If you are a guitarist, you probably already know that one of the most important, as well as popular effect boxes is a chorus pedal. Now, you might be just starting out, which is why you might be wondering – what is a chorus pedal and what can it do? Well, there are various things that this pedal can help you with. Let’s take a closer look:
What Does This Device Actually do?
To put it simply, it can split your signal into two pieces, and then it can lower or raise either of them. You can utilize it for implementing slight changes to your tunes or you can opt for dramatically changing how everything sounds like. The perfect example of how everything works is the BOSS WAZA CRAFT CE-2W pedal. It features two knobs that can be used for controlling the milliseconds of the delay whenever you want.
However, there are innovative devices such as BOSS CH-1 – which is also the most purchased model – features knobs for EQ, which means that you can control both the bass and treble. The Effect Level Control knob determines how much chorusing mixes with your instrument tunes. Since it has stereo outputs, you can run it into two amps at the same time, which in return will provide you with the perfect, wide stereo chorus sound.
Where Should I Place This Device in my Pedalboard?
The most important thing that you should remember is that these modulation effects such as chorus need to be placed at or close to the end of the signal chain. This is quite important if you run into the front end of the amps. Back in the day, the concept was for the musicians to get really close to their amps to create this effect, but today, that is not necessary anymore.
Innovative and modern amps now have effect loops, which means that you can choose to simply insert a modulation effect by different jacks into the circuit of the amp. This will most definitely make your playing sound better and you’ll lower the chances of altering the sound too much.
Do I Really Need it?
Now, this is something that will depend on the type of music you like playing. For example, you cannot hear a lot of these effects in blues or country mostly because the basic sounds of those genres are more established long before these devices even existed. But, if you play more popular genres, then you’ll definitely need a wide range of pedals, including a chorus one.
What Are The Key Features of An Optical And Electronic Choir Pedal?
A wide range of choir stompboxes have an electronic capture, however, many of them have an optical record, as well as other guitar buttons. The difference in their implementation can be heard in the higher scope and a better signal on a lot of electronic choir buttons.
For example, the MXR M-234 is an analog choir button which is strong, lightweight, and entirely in the midway checks the magnitude, size, and figure. The entire frequency coming from your instrument is generally affected by a separate choir and a much deeper tone.
The optical part of the choir is most commonly more customizable than other analogs, hence, you’ll gain more effects and sounds. Although specific people do not like optical chorus buttons since they have a faith that those are overly automated. Due to all technological innovations, various optical pedals are set to conquer the market, and as such, they tend to be a bit expensive.
What Are The Buttons I Can Use?
A lot of these pedals have several control buttons, which means that you can get a wide range of different tunes from them. But, there are some basic models that feature two controls and some only have one. The most common controls that you’ll come across on these devices are the ‘rate’, ‘level’, and ‘depth’.
The level can determine how high/low the volume or effects are, meaning that you can have a thick sound when you turn it up or one that is less strong and lowered down. The depth button is quite similar to this but, it also influences the intensity of the tune and how extreme the warble will be.
And lastly, there is the ‘rate’ option that is meant for tracking and adjusting the speed of the effect and how quickly the LFO can rotate. If you choose to set it to ‘high’, you’ll gain a sound that resembles a vibrato, which at times can sound haunting and completely eerie. Then if you opt to slow it down, you might provoke a spooky feeling in the listeners.
What to Consider When Looking For a Pedal?
Yes, you can simply type ‘chorus pedal’ into the search engine and purchase the first one that comes up, however, that is not wise. This is why you need to consider several things before opting for a specific pedal including:
- The Features – the first thing you should think about and check is the features you need. You do not want to be looking for specific effects just to learn that the model you purchase does not offer it.
- The Reviews – you might also want to check the reviews since this will let you know whether or not a particular brand/model/device is worth buying. Keep in mind that you should check independent websites as well, especially since the reviews there tend to be a bit more honest.
- Compare, Compare, Compare – as mentioned, getting this gadget for your guitar can be expensive, hence, before you buy anything, ensure that you compare it to other models in order to determine which one suits your needs and budget best.
Conclusion
As you can see, there is a wide range of things a chorus guitar pedal can help you with. Not only will you be able to get a wide range of effects and tunes, but, you can use the pedal for adjusting those tunes even further. So, now that you know what is a chorus pedal, as well as what you can gain from it, you should not lose any more time. Instead, you should start browsing stores in order to find the pedal that will fir your needs and desires.
Source: https://has-sound.com/pedals/best-chorus-pedal/
