H9 presets/settings for a Zappa lead tone?

[mjahoger]

Hi there,

Anyone care to share some presents or settings that mimic Zappa’s lead tone from the late 1970s/early 1980s?
I know that the Dynaflanger was a crucial element of his tone, and that the Eventide H9 does not have any algorithms that cover this sound, but I have a Meris Polymoon which has a stereo Dynaflanger built in to cover that part of his sound. However, I’ve read that he used a pair of Dynaflangers simultaneously with one set for a dynamic flanges and the other for a dynamic phaser. Does anyone have any idea how to get the H9 to sound like a Dynaflanger set to phasing?

Also, has anyone been able to replicate the Pink Napkins Biphase sound? I believe it also includes an auto-wah with a compressor.

I look forward to any suggestions.

[benriddell]

I know Dweezil doesn’t discuss how he uses the H9 in any of the YouTube rig rundown videos but he does give the interviwers sound examples of his setup.

This one shows how he uses the twin Fractal rig to get one tone: https://youtu.be/wHjP6CurvXw?t=470. Check out the other ones and you might be able to pick out some sounds that you can emulate

[mjahoger]

Thank you for the suggestion. I already watched those videos, but unfortunately, no settings are shared.

On the Fractal forums, it is stated that the Dynaflanger sound is created using delays that are affected (In one channel) by the input level. While my Polymoon has already a very good Dynaflanger sound, I wondered whether the H9 has any algorithms in which the length of the delay can be triggered/moderated using the input level?

[brock]

mjahoger wrote:

… I wondered whether the H9 has any algorithms in which the length of the delay can be triggered/moderated using the input level?

All of the ModFactor algorithms (plus other ‘Factor categories) can be triggered / shaped by input level.  Often, in two different places.  Essentially, anything with a MOD SOURCE or SHAPE parameter.   Set it to ENVLOP [ENV], or ADSR.  SPEED will become SENSITIVITY [a critical adjustment parameter].

For control over delay time, the CHORUS (and, yes) FLANGER algorithms immediately come to mind.  Adjust the MODFY DELAY O/P for the delay time in FLANGER.  Crank the initial INTENSITY control.  TYPE will figure very heavily into the final effect, as well.

[mjahoger]

My apologies for the late response, but what do you mean with “MODFY DELAY O/P”?

[brock]

Upper-right; top row.  In the Flanger.  Think of it like the MANUAL (delay) time in an MXR 117.  I thought I posted a couple of example presets here?  Let me check my archives when I get back to the H9.

[mjahoger]

Ok, thanks. It seems the version I have uses a different label for that parameter: Delay Offset.

Thanks for claifying. And, yes, do please any presets you have that emulate a Dynaflanger.

[brock]

mjahoger wrote:

… do please any presets you have that emulate a Dynaflanger.

You’d think I could find them easily.  I did run across a “Ship Ahoy Flange’ preset, that sounded like I tweaked it into an Oberheim VCF-200 [sequenced filter].  It will be faster to create a base preset to work from.

Relatively mild envelope settings to start with here.  You can do much the same with the CHORUS or PHASER algos (and others), or by changing the FLANGER TYPE here to THRU-0.  Different core emulations of effects processing can yield similar, but never identical, results.

Four interactive parameters here will determine the overall ‘intensity’ of the effect:

SENSITIVITY tweaks are crucial to matching your input & playing style.  INTENSITY and DEPTH increases will bring the dynamic effects forward.  DELAY OFFSET [MODFY DLY O/P], as mentioned, is the ‘manual’ delay time.  Increase or decrease that midpoint value for higher or lower sweeps in the apparent ‘pitch’.

The expression pedal mapping was added here, strictly to illustrate the most extreme sounding values.  The lower row of FLANGER controls (or most any ModFactor algorithm) can be left at neutral settings, unless you want to fold in a little added modulation over the main envelope modulation.

[mjahoger]

brock wrote:

mjahoger wrote:

… do please any presets you have that emulate a Dynaflanger.

You’d think I could find them easily.  I did run across a “Ship Ahoy Flange’ preset, that sounded like I tweaked it into an Oberheim VCF-200 [sequenced filter].  It will be faster to create a base preset to work from.

