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What does Syn do in So Far Away?

Sayonil Mitra

Free Bird Player
Nov 11, 2019
676
280
In the first half of the song, sometimes a note has a high pitched, shrieking tail end to it. It sounds like some artificial harmony but I am not sure. I really love that vibe, let’s say, the aftertaste of those notes in that solo. I am clueless about how to do it, how to bring out that tone? Help Please. To point out what I am exactly looking for, go to 2:06 or 5:20
 
J

Jak Angelescu

Guest
At 2:06 it’s a volume swell I think with a hell of a lot of feedback. Normally with high gain and reverb you can do something like that. Sometimes I do it on accident but I notice it’s only when I have really high gain and good reverb. And at 5:20 he’s doing a vibrato and controlling it enough to where when held out, feedback starts. It takes a lot of gain and reverb.
I may not be 100% right but I only have these suggestions as this effect has happened to me on accident when I’ve turned on more reverb and higher gain, rolled back on the bass and mids just a little and allowed the feedback to happen.
 

idssdi

Sold-out Crowd Surfer
Nov 11, 2019
5,336
6,754
Groningen
11
@Sayonil that’s usually what I think too but for whatever reason people seem to be able to do it anyway so maybe experimenting a bit works. It does seem to be pretty easy to let strats feedback when you use enough gain(a sustainiac basically creates feedback)
 

Ed Seith

Supreme Galactic Overlord
Staff member
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  • Nov 11, 2019
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    The one at 2:06 is a natural harmonic hit with the bar depressed, and then allowed to return to pitch. At 5:20, a regular note is fading out, but generating a feedback loop. This is done with high gain and high volume (in-room) – this cannot be done with headphones or direct input, and it also can’t be done if you’re using a drop pedal or similarly using signal processing to alter pitch. It is the result of a vibration being produced by the guitar, amplified through the amp and speaker, and that output going back into the guitar’s pickup. It can be accomplished at lower volumes by holding the guitar with the pickup close to and facing the speaker cone you’re pushing sound through.
    This can be done with a Sustainiac, but that is by NO MEANS required, and you will definitely be able to do it with a Strat, as long as you’re playing with high gain and at a good in-room volume.
     

    Ed Seith

    Supreme Galactic Overlord
    Staff member
    Legend+
  • Nov 11, 2019
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    The feedback at 5:20, I always interpreted how Syn cuts that note off sharply when it was just “getting good” to be metaphorical for Jimmy’s life. That ending was what made me believe that Syn was doing more than just noodling wickedly and that he was really putting deep thought into a lot of what he did.
    For whatever that’s worth.
     

    Sayonil Mitra

    Free Bird Player
    Nov 11, 2019
    676
    280
    Thanks Ed. I really did not think of the interpretation you came up with, about Syn cutting of the note. Ya, it makes perfect sense. It is surprising that, even after listening to a song 100 times, we can miss certain aspects of thought process of the artist behind the song.That was superb observation Ed.
    As far as the technical stuff you said, I will keep that in mind. I will try and see how much feedback I can manage to get.