Aside from setting the volume level of your instrument, volume pedals are great for volume-swell effects. Typically, a volume pedal set in the toe-forward position is full-volume and in the heel-down position is muted or off. Some volume pedals, such as the Boss FV-500, have a minimum volume control that when adjusted, allows the heel-down position to still be audible. The fact that it’s a knob allows you to raise the audible level of the heel-down position as high as you wish. Riding a volume pedal while performing a part can be tricky because you’re always looking for the audible “sweet spot” in the performance and the minimum volume control can help fine-tune your fade-ins and swells.

For example, if the sound you’re using is rising up and down in the mix, never going to a complete shut-off, finding the proper minimum volume setting will allow you to use the entire throw of the pedal. That way, you won’t have to search for the exact spot each time you rise and fall; use the whole length of the throw and have one less thing to concentrate on while you’re trying to nail a performance.

Another way to use the minimum volume control would be during swell effects that use a sound with a lot of ambience, such as reverb and delay. If the volume pedal is in the signal chain before the reverb and delay, your original signal is swelling into the ambient sound. Controlling the rate at which the swell audibly peaks is the goal of this type of effect. The ambient sound takes longer to fade out so you’re swelling into the fade of the previous note or chord. Setting the minimum volume level above the “zero point” again allows for less error and gets into the swell quicker. Also, the overall perceived level of your instrument is determined by the sum of the original signal and the ambient sound combined so with the ambience swirling, shutting the volume completely off may not be necessary to make effective swells.

Volume pedals can add dynamics to your performance and a minimum volume control can aid in finding the right expression.

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How to Use the Minimum Volume Control on a Volume Pedal

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