How fast should amp tremolo be?

[homesick345]

Really? Should it be like DRRRRRRRRR ......OR DUD-DUD-DUD-DUD........ or DUUM - DUUM - DUUM -

Does it depend on the song? I don't think so. Magic Sam had always this same trem speed whenever he used trem on any of his songs

What's the philosophy on amp trem. (I love the sound of a good amp trem or pedal)

[BobbyZ]

I think the right setting is up to you.
Also a lot of guys mod amps to slow the trem down a bit.

[homesick345]

Ok thanks Bobby. I ususally use intermediate to slow speed - but there is lately this jingle on Baby TV (my sons' favourite). It's a really fast tremolo ending chord. I'm sure it's a Line6 or so - but it does sound cool that way (fast).... Then I heard that french song this morning on my way to work - French song but it had some vintage guitar tones - again; fast rates tremolo.

[Arbiter]

Whatever floats your boat. Speaking of, does anyone make a trem pedal that has tap tempo? Seems to me like that would be a really great thing to have.

[uriah1]

+Yea, what you need.
Listen to Tab Benoit version of "spell on you'

[Justinvs]

WwHhYy DdOo YyOoUu AaSsKk?_?_?

[Big John]

Originally Posted by Arbiter

Whatever floats your boat. Speaking of, does anyone make a trem pedal that has tap tempo? Seems to me like that would be a really great thing to have.

Now there's a great idea !!

FWIW if I'm in the studio I'll try to match it with the song tempo (8's or swung whatever is required) but on stage I'll try to use a 'one size fits all' speed, it's down to you and your ears :-)

[Ricky D.]

Magic Sam may not have had a speed control for his.

Seriously, just set it so it sounds right to you. What else could you do?

[Frontier9]

Originally Posted by Arbiter

Whatever floats your boat. Speaking of, does anyone make a trem pedal that has tap tempo? Seems to me like that would be a really great thing to have.

I think it might be cool (and far easier than a tap tempo circuit to build) to put a trem pedal in a wah housing with the pedal controlled pot adjusting the speed setting. Maybe have an LED blinking the pulse rate so you can make adjustments silently...

[bossking7]

Originally Posted by Frontier9

I think it might be cool (and far easier than a tap tempo circuit to build) to put a trem pedal in a wah housing with the pedal controlled pot adjusting the speed setting. Maybe have an LED blinking the pulse rate so you can make adjustments silently...

+1

[J-man]

Trem speed should be a multiple of the song's tempo, IMO.

[basher]

For playing stuff with actual melodic content, I think setting the tremolo faster than the tempo is better than slower. Viz. Crimson and Clover, Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down), etc. Setting it slower than the tempo gets you more in the territory of special effects -- like striking long shimmery chords that hang in the sky over the song like fireworks.

[Revv23]

Originally Posted by Frontier9

I think it might be cool (and far easier than a tap tempo circuit to build) to put a trem pedal in a wah housing with the pedal controlled pot adjusting the speed setting. Maybe have an LED blinking the pulse rate so you can make adjustments silently...

Oooh awesome! Like flipping a leslie from fast to slow to fast!

[ledet]

I like my trem on the slow, soft side. Then again I mostly use it for slow songs.

FWIW Empress makes a tremolo pedal with tap tempo. I'm sure there are others out there as well.
The new Strymon Flint can be used with an external tap tempo pedal or expression pedal for speed (or any other parameter).

[Frontier9]

Originally Posted by Revv23

Oooh awesome! Like flipping a leslie from fast to slow to fast!

Well, my idea was to have a pedal that was easy to adjust on the fly, but your idea would be cool, too. It might sound more like a Leslie if you used the guts from a Danelectro Chicken Salad Vibrato Pedal, though...

[homesick345]

Originally Posted by Big John

Now there's a great idea !!

FWIW if I'm in the studio I'll try to match it with the song tempo (8's or swung whatever is required) but on stage I'll try to use a 'one size fits all' speed, it's down to you and your ears :-)

I'm sure eventide mod factor. What a bitchin pedal...

[Revv23]

Fwiw i always have my eh wiggler on with the intensity on about 15% and 4 warbles a second. Adds a ton of mojo to the sound and many times i dont even know its on.

[telex76]

Originally Posted by J-man

Trem speed should be a multiple of the song's tempo, IMO.

+1, that's how it sounds best to me.

[Crawfish]

Originally Posted by Arbiter

Whatever floats your boat. Speaking of, does anyone make a trem pedal that has tap tempo? Seems to me like that would be a really great thing to have.

Here you go.

http://www.catalinbread.com/semaphore

[jmontgomery]

Originally Posted by Arbiter

Whatever floats your boat. Speaking of, does anyone make a trem pedal that has tap tempo? Seems to me like that would be a really great thing to have.

My Diamond Tremolo has tap tempo. It sounds amazing and is really easy to use all the options. The Eventide Modfactor and the Empress tremolo also have tap tempo.