Since the summer of 2009, Bill Ruppert has
been surprising and impressing guitarists on
the web with a series of Effectology videos
that he created in conjunction with Electro-Harmonix. In the videos, Ruppert uses only
Electro-Harmonix pedals to imitate different
instruments, recreate classic songs, and
mimic real-life sounds—a blues harmonica,
the synth intro on The Who’s “Won’t Get
Fooled Again,” and a jet taking off are just a
few sound samples he’s conquered.
The videos consist of panes explaining what
pedals Ruppert is using for which sounds
and why. But he also shares his settings and
techniques in detail on the company’s forums.
Cynics might write the series off as a promotional
tool for Electro-Harmonix—which
it is—but we see it as a testament to what
the guitar is capable of in the right hands,
with the right tools, and with lots of time for
experimentation.
And Ruppert definitely has capable hands.
A studio musician in Chicago for 25 years,
he has played on close to 10,000 album and
TV-commercial sessions. He says he usually
begins with a topic in mind, then hits his
“mad scientist lab” to chase down the sounds
with his arsenal of EHX pedals. The audio is
recorded direct using a clean amp simulator.
Each video is a new challenge for Ruppert,
and some come easier than others. For Vol.
1, Ruppert just found the harmonica sound
while playing around with pedals and then
built the video around it. Others take hours
of experimentation. “Reproducing the sound
of bubbling water was quite a task,” says
Ruppert of the “babbling brook” sound in
the “Envelope Oddities” video (Vol. 14). “A
lot of time was spent just thinking about that
sound before I started to work on it.”
Ruppert says he has several ideas in the
works for new installments of the series, but
he’s keeping mum on the matter. “I wouldn’t
want to spoil the surprise!”
The Videos
As of press time, Ruppert had just
released his 14th installment. Here are
some of the highlights:
Effectology Does The Who’s “Won’t Get
Fooled Again”
In the video that started it all, Ruppert uses
just an Electro-Harmonix HOG pedal to recreate
the iconic opening to The Who classic.
Vol. 1: Electric Guitar Plays Blues Harmonica
In what is actually the second Effectology
video, Ruppert convincingly mimics a blues
club jam—complete with a riffing harmonica—using Electro-Harmonix HOG, Micro
Synthesizer, Wiggler, and Holiest Grail pedals.
Vol. 2: Dark Side of the Moon
Tackling another classic, Ruppert loops
and repeats his way to the synth effects
heard on Pink Floyd’s “On the Run”—complete
with chopper. Ruppert uses a Micro
Synthesizer, Stereo Memory Man with
Hazarai, Frequency Analyzer, Big Muff Pi,
and Stereo Pulsar for this clip.
Vol. 4: Hammond B-3 Organ
Using just a HOG and a Soul Preacher,
Ruppert brings the funk and soul of the classic
Hammond B-3 organ.
The Series
Effectology Does The Who’s “Won’t Get
Fooled Again”
Vol. 1: Electric Guitar Plays Blues Harmonica
Vol. 2: Dark Side of the Moon
Vol. 3: Cello Concerto for Guitar and
Effects Pedals
Vol. 4: Hammond B-3 Organ
Vol. 5: “Autobahn”
Vol. 6: The Mellotron
Vol. 7: Reverb Tricks
Vol. 8: Telstar – The Clavioline
Vol. 9: Terrifying Effect Pedals
Vol. 10: Electric Piano Effect (Led Zeppelin
— “No Quarter”)
Vol. 11: Crystal Shimmer Effects
Vol. 12: The Uillean Pipes
Vol. 13: Pink Floyd Synth Effects (“Welcome
to the Machine”)
Vol. 14: Envelope Filter Oddities |
Vol. 8: Telstar — The Clavioline
By the middle of the series, it’s clear that
Ruppert is really hitting a stride with this ambitious
video that demonstrates the Clavioline,
an early tube synthesizer, as used on the ’60s
hit “Telstar.” He gets bonus points for also
simulating a rocket launch, Morse code, and
radio frequencies using eight pedals: A Soul
Preacher, a Stereo Memory Man, a Big Muff,
a Pulsar, a Poly Phase, a Micro Synthesizer, a
Cathedral, and a Poly Chorus.
Vol. 9: Terrifying Effect Pedals
In the most-watched video of the series,
released on October 28, 2009, Ruppert
produces a number of familiar horror sound
effects and music—including the Twilight
Zone theme, a stormy night, and vintage
Theremin sounds—using different combinations
of the Soul Preacher, Stereo Memory
Man, MicroSynth, Cathedral, Tube EQ,
Deluxe Memory Man, POG, POG2, Big Muff,
Frequency Analyzer, and HOG Signal Pad.
Vol. 14: Envelope Filter Oddities
Effectology’s most recent offering shows off the
ability of envelope filters to cop the sounds of
canaries, a babbling brook, a scratchy vintage
record and guitar tone, and an intense synth
sound that uses feedback loops.
Every new video brings a surprising new way
to apply effects that is entertaining and fun to
watch and listen to. The fact that Ruppert then
logs on to the EHX forums to detail his settings
and answer questions is the icing on the cake.
youtube.com/effectology