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Chorus (or chorusing, choruser or chorused effect) is an audio effect that occurs when individual sounds with approximately the same time, and very similar pitches, converge. While similar sounds coming from multiple sources can occur naturally, as in the case of a
choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...
or string orchestra, it can also be simulated using an electronic
effects unit An effects unit or effects pedal is an electronic device that alters the sound of a musical instrument or other audio source through audio signal processing. Common effects include distortion/overdrive, often used with electric guitar in ...
or signal processing device. When the effect is produced successfully, none of the constituent sounds are perceived as being out of tune. It is characteristic of sounds with a rich, shimmering quality that would be absent if the sound came from a single source. The shimmer occurs because of beating. The effect is more apparent when listening to sounds that sustain for longer periods of time. The chorus effect is especially easy to hear when listening to a choir or string ensemble. A choir has multiple people singing each part (
alto The musical term alto, meaning "high" in Italian ( Latin: ''altus''), historically refers to the contrapuntal part higher than the tenor and its associated vocal range. In 4-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in choruse ...
, tenor, etc.). A string ensemble has multiple violinists and possibly multiples of other stringed instruments.


Acoustically created

Although most acoustic instruments cannot produce a chorus effect by themselves, some instruments (particularly,
chordophone String instruments, stringed instruments, or chordophones are musical instruments that produce sound from vibrating strings when a performer plays or sounds the strings in some manner. Musicians play some string instruments by plucking the s ...
s with multiple
courses Course may refer to: Directions or navigation * Course (navigation), the path of travel * Course (orienteering), a series of control points visited by orienteers during a competition, marked with red/white flags in the terrain, and corresponding ...
of strings) can produce it as part of their own design. The effect can make these acoustic instruments sound fuller and louder than by using a single tone generator (b.e.: a single vibrating string or a reed). Some examples: *Piano – Each hammer strikes a
course Course may refer to: Directions or navigation * Course (navigation), the path of travel * Course (orienteering), a series of control points visited by orienteers during a competition, marked with red/white flags in the terrain, and corresponding ...
of multiple strings tuned to nearly the same pitch (for all notes except the bass notes). Professional piano tuners carefully control the mistuning of each string to add movement without losing clarity. However, in some poorly-cared instruments (like the honky-tonk pianos), the effect is more prominent. * Santur (and similar coursed- hammered dulcimers) – As well as on the piano, the player can strike (by using a pair of manual hammers instead) a
course Course may refer to: Directions or navigation * Course (navigation), the path of travel * Course (orienteering), a series of control points visited by orienteers during a competition, marked with red/white flags in the terrain, and corresponding ...
of multiple strings tuned to nearly the same pitch. As the instrument is frequently tuned by the musicians themselves (rather than by professional tuners), the chorus effect is more easily heard than on the piano. * 12-string guitar,
bajo sexto Bajo sexto (Spanish: "sixth bass") is a Mexican string instrument from the guitar family with 12 strings in six double courses. A closely related instrument is the bajo quinto (Spanish: "fifth bass") which has 10 strings in five double courses ...
and Greek bouzouki – Courses with pairs of strings, tuned in octaves and unisons, create a distinctive complex shimmer. In the 12-string guitar, this effect is often accentuated by the use of open and modal tunings, such as open-G and
DADGAD , or Celtic tuning is an alternative guitar tuning most associated with Celtic music, though it has also found use in rock, folk, metal and several other genres. Instead of the standard tuning () the six guitar strings are tuned, from low to high, ...
. *
Colombian tiple The Colombian tiple (in Spanish: ''tiple'', pronounced: ''tee-pleh''), is a plucked string instrument of the guitar family, common in Colombia where it is considered one of the national instruments. About three-fourths the size of a classical ...
,
guitarrón chileno The Guitarrón Chileno (literally: "large Chilean guitar") is a guitar-shaped plucked string instrument from Chile, with 25 or 24 (rarely) strings. Its primary contemporary use is as the instrumental accompaniment for the traditional Chilean gen ...
and tricordia – Courses of 3 (or more) strings, tuned in octaves and unisons, create a more complex shimmer and a fuller effect. * Mandolin, lute and oud – Courses with pairs of identically-tuned strings, as opposed to octaves and unisons on the 12-string guitar. * Accordion – two or three reed blocks tuned to nearly the same pitch, but with one a bit sharp, produce a unique and distinctive "musette" sound exclusive to the accordion, colloquially called a "wet" sound. *
Pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ''ranks' ...
– The '' voix céleste'' r.(heavenly voice) is an organ stop consisting of either one or two ranks of pipes slightly out of tune. The term ''celeste'' refers to a rank of pipes detuned slightly so as to produce a beating effect when combined with a normally tuned rank. It is also used to refer to a compound stop of two or more ranks in which at the ranks are detuned relative to each other. However, while the open strings of a standard-tuned guitar (or any single-stringed instrument like ukuleles, banjos, etc.) can't produce any chorus effect, it can also be obtained by the use of
alternative tunings Guitar tunings are the assignment of pitches to the open strings of guitars, including acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and classical guitars. Tunings are described by the particular pitches that are made by notes in Western music. By ...
(such as the unisons-and-octaves-only " ostrich tuning" by Lou Reed); by playing chords or fingerings with "redundant" notes (like playing the open high E string and the same "E" note on the 5th fret of the B string); and/or by using extended techniques like bending while playing a note (like playing the 5th fret on the 2nd string and, simultaneously, playing a full-tone bending in the 7th fret on the 3rd string). Ensembles of instruments and voices can produce a natural chorus effect, such as with a string orchestra or
choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...
.


