Whai is this effect?

[sylnau]

In this song by Neil Young... what you think is the drone like step effect?
Something like SubDecay Protheus/Prometheus... or it's something else?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKZY2sU03ng[/youtube]

[dubkitty]

this record, i believe, was recorded before Prometheus-style step filters were a popular item in the market. i think it's a phase shifter with a wide sweep run through amplifier tremolo set to a hard chop. it might actually be TWO amplifiers with trems at different rates, or a trem and a delay...you can hear something going in and out of sync with the main pulse near the end, 3:12-3:21, that sounds to me like a delay repeat that's slightly out of whack with the tremolo chop. the stereo spread argues for two amps, though.

[sylnau]

I haven't though about that, might get close... When I get a minute, I'll try Randy's Revenge square trem with the Faye Sing and some delay... Thank you!
I have a Proteus, It's doing the step thing, but doesn't sound exactly like that (the droning part is missing).

[DarkAxel]

Don't forget, that these "sample and hold" used to be used by even Zappa i wouldn't dismiss that idea

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-H8HbCrKn6E[/youtube]

[dubkitty]

the thing about that record is that it's Neil recorded by Dan Lanois, so it could be anything from Neil's old-school shit like a Magnatone amp tremolo to some wack stuff Lanois picked up from Brian Eno.