Dotted Eighth Delay Studies

Dotted eighth, the magical note integral to music of U2 and modern Hillsong. I've come up with several videos to properly explain how to set this up and apply this in a variety of situations: with a proper delay pedal, in the time signature of 6/8, and with a small practice amp that doesn't have displays.

Some background:

Here's a diagram to illustrate what happens when you use the delay:

The above represents four beats (quarter notes) in a bar of 4/4. The picked notes (top row as indicated with a ^) are picked on beats 1 & 2 & 3 &... (i.e. 8th notes) while the metronome clicks at 1, 2, 3, 4 (i.e. quarter notes). The delay notes come in three-quarters of a beat after the note is played (i.e. 3x 16th notes) and appears right after the next note is played.

Tone Tips: The Dotted Eighth Delay

Tone Tips: Programming the Dotted Eighth in 6/8

Tone Tips: Programming the Dotted Eighth with a Practice Amplifier

Tone Tips: Obtaining the Dotted Eighth on a Manual Pedal

Update: 14 June 2014

Some of you guys have been emailing me asking me why your dotted eighth setup with the "80/20" rule (effect level/feedback level) doesn't sound right. I've investigated several pedals and realized that some pedals function with a mix level knob, not an effect level knob.

What a mix level does is superimpose the wet/dry signal and allocates space between the wet delayed signal versus the dry signal (your playing). So if you have a high mix level, let's say 75%, what you hear is that in the sonic space, 75% is the delay, while 25% is your playing. Suffice to say, this really knocks you off your socks when you try to play this live, as the delay is so much louder than your actual playing.

Your goal in programming a dotted eighth delay is to have the repeats at the same volume as your playing. To achieve this with a mix level control, put the mix at 50% (so the ratio of wet/dry is 50/50). This should make the delay as loud as your playing and not overpower it.

Tone Tips: Mix versus Effect Level

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Platypus Test Kitchen

It is a rarity for me to find Christine for lunch on a weekday, so when the opportunity presented itself (in the form of an exit clearance medical examination I had to do at a clinic nearby), we decided to go with something slightly pricier than the norm: and hence our trip to the Platypus Test Kitchen at Crawford Centre, a place known for its hand-made pastas with specialty ingredients.

I had the truffle pasta with smoked bacon, which ranks at 70% shiok factor relative to the true truffle pasta I had at Jamie Oliver's restaurant in the UK! This goes beyond slightly more than a hint of truffle oil as offered by many other pasta places.

Milady went with one of her favorite pastas: crab meat pasta. You can see the chunks from the picture below, and it may not be as chunky as the squid ink crab meat pasta we had at Valentino (which converted me to considering crab as something I'd actually order at a restaurant), but it's sizeably sastisfying. I think I would have tasted the crab more if not for the overwhelming taste from the truffle pasta.

The meal upgrade is well worth the price, as it included a bowl of chunky mushroom soup and a drink. I went with lychee tea, which was a pleasant surprise: they used lychee essence and actual tea, not some Polka instant lychee tea.

All-in-all, it's definitely a place I'll visit again. I'll find some excuse to visit Christine for lunch!

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Sarnies

I was able to meet Christine for lunch near her work place, and I soon discovered that the CDB is riddled with little cafes, eateries and restaurants that command higher prices than elsewhere. On first glance, it can appear absurd to pay $15 for a sandwich (that's nearly two Subway meals put together!), but don't let that dissuade you from trying Sarnies, an Australian sandwich bar.

When I was a student in Australia, the canteens and cafes around campus had a few unique characteristics: they served sandwiches/croissants/salads for people on the go, there was Indie music played over the stereo system, some part of the cafe decor was dedicated to some form of art, and the coffee was good. Stepping into Sarnies brought back all those memories.

Christine and I decided to share a roasted beef sandwich and a salad, and they didn't disappoint!

Generous helpings of rocket and guacamole were the highlight of the salad, but we couldn't figure out where the bacon bits were. You can do what I did with the rye bread: use the guacamole as a spread and consume it like you would a starter bread. However, be warned that it's messy and potentially unglam.

