TromboneChat

Hello fellow trombonists

What effect pedals are any of you using or recommend?

I recommend the Line 6 Helix Floor for people just starting out because it’s more practical for jumping into effects. If you want to go the route of individual pedals you’ll have to account for an input and output section, pedalboard, and power supply before you start adding individual effects.

I use Amplitube on an iPad. With an AirTurn or blue board foot switch you have access to lots of pedals. I don’t use it a lot so there may be better options. I didn’t want to start buying a bunch of pedals just for fun.

I replied, in the other thread that was made in the "accessories" section. But since this thread is taking off I'll repost here.

Effects pedals can be a slippery slope, but a fun one indeed! And can get expensive.

I feel like I'm overly cautious with power and making sure my levels are correct, whereas a lot of folks I've seen just plug in and play. I use a Voco Loco to help bring my mic level up to line level. That allows from my trombone signal to be equivalent to a guitar. If you just use a XLR>1/4" converter you could run into some issues with not having enough power and won't be able to diagnose the problem.

Another thing I like about the voco loco is that it has a mixer built in for you to adjust different levels and even EQ.

Here's my route
Microphone > Voco Loco > Pedals > Voco Loco (patch cable) > PA

I personally like single pedals, but a good introduction could be a multi-effects pedal. This way you can mess around with a lot of different sounds at once with one unit

The Vocoloco is a great interface to pedals, the alternative that I use is the Eventide MixingLink. This In/Out doesn't give you an EQ section like you get on the Vocoloco, but you get a headphone out and a couple of different latch options and +48 phantom if you need it. Both are legit options with good pre's.

Hi! I use a full pedalboard with a local band, and here's my experiences:

My setup is as follows: Shure WB98H/C -> Voco Loco -> Digitech Whammy 5 (Pitch Modulation) -> Morley 2020 Bad Horsie Wah (auto wah pedal) -> Strymon Riverside (overdrive) -> BOSS Flanger -> MXR Phase 95 -> Aguilar Bass Filter -> MXR Carbon Copy Analog Delay -> Digitech Polara Reverb -> Voco Loco. All my pedals are powered with the CIOKS DC10 power supply.

The only pedal that I would be hesitant to stay away from with a brand new setup is the Strymon Riverside, if not dialed in properly, it can produce a lot of feedback. I like the Voco Loco because it can provide phantom power to my Shure microphone, and then I run a cable out of my Voco loco into the venue's PA system. JLivi is on point as well with the Voco Loco having a mixer, it allows you to dial in your sound right at the source. If you play super loud, you can dial back the input from your mic into your pedals. My favorite pedal hands down is the Digitech Whammy V5, it has so many different options for different pitches, and it tracks really well too!

Getting into the pedal world has been a fun and exciting process for me. It brings a new level to playing in certain bands/genres. I'm thoroughly happy with my setup, and don't plan to change it soon. It lets me feel almost like a combination of trombonist/guitar player with all the effects I can provide. Myself and the trumpet player I play with both have pedals, and it's fun at low-expecation shows to see how weird/funky we can use our boards!

I would also take a look at http://www.horn-fx.com/, they have a lot of good write ups on different types of pedals/functions, price ranges, etc., and I've gotten a lot out of reading through that site. Let me know if there's anything else you've got questions on, and I'll see if I can answer them!

Let me know if there's anything else you've got questions on, and I'll see if I can answer them!

Thanks for the info! I’m wondering what kind of speaker/amp would be good. I’d like to have something I can use to practice and for performing in small venues.

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance,

John

sacfxdx wrote: ↑Wed May 11, 2022 5:21 pm https://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-aud ... bQQAvD_BwE

???
That link led to cymbals.

johntarr wrote: ↑Wed May 11, 2022 11:19 pm

sacfxdx wrote: ↑Wed May 11, 2022 5:21 pm https://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-aud ... bQQAvD_BwE

???
That link led to cymbals.

The link points to “ Kustom PA PA50 Personal PA System”. Try searching for that.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/DigiTech-Voc ... /133599901

Very easy to use, analyzes the chord played with a built in microphone and adds harmony to your voice..good sound..a lot of effects.
Sad...they do not build it an longer..

