British Pedal Co. Tone Bender Mk1 :

English artists of the psychedelic era relied heavily upon Tone Bender fuzz effects pedals; the first, was that of Jeff Beck (The Yardbirds fame). The Sola Sound Tone Bender was originally designed by Gary Stewart Hurst in 1965, and was later recreated by other companies (i.e., JMI/ BPC). That said, JMI/ British Pedal Company had also employed Hurst as it’s circuit designer for most of their effects pedal products as well—incl. the Tone Bender Mk1.

Audio engineering techniques employed for the following video :

1.) Initially, I had recorded the performance (overdubbing : drums, guitar, bass) using the Korg D888 multi-track recorder (16-bit resolution/ 44.1kHz sample rate). Subsequently, I then transferred the sound files (recorded instrument tracks) over to PC via USB connection—ultimately, importing such into a vintage software application : Vegas Video by Sonic Foundry.

2.) At this point in the production, I mix-engineered each of the instrument’s volume (dB) levels and panorama (pan) adjustments. In this way, I crafted a balanced mix, along with distinctive stereo imaging. Subsequently, I adjusted the overall dB via the stereo master fader control. In so-doing, I was careful to listen for overall musical tonality—as oppose, to creating an excessively-loud audio mix. Ultimately, all of the individual tracks were then combined as a stereo .wav file (16-bit/ 44.1 kHz).

3.) The next logical step, was to master-engineer the stereo mix. I accomplished this by importing the .wav file into the IK Multimedia T-Racks software application. Moreover, I had thus maintained 16-bit/ 44.1 kHz, so as to help preserve the initial sonic integrity of both the recording and mix-engineering stages. The virtual audio process’ incl. modeled vintage tube gear in the following sequential order : multi-band compression & equalization—ultimately, having created a sonic illusion being perceived as louder, smoother, and with greater dimensional depth.

4.) After having master-engineered the final .wav file, I then converted such (“saved as”) into 2 compressed file formats : .mp3 + .wma7 (128 Kbps/ CD quality). That said, .mp3 is used for this website’s audio player section, and .wma7 (incidentally, my favorite sounding file type) is used for my video soundtracks. Both compression types provide a manageable file size for Internet purposes (i.e., converting 30 MB to 3 MB). The software application employed to create the compressed files was that of the aforementioned Vegas Video. The original master-engineered .wav file is saved for archival purposes.

 

In order of sequence/ guitar signal chain :

* Fender 1952 Telecaster (reissue)
* Ernie Ball 2223 Super Slinky guitar strings (gauges : 009 – 042)
* Mogami Audio Cables
* British Pedal Co. Tone Bender Mk1 (50th Ann. Edition)
* MXR M76 Studio Compressor
* Boss GE-7 Equalizer
* TC Electronic Sentry Noise Gate
* FX Loop : Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man Echo (Vintage)
* Line 6 POD HD Pro (v.1)
(personal program preset, based on a ’72 Marshall 50w Super Lead amplifier + ’64 Fender Deluxe Reverb speaker cabinet)

In order of sequence/ bass guitar signal chain :

* Rogue VB100 Violin Bass Guitar
* Mogami Audio Cables
* Compression & Equalization/ Line6 Bass POD (v.1)
* Line 6 Bass POD (v.1)
(personal program preset, based on a ’65 Vox AC-100 amplifier)

In order of sequence/ “drums” signal chain :

* Line 6 JM4 Looper effects pedal (drum loop, only)
* Mogami Audio Cables
* Origin Effects Cali76 Limiters (2x orig. units/ stereo pair)
* BOSS GEB-7 Equalizers (2x units/ stereo pair)

 

Suggested audio playback : High quality professional headphones (i.e., Sony MDR-7506), and a high quality pro audio interface are preferred. This way, the listener will hear the intended results of my music production efforts, inherent within the provided video presented below.

NOTE : There may be a delay for the video to download from my YouTube channel. Please, wait !

 

 

Epilogue :

I hope that what I’ve provided as an essential overview of my personal recording techniques, has helped inspire you to craft your own unique sound mixes. To the average home studio enthusiast, what’s been mentioned herein, must seem rather involved. As you realize by reading this post, such is NOT merely twiddling knobs on effects pedals. Rather . . such is to show how effects pedals enhance music recordings, along with pro-audio gear.

This Website :

The intention of fuzz-effect-sounds-and-more.com is to provide a reference resource; virtually sharing my gear collection, so that readers are made greater-aware of particularly good-sounding (and, in some instances), potentially collectible effects pedals. Otherwise, to also help those whom might benefit from my recording/ engineering techniques. Ultimately, as I continue to build and design this site, I will gradually introduce additional collection-based content—such as blog posts, image galleries, audio, video, and official manufacturer web links for your convenience. The information provided herein, is based upon biased opinion. Please, do your own research.

Ebooks :

Later . . I will offer for sale Part 1 of a series of self-authored eBooks, in relation to fuzz effects pedals; subsequently, also offering additional volumes regarding other effects types—boost, overdrive, distortion, etc—all via my private, independent collection. Moreover, these tomes of tone will include audio examples, color images, (in most cases) close-up circuit views, and generalized spec. information. Otherwise, said eBooks regarding fuzz effects pedals will additionally incl. generalized historical information as well. For details, please read this site’s eBook advertisement page.

THANKS for your interest of fuzz-effect-sounds-and-more.com

– Michael.

 

 

 

 

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Product names, trademarks, and artists’ names (incl. the names of builders and designers) referred to, and/ or depicted herein are the property of their respective owners, which are in NO way associated or affiliated with fuzz-effect-sounds-and-more.com. Said, names and trademarks are used solely to identify products whose sounds were studied during the audio production efforts for this reference resource. The use of said, names and trademarks does NOT imply any cooperation or endorsement. NO copyright, nor trademark infringement intended. Any errors, omissions or variations in the subject-matter details are unintentional.

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