12 String Guitar Sound For HX Stomp

[omairangel]

Hello everybody, hope all is well.  I have a question for all of you bright spots out there.  I own the HX Stomp and I am loving.  I also plan on buying the Helix Floor Pedalboard. For the HX Stomp does anyone know if there are any Presets out there that would mimic a 12 String Electric Guitar.  Has anyone created any for Stomp Box?   I have the Mosaic Pedal by Digitech.  Cool pedal but I want to try to not use any analog pedals.  I do have the analog pedals, Tube Sreamer, Boss Compressor, Boss Super Chorus,  Phaser and the Mosaic.  Thank you.

[codamedia]

25 minutes ago, omairangel said:

does anyone know if there are any Presets out there that would mimic a 12 String Electric Guitar. 

 

Nothing convincing.... 12 String is a difficult instrument to fake.

An octave pedal alone cannot do it.... because only 4 of the 6 strings are actually octaves, the other two are unison. That requires individual string processing. 

 

One of the key tones to a 12 string is the natural "chorus" that takes place. A chorus pedal is usually to intense... but with the Stomp or Helix you can go to the "Mod > Legacy" section and insert the Dimension block. Try the different settings there for a really nice "subtle" chorus effect. 

 

Myself... I use a Variax guitar so when I need a 12 String tone I use one of those to dial it in. IMO: Even with individual string processing... it's not easy to get a great convincing tone :) 

[omairangel]

Hey Codamedia, thank you for responding!  I was thinking of purchasing a Variax guitar myself.  A couple of other options, I'll just use the Mosaic pedal as part my pedalboard.  Or just get a 12 String guitar.  Which model Variax do you have? 

 

Thank you again.

[codamedia]

2 hours ago, omairangel said:

Which model Variax do you have? 

 

I'm just using an old 300 but I replaced the neck with a maple Fender Tele neck

It gets the job done but I would like to get a more modern version for better integration with the Helix.

[silverhead]

I agree - go with a more modern version of the Variax (JTV, Standard, Shuriken). The modeling in all of those units is the same; base your decision on guitar body/neck style and mag pickup preferences.

[codamedia]

It's hard to beat the combo of a Variax and Helix... even my older generation Variax comes in handy, the newer models even more so. 

 

That said... it should be stated that a Roland GK Pickup and "capable" Roland/Boss processor (EG: GP-10) also has the ability to process strings individually, and can do a decent 12 string emulation. The cost of such a setup is likely comparable to a Variax and would require another bulky piece of gear (Roland/Boss processor) to integrate into your existing setup. 

[Kevin-M]

2 hours ago, codamedia said:

It's hard to beat the combo of a Variax and Helix... even my older generation Variax comes in handy, the newer models even more so. 

 

That said... it should be stated that a Roland GK Pickup and "capable" Roland/Boss processor (EG: GP-10) also has the ability to process strings individually, and can do a decent 12 string emulation. The cost of such a setup is likely comparable to a Variax and would require another bulky piece of gear (Roland/Boss processor) to integrate into your existing setup. 
 

If going the Roland/GK pickup route and interested in synths at all,  take a look at the SY-1000.  I just received mine last Friday and am blown away by it .

 

[DONNIEGOSSETT]

I already have 3 12-string guitars (2 electric and 1 acoustic). I take the acoustic with me to gigs but I am hoping to reduce the number of guitars I am bringing -- as at present I am bringing 4 so 1 less is good. However I will try the suggestions above.

[craiganderton]

It depends if you want an exact duplicate of a 12-string, or something that sounds very much like a 12-string, and can substitute for parts using a 12-string. (I can't help but wonder if it was physically possible to bump the 1st and 2nd strings up an octave, whether physical 12-strings would do that!).

 

There are two main ways to help the authenticity. One is a delay on the "octave" strings, because with a physical 12-string, there's a slight delay between hitting the main string and its associated octave string. The other is an EQ to pull back some highs so that the octave-higher 1st and 2nd strings aren't quite so bright. 

 

The following excerpt from my Helix eBook describes one of the presets included with the book. It's intended to create an electric 12-string sound, not an acoustic one. The obvious downside is that it uses up all the blocks, but I hope this helps.

 

This preset is optimized for the bridge pickup, but other pickup positions work too. The sound is more like one guitar than layered guitars, because the second EQ (Low/High Shelf) doesn’t emphasize the highs as much. Also, to give a 12-string’s characteristic shimmer, the Dual Delay toward the output adds subtle modulation.

 

However, the crucial difference is the Simple Delay that precedes the Poly Capo. With a physical 12-string, there’s a slight delay (around 20-25 ms) between hitting the main string and its associated octave string. The Simple Delay emulates this effect, which your ears identify as part of a 12-string’s characteristic sound.

 

 

For live performance, only some blocks are suitable for footswitching. All the blocks before the Mixer are essential parts of the 12-string sound. The only processors to which I’d add footswitches are the post-Mixer Delay, the Reverb, and perhaps a footswitch for one (or both) compressors so you can call up a more or less compressed sound.