AX8 does Grateful Dead -- Mutron III effect

rp911

Inspired
Here's my Grateful Dead band the other night. I used the AX8 direct to FOH with just a CLR monitor in front of me. This is an example of me using the envelope filter block I created to emulate a Mutron III -- a signature part of Garcia's sound.



If you don't want to enjoy (suffer through) the whole tune, skip ahead to 7:15 or so, that's the start of the jam at the end of the tune where you can get a good idea of how it sounds (although I use it during the entire song).

This works really well for me because I have an onboard effects loop in the guitar, which send the signal hot from the pickups out to the Fractal where it hits the effects blocks. It then exits the Fractal and comes back into the guitar where it goes to my volume pot. The signal then exits the guitar and back into the Fractal to hit the amp, speaker and reverb blocks. This basically turns the guitar's volume pot into more of a master volume (or volume pedal) so the effects can be set at their sweet spots independent of where I have the volume on the guitar. It works brilliantly for the envelope filter, which is so dependent on the volume.

I set the envelope so it opens easily all over the fretboard and then adjust my touch to open and close it the way I want to.

Not sure how to export the block itself but here are the parameters. It requires some pretty intensive tweaking based on your own guitar (mine also has a unity gain buffer), so it's maybe better to do from scratch, and it's not complicated.

The block is a Wah block, using the Clyde type.

Frequency min: 177 Hz
Frequency max: 2400 Hz
(these are based on the Mutron III specs)

Drive: 0
Fat: 0.78
Tracking 9.13

Now the important part, the Control. Set the modifier as follows:

Source: Envelope
Auto Engage: Off
PC Reset: Off
Min: 0
Max: 10
Start: 0%
Mid: 24.9%
End: 100%

Slope: 85.6%
Scale: 2.158
Offset: 62%
Damping: 6 ms
Off Value: 5%

The key to dialing this in to your specific guitar, I have found, is adjusting the midpoint and the slope of the little graph you can see in the window. As you vary your pick attack you can follow the little ball to adjust it so the filter is opening and closing how you want it to.

For MY specific guitar, the slope looks like this:

slope.png


If you're having trouble getting it to open, you can put a filter right in front of the block to push up the guitar's output some. I had to do that in the AxeFX II to make it work right, but did not need to in the AX8. But again, I have the effects loop thing happening, so your setup may be completely different.

Have fun!
 
Thanks for sharing!

I will definitely be giving this a go. My current Mutron attempt uses a bandpass filter block not the wah but it's not close to a real MuTron sound.
 
Sounds good man.. I still use my Emma Discombobulator pedal for some Mutron type action.. I'll have to try your settings though.
 
Thanks!

These settings are for the Mutron setting that Garcia typically used. That would have been with the mode in LP, range in Low. You can create other sounds from the original Mutron by changing the values in frequency minimum and maximum -- raising those values would emulate the HP settings, for example -- think of Pete Townshend doing the solo in "Mobile" which emphasized higher frequencies without the low end "splat" that Garcia used it for.

You can also reverse the min and max values so the effect works the opposite way -- the lighter you pick the more the envelope is open. That's the same as changing the "drive" setting on the original Mutron between up and down. Garcia used that on "Dancing in the Streets" when they played the later version, 77-81 or so. You have to adjust the curve again to dial that sound in but it works great.

The best way to think about auto wahs is like real wahs ... the minimum value is with the pedal cocked all the way down, and the max is with the pedal cocked all the way up. If you can find out what values your favorite analog envelope filter uses, you can dial that range in and then adjust the curve to your guitar and your playing.

You could also input those values and use a sine wave to change the range (as you would in a phaser), that would emulate that Boss pedal that automatically sweeps the wah based on the tempo you give it.
 
I gotta admit @rp911, I never got into the Dead. But I listened to the entire 10 minutes and loved it. You guys sound amazing and it was great to see such an interactive crowd. I think I'll be checking out some Dead tunes today for sure.
 
Me, too. I haven't really listened to the Dead since my high school daze in the mid 70s. Well done sir. Well done.
 
Thanks for the explanations, used this in a much more agressive block (translated from an old M@ ULTRA patch) with 2nd or 4th order curve. I didn't know the Mutron but like the more smooth sound of your setup.
 
@rp911 Thanks so much for sharing this technique.

I programmed it in yesterday. So much better than my previous work with the Filter block.

This is very close to a real Mutron. Not exactly the bubbling / warbly real deal, but WAY closer than I was before.

I never would have thought to come up with that crazy envelope curve, but it works!
 
Thanks for your interpretation of the mutron effect. Sounds very good, can't wait to mess with it. Never been a big fan of the dead but your band sounds great. Really enjoy your videos!
 
Love this Mutron! I tried it last night w/ iaresee's Jerry patch and both sound great. As usual, I'll need to tweak a little for my setup, but very cool. Now I just need to get a couple of Dead songs into the setlist! ;-)
 
Made a block with these settings please be aware that you might need to tweak a little towards your own taste.

Based on the settings from the @rp911 screenshots just did a quick block for you guys.
 

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@rp911 you've got it dialed in man. That mu-tron sounds stellar. Stealing these settings all day and night, man! Thanks for sharing!
 
Thanks guys!

For a little non-Mutron Dead from the same show: )



I can't say enough how pleased I am with the new AX8 -- and Fractal in general -- for enabling me to get my tone condensed down into one little device and deliver it flawlessly to the house system and also give me perfect pinpoint monitoring every show, so I never have to tweak anything or worry about stage acoustics or killing the ears of anyone up front trying to hear myself over the band. I used to cart around about 150 pounds of gear to get that sound and make six trips from the car to the venue.

Only downside was some guy on Facebook said my guitar sounded great coming out of that Line 6 that the rhythm guitar player uses ; )
 
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