H9 Tremolo Suggestion

[SpankyPants]

I've owned the Timefactor since it was released, and I just recently got an H9. The tremolos on the unit are pretty good, but I was hoping to achieve a more striking (or even extreme) sound. 

Even with Depth and Edge all the way up in square wave mode, I can't seem to get a really percussive choppy sound. It gets close, but not really that "repeat percussion" sound that you can get from, say, an old organ or an Earthquaker Hummingbird.

I was also hoping the speed would go a bit higher, also like the Humming Bird, even into ring mod territory. I know Eventide is known for pushing the envelope past what everyone else considers, but the square/chop from the tremolo is a bit tame sounding to me.

I feel like it wouldn't be hard to add a Repeat Percussion style algorithm. Just a few simple parameter changes would yield a crazy, intense, percussive tremolo/pan with tap tempo or expression control.

Thoughts?

[brock]

I don't know whether you have the HarPeggiator algorithm in your H9, but that's what I use in the Pitchfactor as a more configurable tremolo / slicer.  Here's a preset that I posted a few times in the past.  I modified it slightly to showcase a wider range of rates into amplitude modulation territory.  It only uses the Rhythm sequencer features; no Pitch Shift or Effects sections.

AttackTremolo

Mix = WET:100

Pitch Mix = A10+B10

Pitch A = ArpA: OFF

Pitch B = ArpB: OFF

Delay A = GrvA: A06

Delay B = GrvB: B06

(encoder) = PEGGIATR / TMP OFF

Depth / Key = ATK:  5

Speed / Scale = LN: 150 ms.

Xnob = FXA: OFF

Ynob = FXB: OFF

 

The Depth / Key default is a good starting point.  It's a moderate value where the 'reverse sawtooth' envelope really becomes more distinctive.  Towards 0 softens the attack; -1 to -10 gives it a 'Slow Gear' attack delay.  A setting of 10 sharpens the attack to 1/10th of the current 'step' value [15 ms. here with a 150 ms. length].

Speed / Scale is set to a medium-fast rate value.  500 ms. is as slow as you're going to get.  Upping the speed from about 75 ms. to the 10 ms. limit is where you'll find the ring modulator-like effects.  With the Tempo=OFF, you get a wider range of rate values without having to adjust MIDI Clock to the extremes.

These two parameters work in conjunction with each other, when a pattern has been selected in Delay A and/or Delay B.  That is, Grv A or Grv B must be set to anything except OFF.

Depth / Key shapes the envelope of the length value set in Speed / Scale.  In other terms, it's a configurable LFO.  Both parameters are great targets for an expression pedal, or MIDI control.  Cycling through the Delay A and Delay B patterns also changes the entire character of the effect.

[SpankyPants]

I do not have that algorithm, but I will look into that setting when I can test out that algorithm again. Thanks for the suggestion. 

[SpankyPants]

Does this algorithm also do panning?

[brock]

Quote:

Does this algorithm also do panning?

Yes, but not in a traditional sense.  You have to offset complimentary rhythm patterns in the A & B channels.  Here's an example of a stereo "panning" preset:

SpinSweeper

Mix = WET:100

Pitch Mix = A7+B10

Pitch A = ArpA: OFF

Pitch B = ArpB: OFF

Delay A = GrvA: A03

Delay B = GrvB: B04

(encoder) = PEGGIATR / TMP OFF

Depth / Key = ATK:  -5

Speed / Scale = LN: 250 ms.

Xnob = FXA: OFF

Ynob = FXB: OFF

 

(EXP PED Heel) = LN: 250 ms.

(EXP PED Toe) = LN:  50 ms.

 

The patterns GrvA: A03 and GrvB: B04 aren't perfectly complimentary, so I tweaked the Pitch Mix to A7+B10.  They also have a wider spacing between "on" steps (positions in the 16-step sequence that aren't at minimum level).  So the "tremolo rate" will be slower; relative to any given Length in Speed / Scale.

But it's workable as a pan between A & B channels with different patterns selected in Delay A and Delay B.  In many combinations, it just won't be as symmetrical and regular as traditional LFO panning.  Patterns like GrvA: A17 and GrvB: B16 are nearly complimentary, and yet the stereo panning and tremolo characteristics change dramatically.  More like circle-picking at a faster speed than the panning sweep rate.

To combine a SpinSweeper effect with the AttackTremolo characteristics above, change the Depth / Key in the second preset listing to ATK:  5, or even ATK:  2.  You'll want a longer envelope applied to patterns with a sparse distribuion of full-level steps.

In the HarPeggiator algorithm, it's all about the relationship between the length of a step (Speed / Scale), and the attack & release times applied to those steps (Depth / Key).  The 20 patterns (plus random pattern sequencing) take on those characteristics for each audible step.  Very versatile, and that can be applied to the filters, glitches, and fuzz in the Effects section as well.

Oh.  Did I mention that there's also pitch sequencing?

[SpankyPants]

Yeah, neither of these presets really accomplish what I'm looking for. Like I said, this could be done by just tweaking a couple parameters in an already existing algorithm to create a totally new type of effect. It wouldn't have to be a new algorithm or a total reworking of this or that… The foundation is already there. They just have to tweak the behavior of the depth and speed parameters. It could be Opto, Bias, and Repeater/Chopper tremolo. 

Heck, even the GigFX Chopper could achieve almost this effect, except it's not tap tempo. The Hummingbird doesn't have tap tempo or panning either.

The easiest, most accurate way to get this type of tremolo would be to just tweak the parameters of this already existing effect.

[rlynch]

or eventide could create a panning algo similar to a boss pn2 , true stereo panning.I use mine with w/d/w all the time and its awesome

[apalazzolo]

rlynch wrote:

or eventide could create a panning algo similar to a boss pn2 , true stereo panning.I use mine with w/d/w all the time and its awesome

TremoloPan is a stereo panning algo when the “width” control is set to maximum and when the H9 is wired in stereo. It covers the PN2 sounds.

[spaceJam]

That would be awesome!

And make a panning rate fixed and also controllable (independent from the tremolo rate) with an expression pedal so you can pan it hard left or right depending on the position of the knob/expression pedal. Like the EHX Pan Pedal.

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