EQD Pyramids Setting Question

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Shadoweclipse13
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EQD Pyramids Setting Question

Post by Shadoweclipse13 » Thu Jul 14, 2022 11:14 am

So, I'm not usually a huge fan of flanger or chorus, and I don't own a pedal of either. I've had a chorus sound in my head for a while*. The other day, I had a thought that maybe approaching the chorus sounds I've got in my head from a slow flange mindset that a chorus pedal might be interesting. Hulakatt mentioned that stereo chorus is so different (and something I've yet to try!) and I wonder if that's my direction.

I figure that even if I'm not a huge fan of flanging on guitar, it's another texture I could use on synth or bass too. Since I'm redoing my pedal setup at home, and will have easier access to tones that I don't usually use.

So, I'm wondering if anyone has played an EQD Pyramids and gotten thick, watery, chewy chorus tones (slow flanging)? Especially since it's stereo already.

*Thick, watery chorus akin to David Gilmour's chorus tones from the P-U-L-S-E tour, Jessica's tone from the intro of Deep Sea Diver's Body On The Tracks or Wild from Beach House. I'm pretty sure that Gilmour used an early Boss CE-2 on that tour. Jessica told me that she uses a EHX POG2 with the detune slider maxed for Body On The Tracks.

Examples:
Gilmourish - Caroline Olympia fuzz review
I listened through some P-U-L-S-E tracks and couldn't find what I was referring to from Mr. Gilmour himself. This was the best I could think of. Starting at 1:33 Bjorn's playing after he switched to the EMG-loaded Strat and added a Boss RT-20. The sound is SO thick and wonderful. I realize that the RT-20 is a rotary/Leslie emulator, but it also seems to me that so many types of Modulation are trying to emulate the feeling of the Doppler effect.

Deep Sea Diver - Body On The Tracks
Beach House - Wild
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Paco
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Re: EQD Pyramids Setting Question

Post by Paco » Sun Jul 17, 2022 4:51 pm

I identify so much with your search, and I'm super interested in hearing some real testimony from any Pyramids user, it may be the EQD pedal that intrigues me the most.

I love your references, and I'm pretty sure I understand what you're looking for, this is a tough quest though. Chorus is a difficult effect: it's far from my favorite to be honest. Surprisingly, much of the music I've made has at least some chorus on it, so I've been trying out different solutions and pedals for some time now.

My personal white whale is Vinnie Reilly's tone on pretty much all he did with Durutti Column, but this song 'Otis' in particular still haunts me to this day. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsM_L_R ... Recordings What the hell is he doing here? It is deceptively and elegantly simple. A true prince of tone.

I could recommend a couple of not so elegant or chic solutions (although you already know them, I'm sure ;D ) with Boss/Roland stuff: the already mentioned CE-2 (I've had them all, no sonic differences) will do Beach House, Gilmour and maybe even Jessica's tone. Proper dialing will do it, I've learned CE-2's can be powerful sonic weapons too. The CH-1 Super Chorus doesn't get the recognition it should, but it is also super effective. In my quest I ended up acquiring a couple of Roland JC's and I still got the JC-50 for when the Vinnie Reilly urge kicks in. Any of these amps alone, with the chorus engaged and a strat, will give you the exact early Alex Scally tone all over Beach House.

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Re: EQD Pyramids Setting Question

Post by fuzzjunkie » Mon Jul 18, 2022 6:48 am

I’ve not played with the Pyramids, but it looks like it has all the necessary controls to get the sounds you’re describing.

I have an A/DA Flanger and I mostly use it for chorus and pseudo Leslie sounds rather than Flange. The Pyramids seems like a similar setup. I prefer the flanger based chorus sounds over those from most dedicated chorus pedals.

In most cases I prefer modulating detuned tones over standard chorus as well. Think Roland Dimension-D or Yamaha Symphonic, but you can do just fine with an Eventide or a POG.

The Durutti Column example sounds like detuning to me, more than standard chorus, but I will say a similar sound can be found on the A/DA Flanger. In the old adverts “steel drum sounds” are described along with other flanger sounds. I don’t use it for that, but yes, it can make steel drum type sounds. Emphasize the harmonics and detune them. I don’t know what was used, but that’s the sound I hear on that Durutti Column track.

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Re: EQD Pyramids Setting Question

Post by Shadoweclipse13 » Wed Jul 20, 2022 7:27 pm

Paco wrote:
Sun Jul 17, 2022 4:51 pm
I love your references, and I'm pretty sure I understand what you're looking for, this is a tough quest though. Chorus is a difficult effect: it's far from my favorite to be honest. Surprisingly, much of the music I've made has at least some chorus on it, so I've been trying out different solutions and pedals for some time now.
Thanks man! Yeah, I've never gotten along with chorus, as they all felt sterile and cold to me. I had an Ibanez CF-7 chorus flanger, and it sounded awful for both sounds. After Hulakatt recommended that I try a stereo chorus, I want to at least try something down that path no matter what.

