Wah-wah

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Wah-wah pedal from BOSS

Wah-Wah (pronounced like "uah-uah") is an electronic effects device that is primarily used to influence the sound of an electric guitar . The term "wah-wah" describes onomatopoeic sound of the induced effect. The effect was originally created purely acoustically in wind instruments by means of a hollow body ( plunger damper ) placed over the sound opening .

functionality

The "wah-wah" effect is generated by a sound filter , which is technically described as a bandpass with a resonance peak. The special effect is achieved by shifting the frequency of the resonance peak back and forth in the spectrum.

The bandpass filter was originally adopted from communications technology in electronic music .

In the classic version, the frequency of the resonance peak is controlled by means of a pedal. The instrumentalist still has his hands free to play. The entire circuit is housed in the pedal housing. The pedal position is recorded by a special component, which influences the resonance frequency through a variable parameter. Mostly it is a rack operated potentiometer . There are construction variants in which instead of the potentiometer, an inductance (coil) that can be detuned via a movable core or a photo resistor is used. The latter is influenced by a system consisting of a light source and an adjustable shutter ( light barrier ). The technical design has no influence on the sound. The height of the resonance peak and the range of variation of the resonance frequency determine the sound. With some wah-wah pedals, the quality "Q" of the filter can be changed, which enables further sound variations. In the original design, the pedal-controlled component is located directly in the signal-processing path. Due to mechanical wear and dust deposits, constructions with potentiometers tend to scratchy noise in the output signal over time. This problem is avoided with the controllable inductance or the light barrier. In more recent designs, the resonance frequency is changed indirectly by a control voltage, so it is a VCF (Voltage Controlled Filter) that is part of every synthesizer .

Since it is regulated by a control voltage, such a VCF can do without a pedal; if the control is dependent on the input level, it is called an auto-wah or touch-wah . It is only controlled by the strength of the attack, this effect is typical for the funk music style. A time-dependent control is often implemented in these effects, as occurs in flanger, chorus or tremolo effects. The resonance frequency moves up and down in a previously set interval.

The combination of two options also enables the simulation of vowels.

Prominent wah-wah users were electric guitarists David Gilmour , Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton in the 1960s and 1970s. In the 1990s, the wah-wah pedal also found its way into heavy metal, for example with Kirk Hammett from Metallica and Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine . The effect was also used to influence the sound of electric pianos , heard for example by Joe Zawinul in Weather Report in the play Black Market (1975-1976). It is particularly typical for funk, where it is used by electric guitar , electric bass and electronic organ , for example heard in the music of the band Funkadelic .

Today the effect is used less intensively, among other things in different styles of pop music . Roy Buchanan achieved a wah-wah-like effect by adjusting the tone and volume controls on his Fender Telecaster with his ring and little finger.

Famous pieces of music with the wah-wah effect

Well-known wah types

  • Vox Clyde McCoy 848 - A classic from the 1960s: it was the wah-wah pedal that Jimi Hendrix mainly used.
  • Jim Dunlop Cry Baby (in different versions) - the wah-wah, which among others Eric Clapton and Slash use.
  • Mutron III - Auto-Wah, used for example by Stevie Wonder (keyboards) and Bootsy Collins (electric bass).
  • Electro-Harmonix Q-Tron - Auto-Wah, based on the Mutron III .
  • Ibanez WH10 - legendary wah pedal that is no longer in production and for which higher amounts are paid on the used market. Used by guitarist John Frusciante , among others .

Audio sample

Audio sample: Undistorted electric guitar with wah-wah ? / iAudio file / audio sample

literature

  • Michael Dickreiter: Handbook of the recording studio technology. 6th edition, KG Saur Verlag KG, Munich, 1997, ISBN 3-598-11320-X

swell

  1. ^ The Boss Book: The Ultimate Guide to the World's Most Popular Compact Effects for Guitar, Hal Leonard Corporation, 2002
  2. ^ Hannes Fricke: Myth guitar: history, interpreters, great hours. Reclam, Stuttgart 2013, ISBN 978-3-15-020279-1 , p. 39.
  3. ↑ Led Zeppelin - Dazed & Confused ( Memento of November 5, 2010 in the Internet Archive ); London, March 25, 1969

Web links

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