5 Simple tricks to use with Effects Sequencers
I’m a huge fan of effects sequencer plugins, if you haven’t already read my shoot out, it’s worth taking a look if you’re trying to make up your mind. https://www.databroth.com/blog/infiltrator-2-vs-effectrix-2-vs-looperator
These plugins are great for completely transforming audio, or adding subtle changing motion that fill a more rhythmic role instead of a static change in tone.
While there are many ways to use effects sequencer plugins, I want to cover some simple tricks that I utilize in my preset design. Combining these tricks makes for interesting effects combinations that can be used to add new dimension to your music.
Faded Looper
This trick is simple but fun twist on the normal glitch loop effect. Normally, a glitch loop will replace the incoming audio to produce the stutter. Instead we will use a ramp to increase the loop mix, creating a moment of rising tension that instantly releases while still having that “glitch” stutter sound.
Shimmering Bits
This effect can sometimes add a sparkly top end to your sound, it should be used sparingly and to taste as other high register elements can easily clash and become muddied.
Simply use a bit-crusher or decimator, be sure the resolution for both sample rate reduction and bit depth are as high as possible so they have little to no impact on the sound. This may be either the maximum or minimum value depending on the plugin.
Then add a sample hold or random modulator to the sample rate. Speeds of 1/16 notes work best I find, and just a touch of modulation depth so only subtle aliasing occurs.
Secret Resonators
There are many resonator effects you can utilize in these plugins, you can usually find a comb filter, if not the delay can be set to seconds instead of sync, then use the smallest values available for a short delay resonator.
But beyond this, you can often remove the internal modulation from chorus, flanger, and phaser effects, and utilize these as resonators.
Reverb Swell
This one will depend on the plugin, you need a mix reverb not a send reverb. The easiest way to tell is if you can still hear the reverb tail when you drop the reverb mix to zero, if you can still hear the reverb, it is a send, if you can’t it is a mix.
This trick is just the same as the “faded looper”, use a ramp to modulate the reverb mix and listen as soft clouds rise and cut out.
I find this effect works best with tempo synced ramps, usually set to 1/4 note division to create a sort of side-chain pulsing. Bright reverbs with a good amount of tail work really well too.
Octave Layers
There’s usually a couple ways to do octaves in these plugins, one is with a pitch shifter or granular effect, the other is with a time warping effect.
First we’ll talk about the time warping, this effect is really fun when you warp the audio speed down to 1/2 the tempo, this shifts it down an octave while playing back much slower.
Mixing this slowed audio at 50% gives a layered effect where each layer is synced and in tune, but playing at different speeds. In some ways this is similar to certain elements of fugue writing.
The granular and pitch shifting effects are used to change the pitch without affecting the speed. I like these with very wide dispersed grain qualities. Bursting moments of this pitch shifted effect one to two octaves up adds melodic moments that highlight whatever chords or meldies are being effected.
The two of these effects combined can take a simple melodic idea and turn it into a full three part composition.
These ideas wont work on all multi effects, and are ideal for sequenced effect plugins to add moments of new textures. You can often recreate them within synths or sometimes with modulation and midi, so don’t feel restricted to just this one use case.
Even chaining together four of these five ideas, one for each quarter note, can create some fun new variations to your loops. I utilize these tricks and more in my preset packs for Looperator, Infiltrator, and Effectrix 2, combining them with other details and more intricate patterns.
I Try to think of each trick as it’s own sort of “potential sound”, programming them like a drum machine. The end results of this drum machine rely heavily on the incoming audio, much like the resulting shapes of a kaleidoscope depend on the orientation of the mirrors and the objects the mirrors are looking at.