I wish I had placed my hand in the shot to give some perspective of the size--it was a huge sandwich! Even with the toothpick to hold the sandwich together, there was enough filling of beef, lettuce and mushrooms to spill out despite my best efforts to keep it from disassembling. I had to remove the greens (and thus making it one level thinner) to comfortably hold the sanwich.

Last and certainly not least, I ordered a cappuccino. Do not add sugar! The chocolate powder used on the foam sufficiently sweetens each sip. The coffee was of the right acidity and had enough body to have some "kick", obviously to cater to the office workers needing a caffeine boost for the rest of the day.

All-in-all, it was a good experience and an enjoyable time, particularly for me because of the nostalgia. Try it out!

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Return of the PEN

I learnt a valuable lesson when handling cameras, and I learnt it the hard way. I wanted to do a self-portrait for the purposes of updating my resume and professional profiles, so I used a tripod to prop my Olympus PEN up. Unfortunately, I must have extended one of the legs shorter than the others, and as such, when I released my grip on the tripod, the inevitable consequence of gravity taking over happened:

The camera fell facewards towards the ground. Before I could react, it had already landed squarely onto the lens with an audible crack. It was disheartening when I inspected the damage: the lens was bent (M.Zuiko lenses have an inner/outer shaft assembly to zoom), the motor was stuck, and the focusing ring was jammed. In short, I transformed a 14-42mm zoom lens into a 25mm out-of-focus prime lens.

At least the lens bore the full brunt of the damage. The body miraculously had no scratches or dents, and it could still take pictures, although I couldn't tell if the camera functions were working properly since the lens was out-of-focus.

With much thanksgiving, someone with a spare lens responded to my shout-out on Facebook (social media does have a use after all), and it was a fantastic 14-42mm Mark II! With a slimmer profile, a faster focusing motor, and a refined lens construction which made images sharper, I found a new-found obsession to using my PEN. Here's a sample of shots taken:

I admit, I'm primarily a P shooter, which I think is automatic on steroids. These were taken outdoors under shade with ISO 400. With plenty of light, this ISO could freeze our laughter (captured brilliantly by Julia!).

Indoor shots with ISO 800 had a little more grain to them, but I had to crank it up to counter the darkness of the stage (our church meets in the cinema, and the only source of illumination are a pair of stage lights that are point, strong sources of light). Even at this ISO, I could not eliminate motion blur:

It seems that this Mk II lens does not perform as well as its previous incarnation in low-light situations, but I suppose there must be a trade-off somewhere. I'm going to buy this lens off you, Uncle Michael! Thanks heaps for helping me return my PEN to service.

For further reading:
Olympus M.Zuiko 14-42mm Mk I vs 14-42mm Mk II

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First Impressions

I'm a tech geek, so naturally, as and when there are promising pieces of new tech for me to play with, I'd be the first to jump right in. DraftCraft seems to have multi-platform publishing, so I'm trying this out. Maybe my ultimate iPad blogging experience will be actualized with this.

Ready, steady, blog!

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Over the Top?

I moved my main pedalboard to clean that particular spot of the room (I do suppose my board is getting a little big if there's a substantial amount of floor that doesn't see the light of day). It happened to be in front of my practice rig consisting of my Line 6 gear: the PODX3 and the Spider III.

"Hey, since everything's together, how would it sound if I hooked it all up?"

Yeap. Pedalboard into PODX3 into Spider III. I set the POD like a rack, with the amp/speaker sim on minimal EQ, modulation and delay on post.

I'll be honest: it wasn't impressive. Maybe my signal chain was too long and caused signal degradation, or the digital tone of the PODX3 and the lack of tubes in the Spider III really don't blend well with analog pedals. After some (rather dissatisfying) tweaking, I gathered that the best tone was to turn the amp sim completely off, flatten the EQ on the amp, and rely on the pedalboard as the main preamp and EQ.

