Revolutions

The funny thing about change is how often it makes old ideas new again

Since I spend so much time lately thinking about guitar pedals, it has been interesting to ponder the revival of the four-track gain stage.

I am old enough that access to a four-track recorder was one of the most exciting aspects of starting at Lake Tuggeranong College when it opened in 1990.

By that point I'd already been sequencing songs on my Amiga computer but didn't have enough musical experience to record much more than simple songs on the Tascam four-tracks.

Those four-tracks allowed both sides of an audio tape to be used, so the stereo channels added up, and were still being used to record music when I was making demo tapes with bands in 1994 and '96.

Recently the interest in four-tracks has returned for their distinctive gain staging, which allowed some shaping of the instruments being recorded.

Although these sounds have had a lo-fi charm for many "indie" style bands and added character, the current revival has followed from the distinctive sound of a guitarist called Mk.gee.

Another element in his tone is the Rainger FX reverb pedal, which includes a gate to adjust that allows the effect to be added when the dynamics of the playing go beyond the threshold.

(One of the details less acknowledged is Mk.gee's use of flatwound strings, which make his baritone guitar remind me of bassists like Jaco Pastorius.)

 

 

In a recent video to promote the JHS pedal which emulates a four-track gain stage, the guitarist John Mayer notes “There is a revolution taking place right now in guitar playing, and it has to do with dynamics.”

“For most of guitar playing history, guitars were plugged into amplifiers, and the way that a tube amp responds has kind of defined the way people played guitar.

“But now people have been plugging into things that aren't tube amplifiers," Mayer continues and those respond differently.

Alternatives to tube amplifiers have been around for decades, but the real revolution isn't the return of four-track gain stages.

Elsewhere on the internet in recent weeks is an interview with pedal builder Brian Wampler, who identifies that digital emulations of technology like tube amplifiers and other effects are threatening his business model.

He describes digital modeling as a Napster moment for traditional pedal makers, saying "for those who remember that, that's where everybody who had music that you just uploaded to Napster, and now no one needs to buy any more music.”

I think Wampler's observation is what gives Mayer's sales pitch for the JHS pedal an interesting context.

During the '90s, in particular, guitar dynamics were smashed in popular music as loudness was pursued through the use of heavy compression effects.

We're witnessing a variety of revolutions in music technology and, just like the older guitar designs coming back into fashion, there are older sounds that are also being revisited.

In some ways it's depressing to see the "relic" models of guitars being sold so that a consumer can pretend to be their idol, rather than the excitement I find in hearing someone like Mk.gee showing the potential for new tones.

I went down a metaphorical rabbit hole recently to revisit the sounds of Tom Morello and don't think it requires his signature model guitar.

The real revolution is seeing new ideas incorporated into the portable format that pedals offer and the rise of digital modelling means it's offering distinctive combinations of effects that becomes a way to grab consumer's attention, aside from the heavy reliance on celebrities and brand names.

From this perspective I am impressed with David Rainger's inventive products, such as the implementation of gating in the reverb popularised by Mk.gee but also the wonder-filled Minibar distortion pedal.

There aren't many products that my family show an interest in playing and the Minibar was the first since Korg's Kaossilator and the Wavedrum before that.

(And, thinking of Korg, I'm getting excited to see that Phase8 is nearing release.)

I am hoping there are many more revolutions occurring in the guitar pedal format, but that enthusiasm needs to be qualified with a sense of innovation rather than mining the past for nostalgia.