Best dirt pedals for note definition/fast playing/tapping?

[backwardsvoyager]

Just wondering if any of you guys are after or already have a similar sound to what I have in mind and what peds you think are best for it..

I'm writing a lot of faster math rock/j-rock/post-hardcore stuff lately for a new project i have in mind and am trying to come up with a good 'base' sound thats distorted but still retains a great note distinction in passages with a lot of notes and doesn't make noise when playing all staccato with rests and stuff. I realise part of that comes down to technique but inherently some dirt pedals just don't work well for that. I use an Elements and Mini in my main band and i've always been stoked with them, but the sweet spot for gain on the Elements is really prone to feedback with my setup and seems to sound too different to the clean tone and the Mini is just too crackly (both relative to what i'm after for this particular sound, don't get me wrong, those qualities rule so hard for other things). I've been using a BUZZZ and LAL Tone Axe too but they don't retain that single coil jangle at all, fuzzes generally don't fit that role for me even if they have a clean blend.
I'm thinking maybe a RAT-alike or something? I haven't played a RAT before. I'm probably missing something, i haven't played that many dirt pedals besides the ones i own/owned because i used to just be obsessed with things that make wacky noises. I had a Fulldrive 2 mosfet a while ago that was sort of like what i'm after now but i remember it lacking the right kind of EQ control. I try watching demos to check out new stuff but nobody plays stuff i'm into, it's all too simple or too heavy which is fine but doesn't help for me, haha.

A lot of the sounds i'm influenced by use amp gain channels but I don't jive too well with the gain on my amp (it has a shared EQ and i generally boost treble/mids with dirt because they suck out the harshness of the pickups too much otherwise or something). I'll probably get something better eventually but i still use backline gear a bit so a pedal for it would be dandy.

Some examples of what i'm kinda talking about:

NSFW: show

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBgRKh5ZI3c[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lNK9kWmUqk[/youtube]

Sorry if that was long-winded. And feel free to threadjack if you have similar questions I'm just throwing this out there because note-definition is a pretty major aspect of using dirt pedals and i'm super anal about it, there must be others in a similar hitch

[sonidero]

A transparent OD is what you want... I was gonna say Ele but you have one... Maybe even a Boss OD would work, a lot of those types of bands use mass market stuff and there is always plenty of Green and Orange pedals on their boards, also a lot just use amp dirt...

[Casavettes]

EQD talons is great for this

[Moose]

Dude those bands rock. Thanks for sharing 'em!


But back to the point, a Rat could potentially work, but they can be a bit noisy and enhance unwanted harmonics, which means the notes kinda get lost in the sound (if you get me). I think if you used a Rat, you'd have to have the gain less than halfway on it.

I actually think it might be better to go for a higher gain overdrive, I reckon the EQD Talons would work well for what you want to achieve.

EDIT: Looks like Casavettes beat me to it!

[backwardsvoyager]

A transparent OD is what you want... I was gonna say Ele but you have one... Maybe even a Boss OD would work, a lot of those types of bands use mass market stuff and there is always plenty of Green and Orange pedals on their boards, also a lot just use amp dirt...

yeah you're totally right. the sound is 99% like telecasters into gainy marshall amps for a lot of these bands. i love the elements but if the noise floor isn't super low to start with it seems to just push it up for some reason and the feedback interferes with the note definition once i get to the amount of gain i want.

thanks for the talons suggestion dudes, i hadn't really looked into that one before. i like that it has a presence knob and can run at 18v. kayzer's demo makes it seems really tight, i can't tell if the gain character is exactly what i want because he tunes lower than i do and uses buckers, but it's promising.

[goroth]

Stack them. Use the elements as a cleanness to cut some bass going onto the mini, and maybe boost the mids a bit. Keep it roughly at unity.

Emma pisdiyauwot has brutally good note definition (and IMO sounds best as an overdrive!!). Though I traded up from a pisdiyauwot to the elements.

[leaves turn]

I associate note definition with compression. These bands use cranked amps -> tube compression?

[sonidero]

Yeah I was gonna ask if you had a compressor... Mid-light gain with compression and some eq will get you there...

[backwardsvoyager]

Stack them. Use the elements as a cleanness to cut some bass going onto the mini, and maybe boost the mids a bit. Keep it roughly at unity.

Emma pisdiyauwot has brutally good note definition (and IMO sounds best as an overdrive!!). Though I traded up from a pisdiyauwot to the elements.

I'll give that a try soon, cheers!

I associate note definition with compression. These bands use cranked amps -> tube compression?

Yeah I was gonna ask if you had a compressor... Mid-light gain with compression and some eq will get you there...

yeah that makes sense hey... I don't have a compressor right now. only ones i've used are vfe bumblebee (too noisy) and dyna comp (cool but not versatile enough, couldn't get the attack sounding right)
i was thinking of picking up the empress comp or a warden or maybe diamond comp at some point. HRMMMM.

[leaves turn]

In the last few years I've gone

multifx whatever -> keeley 4knob dynaclone -> philo king -> warden -> accountant -> philo king -> warden -> 280 reissue


I'm digging the 280 but kinda wish I'd've just stuck with the Accountant. Pad 2 // Ratio 0 // Volume to taste gave a nice biting attack to my Lace'd Jaguar without much limiting. Ovnilab guy likes it too. The King and Warden never had the kind of attack I was looking for.

The Boost Comp effect on the Line 6 M series seems cool for this stuff too, but I haven't explored it much as I like my compression first in the chain and I keep the M9 last for looping.

[jrmy]

EQD talons is great

[jrmy]

EQD talons is great

Also, I wonder if the Iron Ether QF2 would be good for this sorta thing - I haven't played one, but I've heard it's a "tight" sort of distortion, and the ability to dial in gain by individual chunks of the EQ spectrum would really allow you to dial in your attack...

[Doctor X]

what settings you using on the elements and mini?
because i would have thought that those 2 and the fairfield barbershop were the perfect drives to use, into clean amps.

i would say try either fairfield barbershop, or elements with clipping toggle centre/low gain toggle/maybe slight bass clipping depending on eqs/setup.
and/or mini with the bias at full clockwise (or backing it off till sweetspot), with the bass a little rolled off (about 2, depending on guitar/amp etc)

[Doctor X]

and depending on the output of pickups gain at noonish for both the elements and mini

[kbit]

That LITE video is sick.
/nothelping