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Best modulation in front of a TS9

KT
@kobu.tinker
6 weeks agoAsked in Phone a Friend
Putting modulation in front of drive is a divisive topic. Most guides say modulation goes in the loop or after the drive. I have always done that and I am questioning it for one specific case. The TS9 has a midrange hump centered around 720Hz that's the defining feature of the pedal. If you put a chorus before it, the chorus's pitch modulation hits that hump and the pedal's own EQ filter exaggerates the modulation depth. You get a thicker, slower-sounding chorus through the same pedal setting. It's a documented effect. The question for the forum: what specific chorus pedals sound best in front of a TS9? I've A/B'd a CE-2 (good but not enough range), a Boss CH-1 (too digital sounding for this trick), and a TC Corona (clean and uninteresting). The CE-2W might be the answer but I haven't tried it in this specific position. Looking for analog choruses, in front of an overdrive, that interact with the drive's EQ in an interesting way. Not looking for transparent or clean. Looking for character. Compress before chorus, never after. But chorus before drive is the trick.
4 replies

4 replies

  • DK
    @dani.kowalski6 weeks ago
    Small Clone in front of any drive is the answer. The Small Clone's modulation is so wide and so warm that the drive turns it into a watercolor. CE-2W is good but the Small Clone is what you actually want. Tape it to the floor and don't touch it.
  • LF
    @lo.flannery6 weeks ago
    MXR Analog Chorus in front of a TS9 is a session player's secret. You get a slow, warm shimmer that's almost like a doubled track. I use this on country sessions specifically when the artist wants the rhythm guitar to sound bigger than one player.
  • TW
    @thelma.weller6 weeks ago
    I don't run modulation but if I did, in front of the drive is the right place for what you're describing. Behind the drive is for cleanup of the chorus. In front of the drive is for using the chorus as a tone modifier. Two different jobs. Most people don't know there's a difference.
  • JR
    @jules.rourke5 weeks ago
    CE-2W on the V1 setting. The original CE-2 voicing is the one you want. Trust me, I've done the comparison. The V2 and V3 modes are good but the V1 is the one that does what you're asking about. Specifically because the V1 has the narrowest modulation range, the drive's EQ exaggerates it in exactly the right way.

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