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Using Effects.

i'm spinning house techno trance prog (and on a lesser note, euro and hip hop when the need for mainstream is necessary)


just from personal preference, i like putting effects on house and techno, because they get locked into a grove, i find they allow a lot of versatility to the dj to do cool stuff with it. but for trance, i very seldomly use effects, becuase when i'm tempted to use them, i feel i'm going to ruin the song by doing so. (this is very general where some trance songs are fine, and some techno/house wouldn't be)

just curious to know what your thoughts are on effects.

sometimes Wah can be useful for slowly building down a rhythm...

Sometimes in breakdowns I use HPF & LPF together on my xone:62.

i like the HPF and LPF a lot to. they can put a lot of energy into the break (more so on the HPF i find)

I have the DXM06 from Numark and I am really impressed with the effects on it. I have personally become quite fond of the Tape Echo, as I keep finding new ways to tweak it and get some wicked sounds out of it.

I don't really know much about effects. What are some good effect machines or whatever, I don't really know, sorry.

The main 2 are the Kaos Pad 2 and EFX500, and soon to be EFX1000, then you got the Alesis AirFX which is fun, there are a load of independant processors that just to Filters or what not, but the EFX and the KP2 are the main effects units that carry alot of effects.

I just got the Kaoss Pad 2 last week and it has a ton of different features and is easy to use. Only thing is I seem to get a lot of extra background noise from it.

yeah its much easier to put your stamp on house and techno than it is with trance when concerning effects, trance is built to just play and overuse of effects seems easy. the odd nice little filter or distortion effect on a build up is cool though, but overkill must be avoided.

quote:

Originally posted by tu_face yeah its much easier to put your stamp on house and techno than it is with trance when concerning effects, trance is built to just play and overuse of effects seems easy. the odd nice little filter or distortion effect on a build up is cool though, but overkill must be avoided.

Wise words.

Trance is already very produced and slapping effects for the sake of it will really ruin the overall feal and probably anoy the crowd.

Nem.

careful with effects to many makes a set sound like poop

i know from experience (damn that air sounding thing + echo)

I usually throw some effect at the last 4 bars out of 32 or 16. Especially before the breakdown.

quote:

Originally posted by DannyO The main 2 are the Kaos Pad 2 and EFX500, and soon to be EFX1000, then you got the Alesis AirFX which is fun, there are a load of independant processors that just to Filters or what not, but the EFX and the KP2 are the main effects units that carry alot of effects.

Thanks alot danny.

good thread, this answered some questions I had about effects

i love using echo to make progressive more explosive... makes the crowd go


jet is fun to use too...


speaking of fx... could someone pls explain how to use TRANS on the fx500? it's the only button that i haven't been able to do cool stuff with (though ring and that other button make too much noise so can't use them either)


also i've been able to do a lot more with my 500 recently by using the original/effect knob... you can do cool stuff with that thing!

quote:

Originally posted by stevebutabi i love using echo to make progressive more explosive... makes the crowd go jet is fun to use too... speaking of fx... could someone pls explain how to use TRANS on the fx500? it's the only button that i haven't been able to do cool stuff with (though ring and that other button make too much noise so can't use them either) also i've been able to do a lot more with my 500 recently by using the original/effect knob... you can do cool stuff with that thing!

re the original/effect control, you should be hammering this control. as a matter of fact, when i went to see zabiela, he never actually switched off that side of the effects unit, and when he didnt want an effect he just had it all the way over to original. i have started doing this, and to be honest it makes things a lot easier with the beat effects!

i also find the transform very hard to use, you have to have very precise timing with it and change the timings (again precisely) to give the chops some variation. dave clarke tends to use it quite a lot. i find its easiest to use it on very low timings combined with a fuzz effect.

with fuzz and ring, keep the depth to a minimum, certainly with fuzz any more than 15-25% and its much too loud usually. with ring it aint so bad, i find its great to flick the switch backwards and forwards (to get a quick cut effect on the ring effect) while moving the jogwheel, that way you stutter the ring effect and its less harsh on the ears.

The trans effect is as much about what you do with the source sound as the controller on the FX unit.
I always find it easier to match the record I'm 'enhancing' to the effect than the other way around.
It may sound like cheating but I also have a few rehearsed ones that I use with this effect.
I can scratch anyway but actually enjoy working with the pioneer CDJs at the moment.

Cheers
Nem

very true. for example, a nice long backspin with the trans effect, cut in quickly works quite well.

quote:

Originally posted by DannyO The main 2 are the Kaos Pad 2 and EFX500, and soon to be EFX1000, then you got the Alesis AirFX which is fun, there are a load of independant processors that just to Filters or what not, but the EFX and the KP2 are the main effects units that carry alot of effects.

I have an AirFX myself. While it is rather cool in concept, I've had problems where a stiff LA breeze or fog/smoke/haze will set it off, which is rather annoying.

quote:

Originally posted by Solkanar512 I have an AirFX myself. While it is rather cool in concept, I've had problems where a stiff LA breeze or fog/smoke/haze will set it off, which is rather annoying.

LOL, I always wanted to pick up an AirFX, but never thought of the complications.
I can just see it now, smoke machine goes off and the song goes haywire.

Isn't there an on/off switch though?

quote:

Originally posted by Eric Siefer LOL, I always wanted to pick up an AirFX, but never thought of the complications. I can just see it now, smoke machine goes off and the song goes haywire. Isn't there an on/off switch though?

LOLMAO

Actually find that really funny as it has to be seen as a major design flaw on a huge scale.

Cheers
Nem

I use a small amount of flange right at the point of "take-off" in a trance breakdown. only if it's appropriate. other times i'll use delays or echoes to create more of an intense buildup or help take away from the monotonous-ness of a constant 4x4. Echoes can also be good when doing beat & sample cuts.

and finally there's an effect that i never really used until after i did a show at Spundae with Darude... he uses the transform on Pioneer 600s like no other to chop up synths. occasionally i'll do this as well if i'm tryin to fuck w/ the crowd.

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