Checking out the pedalboards of our fellow players never gets old—and there’s so much creativity on display in this latest batch.You’ll encounter classic effects deployed in imaginative ways … ambitious switching/effect loop schemes … and a vast menagerie of hip boutique boxes. Thanks for the ongoing inspiration, readers!
You can think of power as how much work can be done over a period of time. Work is defined as applying a force through a distance. If I push on the wall, I’m applying a force, but not doing any work. If I pick up a weight and lift it over my head, I’ve done work. The faster I lift it, the more power is required.
In electrical terms, power equals voltage times current. (Engineers chose the letter “I” to represent current because “C” already meant something else.)
Driving on the freeway, you might see power lines. These have a high voltage and carry a high current to deliver lots of power. When you get a static shock on a doorknob, the voltage is very high (maybe 10,000 volts), but since the current is very low, it doesn’t kill you. There’s not much power there.
Current Affairs
What is current? Engineers define current as the amount of electrons that flow over a given unit of time. Current always flows through something. If we compare electricity to water, current is the amount of water that flows through a pipe in, say, gallons per second.
What is voltage? This is the tricky one. Voltage is the electrical potential between two points. I know, that’s probably not very helpful, even though it’s correct. Voltage always exists across or between two points. (Never say “voltage through”—it’s always “voltage across” and “current through.”) Back to our water analogy: Voltage is like the water pressure. The pressure is there, waiting for the valve to open, allowing the water to flow. Similarly, a battery’s voltage is there, waiting for current to be drawn by connecting it to something.
Pedals and Power
What does this have to do with effects pedals? Say you bought a Strymon Orbit flanger with a wall-wart adapter that reads “Output 9VDC 660 mA.” What does this mean?
If I plug the adapter into a wall socket, but don’t connect the output to anything, then we'd measure 9VDC at the plug. But since nothing is plugged in yet, the current would be zero. The power is zero, since nine times zero is zero.
What does the 660 mA mean? The amount of power the adapter can provide is nine times .66 A (660 mA is the same as .66 A), or about six watts. If we try to draw more than 660 mA, the adapter will protest and shut down.
Now let’s plug our adapter into the pedal. What’s the current draw? As an example, the spec sheet for the Orbit flanger says 250 mA, so it must be 250 mA, right? Well, not exactly. The real number depends on what the pedal is doing, so there is no way to know without measuring. Ideally, it should be less than 250 mA, because it’s always a good to have some “extra” current available from the power source to ensure that everything is stable under all conditions.
Let’s look at it again: We have a power source (the wall adapter) and a load (the pedal). The power source provides the rated voltage (9V) as long as the current drawn by the load is less than the rated current (660 mA). The load draws whatever current it needs.
What happens if we plug the pedal into a different power source? As long as the power source can provide the current required by the pedal and maintain (but not exceed) the recommended voltage, everyone is happy. Things get murky if the power source can’t maintain the voltage.
Troubleshooting
If you’re using a third-party power source (such as those sold by Voodoo Lab, Ciocks, and Dunlop) but are having trouble powering your pedal, try running through these steps:
1. Double-check the current and voltage requirements recommended by the pedal manufacturer.
2. If your pedal shipped with a wall adapter from the factory, try powering with that. If it powers up, it’s probably a setup issue with your third-party supply.
3. Check the current. Make sure the supply is capable of providing more current than the pedal requires. For example, if your pedal requires 200 mA, it’s probably best to provide it at least 250 mA to ensure it works properly under all circumstances.
4. Check the voltage. Some pedals are very specific about their voltage requirements. If the pedal requires 9V, be sure not to send it more than 9V, because excessive voltage can irreparably damage a device. On the other hand, some pedals, such as fuzz boxes, are perfectly happy running at anywhere from 9V to 18V. Just be sure you know what the manufacturer recommends. (See step 1!)
5. Finally, check the polarity. Most pedals have center-negative power jacks, though there are a few with center-positive ones. Polarity is often indicated by a diagram on the pedal, but you may need to check with the manufacturer.
A happy pedal is one that is powered with the correct current and voltage. Now that you’re a power genius, go forth and keep all of your pedals happy!I save the mix file at this point. My naming convention is usually something like “name of the song, followed by the day’s date.” As I mix, I save regularly. Whenever I make a significant change to the mix or I’ve done work that I don’t want to lose if the computer loses power or something, I save again, adding a letter to the name: “Song Mix 3-12-13a,” “Song Mix 3-12-13b,” and so on. This leaves a trail I can work back through if necessary. If there’s ever a problem with a file, I can recover quickly.
Fig. 2. Balance the kick drum and the bass.
Starting the Mix
That last bit of housekeeping out of the way, I start mixing. Different engineers have different mixing processes, so I recommend experimenting with various approaches. Here’s one that’s worked for me:
• Raise the kick drum fader to a comfortable level. I look for the master meter to read somewhere around -15 dB.
• Raise the bass guitar (or other primary bass instrument) to where it meshes well with the kick drum.
• I may do minor EQ work to get the kick and bass to thump well together.
At this point, some engineers would build the rest of the drum kit around the kick and bass, and then mix the rest of the rhythm instruments (guitars, keyboards, and so on) to create a pumping rhythm track. After that they drop in the lead vocal, fills, solos, and ear candy.
Sometimes this approach works great. However, I often use a different one: After the kick and the bass, I bring up the lead vocal (if it’s a vocal song) or the lead melody instrument (if it’s an instrumental). The vocal or melody instrument is the focus, so I want to ensure it’s heard clearly, and is balanced and supported by the low-end foundation of the kick and bass.
Filling Out the Mix
Next, I begin to fill in the rest of the drums and rhythm section around the kick, bass, and vocal. I may do some broad EQ sculpting as I go, ensuring that those three tracks remain focused. I also begin panning tracks to leave a nice hole in the center for the three focus tracks to live in. With this process, I find that I approach EQ differently.
Fig. 3. Balance the lead vocal or melody instrument against the kick drum and bass.
Yes, I use EQ to enhance tracks, but I also use EQ to create an opening through which the vocal can work, and to prevent various rhythm section tracks from fighting with the kick and bass.
I also begin using ambience (reverbs) and delays to create depth. A wetter track drops back, while a drier one comes forward. You can use EQ similarly: Brighter tracks comes forward, while reducing a track’s high end makes it sit back into the mix.
Once things are blending and working together, I bring in the ear candy and solos, again creating openings where those featured items can “speak.” As I add these parts, I tweak levels, adjust EQ, apply compression to get dynamics under control, add effects, and generally dial things in. Finally, I start working with automation as necessary to bring tracks in and out of the spotlight.
Fig. 4. Build the remainder of the rhythm section around the three focus tracks, and then start adding the solos and ear candy.
Next time you’re making a mix, try this approach. It’s certainly not the only one that works, but it does the job for me.
Another Ending
With this month’s column we also reach another endpoint—this is my final “Guitar Tracks” column for now. For nearly four years it’s been my pleasure to work with the great people at Premier Guitar to bring you these columns. I hope you’ve picked up a few useful tips on making better recordings and mixes. I can tell you that it’s been a blast to write them, and to hear from so many of you! Thank you very much for your interest and support. “Guitar Tracks” may be taking a breather, but you’ll still see my work in the pages of PG. Until next time, I wish you great recordings!