Kevin (Sutekh Hexen)
SPB: Walk us through Sutekh Hexen’s setup.
[Here] is a sketch and quick video clip of the primary noise setup that I have used in Sutekh Hexen 2010-present.
This sketch represents the absolute base setup. Various distortions, delays, or reverbs are switched out depending on what we're going to do. It has been an integral part of my setup and remains adaptable for studio recordings or live as needed. I almost exclusively focus on playing guitar for live, so Ryan (synth/electronics/vocals) and Mack (modular synth/electronics) fortify our live sound with a larger and much more dynamic range of sonic output in addition to their essential roles.
The mixer itself is pretty key to control the bass, treble, mid, etc. It should be noted that two of the effects are custom effects by my friend Jeff, who was one of the lead architects for Apple's iCloud technology (pretty wild). He is a really bright guy and into similar interests, just not metal or anything darker/cold/evil; he has been an awesome friend in helping develop and customize these things. This would not have been possible without his engineering, generosity and support.
1) Custom Noise Generator - Inspired by electromagnetic fluctuation data that was captured by NASA wind satellites and then converted to sound. I have two versions of this concept, this refers to the latest version. The three knobs from L-R are: impact, tone, and sustain. Variances of this effect has been used or sampled and applied in nearly everything that Sutekh Hexen has recorded and released. There are two triggers: one is activation and the other is a "sports announcer switch" ...essentially a tension toggle that allows me to "glitch" the signal when active by holding or tapping.
2) Octave/Fuzz - Was created for me years ago when I wanted to consolidate multiple effects and this was the result. I honestly do not think we could duplicate this one because I think some of the parts, like the transistors, are no longer in production. The three knobs from L-R for this are: volume, tone, and sustain. Similar to the noise generator but something you could actually plug a guitar into and get audible results. I use it live for Eye of The Quill (main riff) and segues... it's amazing.
