Effect Devices

Soundtools for Guitar, Bass, DJ, Keyboards, Music production and PA Systems

Making music without effect devices? Impossible to imagine! Even in traditional classical music, the natural reverberation of cathedrals and concert halls is deliberately used as a sound-shaping element. Pop music, however, thrives on ever new and sensational sound effects - larger than life is the motto! Modern pop and rock music always wants to surprise the listener with the wackiest sounds and effects. Shaping music with effects and inventing totally new sounds - this takes place on very different levels: Guitarists use effect pedals, Stompbox, and effect modelers, while sound engineers could hardly do without effects and signal processors in the studio and with PA systems. Whether for guitars, DJs, keyboards or PA mixers - today, an effects unit is much more than just an accessory, and effects units in a wide variety of designs, along with matching cables, are available at MUSIC STORE professional.

Playing guitar without effects units - where can you find such a thing?

In hardly any other area are effects devices used in such a versatile way as with the electric guitar. The selection of distortion pedals and wah-wahs is huge - and that's just the standard range of guitar effect devices that can be found on any well-stocked floorboard. If you want a wide range of sound possibilities with your guitar setup, you also can add modulation effects, delay & reverb, equalizer and compressor. Enthusiasts assemble their effects selection from individual stompboxes or resort to a digital multi-effects unit that contains many different effect types and can be combined - without the need for patch cables.

Bass Effects – Sound-FX with boom

Not of such existential importance as for guitarists, but not at all uncommon, is the use of effects units in the bass department. However, effects pedals for bass players are often specially adapted to the lower frequency range of bass guitars. For example, you expect distorted sounds from a bass distortion pedal, but you don't want to give up the punch that you are supposed to deliver as a bass player in a band. In addition to distortion, the most popular bass pedals are compressor pedals for even more pressure and punch, auto wah pedals for funky bass sounds and chorus effects for more floating and swinging overtones in the sound.

DJ Effects – Mixing Tools for the Dancefloor

Simply putting on records is a thing of the past - today, the right effects are a standard tool for a mixing DJ: looping grooves, tweaking with effects, going straight to the next track after a delay storm. DJ effects are made for creatively shaping the structure of a DJ set. Besides the standard tools like kill switch, isolator and looper, dynamic multi-effects devices like the Korg Kaoss Pad or the Pioneer RMX-1000 Remix Station are very popular, especially because of their intuitive real-time control, with which you can remix live on stage. Therefore, these DJ effects are also particularly popular with electronic musicians and producers. DJ filters are another integral part of a DJ setup, and voice effects such as the Roland Voice Transformer VT-3 are also extremely popular as mixing tools.

Loop Station – music performance with live grooves

A very special kind of effect pedal - not only for guitarists! - is the Loop Station - but besides the classic, the Boss RC-300, there are also many looper pedals from different manufacturers. A Loop Station is the ideal sound tool for musicians who perform alone and want to make rhythms and grooves based on their own performance. With a looper, you can layer beats and musical motifs in a sound-on-sound loop: A few rhythmic sounds make the beat, add a bassline, some groove with the wah pedal, add a guitar riff, and you've created an off-the-cuff groove that you can solo over. Looper pedals are definitely the sound tools for creative musicians.

Bleep, Boom, Chak - Effects Units for Modular Synthesizers

Modular synthesizers are much more than sound machines with a special job. A modular system is the perfect toolkit of effects units that you can assemble yourself with the desired Eurorack modules. Spacious analogue delays or trashy spring reverb effects in the vintage sound of the 60s and 70s, filter effects controlled by step sequencers, programmable digital effect processors and wacky synthesis and effect modules such as string resonators and granular synthesis have recently found their way into the analogue world of modular synthesizers.

Signal Processors and Multi-Effect Devices for PA Systems

Effects also contribute to producing a great sound for live music, whereby several categories of signal processors can be used in a PA system. In smaller mobile PA speakers or in a power mixer, you will find reverb effects, sometimes also compressors to optimise the signal quality. In larger PA systems, however, in addition to the mixing console, you will also find an effects rack with usually several compressor effects, plus delay and reverb effects and, of course, multi-effects units that allow the FOH mixer to combine several effects. Digital mixers are usually already equipped with the most important effects and have dynamic effects such as limiter, gate and compressor for each channel and also have reverb, delay & co on board.

Spots, strobes, fog, mirror ball ... lighting effects make the live show perfect

At live shows, it's not only the sound that's important, it's the lightshow and the visual atmosphere that turn a concert into an unforgettable experience for the audience. There are many different types and functions of lighting effects, from the standard disco ball and stroboscope to fog machines and hazers, gobo projectors, moving heads and other special spotlights.