Relatively mild envelope settings to start with here.  You can do much the same with the CHORUS or PHASER algos (and others), or by changing the FLANGER TYPE here to THRU-0.  Different core emulations of effects processing can yield similar, but never identical, results.

Four interactive parameters here will determine the overall ‘intensity’ of the effect:

SENSITIVITY tweaks are crucial to matching your input & playing style.  INTENSITY and DEPTH increases will bring the dynamic effects forward.  DELAY OFFSET [MODFY DLY O/P], as mentioned, is the ‘manual’ delay time.  Increase or decrease that midpoint value for higher or lower sweeps in the apparent ‘pitch’.

The expression pedal mapping was added here, strictly to illustrate the most extreme sounding values.  The lower row of FLANGER controls (or most any ModFactor algorithm) can be left at neutral settings, unless you want to fold in a little added modulation over the main envelope modulation.

Is there a way to change the direction of the flanger sound when having the modulation triggered by the input signal? On the Meris Polymoon I can have the Dynaflanger go from the high pitched sound, to the lower pitched modulated sound and back, whereas with the Eventide it always seems to go the other way around (from the lower pitched modulated sound, peaking to the higher pitched modulated sound, and back).

I am sorry if my description of the sound is a bit weird; I don’t know what the actual name of the various positions of the cycle of a flanger are.

Hope you can advice me on how to get the Dynaflanger on the H9 to trigger into the opposite direction of the cycle.

Thanks

[brock]

mjahoger wrote:

… Is there a way to change the direction of the flanger sound when having the modulation triggered by the input signal? On the Meris Polymoon I can have the Dynaflanger go from the high pitched sound, to the lower pitched modulated sound and back, whereas with the Eventide it always seems to go the other way around (from the lower pitched modulated sound, peaking to the higher pitched modulated sound, and back). I am sorry if my description of the sound is a bit weird; I don’t know what the actual name of the various positions of the cycle of a flanger are. Hope you can advice me on how to get the Dynaflanger on the H9 to trigger into the opposite direction of the cycle. Thanks

I think I know what you’re after.  What Meris calls Envelope Down (like a Mutron III Drive Up / Down).  I call it an inverted envelope, or peak follower.  It takes the shape of your input signal, and turns it upside-down.

The bad news is:  You’re not going to get that in the H9 Flanger.  Useful feature; it’s just not there.  Changing the Shape to ADSR will get you a fixed set of triggered envelope controls, but it’s not what you’re looking for.

Let me give that some thought on ways you might get around that; either externally, or by using another algorithm for similar results.  And I still owe you more presets, & an explanation to your earlier questions.

[mjahoger]

brock wrote:

I think I know what you’re after.  What Meris calls Envelope Down (like a Mutron III Drive Up / Down).  I call it an inverted envelope, or peak follower.  It takes the shape of your input signal, and turns it upside-down.

The bad news is:  You’re not going to get that in the H9 Flanger.  Useful feature; it’s just not there.  Changing the Shape to ADSR will get you a fixed set of triggered envelope controls, but it’s not what you’re looking for.

Let me give that some thought on ways you might get around that; either externally, or by using another algorithm for similar results.  And I still owe you more presets, & an explanation to your earlier questions.

Hi Brock,

Yes, that is exactly what I am after! Hopefully your in depth knowledge on the H9 will help find a way to invert the envelope control on the modulation algorithms, as well as answering my earlier question on recreating Dweezil’s “phaser with a formant filter”.

Also, I was able to find your VCF-200 preset here: http://www.eventideaudio.com/community/presets/brock/vcf-200-samphold/ so no need to share it again.

Thanks.

 

[mjahoger]

Thanks so much for the presets! And yes, please do share any other Zappa-esque presets, like the VCF200 Ship Ahoy sound, you might have.

On a side note: Is it somehow possible to have the H9 “follow the high frequency envelope, almost like a phaser with a formant filter”, to quote Dweezil Zapppa regarding how he has the pair of DynaFlangers set.

Thanks!

[Author]

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