chorus stacking

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chorus stacking

Post by tune_link » Mon Nov 16, 2020 12:10 pm

Do people stack chorus pedals? A friend of mine recently posted that she often kept two on her board. Anyone else done this and if so does it have cool effects/advantages? I just bought a Boss Waza CE2 and I currently have a Walrus Julia on my board. Was thinking I would either like the CE2 enough to sell the Julia or if not return the CE2. But if I end up just loving them both...... I mean I assume it would do something but is it a noticeable something?

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Re: chorus stacking

Post by stevejamsecono » Mon Nov 16, 2020 12:43 pm

I certainly am not opposed to this idea as a chorus aficionado.

I know some people stack chorus and flange together to thicken them up, i.e. Robert Smith and the like. I'm thinking of tracking down a CS9 to pair with my Retrosonic Flanger at some point.
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Re: chorus stacking

Post by fuzzjunkie » Mon Nov 16, 2020 12:48 pm

Not Chorus pedals, but Modulation pedals.

It’s the key to that Cocteau Twins swirl.

I like running a Flanger in Chorus type settings into a Phaser or Leslie/Univibe type pedal. A Boss Dimension D is perfect as the 2nd pedal for this sound.

I do the same into a Tremolo quite often.

If it’s a rack effect I like to push the Flanger into a modulated pitch shift or modulated delay, and then double it. Robin Guthrie does that all over Heaven or Las Vegas.

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Re: chorus stacking

Post by cestlamort » Mon Nov 16, 2020 3:25 pm

Stacked modulation can sound great or be an indistinct mess (which can also be great).

I usually run a chorus or flanger into a Boss Dimension (and then into a delay with more modulation. Unfortunately, I have the old Dimension C, so it's mono in, so that limits the effects order to having other stereo stuff downstream).

I'd suggest playing with chorus (or other modulation) in stereo for a while, get it to where you like, then goose it with some more movement.

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Re: chorus stacking

Post by jorri » Mon Nov 16, 2020 3:30 pm

Yeh because I have a TC 3rd dimension but 5 of my other pedals are capable of chorus (counting two modulated delays, Space, Microcosm, sub'n'up toneprint.).
It may be that the 'combi-fx' have a subtle chorus, but the TC is handy for an obvious-subtle type (ok still quite subtle. its for 'space', sort of, when you want to just about notice it if there ever was an 'always on' pedal for 80s new wave music.). Of course its entirely mono, but i would tend to be using stereo delays and verbs I would then have to unplug an input channel to get their full effect so not too bothered by that.

You can get quite different chorus sounds.
One has a really detuned fast warble that is like an 80s synth in danger of being atonal. thats not a subtle one, but its an option that my chorus pedal doesn't do and albeit would be a PITA to program my large pedals to just make a chorus alone). I did turn them all on once and yeh kind of cocteau twins but as stated you need more than just chorus- Guthrie had many combinations of Boss effects and Eventide rack.
I think if any 'ambient pad sound' is meant to be chorusey: why not chuck a few in?

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Re: chorus stacking

Post by ElephantDNA » Mon Nov 16, 2020 7:29 pm

I'm going to preface this with the caveat that I don't use a lot of chorus. I think I use it for 20 seconds in a 40 minute set. But chorus, phaser, and flanger are essentially just delays with different modulation and mix. I feel like you'd probably have more sounds stacking a chorus into a modulated delay or modulated reverb than just two chorus pedals. They are basically buckets that operate similarly so unless you are choosing wildly different rates on the choruses, I'm not sure how much the second one will add to the first. Adding like flanger or phaser into the chorus I think would sound more perceptively different.

I can see using the dimension like this though it is distinct enough on it's own from like normal chorus that I could see stacking that effect for sure.

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Re: chorus stacking

Post by tune_link » Mon Nov 16, 2020 8:22 pm

I’m def not a stranger to stacking modulation. I typically run a chorus into a flanger into a phaser then into modulated delay and a modulated reverb. I’m talking about two chorus pedals both as chorus only, maybe at different rates and depths. In which case if nothing else in a few days I’m gonna try it and just see what it’s like. Both the Julia and CE2W have vibrato settings too so I could also use one as a straight chorus and the other as a vibrato only if doubling up on chorus doesn’t seem to be that interesting.

