By combining processors, you can quickly generate unique effects. Here are four cracking combos for you to try today…
1. EQ and distortion
Smash a signal through impactful distortion, then place an EQ pre-distortion and experiment with wild peak boosts and cuts. Forcing specific harmonics up into the drive will wildly change the timbral effect, while drastic cuts will quickly clean up or temper the effect.
2. Pitch and reverb
As you sweep a melodic signal’s pitch up by an octave or two, use automation to send it to a cavernous reverb effect placed on an aux return. The giant reverb will carry over the rest of the melody, creating a unique ‘shimmering’ tail that you can render and reprocess.
3. Filtering and compression
Filtering a sound over time creates changes in dynamics as frequencies are removed. Counteract this by forcing the filtered signal into grabby, 1176-style compression, to help keep the filtering effect in the forefront of the mix.
4. Delay and… delay!
Coat a dry signal in some uber-short delay tuned to your track’s key to create a tonal, comb-filtered ‘robo’ effect. Once that’s dialled in, load up a second delay effect – set to a slower, tempo-synced delay time – and echo the metallic sound for extension and tail.
