To hear how it works, simply scroll down the page and select any instrument. The idea for this page was born in a discussion over dinner with my good friend Tony O'Doc, a music teacher, for the need of a more practical introduction to effects.
Effects often involve the use of delay circuits, and include such treatments as reverb and echo.
Brief FX history. Most of the time effects have been used in an attempt to improve the sound of music recording and performance. In the '60s, guitar amps started to feature tremolo, as well as the dreaded spring reverb, which produced some particularly unusual effects if the amp was placed anywhere near the drum kit. Then there came a period when effects were created by engineers using conventional studio equipment in unconventional ways. These tricks created tape echo, phasing, flanging and chorus effects, all produced by varying tape speeds and applying controlled feedback with varying degrees of success.