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The Talkbox FAQ

II. Example Sounds A talkbox can sound like a wah-wah pedal, a triggered Y-filter, a flanger, a phaser, a vocorder, a robotic voice like that used in old sci-fi movies, or any combination of the above. What makes the sound so cool is that it adds another dimension to the guitarist's arsenal of riffs. And it sure looks cool on stage when you use it! Audiences love showmanship, and the talkbox is about as showy as you can get. The sample sounds below are in mp3 format, recorded in mono and sampled at 32KHz to keep the file sizes reasonable for download purposes. You can play them with the free Windows Media Player from Microsoft or other utility. Incidentally, the sound files were converted from WAV to mp3 by the free Blade Encoder, which you can find at http://bladeenc.mp3.no/. funk.mp3 (55K) - Funky rhythm with lead. Note the wah-like comping at the beginning and the ow-ow-ow ending that is easily done with the talkbox. If done with a wah pedal, your ankle would be pretty sore after that one! slow.mp3 (100K) - The talkbox lends a moody sound to arpeggios. This effect sounds like a cross between a wah and a flanger. prayer.mp3 (18K) - This is reminiscent of the intro to a particular Bon Jovi song. You can only get this particular effect with a talkbox. tapping.mp3 (40K) - The talkbox lends extra texture when finger tapping. thatsall.mp3 (14K) - "That's all" using double stops (B and high-E strings). ending.mp3 (17K) - The talkbox adds a little extra modulation to a well-traveled ending riff. Of course, the lead vocalist yells out "good night!" after the riff. This is almost guaranteed to get you an encore. New! Visit this site to hear two recorded examples of Danelectro's new Free Speech talkbox effect!

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