Grateful Dead Music Forum

Like others on the board, I'm interested in Jerry's Mu-Tron settings and how to get similar sounds out of newer envelope filters that are on the market. Since my rig is not Jerry's rig, I just have to use my ears and try to get a sound out of my rig that works for me. I personally dig his late-80's Mu-Tron sound, but without his gear (or fingers or heart or soul) I won't duplicate it exactly. His tone changed over the years (and even within one show such as changing from "down" on Dancin' to "up" on Fire on the Mountain for example), but there is enough consistency to work with that I can dial in something that makes me happy.

This may be incomplete or incorrect, but I came up with a of songs that will help to train my ears to his sound. I hope this list is helpful to others.

Shakedown Street
Fire on the Mountain
Estimated Prophet
Greatest Story Ever Told
Dancin’ in the Street (’77)
Feel Like a Stranger
Dupree’s Diamond Blues
Just a Little Light
Ramble on Rose (solo)

If anyone has corrections please let me know.

I find it impossible to get the tone I want out of envelope filters! Frustrating. I have played many, but use a Madbean Nautilus that I built. It sounds great, but is too ice picky when the filter peaks, and their is a big volume difference between off an on? The settings are soooooooooo sensitive! As with most EF's. I am going to start really using the tone knobs on my guitar to tame it. Just a difficult experience all around.

Chris

I found placing a volume pedal after the env. filter helps tame the volume dynamics of clean to pedal. That way you can send a strong signal to the pedal and tame it with volume control downstream. I use a Tru Tron. Works great. I use it with a guitar that has unity gain buffer obel now so I don't need the vol pedal anymore.

It seems like placing the volume pedal last in the effects chain accomplshes a lot of what the OBEL accomplishes at least in terms of how the volume can be modulated without affecting the dynamics of the effects. Interesting idea.

I use a volume pedal to compensate for lack of an obel. Overdrive and qtron before the volume to control their output when the guitar volume is wide open, delays after volume to get long smooth swells during spacier stuff without hearing each individual repeat.