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RAPCOHORIZON SHOWS UPDATED VOLUME CONTROL CABLE

AT NAMM 2018

Connector Allows Performers to Adjust Volume for Improved Sound Control on Stage

  RapcoHorizon, the manufacturer of the music industry’s best cables, snakes and pro audio solutions, will be showcasing an update to the Volume Control Cable (V-Cable) at NAMM 2018 (Booth #11610). The updated V-Cable is equipped with a new muting function…

By Erik Jarvis 

A pedal is only as effective as the player using it. That being said, many of us have had our potentially righteous tones shackled by crappy gear. I’m a very low-maintenance performer, and I rarely use / purchase new effects toys. When I am looking into a new unit, I want it to be durable, versatile, and of course bring me a new sonic palette. Pro Co Sound’s RAT pedals have long been popular, and their new FATRAT box retains this level of excellence and so much more.

I first used the FATRAT on my bass. I had been rehearsing a song that is supposed to crank up a notch at the second verse, and the guitar boost wasn’t doing it. With the FATRAT, I was able to make the bass tone more full and crunchy without overpowering the vocals.

Less-worthy distortion pedals present problems balancing the volume and tone. For instance, to get a tone that doesn’t sound wimpy and overly-processed, the volume has to be pretty cranked, and then the dynamic difference between the clean and driven is too apparent.

The FATRAT avoids this dilemma with its circuit switches and filter knob. Honoring their past models, Pro Co Sound included a toggle between “stock” and “fat” distortion, and between the “stock” and “MOSFET” volume. For this bass purpose, I opted to use the fat distortion, which boosts the low-end, and the stock volume. Because of the clear, weighty tone generated by the distortion, I didn’t need to add too much presence with the filter knob. Remember, bass needs to be felt as much as it’s heard.

Playing keyboard primarily, I decided to give the box a run with my Rhodes. The result was spectacular. When run through a tube amp, the Rhodes can already generate a warm, overdriven tone. But the FATRAT brought an astonishing level of depth and nuance to the sound. One of my biggest hesitations in using too many effects is that I’ll lose the original sound of the instrument. Fuzzing out the Rhodes with the FATRAT gave me more control through its velocity response. If I play fairly softly, the distortion sits back nicely, and is almost nonexistent. If I hammer at it like Thelonious Punk I can achieve a dirty sound that almost starts to modulate.

Lastly, I plugged in my mid-grade Stratocaster. As I stated earlier, I want my effects units to have diverse uses. I also want effects to enhance creativity, rather than substitute a lack of creativity. Within minutes of hooking up my guitar I came up with six or seven riffs for a track I have in preproduction. If there’s a distortion pedal that provides a tone that’s both heavy and soft, this is it. My sound was crunchy as can be, but the pedal did not mask the tube warmth or single coil pickups. Almost like a nice tape machine, the FATRAT provided depth and character.