Using too much chorus effect

[AmpliFIRE]

Don't be confused...the newer DMM's sound like ass IMO. You need to get an older version or even better...one of these:

http://www.gilmourish.com/?page_id=80

 

[petejt]

guys in the 80s were using chorus to approximate and blend in with keyboard parts so part of that sound was to be more transparent and a supportive texture and not stand out.
i take the same philosophy today, playing alongside a piano, keyboard player and two other guitar players, and 5 singers.
sometimes i don't want to "cut" per se, just add a color.

Is that why a lot of session guitarists used a scooped mids gainy sound for a rhythm part?

Here's an 80s example- Solitaire by Laura Branigan.......(WTF am I doing??... )

Listen to the percussive rhythm guitar part that starts at 0:29, which follows the drums. To me it sounds quite "gainy" for a pop song, but it also sounds really mid-scooped. You can barely hear it, it's just a texture to enhance the drum part. And yeah I guess to let the synths float about on top.

The guitar doesn't really stand out until the solo break from 2:54-3:10, and then it cuts right through that thick thatch between...........woh I better stop now

 

[1big1]

some folks can use an over the top sounding chorus to great effect.. like andy summers or zakk.
i just like mine to be subtle and add some interest.
i've been working on a pedalboard rig recently.. mostly because it's what i've got.
first.. i tried an old 1u dod spectrum r 895 in the loop as a chorus. it sounded great.. but it colored the tone with too much treble.. imo. i have a boss ce5 which i then plugged into the loop. i liked that better because it was more subtle and has controls for bass and treble which i can tweak to taste.
i don't think there's a right way or a wrong way to use one. i think it's just a matter of whether what you're playing needs to be over the top or something more subtle.

 

[mentoneman]

guys in the 80s were using chorus to approximate and blend in with keyboard parts so part of that sound was to be more transparent and a supportive texture and not stand out.
i take the same philosophy today, playing alongside a piano, keyboard player and two other guitar players, and 5 singers.
sometimes i don't want to "cut" per se, just add a color.

Is that why a lot of session guitarists used a scooped mids gainy sound for a rhythm part?

Here's an 80s example- Solitaire by Laura Branigan.......(WTF am I doing??... )

Listen to the percussive rhythm guitar part that starts at 0:29, which follows the drums. To me it sounds quite "gainy" for a pop song, but it also sounds really mid-scooped. You can barely hear it, it's just a texture to enhance the drum part. And yeah I guess to let the synths float about on top.

The guitar doesn't really stand out until the solo break from 2:54-3:10, and then it cuts right through that thick thatch between...........woh I better stop now

i am in the dubious position of mixing for and playing with a rotation of musicians weekly (telling someone to turn down one week and then play 2 feet away from him the next can have it's challenges!), and gain valuable insight to what works and doesn't work live. everything from mic types and placement to positioning of instruments on stage to D.I.s to tonal effects of drum heads, piano lid positioning, acoustic guitar strings, monitor mixes and eq, baffling/shielding, console eq to outboard fx and routing...this is my weekly world. and of course electric guitar tone!

here are amps i've mixed live off the top of my head-many of them on a regular basis-

mesa mk III/IV/single/dual/triple recto/triaxis-290
marshall jcm800/900/dsl 100/original and reissue bluesbreaker combo/plexi PA head
bogner uberschall/shiva
vht deliverance/ultralead
peavey 5150/5150II
fender twin/super/deluxe/princeton/bassman/blues deluxe/blues deville/hotrod deluxe/scxd
vox ac30/ac30cc/ac30 reissue
line 6 pod/axs/flextone/flextone II/flextone III/pod pro xt
mojave coyote/peacemaker
egnater tol 100/rebel 20
rivera sedona/tbr-100
dr maz 38
divided by 13 ?
lambeth amp
schreyer deluxe
orange ad30


i am constantly learning new things while applying and refining tried and true methodology. the 80s chorus thing is in my wheelhouse. yeah sometimes i feel a bit dated using-more landau/summers tones, not cobain chorus- it but when it works it works. the bassist in our group played with landau in karizma so when he gives me the nod of approval it is significant to me.
here's a good example of my role in one of the groups:

 

[petejt]

Right now, I am playing through my Roland Jazz Chorus 120 combo amp- just a clean sound with the Chorus on. When I pick the strings really softly, the signal is completely dry- there's no chorus effect heard at all. Just the amplified guitar signal.
When I pick the strings a bit harder, the Chorus kicks in & really stands out, as you can hear how it slightly alters the tone of the guitar signal.

So if you feed the chorus device an even stronger signal, such as a high gain distorted signal, it emphasises the chorusing, it makes the chorusing effect even more prominent (and tone alteration). And if that chorus is already dialled up quite high, it becomes overwhelming and sounds, well, TOO MUCH!


Therefore, you need to use much less chorus processing with a hotter signal- ie a high gain signal. Dial it in really low- a very low mix.

 

[Greazygeo]

I recently picked up an old MIJ CE-2 and I can't seem to turn it of. It's very addicting

These are what I use. Not too over the top, does the subtle thing well. THe DC-2 Dimension C is great also.

 

[petejt]

I recently picked up an old MIJ CE-2 and I can't seem to turn it of. It's very addicting

These are what I use. Not too over the top, does the subtle thing well. THe DC-2 Dimension C is great also.

Another similar device is the Neunaber Chroma. It's more like a mini-Eventide harmonisor micro-pitch transposer than a straight up Chorus.

I better get off my arse and go use it though!