape sound but not all of them.  It will do the slow attack thing, but unlike a digital unit that plays back everything in reverse order of input, the SG-1 plays the notes as you feed them.  That's good for planning purposes (hard to think through a riff in reverse) but it does not capture the counter-intuitiveness of a truly backwards riff.  Perhaps more importantly, if you play back a sample (whether digital or tape-recorded) backwards, there are other things that are different, like where the finger vibrato is located in a note, how your finger vibrato affects the onset time of the note (onset time is constant across notes with the SG-1, but swells more slowly for true reversed notes held longer), and the way treble content gradually enters as you go from the duller end of a note backwards to the much brighter start of it.

There probably ARE ways of mimicking true reverse via analog techniques, but I haven't seen any commercial productsor DIY designs that do it.  So, for the moment, if you want those tones, digital is the only way to go.  I will note, though, that ONE of the tones you remember (the swell) IS feasible with the SG-1.  In fact, I set it up deliberately to mimic one when you heard it.

[Skidood]

Mark

Yes, you did give me a layout for the SG-1...having checked out the details, I think I will build this one.
Thx!

Andy