Pete Thorn Delay w Expression Pedal

jefflibby

jefflibby

Inspired
On the following Pete Thorn video, just past 04:00 he demonstrates his delay which is controlled by an expression pedal. I am trying to get something like this setup on my AxeFXII but haven't been able to replicate this. Can somebody please help? I love the delay sound he is getting and how you can control the effect with the expression pedal.



Thanks,
-Jeff
 
The expression pedal has to be connected to one of the external controllers in the axe (same cc number) and then the external needs to be attached to the delay feedback parameter.
 
I tried a modifier on the Mstr Feedback, but rolling the feedback all the way off doesn't completely dry the signal - there is still one repeat. I tried attaching it to Mix but that doesn't quite do it either. Also, I can't seem to get my delay as rich sounding as what he has in the video.
 
Looks to me like the delay mix is being controlled by the expression pedal.

I always keep one expression pedal set up to control the level of the delays. It can be used expressively when soloing, and is great for song endings when you don't want to hear the echoes repeating after the rest of the band has stopped ;)
 
here you go

i've used external 1 to control the the delay feedback and the delay level (via input gain). if you're using a different external, then you'll need to change it

compressor settings are at default in this patch, btw, because i totally forgot to set them...sorry!

listening to pete's delay on the vid, it's got quite a lot of diffusion, so you could try turning up the diffusion param to about 30% if you like it. also sounds real nice if you phase reverse one side, which will give you extra width. rolling off the high cut to 2500Hz will also give you more warmth in the delay repeats
 

Attachments

  • Pedal Delay.syx
    6.3 KB · Views: 46
Last edited:
Depending on the preset he uses the expression pedal to control mix and/or feedback. There is a lot of modulation on that delay as well. He is using the strymon timeline for the delay so he can use different presets.
 
simeon said:
here you go

i've used external 1 to control the the delay feedback and the delay level (via input gain). if you're using a different external, then you'll need to change it

compressor settings are at default in this patch, btw, because i totally forgot to set them...sorry!

listening to pete's delay on the vid, it's got quite a lot of diffusion, so you could try turning up the diffusion param to about 30% if you like it. also sounds real nice if you phase reverse one side, which will give you extra width. rolling off the high cut to 2500Hz will also give you more warmth in the delay repeats
Click to expand...

Phase reverse does (of course) widen the sound, but not in this case. Pete stated he was running mono into the amp. In that case, phase reverse would sound like no delay at all :)
 
javajunkie said:
Depending on the preset he uses the expression pedal to control mix and/or feedback. There is a lot of modulation on that delay as well. He is using the strymon timeline for the delay so he can use different presets.
Click to expand...

Yea, there's a ton of modulation on that sound- makes it sound very wobbly. I almost always mod my delays, but never that heavily. Makes me feel seasick! :?
 
That's just hooked to the feedback. You'll actually want to set you master feedback a little higher than 100% to get that saturation sound.

He is not using just one delay preset in this video.
 
This is a time factor set to mod delay. I use to own one but have not come close to duplicating with the axe
 
am typing this based on memory...
i have a dedicated expression pedal for delay mix.
however i do not use it to the control the "mix" parameter on the delay block, since you will need to simultaneously compensate the loss of volume via the "level" parameter.
for a while i was controlling the "input gain" parameter.
now, i simply add the delay block parallel to my effects chain and set the mix to 100% wet.
i then use the expression pedal to control the "level" parameter of the delay block.
when fully off (i.e. heel position), the delay block is effective bypassed, leading to a pure dry signal.
hope that helps..
 
Last edited:
I run my 3rd external pedal almost exactly like it's working in the video (and similar to Simeon). Every preset defaults to a touch of delay just for some ambiance and then my external pedal #3 can turn the delay off totally with full heel down or roll on a lot of delay (input gain) and feedback in the toe up position. It's important to use the input gain to roll the delay on because then you can back the pedal all the way off and the delay will continue 'till it decays naturally instead of being cut off with the heel down. My delay and reverb blocks are parallel, so I have mix at 100%. You could also tie that expression pedal to a volume block to boost or cut your volume at the same time if you wish. I have a slight roll on of reverb also attached to this pedal, so I can get a very wet, washy sound at the full toe up position.
 
You could also try asking Pete yourself at his forum:

PETE THORN - Home

Pete is an incredibly nice guy in the forums and always seems willing to answer questions. While you're at it, if you don't own his cd Guitar Nerd, you should buy it. It's amazing!
 
if someone who has he strymon would like to post a clip, we can have a go at replicating it

jeff - did you try the patch?
 
simeon said:
jeff - did you try the patch?
Click to expand...

I didn't have time to try it out before rehearsal last night. I *did* however change my patch so that the modifier controls the input gain of the delay rather than the mix and that helped a lot. I also bumped up the diffusion on my patch and that gave it more of a vibey feel and softened the repeats nicely.

I should have more time tonight and I plan on trying out your patch. I really would like to replicate this delay "feel".

Thanks for all the input on this - this Fractal Forum Family rocks!! :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom