Does Anyone Actually Use the EFFECTS SWITCH?

[MrSelfDestruct]

I was just wondering how people feel about this new 5-way effects switch. When I first got it I thought "cool, this is a new feature Guitar Hero controllers have never had." After playing Rock Band a while though, I find myself rarely if ever using the effects. They're pretty hard to hear when they're on, and the switch itself kind of gets in the way of my hand unless its in the "none" position.

How do you guys feel about the switch? Is there anyone out there who's like an effects maniac and loves it? Do you think it's unecessary and gimmicky, or really adds something to the game?

[DivaMom]

It's kinda cool... I don't always remember to change it, I forget it's there usually... but it's pretty neat to listen to what the different effects do. Not a deal-breaker either way, imo.

[Apples]

I like the top effect (wah?) for some songs (don't fear the reaper, dani california) but the other ones I can't even hear/notice.

[smith5879]

I like the wah a lot too. In case some of you didn't know it only changes the sound during a solo I believe which may be why you don't hear it.

[Atsumi]

I kind of switched it around at first. Then I never touched it again.

[TheWabbit]

I used wah wah a lot before my guitar went down. I love the effects and hope to keep track of which effects work best in each song.

[Assault420]

I like the feature its better then not having it. Makes some songs sound cooler too with the right effect.

[Insignificant_Other]

I've been playing around a lot with the effects and I'm really liking them. The degree to which they affect the sound seems to depend a lot on the song, and some effects work better on certain songs than others (in some songs an effect is barely noticeable, while in another song the same exact effect makes a pronounced difference). I've been having fun experimenting with what effects sound best in particular songs, and I've even found that in some songs switching up the effects for the different solo sections makes sense. I've definitely found that all four effects have a song or songs where they make sense and have a noticeable effect.

Anyway, I think it's a cool feature. Sure, it's a little bit gimmicky, but it does add to the fun, and that's what it's all about for me.

[Bullseye]

I use it constantly, as it is placed where my hand constantly hits it inadvertently. I prefer the wah wah on most, but I mix it up from time to time. I just wish they had placed it further away from the strummer.

[HeXcoda]

It's a cute little add-on to the guitar, but since my guitar died 3 hours in (stuck upstrum) I didn't have much time to fiddle with it. Still, when I get my replacement, I anticipate leaving it on Wah or Chorus and likely never touching it again. There's no reason to futz with the thing more than that.

[Sonofmogh]

I use it constantly, as it is placed where my hand constantly hits it inadvertently. I prefer the wah wah on most, but I mix it up from time to time. I just wish they had placed it further away from the strummer. yeah I've got the same problem, I'll try it with a pick and maybe it won't happen...pick is supposed to make playing the strat more realistic anyway. Wah-Wah FTW!!!!

[Ultrace]

It's an awesome touch in my opinion. Not a game-maker, but it really adds a little something (kind of like how the crowd singing along with you adds a little something.) Echo and Chorus can be hard to hear depending on the song, but Wah and Flange work really well on just about anything.

I just wish there was an option to set a default effect for a player so I could get the effects with my LP as the second player...

[weirdingway]

I don't like where it's located but I enjoy the effects. I can hear everything but chorus.

[JB4GDI]

I really like it. I use flanger a lot since it's not too obtrusive. But yeah, the right effect can really make the solos sound sweet.

-Jaime

[Bakkster]

I love it. It's a great way to feel like you actually have an effect on the way the sons sounds. Yes they can be hard to hear, but you will notice them once you have trained your ears.

My favorite thing to do is switch during spaces/long notes in a solo. Kind of like a call-and-response thing. Makes it almost sound like two players swapping licks: one with the time-shifting effects (chorus and delay) and the other with phase-shifting effects (phaser and wah).

[HiroXHakuske]

I like the Flange best... sounds cool in the hook for Reptilia.

[Credge]

My favorite thing to do is switch during spaces/long notes in a solo. Kind of like a call-and-response thing. Makes it almost sound like two players swapping licks: one with the time-shifting effects (chorus and delay) and the other with phase-shifting effects (phaser and wah).

Don't take this like I'm trying to start an argument or that I'm telling you wrong, just want to explain the differences between the effects =P.

The delay, chorus, and phaser are all 'time shifting' effects. They both use the same thing simply at different rates. What I mean is that the root of all of the phaser and chorus is delay.

Here's a great way to think about it.

Delay produces the exact same note but a noticeable amount apart. Generally more than 20ms.

Chorus produces the exact same note but an unnoticeable amount apart. Generally from 5-20ms.

Phaser produces the exact same note but an unnoticeable amount apart. Generally less than 5ms.

Wah-Wah sweeps through frequencies, effectively scooping out everything but the frequency it is currently at. You can mimic a slight Wah by turning your tone knob on a real guitar back and forth rapidly. Wah can also be used to boost a certain frequency, generally used in the toe-down position to boost frequencies during a solo to effectively cut through the rest of the band without increasing volume.

[Bakkster]

The delay, chorus, and phaser are all 'time shifting' effects. They both use the same thing simply at different rates. What I mean is that the root of all of the phaser and chorus is delay.

I know, I was just trying to be simpler (at the expense of accuracy, unfortunately ;) ) for the sake of brevity.

[MJDoja]

my friend who is pretty good at expert.. he puts on wah when hes rockin bass and other effects when on guitar (if we have the strat chosen for guitar that is)

effects are great on bass as well!

[LZ_Reborn]

It's great that you can add some effect every now and again, I guess I'll use it more once I have played the game for while longer and want to mix it up a little bit and experiment. :cool:

[Loozinit]

I kind of switched it around at first. Then I never touched it again.
same here, but it's nice that it has little "toys" to mess around with.....I saw a controller at best buy that actually had foot pedals for effects which would prob be the way to go as far as realism and the effect switch gets in the way alot for my style of strumming w/my thumb.

[masterx1918]

I think it's cool. I'd rather have it than not. It's good at spicening up some boring songs like Should I Stay or Should I Go.

[Frederf]

The effect switch is an absolute blast. I can't wait to get a 6th sense for what effect sounds good on what part of what song. It works during "blue background" solos as well as during Overdrive which means I now use my Overdrive to enhance the sound of the song primarily instead of score.

I can't remember it right now but there's a spaced sharp guitar beat that sounds killer in echo. Honestly, the effects switch is a guilty pleasure of mine since I've missed more than a few notes costing my band (and friends) quite a bit of points :whistle: fiddling with it.

Using the right effect (or combination when changing between phrases during a solo or such) really makes you feel like a musician rather than a good button hitter.

The bass effects are seemingly a lot more subtle except for wahwah which sounds like an off-balance washing machine.

[Chris_Gonzalez]

I like Wah-Wah, and Flanger when I can hear it, but the other 2 I'm not even sure how they sound. I don't hear any difference when I use them.

[dlisapussy]

I love it. I usually change it for every solo if I can. Some of the effects just really go with the song.

[JesterOC]

I use it when the song that gets randomly selected is a bit too easy. For me, it is a way to add flair to a song and show off. Just like when I use the wammy bar when it is not a overdrive note, not for points, but for fun.

[MundaneSoul]

I absolutely love it. Part of the fun for me with every song is finding the effect that sounds the best, and sometimes even using different effects for different sections. I even find myself strategically timing my overdrive so that the effects will come in and out at appropriate times. Good stuff.

[ibender]

I think it would be cooler if you could use the right effect for a given solo to get a bonus.

[rixyshalys]

I greatly enjoy the effects! Partially, it's because I feel it's just like choosing an attitude for your character (I have a goth chic, and use the echo filter for her), and partially because I feel it makes it easier to hear yourself over the actual track, which can help if you get off beat and can't hear over a "questionable" drummer.:cool:

[geo2n2]

They really need to also make it selectable via a menu.

[Bakkster]

I think it would be cooler if you could use the right effect for a given solo to get a bonus.

The coolest thing is that there is no "right" effect, it's up to you to pick :cool:

[Supergeek]

It's kind of fun to play around with, but would have been cooler if there was some kind of consequence from using it.... like a small score bonus or achievement of some kind.

[Gerion]

I find the effects really cool... Even though you tend to forget about them.

I love the Wah Wah...and the chorus...

[wicked92]

i hope you guys know that the effects dont come into play until you are in overdrive. Or they become VERY apparent when overdrive is present.

Do a test, i just did after reading this thread. I played a song and built up my overdrive, then played with the switch, nothing really audible changed. I then activated my overdrive and played the same section, and moved the switch...the effects are active and change with the switch. Once overdrive is over, it returns to the reg guitar sound.

[Frederf]

They really need to also make it selectable via a menu.

The D-pad on the guitar isn't doing anything during play. The Dpad should also change through the various effects so people playing with a Les Paul, etc without the switch can join in on the fun.

And yes we know that the effects switch only alters sound during these two modes:

1. Blue glow solo sections
2. Overdrive activated

[Eastwood]

I like to use the echo for Dead or Alive and Enter Sandman.

[Konaver]

use wah-wah on bass, it sounds hilarious

[Bakkster]

The D-pad on the guitar isn't doing anything during play.

D-pad can be used to strum. I used this last night when my strum bar was being flaky.

[Frederf]

Huh... well shut my mouth then. I'd be happier if the D-pad chose the guitar effect instead of strumming.

[Ajax2006]

I use echo and wah heavily.

[Everman]

It could be that my hands are just large (wingspan is 6'10" after all) but the switch pretty much stabs me in the hand unless it is all the way off. Even then I hit it a lot of the time. Like I have pointed out in other posts though, I don't like the strum bar either, so I am just sticking to drums until the Les Paul is patched.

[Gerion]

i hope you guys know that the effects dont come into play until you are in overdrive. Or they become VERY apparent when overdrive is present.

Do a test, i just did after reading this thread. I played a song and built up my overdrive, then played with the switch, nothing really audible changed. I then activated my overdrive and played the same section, and moved the switch...the effects are active and change with the switch. Once overdrive is over, it returns to the reg guitar sound.

Thats true...also sometimes in the middle of a solo it switches on automatically...with out overdrive.

[cromartie90000]

I love it it's fun, I dunno about you but I can definitely hear it. I like to keep mine on Flange.

[NitroHawkK3]

i think it would be fun if you could unlock different sounds for it in the game. I like it but usually i cant tell the difference when i use the different sounds.

[Flyinsquirrel145]

the effects switch is totally worthless. i have only used it a few times and when i did i couldnt hear the effects at all

[A Lumbee Indian]

You can also hear it if you use energy as well. I leave it on the wah wah. It's a cool feature but I don't use it a lot because I mess up if I do. I' not that great on the guitar. I just started on hard and i have been pretty good so far.

[wes_jett2008]

That i'd jump in and correct you here...cause im bored


Don't take this like I'm trying to start an argument or that I'm telling you wrong, just want to explain the differences between the effects =P.

Chorus produces the exact same note but an unnoticeable amount apart. Generally from 5-20ms.



A chorus does produce the same note,It produces the same note but the note is of a slightly different pitch...about 20 times,hence the name chorus...it produces a chorus of slightly different pitched notes....Basically.