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 Stratus Takes On: Soul

How to achieve a classic R&B and Neo-R&B sound

• The order of effects is completely up to you; so experiment with the arrangement to find your tone. Your guitar/amp and set up will slightly effect the sound, but nothing crazy.

• As a starting place, you can put the effects in order of: Compression, Overdrive, Wah, Reverb. For knob values, refer to our settings shown in the picture above, but feel free to adjust knobs to your own taste.

• Modulation pedals like an auto-wah will accentuate your sound by modifying more of your signal chain when placed towards the end. Reverb can sometimes make the sound a little muddled, so if you want something more crisp try a delay instead (like Mariner)! Don't be afraid to try both separately and see which you like better.

• The auto-wah helps shape the sound into Neo-R&B, giving it a futuristic shimmer. To transition closer to classic R&B, just remove the auto-wah. Et voila!

• This is a simple example board to get you started, and can of course be altered to fit your vision for the sound. For accompanying chords, check out this video.

Genre expert, Gene Caberra, demonstrates the sound we aimed to achieve with this instructional in this video. Preset provided by Chandler, Guitarist/Bassist for Dance Around The Issues.

Where in the World 🌎 

Share your artistry with us! Send us a photo or a song of yours using Stratus and we will feature it in the newsletter.

When reflecting on what is most fulfilling as a music teacher, Matthew says: "The most fulfilling part is that in Tobago where I grew up, here is where I had my start learning, performing, and producing music and I have the opportunity to share my experiences and be as a mentor to other aspiring musicians on the island."

Poll 🗳

Okay now for a fun poll!

If there is something in particular you'd like to see from us, please share! I'm Kyla, a real person that wrote this for you and I take your suggestions seriously. You can reply to this email with feedback or if you just want to say something. :-)

Have a great February! Talk to you soon!