I also like your suggestion of the JC-series amps, but I'm definitely looking more for a pedal for this one. I would love to try a JC some day though.

fuzzjunkie wrote:
Mon Jul 18, 2022 6:48 am
I’ve not played with the Pyramids, but it looks like it has all the necessary controls to get the sounds you’re describing.

I have an A/DA Flanger and I mostly use it for chorus and pseudo Leslie sounds rather than Flange. The Pyramids seems like a similar setup. I prefer the flanger based chorus sounds over those from most dedicated chorus pedals.

In most cases I prefer modulating detuned tones over standard chorus as well. Think Roland Dimension-D or Yamaha Symphonic, but you can do just fine with an Eventide or a POG.
You know, I never thought about it, but that's probably what I've always liked and didn't realize it. David Gilmour is also famous for using an old EHX Electric Mistress, and I'd bet he used that set as a chorus-like sound for some of that stuff too.

If I stop by my local shop some time soon, I'll have to try one out. I'm still looking for some online demos that show Leslie-type settings too.

Thanks guys!!
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Re: EQD Pyramids Setting Question

Post by fuzzjunkie » Thu Jul 21, 2022 6:06 am

Shadoweclipse13 wrote:
Wed Jul 20, 2022 7:27 pm

You know, I never thought about it, but that's probably what I've always liked and didn't realize it. David Gilmour is also famous for using an old EHX Electric Mistress, and I'd bet he used that set as a chorus-like sound for some of that stuff too.

If I stop by my local shop some time soon, I'll have to try one out. I'm still looking for some online demos that show Leslie-type settings too.
Andy Summer’s using an Electric Mistress for chorus tones with the Police has always been my standard.

I’m not sure you’ll find any Leslie settings for a flanger. Usually a phaser; or even a tremolo, is better than flanger for pseudo-Leslie sounds. The reason the A/DA can create a good simulation is that it has a feedback loop that adds a 2nd modulation, so there’s a slower and a faster modulation happening. A Leslie has a spinning speaker and horn, so most phaser and Univibes are just mimicking the faster spinning horn.

Outside of a Bi-Phaser or clone you won’t find too many modulation pedals that aren’t dedicated to mimicking a Leslie that can easily get the sound of the horn and the speaker spinning.

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Re: EQD Pyramids Setting Question

Post by Shadoweclipse13 » Thu Jul 21, 2022 8:43 am

fuzzjunkie wrote:
Thu Jul 21, 2022 6:06 am
Shadoweclipse13 wrote:
Wed Jul 20, 2022 7:27 pm

You know, I never thought about it, but that's probably what I've always liked and didn't realize it. David Gilmour is also famous for using an old EHX Electric Mistress, and I'd bet he used that set as a chorus-like sound for some of that stuff too.

If I stop by my local shop some time soon, I'll have to try one out. I'm still looking for some online demos that show Leslie-type settings too.
Andy Summer’s using an Electric Mistress for chorus tones with the Police has always been my standard.

I’m not sure you’ll find any Leslie settings for a flanger. Usually a phaser; or even a tremolo, is better than flanger for pseudo-Leslie sounds. The reason the A/DA can create a good simulation is that it has a feedback loop that adds a 2nd modulation, so there’s a slower and a faster modulation happening. A Leslie has a spinning speaker and horn, so most phaser and Univibes are just mimicking the faster spinning horn.

Outside of a Bi-Phaser or clone you won’t find too many modulation pedals that aren’t dedicated to mimicking a Leslie that can easily get the sound of the horn and the speaker spinning.
I thought I read somewhere that EQD made the classic mode on the Pyramids to be able to do flanger, chorus, and rotary sounds. I've not yet played one, so I can't truly say.

Funny enough, my usual imitation of a rotary/Uni-Vibe sound is a phaser into a tremolo into a delay (usually: EQD Grand Orbiter > EQD Hummingbird/Caroline Parabola > Caroline Kilobyte), sometimes with a delay. Playing with the depths of the phaser and the tremolo can give some really cool results, and I always have those 3 on my board anyways.

With that information about the two different speeds on a Leslie, I wonder if I put a phaser after the flanger in one of stereo output sides, set to a different speed, could be interesting... hmm...
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Re: EQD Pyramids Setting Question

Post by fuzzjunkie » Thu Jul 21, 2022 10:23 am

Yeah, 2 modulations working together give some interesting results. Before I had the A/DA the phaser into a tremolo did the trick just fine.

Robin Guthrie made a career out of 2 modulations and a delay. Usually 2 flangers, but he often ran a flanger and tremolo together, or 2 detuned and modulated pitch shifters after he discovered Eventide.

The rotary speaker effect is just that. A single Doppler effect, but doesn’t have the rotating horn interaction. This is basically what a Univibe does as well. Sometimes I prefer it to the Leslie sound. SRV famously used a Fender Vibratone and so did Lift to Experience, another Texas band. It was the focal point of their sound. They were a 3 piece and put it it out front and center stage.

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