Weakly Criminal Posted December 11, 2005 Share Posted December 11, 2005 Sometime around '80 I was told by a guitarist I respected that Alex was using "volume swells" (manipulating the volume knob on the guitar) to accomplish the fade in effect during the intros to Xanadu and Villa. Needless to say I was amazed at the dexterity it would require to accomplish something like the arpeggio in the intro to Xanadu using the pinkie finger to manipulate the volume knob. Ever since I have sought to find a video or to see Alex live doing this. In every video or concert I have seen Alex appears to be using an effect rather than manipulating the volume knob. Can someone let me know if this has always been an effect or if Alex has just been using an effect for the past couple of decades (man I'm old). Your expertise is appreciated! (Please try to keep the nanny nanny boo boos to a minimum). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tepes22b Posted December 11, 2005 Share Posted December 11, 2005 My belief, and I certainly don't know this to be a fact, is that he is using a volume pedal. It would require coordination, but I can't see him playing harmonics or arpeggios while swelling with the volume knob. It would still require some coordination, but be possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weakly Criminal Posted December 12, 2005 Author Share Posted December 12, 2005 Thanks for the reply 22B. An effects pedal of some kind was the only other possibility I could think of. Whatever it is sounds amazing. Great picture BTW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
defrushfan01 Posted December 12, 2005 Share Posted December 12, 2005 yeah all it is, is a volume pedal, looks kinda like a wah pedal, but changes the volume level going into the amp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indica Posted December 12, 2005 Share Posted December 12, 2005 (edited) I believed he used a Morley. He changed so much though so I am not 100%, it's definately a volume pedal though. On some morleys they are a volume pedal then when you click it all the way down it turned over to a wha wha pedal. Edited December 12, 2005 by Indica Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CygnusX-1Bk2 Posted December 12, 2005 Share Posted December 12, 2005 Yep volume pedal, but in combination with a delay for sustain. A volume pedal is basically the same thing as a volume pot on a guitar but in pedal form. He uses a volume pedal quite a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tepes22b Posted December 13, 2005 Share Posted December 13, 2005 QUOTE (CygnusX-1Bk2 @ Dec 12 2005, 04:38 PM) Yep volume pedal, but in combination with a delay for sustain. A volume pedal is basically the same thing as a volume pot on a guitar but in pedal form. He uses a volume pedal quite a bit. Yeah, depending on where you place said pedal in the signal chain, you can decide whether you want the swells to echo or to cut the sound off entirely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indica Posted December 13, 2005 Share Posted December 13, 2005 QUOTE (tepes22b @ Dec 12 2005, 08:20 PM) QUOTE (CygnusX-1Bk2 @ Dec 12 2005, 04:38 PM) Yep volume pedal, but in combination with a delay for sustain. A volume pedal is basically the same thing as a volume pot on a guitar but in pedal form. He uses a volume pedal quite a bit. Yeah, depending on where you place said pedal in the signal chain, you can decide whether you want the swells to echo or to cut the sound off entirely. I need one of those because sometimes it sounds better with the sound cut off entirely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CygnusX-1Bk2 Posted December 13, 2005 Share Posted December 13, 2005 Generally the volume pedal should be the first "effect" in the chain, then a Wah and then distortion(s), modulation effects, delays and finally reverbs. With the volume pedal first you can cut all signal sent to the amp if you change guitars manually (i.e. not through a splitter switch). It also allows for this Alex type of effect because it feeds the delay. It is a good idea to have your tuner inline before the volume pedal if your amp doesn't have a stand by or a tune mute. This way you can back the pedal completely off for silence and still tune. This is not hard and fast, but a general signal path. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CygnusX-1Bk2 Posted December 13, 2005 Share Posted December 13, 2005 QUOTE (Indica @ Dec 12 2005, 08:07 PM) I need one of those because sometimes it sounds better with the sound cut off entirely. Ha! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1-0-0-1-0-0-1 Posted December 13, 2005 Share Posted December 13, 2005 QUOTE (CygnusX-1Bk2 @ Dec 13 2005, 02:45 PM) Generally the volume pedal should be the first "effect" in the chain, then a Wah and then distortion(s), modulation effects, delays and finally reverbs. The only thing I would add to that is if you're using a compressor, it should go after the volume pedal and before the wah pedal. If you're not using a volume pedal, a comp should be the first unit in your signal chain because they tend to amplify any undesirable noise from whatever comes before it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CygnusX-1Bk2 Posted December 13, 2005 Share Posted December 13, 2005 Hmm, I use in-line compressors between modulation effects and delays. I use it to even the tone rather than as a gain boost. Compressors can be used anywhere, but while they are simple devices they are extremely difficult to master. But I digress... