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July 15, 2009 at 11:33 am #78585Polyphase44Member
I checked the forums as well as searched numerous variations of ‘polyphase,’ but to no avail. So with that being said, can anyone share their tips and tricks with the polyphase. I’m about to get the expression pedal and I’m very excited to experiment with all the sounds it will make. I guess if need be, this can be the official Polyphase thread.
July 15, 2009 at 2:41 pm #99472julianModeratorI used to have one, ended up selling it. But now I miss it. I never really used it in my music though, I just loved playing with it. I miss having it around.
I have to say I love the slow envelope mode. It’s really the pedal’s best feature IMO. And the main one that I find musically useful.Square mode set to a medium speed + slapback echo = dubby/trippy
Here’s a clip I made with that + fuzz:
http://soundclick.com/share?songid=5795031
In some parts I’m sweeping the expression while doing that, but since the expression sweeps the start, I have the stop set to the low so that it provides that constant thud.
July 15, 2009 at 3:58 pm #99478Polyphase44MemberIt is in fact kind of hard to incorporate into music. I found its very usual in tandem with a Small Stone (SS before the Poly). I use a Les Paul with a P-94 in the neck, and I can use the Polyphase to dial in certain frequencies, like using a wah pedal, to get very Fender like tones. The square wave is interesting yet hard to work with, with the exception of higher rates. I also appreciate how waters the Saw tooth mode is on LFO mode. And to touch upon what you said, I like the ENV mode with the faster setting as I found the slow too subtle. What were some of your tricks to make that sound good as well as other general things about the Polyphase?
July 15, 2009 at 10:40 pm #99497julianModeratorI prefer the slow setting because it is less in your face, though I would have liked the phasing sound to be more prominent- have more notches so to speak.
Another neat trick is to put a tremolo in front of it in envelope mode, so that the trem triggers it.
I find that it works nicely with delay and chorus/vibrato as far as other pedals in conjunction go. It also worked very well with my frequency analyzer, because it brought out a lot of the metallic overtones.
July 15, 2009 at 11:42 pm #99499ghostMemberI am so torn on this pedal! In theory it seems like exactly what I’m looking for. But like all phasers I’ve tried out I just never end up being impressed enough. So I always go home empty handed, and sitting here wanting a Phaser.
I need to hear/see some demos of this thing on more tonal (less funk) examples. Mode Zero has some great samples, but I need more. Maybe someone with keyboards running thru it?
The last time I tried it out in a shop (I have tried it and others many times) I did notice more than before that it sounded thinner than I had previously thought.
July 16, 2009 at 7:07 am #99506BrianzeroParticipantMaybe we expect too much from phasing. I guess one has to remember that in phasing you are just hearing the point of sound as it moves thro the sound spectrum. So at anytime you are just hearing that piont that is moving thro its travel so to speak. So yes I guess it sounds ‘thin’ and stetched etc. But when you hear it when its moving and shimmering then it really comes into its own. I love phasing its such an organic sound unlike anything else. It all started in the 70’s for me with the small stone and is still continuing this day with the re issue classic chassis small stone, just love em!
July 16, 2009 at 7:27 am #99507ghostMemberSee, OK… I have a large older Green Sovtek Small Stone – sounds great. And I use it fairly often. I’m just looking for something that floats my boat in the “more control” world. I don’t know, I have a feeling that honestly if I can find a Polyphase to check out a little more extensively that it’s what I’m looking for. It’s just that I end up in guitar shops with just the Polyphase and a guitar. My setup relies heavily on loopers, guitar + ebow, bow, slide, etc… And then Vocal loops. So it’s really difficult for me to test out certain pedals in a shop. Particularly Phasers. Tremolo, octaves, loopers, delays – are always fairly apparent. A Phaser is such a particular beast in how it treats different sounds…
July 21, 2009 at 1:20 am #99784WatsonWoodMemberI find phasers do influence one’s playing, the Small Stone originally had me experimenting with a whole lot of new musical expressions, I loved the way the harmonics would catch and crystallise within the sound of a chord or arpeggio.
My fav phaser was a Maestro Mini Phase, not to mention the Mutron Bi-Phase. However, I then met the Electric Mistress, Dr.Q and the Y-Triggered Filter and they became permanent members of my pedal board.
This said, I very often used the Small Stone with the Electravibe, getting a warm, deep ringing bell-like timbre from the bottom octave of the instrument, and I went on to buy a Polyphase which opened up the Electravibe even more. I so love it when the music catches the phase cycle and starts to oscillate with the sweep.
I still have this vintage Polyphase and it is at present being refurbished before getting back into action.
The EHX Stereo Polyphase is on my list of must-haves. And my personal preference is slow to medium settings which give me room to move. -
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