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Re: chorus stacking

Post by electric12 » Tue Nov 17, 2020 9:39 am

I've always had a chorus and flanger on my board. In my case an Ibanez BC9 B-Mode Chorus and EH Deluxe Electric Mistress, although lately I've downsized the flanger and am currently using an old Tokai. Chorus and flange are two distinct effects to my thinking, and I always have the flanger on a slow, heavy dramatic setting.
I have a phaser (usually an MXR Phase100) and Boss PN-2 Tremolo between the chorus and flanger. Again, the phaser is always as deep as possible and slow.

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Re: chorus stacking

Post by Jazzmastervsjaguar » Tue Nov 17, 2020 9:53 am

Stacking chorus has been an all time favorite sound for me for a long time. I love setting a slow rate long depth chorus into a fast rate shallow depth chorus. Lots of texture and a lot of fun!

Also for those that don't want to waste pedal board space on 2 pedals for this sound Ibanez made a bunch of pedals that do just this. Check out the Ibanez BC-9 and later versions that came after.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3pkXTZFaVg

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Re: chorus stacking

Post by electric12 » Tue Nov 17, 2020 11:40 am

Jazzmastervsjaguar wrote:
Tue Nov 17, 2020 9:53 am
Stacking chorus has been an all time favorite sound for me for a long time. I love setting a slow rate long depth chorus into a fast rate shallow depth chorus. Lots of texture and a lot of fun!

Also for those that don't want to waste pedal board space on 2 pedals for this sound Ibanez made a bunch of pedals that do just this. Check out the Ibanez BC-9 and later versions that came after.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3pkXTZFaVg
The BC9 (as I mentioned, my chorus of choice) has a chorus paired with a vibrato. The later ones such as the BCL had two choruses and don't IMHO sound as good.

The BC9 is capable of doing a very passable pseudo-rotary speaker effect.

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Re: chorus stacking

Post by electric12 » Tue Nov 17, 2020 11:40 am

Jazzmastervsjaguar wrote:
Tue Nov 17, 2020 9:53 am
Stacking chorus has been an all time favorite sound for me for a long time. I love setting a slow rate long depth chorus into a fast rate shallow depth chorus. Lots of texture and a lot of fun!

Also for those that don't want to waste pedal board space on 2 pedals for this sound Ibanez made a bunch of pedals that do just this. Check out the Ibanez BC-9 and later versions that came after.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3pkXTZFaVg
The BC9 (as I mentioned, my chorus of choice) has a chorus paired with a vibrato. The later ones such as the BCL had two choruses and don't IMHO sound as good.

The BC9 is capable of doing a very passable pseudo-rotary speaker effect.

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Re: chorus stacking

Post by Jazzmastervsjaguar » Tue Nov 17, 2020 11:48 am

Huh Didn't realize it was a vibrato on the BC-9 that's really cool. I've never played one but I do have the Twin cam chorus in the 10 series which I always thought was just a BC-9. Now I have to seek out a bc-9...Damn it. ;D

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Re: chorus stacking

Post by tune_link » Fri Nov 20, 2020 7:07 am

Haven't done the stacking thing yet but I did get a chance to go head to head with the Boss Waza vs Julia yesterday. I think they both have their merits but I def like the Boss more. The Julia is slightly brighter and def less of a chorus pedal. It's basically a vibrato pedal (and a good one at that) with a little chorus option. The Boss, esp on the CE-1 setting can get watery in a way that the Julia just can't and it sounds a lot warmer to me. The vibrato on the Boss is good but not as tweakable as the Julia. Kinda thinking I may keep em both.

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Re: chorus stacking

Post by electric12 » Sat Nov 21, 2020 9:44 am

Jazzmastervsjaguar wrote:
Tue Nov 17, 2020 11:48 am
Huh Didn't realize it was a vibrato on the BC-9 that's really cool. I've never played one but I do have the Twin cam chorus in the 10 series which I always thought was just a BC-9. Now I have to seek out a bc-9...Damn it. ;D
Yeah the BC9 is really nice. The chorus is really nice and shimmery and the vibe can be quite chewy. Together they just sound so lush.

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