I don’t know if someones already started a thread on this. What FX pedals/units are you using or have used in conjunction with your synth gear? Generally based on live performance. Is there anything that is the holy grail for you, units that you can’t keep your hands off when playing live? Dub delays, overdrives, reverbs, ring mods, moogerfoogers, guitar pedals, kaossilators, digital units, analog units, cheap, expensive, rare, common etc.
right now, my favorite pedal is the strymon timeline. i have a few other effects all wired together, but its the one that gets the most use, particularly for drum beats.
the TC electronics toneprint pedals are pretty popular too, as you can edit their parameters through a computer, basically changing the effect to something totally different if you so desire. i have the chorus from that line and its rad.
really, any stereo pedal is fair game as far as im concerned.
Checked out some demos of the Timeline! Sounds very nice! I can see how I would implement the pattern delays as well as the usual delays. Sticking that what down on the wish list.
hahaha … endless nights watching SPACE bs. Bigsky videos here too … ended up with the SPACE. Due the fact A4 has a really great standard reverb and the octatrack has the nice dark reverb. So sending sampes in the octatrack to its dark reverb and then thru the cue out to the SPACE … and the EM600 tape delay from Behringer … you get really cinematic sound scapes!!!
I’ve been using a $25 Japanese Arion Bass Overdrive pedal to beef up the mono output of my CV track sequenced Nord Drum as it is sent back into the A4 for p-locked FX and pans. I got hip to this budget brand after finding their Bass Graphic EQ pedal for dirt cheap that I now use as a side-chain EQ for my master compressor.
I’m considering some of the Zoom MS series pedals also, as they are very flexible and affordable.
I’ve always been into budget FX. Just can’t justify spending more than $200 on an FX processor. Maybe some day I’ll cross over.
After a long time buying pedals I personally found that they didn’t suit my workflow. In general the noise, lack of control, required space, and nest of wires put an end to my collection.
Even though, I strongly recommend the Crowther audio Prunes & custard, Malekko B:assmaster, OTO Machines Biscuit, Pro Co RAT, and Strymon Timeline.
I’m in a similar position. I have a Timeline and a BigSky. They sound great but I’ve never managed to neatly integrate them into my setup and workflow. If I’m mixing ITB then it’s so much easier to use VST FX and if I’m working OTB then I lean towards built-in effects on synths or smaller, simpler FX boxes.
ATM I’m putting my Prophet’08 through a Hall Of Fame pedal (with a nice ‘cathedral’ toneprint loaded) and finding it more manageable than the BigSky. It helps that I’m also a guitarist, so all my smaller pedals get used even if they’re not right for synths.
The hands-on simplicity factor is nudging me towards an El Capistan to replace the Timeline. I think I’d get more use out of it.
Earthquakesr Devices’ Afterneath creates cavernous, esoteric washes of reverb that can completely alter one’s aural ambience. They open up a direct portal to the ethereal for almost any instrument. I know at least five people who consider the Afterneath indispensable.
