Other Effects
There are even more effects you can use! The most common basic effects are covered here, but feel free to experiment with other effects now that you have a good idea of what the parameters do.
Distortion
Remember how we said that overloading a circuit is bad? Well, most of the time it is, but ask any guitar player and he will tell you that distortion is good. Distortion amplifies the incoming signal wildly, letting it distort, but this doesn't incur “bad” clipping like overloading a recording channel does. When you overload a recording channel, you ruin the recording; distortion gives the effect of overloading a circuit on a guitar amp. It can make for an interesting effect when used. It's a great way to add “dirt” to a sound.
Delay
Delay is a simple effect that copies your signal and re-creates it, only it does so at a specified interval after you play. This can range from short delays of milliseconds to long delays of many seconds. A short delay will thicken up a track much as a chorus will. A long delay can have many musical possibilities. If you set the delay right, it will follow you around, playing back what you played. Delay has long been a favorite of guitar and keyboard players. Try it on your tracks to see how it sounds.
Noise Reduction
Noise reduction is one of those amazing effects that you can't live without once you've used it. Unlike a gate that limits noise when you're not playing, a noise reducer listens to the signal and gets rid of all unwanted noise. Hums and hisses? Gone. Crackles and pops? Gone. Simply talking about iZotope's RX plug-in can't possibly convey how amazing it is. These tools are able to not only take out noises, but also repair audio. If you find yourself recording in less than ideal situations, you'll want to check out RX.
Figure 16-5: iZotope's RX noise reduction plug-in
