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General => Musicians => Topic started by: a51502112 on October 03, 2017, 11:56:59 AM

Title: Voices Stuttering Effect?
Post by: a51502112 on October 03, 2017, 11:56:59 AM
Guitarists. How does one achieve the stuttering effect on DT's Voices at the 1:25 mark? You can also hear it on the intro to Astronomy Domine by Voivod.
Title: Re: Voices Stuttering Effect?
Post by: bosk1 on October 03, 2017, 12:09:01 PM
It's an effect.  I don't know specifically how it is done there, but it sounds like some sort of gating effect.  To show you sort of how it works, let me refer you tom something kind of similar.  Check out the 3:03-3:05 mark of the guitar solo in this song:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMWVRik6SGY

Notice the kind of similar effect, but just faster?  To see how he actually does that effect, watch the live version here at 3:00-3:02:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dP6Ji__Fw_8

Now let me explain:  On a Les Paul, the guitar is configured with a 3-way pickup switch.  What he does on that song (and others where he uses that technique) is turn the volume all the way down on the neck pickup so that that pickup is "off."  By flipping the toggle switch really fast as he does, he is toggling quickly between the bridge pickup being "on" and the neck pickup being "off," so while he is soloing, the sound from his guitar is effectively cutting in and out in a fast but controlled way.  Think of it as basically a sound gate opening and closing very quickly, and you only hear the sound when it is open. 

What Dave Meniketti is doing mechanically (i.e., by using his hands and the guitar toggle switch) on that song is, I believe, being done electronically through some sort of guitar effect that JP is using on Voices.  That's my best explanation.
Title: Re: Voices Stuttering Effect?
Post by: a51502112 on October 03, 2017, 12:28:19 PM
Thanks Bosk. Yeah, very familiar with the toggle switch/kill switch technique. Looking for a effects pedal which might do the same thing. Maybe a tremolo pedal set a certain way.
Title: Re: Voices Stuttering Effect?
Post by: a51502112 on October 03, 2017, 01:32:08 PM
If anyone's following, a Tremolo pedal will do this effect by adjusting the speed.
I asked current Voivod guitarist Dan Mongrain via Facebook. Gotta love artists who communicate with their fans.