Sort of related, we saw C Lindberg do a recital on Monday in Tokyo -- they had some sort of adaptive reverb in place in the room. For the most part, it was the normal room acoustic but when the trombone had to play alone, especially during the two times he used multiphonics, a very slight reverb kicked in. If I wasn't involved in sound production I would have missed it. Where multiphonics and a trombone alone can sometimes fall a bit flat, the moments where the trombone played without piano were the best parts of the night!

harrisonreed wrote: ↑Thu May 12, 2022 5:40 pm ... we saw C Lindberg do a recital on Monday in Tokyo --

I presume he's still playing great. Conn 88HCL / 5CL mouthpiece?

harrisonreed wrote: ↑Thu May 12, 2022 5:40 pm Sort of related, we saw C Lindberg do a recital on Monday in Tokyo -- they had some sort of adaptive reverb in place in the room. For the most part, it was the normal room acoustic but when the trombone had to play alone, especially during the two times he used multiphonics, a very slight reverb kicked in. If I wasn't involved in sound production I would have missed it. Where multiphonics and a trombone alone can sometimes fall a bit flat, the moments where the trombone played without piano were the best parts of the night!

How were they picking up his sound, where were the microphones placed?

While there must be fantastic techniques out there for enhancing performance and sound, it’s also sad that we’re moving more and more to artificially enhanced productions, thinks me.

Posaunus wrote: ↑Fri May 13, 2022 12:34 am

harrisonreed wrote: ↑Thu May 12, 2022 5:40 pm ... we saw C Lindberg do a recital on Monday in Tokyo --

I presume he's still playing great. Conn 88HCL / 5CL mouthpiece?

He was amazing. 4CL, though I think. His pianist, Roland Pöntinen was unbelievable.

johntarr wrote: ↑Fri May 13, 2022 12:57 am

harrisonreed wrote: ↑Thu May 12, 2022 5:40 pm Sort of related, we saw C Lindberg do a recital on Monday in Tokyo -- they had some sort of adaptive reverb in place in the room. For the most part, it was the normal room acoustic but when the trombone had to play alone, especially during the two times he used multiphonics, a very slight reverb kicked in. If I wasn't involved in sound production I would have missed it. Where multiphonics and a trombone alone can sometimes fall a bit flat, the moments where the trombone played without piano were the best parts of the night!

How were they picking up his sound, where were the microphones placed?

While there must be fantastic techniques out there for enhancing performance and sound, it’s also sad that we’re moving more and more to artificially enhanced productions, thinks me.

He was recording the whole thing. 8 mics on piano, looked like 6 on a tree over the trombone.

It was so subtle. The multiphonics would have been not as cool if he didn't have it. Instead of being ugly and jarring, the whole audience accepted it and liked it.

Late to the party but happy to contribute:

I’m running the following chain for effects. My pre amp functions as an FX loop.

Shure 98 wireless mic and transmitter > EvenTide Mixing Link Pre Amp > Line 6 HX FX multi effect pedal board > back to the EvenTide Mixing Link.


I have tons of presets built on the Line 6 HX FX for my original music and can cue them up between tunes very easily. I also have two expression pedals for controlling volume on delays, mix on parallel compression/dry sound, and voicings pitch shifters. The Line 6 products and many newer pedals have USB connection for editing on the computer. Line 6 forums have a great community of musicians sharing presets. With hundreds of available preset slots on the HX FX, I can try others pre sets and fine tune for my own use. It’s a rabbit hole I really enjoy.

The Mixing Link pre amp is really cool because it has a lot of control over dry/wet mix, has a standard 3.5 mm headphone jack for practicing without an amp, and also includes tons of I/O options. I’ve successfully sent my sound direct out to a board and used the other outputs for an on stage monitor.

For anybody looking to get into playing with pedals, a cheaper multi effect board, like those made by Zoom or Boss, are really great options that don’t break the bank. You’ll need a mic, a pre amp with FX loop routing, pedals, and a speaker/monitor to get started. It’s particularly useful when I’m playing as the only horn in a band. Really simple effects like octaves or some delay and synth sounds can really fill out the sound and give the impression of a “horn section.”