Maybe I could improve the tone by:

1. Using better cables (I'm notorious for using cheapo, lao-pok cables), and having a clean buffer in the front of the chain to push the signal through all that mess. Some of friends insist on Lava and Monster cables, which can cost nearly as much as the pedalboard when used liberally.
2. In the digital domain, ditch the Line 6 PODX3, which you have to admit is rather inexpensive compared to what the pros use, and go with a rack setup of the Axe FX by Fractal Audio (two of my favorite musicians, Dave Wallimann and Pete Thorn, use this setup almost exclusively). The modern digital has come a long way in a rather short space of time

I'll stick to my analog pedalboard, with my PODX3 as a backup and the "studio rack" for additional effects. You've got to admit, despite all the flak Line 6 receives for its inferior digital amp sim, when you apply its modulation and delay effects in the mix, no one can tell it's Line 6.

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At Wong Chiew

I was standing at the front of the counter, waiting for someone to take notice that I haven't placed my order. A server came up to me after 5 minutes.

Server: Are you here to order?

Me: Oh me? Of course not, I'm here to admire the fine art of beheading a duck.

Fret not, I didn't actually say that, but I very nearly did, especially after her condescending tone.

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A New Addiction

I'm addicted.

No, it's not a substance, or a new band, or (heaven forbid) new gear--I'm in love with the bass. I acquired a 4-string Fender Jazz bass, and have effectively replaced my practice time usually reserved for guitar with bass DVD's, bass e-books, and bass articles. I've played for two services so far (first ever at a Chinese worship service for New Heart ministries, and the next at AMK), and the response has been encouraging.

Some material I've been working on:
Dave LaRue's "Essential Bass Concepts"
Stu Hamm's "Fretboard Fitness"
George Urbaszek's online videos
Trying to study players like Pino Palladino and David LaBruyere

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To Curb The Urge

I very nearly bought another pedal. I tried to justify it with how bulky my present Boss DD-20 was, and that I needed a smaller delay pedal to bring along for small sessions.

When I objectively examined the features of the DD-20 versus the few pedals I was trying out, the same verdict kept coming back: the DD-20 is more than enough, and I really don't need the reduction in size. What was the initial draw in wanting to buy a new pedal? A false sense of prestige? Bragging rights amongst fellow guitarists?

Which one is it? That is a question all of us guitarists have to answer and be accountable for in our spending. Be honest in your evaluation of gear needs. It may save you easily $200.

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Making Do With Little

I tried an experiment today which got me thinking about how overly extravagant my full rig may be when all I'm required to do is to be a simple rhythm guitarist. My usual rig is a whopping 20kg, and I knew there wasn't going to be space at New Heart ministries' rehearsal room to accommodate my pedal board.

So, I did the unthinkable. I figured out that all I really needed was an amp sim, something to warm the signal up and a simple overdrive, so I went with the following:

The SansAmp GT-2, set to the California amp on clean with a centered mic.
The Xotic EP Booster v2, which is set to unity gain.
The Paul Cochrane Timmy, which I set to a lower volume.

After experimenting for a bit, I concluded a few things:

• The California amp model on the GT-2 is quite hot by itself, and when the drive is turned up past 20%, it begins to break up slightly. All I needed to get a light crunch (of great tonal satisfaction, by the way) was to drive the GT-2 harder with the EP Booster.
• I usually set the EP booster to 30% when I'm using it in my big board, but over here I could afford to get the signal slightly hotter, so I turned it up halfway. The really cool side effect of cranking it so much is the natural compression you get out of the pedal, so a compressor wasn't really needed.
• Lastly, I went with the Timmy knowing that a light transparent overdrive will give just the right push for very little solos I had, and I didn't want to drastically change the character of the tone. Now that the signal was hotter, I had to turn down the treble on the Timmy to compensate (as I shared in a previous post, the Timmy has reverse-taper knobs for treble and bass)

The  results were very enlightening. It turns out I really don't need that much to get my desired tone!

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