Bellamy Phaser ~Absolution Era

[Anthonym12]

So uh, I've heard I'm probably going to be crucified on this forum for doing anything but here goes!

 

Something like this has probably been asked and answered about a trillion times but I couldn't really find anything on the search function.. so sorry in advance!

 

He doesn't seem to do it now from what I've seen (he didn't use it at the BDO) but in the absolution era he would have this enormous phaser sound that would pretty much dominate everything while he was playing the post-stockholm syndrome riffs... Correct me if I'm wrong, but a Phase 90 or similar themed pedal is waaaay too subtle for something like that.. So my question is; is he using some kind of external synth/some kind of rack phaser for it? And if not, does anybody know what it is?

 

Cheers guys!

[tomrulez]

He is known to use a phase 90 so it's probably that.

[james90]

any examples?

 

I hear a change in the overall tone, but not a phaser type sound

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scgeRSNlfQk

 

If you're talking about that, I'm not entirely sure. It's not the 4th channel on his amp like some people have said - I'm just trying to remember what's in his absolution era setup.

 

edit:

 

I'm not sure if there was anything else, but his rack contained these effects during absolution

 

Line 6 POD XT Pro

Line 6 POD Pro

Line 6 Echo Pro (recording only)

Line 6 Mod Pro

[Anthonym12]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzA158Yg3Es

 

About 7:10 on that one.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiZzhN_mhAA

 

That's probably the best example of it, he runs it from the start of the solo... there is no way that is a Phase 90 (or so I thought...)

[james90]

I'm not sure. He does use the line 6 mod pro as I said above, so it COULD be that, but it's hard to say.

[Russell_A]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiZzhN_mhAA

 

That's probably the best example of it, he runs it from the start of the solo... there is no way that is a Phase 90 (or so I thought...)

 

I know i'll be told differently, but surely its a flanger in that clip.

here's a (weak) example from somone using a flanger for the solo, its not a million miles from the actual sound.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x47vUpoiqKk

 

plus, you can here the 'flange' in the example...

[tomrulez]

Sounds to me like auto wah on a slow sweep, I can nail that sound with my EHX Worm set on the auto wah setting.

[Anthonym12]

I knew I was coming at this from the wrong direction *scratches head*

But yuhuh. that'd be the one.

So it's a flanger?. presumably from his mod pro unit as James said.

Cheers guys.

 

 

In the earls court video you can see him moving knobs on what looks like a rack synth which is presumably when it all starts to oscillate, as the video isn't really in time with what's going on at that stage.

 

Edit: Or some kind of autowah.. blaaaaaaah this is why I hate getting into effects discussions xD

 

Any other thoughts?

[Phill]

line 6 mod pro, i'm pretty sure it's the phaser, maybe you can tweak the voicing of it on the mod pro.

[Sherb^Mo]

Line 6 rack, those were the days! Or the previous DL4 days when everyone on the board had one or wanted one haha...

 

Earls Court night(s), at the time was like the biggest gig indoors they had done till then? Glad I stumped up for going to those!

[Musclemuse00]

I read in a guitar 2003 interview about recording absolution and he said he recorded it mainly with the balck manson because of its built in wah probe (copper plate on the front of his guitar) it would pick up his hand movements giving an auto wah type sound when playing but of course if u put your hand closer to the copper etc u can get stronger wah sounds. Hes bound to be using that if hes using the black manson but he may be using other effects to compliment or enhance the sound

[haze015]

I read in a guitar 2003 interview about recording absolution and he said he recorded it mainly with the balck manson because of its built in wah probe (copper plate on the front of his guitar) it would pick up his hand movements giving an auto wah type sound when playing but of course if u put your hand closer to the copper etc u can get stronger wah sounds. Hes bound to be using that if hes using the black manson but he may be using other effects to compliment or enhance the sound

 

He's using the wah probe at the start of the Earls Court video for the nasally guitar sound, it's definitely not that.

 

 

Not used the Mod Pro/MM4, so don't know what it can do, could get close using sweep delay though as the signal is split in two for that sound.