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indica Posted December 13, 2005 Share Posted December 13, 2005 QUOTE (CygnusX-1Bk2 @ Dec 13 2005, 02:45 PM) Generally the volume pedal should be the first "effect" in the chain, then a Wah and then distortion(s), modulation effects, delays and finally reverbs. With the volume pedal first you can cut all signal sent to the amp if you change guitars manually (i.e. not through a splitter switch). It also allows for this Alex type of effect because it feeds the delay. It is a good idea to have your tuner inline before the volume pedal if your amp doesn't have a stand by or a tune mute. This way you can back the pedal completely off for silence and still tune. This is not hard and fast, but a general signal path. That's why I love my Roland GP-100. When I turned the tuner on it blocked all the sound going into the amp. I tried not to ever tune while playing but sometimes I had to but I did it by ear when I had to do that. Most of the guitars I've ever owned held tune great so I usually never had any problem with my guitar going out of tune on stage but sometimes shit happens as I'm sure you all know. The order of my effects can be changed by one click of a button. The order they are in does make a good bit of a difference sometimes. I never used a volume pedal though although my roland foot controller has one build into it. Wait, I guess I did use my volume pedal sometimes but not so much for an effect, just when I needed my signal to the amp to be not as hot. I know there are a lot of nice stomp boxes out there but the roland replaced them because when I tried adding the stomp boxes on top of my roland it wasn't really worth the trouble. I remember back in the day hauling around 5-6-7 stomp boxed and a wha wha and all that and was glad after I got my roland and sold all the stomp boxes. I eliminated a lot of problems with that move. I am way off topic at this point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostGirl Posted December 13, 2005 Share Posted December 13, 2005 When I read these posts, in my head it sounds like the grown-ups used to sound on Charlie Brown specials... Sorry, don't mean to hijack. Carry on, music men. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digital Man Posted December 13, 2005 Share Posted December 13, 2005 QUOTE (GhostGirl @ Dec 13 2005, 01:48 PM) When I read these posts, in my head it sounds like the grown-ups used to sound on Charlie Brown specials... Sorry, don't mean to hijack. Carry on, music men. Whaaah whaaah wha wha whaaahh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostGirl Posted December 13, 2005 Share Posted December 13, 2005 QUOTE (Digital Man @ Dec 13 2005, 03:50 PM) QUOTE (GhostGirl @ Dec 13 2005, 01:48 PM) When I read these posts, in my head it sounds like the grown-ups used to sound on Charlie Brown specials... Sorry, don't mean to hijack. Carry on, music men. Whaaah whaaah wha wha whaaahh YES!!! That's it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CygnusX-1Bk2 Posted December 13, 2005 Share Posted December 13, 2005 I don't know how to take that. Just ignore me and move on, I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostGirl Posted December 13, 2005 Share Posted December 13, 2005 QUOTE (CygnusX-1Bk2 @ Dec 13 2005, 04:07 PM) I don't know how to take that. Just ignore me and move on, I guess. NO!!! I meant, it's so far over my simple little southern girl's head! It was a COMPLIMENT, for cryin' out loud. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CygnusX-1Bk2 Posted December 13, 2005 Share Posted December 13, 2005 Yeah, well I give compliments better than I take them. Just not like candy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1-0-0-1-0-0-1 Posted December 14, 2005 Share Posted December 14, 2005 QUOTE (CygnusX-1Bk2 @ Dec 13 2005, 04:42 PM) Hmm, I use in-line compressors between modulation effects and delays. I use it to even the tone rather than as a gain boost. Compressors can be used anywhere, but while they are simple devices they are extremely difficult to master. But I digress... I guess it depends on what's in your chain. When I had a pedalboard, I had an MXR Dyna Comp and a Distortion+, along with a flanger, phaser, wah, chorus, etc. The Distortion+ is kinda noisy when the distortion is full tilt (which is how I always set it), and if I put the Comp after it, all you heard was HHHSSSSSSSS, because it amplified the hiss from the Dist+. If I were to put it after the distortion and the MXR Flanger (another noisy bastard) and engage them all, fuhgeddaboutit. Besides the noise factor, the distortion/comp combo always sounded smoother with the comp first in the chain. I'm sure the comp's placement is less of an issue with higher-end, quieter rack gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CygnusX-1Bk2 Posted December 14, 2005 Share Posted December 14, 2005 BOSS makes a decent noise gate stomp box that can compensate for such a hiss. Sounds like you were squeezing pretty hard with the Dyna-Comp. I have a similar deal on my old Ibanez multi. It is is the first position by default, but each effect has a 5 way rotary switch to make any path combination available. It's a nice old analog unit. It also has a loop which I put first in the chain. In the loop I have my Wah/Volume pedal (DOD crap) then my Acoustic Simulator and my old original issue Distortion+. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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