effects pedals and music production @ fuzz-effect-sounds-and-more.com

Roger Mayer Page-1 :

1964, Jimmy Page had requested Roger Mayer to build for him a fuzz effects pedal, inspired by the Gibson Maestro Fuzz-Tone; ultimately, to provide a much-improved sustaining sound. As result, Mayer produced such a device for Page, whom employed it for his work as an in-demand session guitarist on many hit records until 1966.

Question : Who are Jimmy Page, and Roger Mayer?

Answer : IF you aren’t already aware, Page is most known for his impressive music production ability and guitar talent in Rock groups, such as The Yardbirds, and Led Zeppelin. Otherwise, Mayer is most known for having customized and built non-commercial effects pedals for the likes of Jimmy Page, and Jimi Hendrix. Moreover, Mayer also built studio gear (professional audio equipment) for major world-class recording facilities as well, during the 1970s era. That said, he has since created a commercial/ signature line of products to include many of the aforementioned electronics devices—incl. his FIRST-ever fuzz effects pedal called, Page-1. For your convenience, as well as an in-depth perspective, you can access Mayer’s website via my Official Sites page—or alternatively, click onto the provided image herein, of the 2004 Limited Edition 40th Anniversary Page-1.

Market value : The highly-collectible 40th Anniversary model is no longer in production. In it’s place though, has been the Page-1 Classic (also, a limited edition product). That said, the latter version may suggest the final run of the Page-1 fuzz effects pedal. Incidentally . . whilst searching thru eBay during 2021, I found only ONE of these units available for sale—used : $300.

Audio engineering techniques employed for the following video :

1.) Drum loop + guitar + bass were recorded (16-bit resolution/ 44.1 kHz sample rate) as separate stereo audio tracks to PC via the Tascam US-1641 audio interface. The vintage software application employed (ultimately, combining audio + video) was that of Vegas Video by Sonic Foundry.

2.) Mixed/ balanced said tracks : Independent volume (dB) levels + panorama (pan) adjustments.

3.) Employed software plug-ins via the aforementioned Vegas Video; thus having applied EQ (treble + bass frequencies) for each track separately, and smoothed the distorted guitar sound with a tool called, Smooth/ Enhance.

4.) Overall (master) stereo volume level was set to where it sounded “best”. Note : digital dB level must never exceed U/ +0 dB (unity gain), and never below -10 dB. That said, volume increase beyond +0 dB becomes clipped (distorted) in a non-musical manner. Volume decrease beyond -10 dB reduces bit-depth (i.e., 24-bits to 20-bits).

5.) Saved the mix of musical instruments as a stereo audio .wav file (16-bit/ 44.1 kHz).

6.) Played back and transferred the sound (via the aforementioned PC + Tascam US-1641 audio interface) thru outboard processing, whilst recording to a second PC via the AVID/ Pro Tools audio interface. The vintage software application employed to capture the final transfer was that of Sound Forge by Sonic Foundry. Said, outboard gear employed was that of the Rolls/ Bellari RP520 stereo tube pre-amplifier + dbx 1066 stereo compressor (featuring solid-state VCA/ voltage-controlled amplifier circuitry).

7.) 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 of production. 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.

8.) 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 Telecaster (’52 reissue)
* Ernie Ball 2223 Super Slinky guitar strings (gauges : 009 – 042)
* Mogami Audio Cables
* Dunlop Cry Baby Classic (model GCB95F/ Fasel inductor)
* Roger Mayer Page-1 (40th Anniversary model)
* Cali76 Limiting Amplifier
* BOSS GE-7 Equalizer
* TC Electronic Sentry Noise Gate

FX Loop :

* MXR M-117 Flanger (v.1 reissue)
* Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man Echo (v.1 reissue)

Modeling Processor :

* 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 :

* Fender Squire Vintage-Modified Jazz Bass
* Mogami Audio Cables
* Modeling Processor : 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 Limiting Amplifiers (2x orig. units/ stereo pair)
* BOSS GEB-7 Bass 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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