[Musclemuse00]

he may be combining it with sweep delay/echo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IceY4tZvj3E the wah probe has different sounds depending how u set the overdrive, plus matts is usually subtle because it picks up his hand movements when strumming

[Phil.]

Sounds like it is just phaser to me, probably post amp or at least in an effects loop so it wouldnt be subtle. Remember bellamy's rig is massive (I read he has FOUR cabs mic'ed up under the stage for this tour) meaning he could have a 100% wet phaser on one of them, giving a pretty white-noisy filter sweeping sound, but then what he is actually playing isnt lost because he has the other cabs.

 

He has stated in loads of interviews that blackie sounds the best for recording, doubt it is to do with the wah probe but more to do with the wood (anyone know what it is made of? Mahogany?) and all of those cavities are bound to have some kind of tonal effect. He doesn't/hasn't really used the wah probe at all for anything other than wankery pre/post songs, or to simply switch it on and not touch it to give the guitar a really deep resonant sound (as can be heard in that earls court version with the solo).

[haze015]

he may be combining it with sweep delay/echo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IceY4tZvj3E the wah probe has different sounds depending how u set the overdrive, plus matts is usually subtle because it picks up his hand movements when strumming

 

What's it got to do with the huge phasing sound this thread is about though? And the wah probe clearly isn't on at that point.

[Musclemuse00]

in guitarist magazine from 2003 featuring the bomber he mentions he likes the black manson for recording to the wah probe that picks up his hand movements but he has been known to fudge the facts in interviews. Mixing my sweep echo and phase 90 gives interesting sounds or normal delay.

[Phil.]

One thing ive always wondered about is how he is getting that really high gain sound durin the outro of glastonbury. It sounds like he has some sort of chorus or strange doubling effect on it... its really hard to explain!

 

Edit: I don't think the wah probe was actually used at any point in the recording of absolution, or at least I haven't ever noticed anything wah-based that instantly makes me think it is the wah probe... also learn to english a little better.

[haze015]

in guitarist magazine from 2003 featuring the bomber he mentions he likes the black manson for recording to the wah probe that picks up his hand movements but he has been known to fudge the facts in interviews. Mixing my sweep echo and phase 90 gives interesting sounds or normal delay.

 

In that interview he mentioned having the wah probe built in, didn't say it was the reason for him especially considering how little wah was actually used and what was used on Absolution was a Foxx fuzz wah thing.

 

And it's completely irrelevant to this thread.

[Xut]

One thing ive always wondered about is how he is getting that really high gain sound durin the outro of glastonbury. It sounds like he has some sort of chorus or strange doubling effect on it... its really hard to explain!

 

I think the motherbucker plays a good part in this too.

[randomparrot]

I clicked this thread expecting the first post to just say "phase 90" and then loads of jokes but it's actually opened up some really good discussions

 

To my ears it sounds like very slow phase shifting.

[Phil.]

It's just a phaser plain and simple.

 

I opened up amplitube.

 

I set up a nice amp.

 

Set it so there was two effects chains going into one amp.

 

In one I put a small stone, slowest speed, with the little resonance/whatever switch ON.

I left the other empty (Ie. dry mix)

 

sounded EXACTLY the same.

[Anthonym12]

So using my powers of deduction would it be safe to assume that he used his Mod Pro or some other rack synth, and using one of his cabs recorded a 100% wet signal from either a flanger or a phaser, and then had his main guitar sound unaffected by the massive filter sound using one (or more) of his other signal chains into another cab? (I don't actually have any idea how Bellamy's rig worked then, just making assumptions)

[Phil.]

Correct. That's most likely how he had it set up.

[Larry.]

Could it be good ol Nicholls on the Kaoss Pad? It definitely plays apart in the Glasto 04 outro of Stockholm Syndrome. Prove me wrong but I've seen it producing some pretty similar sounds to the one your describing.

[Phil.]

No.

 

I don't even think they had morgan with them in 04.

 

It's just a phaser ffs.