Last time we discussed compressors, expanders, limiters and gates – devices that do not make drastic alterations to your sound, but are nonetheless very important. Next, we discuss effects that make “drastic” changes to your sound, namely Gain, Overdrive and Distortion. First, let’s dispel the myth that these three effects are the same thing. Similar, yes – identical, no.
First, let’s talk about gain. Gain by itself is technically not an effect, but is a parameter used to describe the amount of boost in your signal without changing tonal qualities. Essentially, gain is a function of the level of a preamp. Sometimes you will see “gain” as the label on the control of a stomp box or perhaps a channel on your amp. In the purest context of gain, lead players use the gain function to lift their guitar above the other instruments in the band and let it stand out in the mix. You will want to be careful however if you have multiple stomp boxes with gain settings. If you add more gain to every effects box and use multiple boxes at once you can end up blowing your audience out the back wall of the room, as well as drowning out the rest of the band.
Next, we’ll talk about overdrive. Overdrive is also a parameter that you may see on some effect boxes. This is generally described as the warm distorted sound that you get from cranking a tube amp’s volume up. You can change the dynamics of overdrive just by the way that you play. If you play softly on the strings the overdrive does not show up much but if you start to play harder the overdrive starts coming through. This makes overdrive a very dynamic effect. It is a slightly distorted sound that can really add to the overall tone you are looking for in your playing style. So you don’t have a tube amp, and even if you did, you can’t turn it up loud enough in your apartment complex to get the overdrive sound. What do you do? There are stomp boxes on the market today that allow you to get an overdrive sound at lower volumes. I have used the Tube Screamer stomp box and really enjoyed the sounds I got from it. This is probably one of the most widely used overdrive effects units on the market today.
Finally, distortion. Distortion can be one of the most difficult effects to choose. There are hundreds of different distortion effects on the market today and a new guitar player looking for his new sound is going to have a brain aneurysm trying to decide which one to get. What makes distortion stand out from the other effects we have dealt with so far is the fact that there is no standard in distortion stomp boxes. For example, if you buy two different chorus stomp boxes and set the parameters the same, you are going to get almost the same sound with very little variance in effect. Sure, you may notice some subtle differences, but the standards for these types of effects are very close from manufacturer to manufacturer. This is not the case with distortion stomp boxes. Not all distortion pedals are created equally. Distortion can be hugely different from manufacturer to manufacturer, and even from model to model in the same manufacturer’s line. Do not despair. There are some ways to sort through this crazy maze of sound. Let’s break down how to select the right distortion for you.
The first thing you need to do is figure out what kind of distortion you are looking for. This is based on the kind of music you are going to play, whether it be grunge, classic rock, heavy metal, modern rock, country (yes even country has distortion), or any other of the many styles of guitar playing out there. Once you figure this out you are on your way to choosing the right distortion for you. The best way to find your dream distortion is to start weeding-out the ones that are not right for your style.
What is in a name? The best place to start your weeding-out process is by reading the descriptive name on the units you are looking at. For example, if you are a blues or country player you may want to avoid stomp boxes that have words in their description such as “Death,” “Metal,” “Grind,” “Grunge,” “Atomic,” “Nuclear,” and “Atom Splitter.” These are definitely not going to shape your sound to your taste and would more than likely be a waste of time to even check out. Check them off your list. If you are a metal or grunge player you will want to avoid units with descriptive words like “Blues,” “Warm,” “Fuzz,” and even “Overdrive” unless it is preceded by a word like “Death,” “Metal,” “Grind,” etc. Now keep in mind that all the different pedal manufacturers are trying to outdo each other in their descriptions so some pedals may not even give you a clue as to where they fall in this mix. Those you are not sure of, you should check out. By following this simple step of name analyzing you can probably cut your selection process in half or better.
Another way to help in your selection process is to remember that most tube distortions will have a warmer and smoother tone while solid state distortions have more edge to them. This does not mean to discount them for this property, but it is another reference you can use while weeding the less desirables out.
When you get around to trying a different pedal always start with the unity gain control at “0.” This will allow you to hear what the pedal does to your sound without an increase in volume. This is important because you want to hear the pedal’s nuances before you crank it up. This is what will set the bar. Now start playing with the controls and see what you can come up with. Do not change your amp settings for different pedals. Set it up once to get your favorite tone before you start and then don’t touch it. If you do, you will be skewing the results of your testing. The distortion unit should sound good with your clean tone. If it does not sound good, you will have to sacrifice your favorite clean tone for the distorted tone. You need to find something that will work with the clean tone you like to use so that everything sounds good when you are switching between the stomp box in the on position and off position.
Now at this point you have probably weeded out the units that you did not like. I suggest that you make a list of two or three that you really like and one or two “possibles”. If you’re impatient and need a pedal to take home right now, select the one you like best and buy it. If you have a little more patience, I suggest that you take a break for at least an hour or so and go do something else that is away from a lot of noise. I suggest this simply because your hearing degrades over time when being assaulted with sound. If you take a break for awhile you can come back with fresh ears to try your favorites again. This will help you to select the one that sounds best to you.
Wait, what about those of us who play many different styles of music? There are two choices here. You can select a couple of different pedals for the different styles or you can go with a multieffect unit that has a couple of distortion choices – such as many rack-mount units on the market today.
Can you use two distortion stomp boxes together? If you get the tone you want by doing this, go for it. In music, the end always justifies the means when it comes to the tone you like and want to play.
I hope these discussions of effects and how to properly use them has been helpful. Meanwhile, I’m still Frank the Tech Guy – keep on playin’ that music!
