Gee, that's Swell...and Something Else

[turdadactyl]

Any ideas what effects are in front of this Supro starting around 1:28? Seems like maybe a slow gear and a delay. Thoughts?

Based on the muddy mess around 1:55 I'm thinking it could be a Prescription Experience.

[TejfolvonDanone]

It's just a reverse delay.

[Mark Hammer]

I'm inclined to agree that it is a reverse delay.  Normally, harmonic content is greatest at the start of a note, and quickly declines.  Swell pedals do not change harmonic content, unless the swell gradually overdrives something.  In this case, the amp does not appear to be overdriven, so it is a safe bet that the gradual onset of harmonic content we hear comes from reverse delay.

[turdadactyl]

I'm not so smart sometimes. It says Line 6 M9 right in the description. That has a reverse effect in it.

[TejfolvonDanone]

I'm inclined to agree that it is a reverse delay.  Normally, harmonic content is greatest at the start of a note, and quickly declines.  Swell pedals do not change harmonic content, unless the swell gradually overdrives something.  In this case, the amp does not appear to be overdriven, so it is a safe bet that the gradual onset of harmonic content we hear comes from reverse delay.

Also the reverse delay has a distinctive click sound at the end of each note (which was originally the pick attack).

[Mark Hammer]

Reverse delay has the tone that people want.  Unfortunately, the reverse sequence of notes is hard to plan out.  Swell pedals produce the notes you play in the order they are played, but lack the tonal qualities people want.

The ideal would be a swell effect that lets one get the notes you want, with the tone of a reverse delay.  To some extent one can achieve that by incorporating a swept filter and an overdrive circuit of some sort, such that the harmonic content increases over the course of a plucked note.  I don't think it would sound dead on, but it would certainly be much closer, and allow the player to plan out a solo in more intuitive fashion.  As it is, the stuff one gets out of a reverse delay is pretty much whatever the delay wants to do with what you feed it.  If the counterintuitive is your objective, you're in great shape.  But if you want something to come out a certain way, with certain timing, you're pretty much out of luck.

[turdadactyl]

Or do what Howard Leese did and write your solo to a reversed track of the song and then learn it the other way around.

[Mark Hammer]

Let's just say that George Benson or Pat Metheny could never sing along with their improvised solos if played through reverse delay. 

[turdadactyl]

It would be pretty damn impressive if they could.