Electronic effect

The chorus effect can be simulated by a range of electronic and digital
effects unit An effects unit or effects pedal is an electronic device that alters the sound of a musical instrument or other audio source through audio signal processing. Common effects include distortion/overdrive, often used with electric guitar in ...
s and signal processing equipment, including software effects. The signal processor may be software running on a computer, software running in a digital effect processor, or an analog effect processor. If the processor is hardware-based, it may be packaged as a pedal, a
rack-mount A 19-inch rack is a standardized frame or enclosure for mounting multiple electronic equipment modules. Each module has a front panel that is wide. The 19 inch dimension includes the edges or "ears" that protrude from each side of the equ ...
module, a table-top device, built into an instrument amplifier (often an acoustic guitar amplifier or an electric guitar amplifier), or even built into some electronic instruments, such as synthesizers, electronic pianos and Hammond organs. The effect is achieved by taking an audio signal and mixing it with one or more delayed copies of itself. The pitch of the added voices is typically modulated by an LFO, which is implemented similarly to a flanger, except with longer delays and without feedback. In the case of the synthesizer, the effect can be achieved by using multiple, slightly detuned oscillators for each note, or by passing all the notes played through a separate electronic chorus circuit. Stereo chorus effect processors produce the same effect, but it is varied between the left and right channels by offsetting the delay or phase of the LFO. The effect is thereby enhanced because sounds are produced from multiple locations in the stereo field. Used on instruments like "clean" (undistorted) electric guitar and keyboards, it can yield very dreamy or ambient sounds. Commercial chorus effect devices often include controls that enable them to be used to also produce delay, reverberation, or other related effects that use similar hardware, rather than exclusively as chorus effects. In spite of the name, most electronic chorus effects do not accurately emulate the acoustic ensemble effect. Instead, they create a constantly moving electronic shimmer. Some pitch shift pedals create a slightly detuned unison effect which is more similar to the acoustic chorus sound.


Notable electronic chorus devices

Although the electronic chorus effect can be obtained by the multiple ways mentioned above, some devices have acquired a high status among musicians, especially in the "effect pedal" form. * Boss CE-1 – Released in 1976, it was one of the first chorus effect pedals commercially available, based on the same circuit from the
Roland Jazz Chorus Roland Jazz Chorus is the name given to a series of solid-state instrument amplifiers produced by the Roland Corporation in Japan since 1975. Its name comes from its built-in analog chorus effect. The Jazz Chorus series became increasingly popular ...
amplifier. It was originally conceived for keyboard and synthesizer players, but guitarists have utilized it as well, like John Frusciante ( Red Hot Chili Peppers). * Boss CE-2 – A smaller pedal (in the standard Boss enclosure) than the CE-1, and a popular choice for guitarists during the 1980s. * Electro-Harmonix Small Clone – Used by
Kurt Cobain Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – April 5, 1994) was an American musician who served as the lead vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter of the rock band Nirvana. Through his angst-fueled songwriting and anti-establishment persona ...
(
Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lamp Richard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colomb ...
). * TC Electronic Stereo Chorus.


Examples

Some examples of the use of "obviously chorused guitar tracks" include Red Hot Chili Peppers' " Soul to Squeeze" (0:00), Fripp & Eno's " Evensong" (0:37),
Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lamp Richard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colomb ...
's " Come As You Are" (0:00, clearest at 0:48), Mike Stern's "Swunk" (0:00), and Satellite Party's "Mr. Sunshine" (0:19, right channel).Hodgson, Jay (2010). ''Understanding Records'', p.143. . The chorus effect was also a prominent hallmark of guitarist Andy Summers ("The Police"; Tracks: "Don't Stand so Close to Me", "Walking on The Moon", "Every Breath You Take").


See also

* Bass chorus * Flanging * Leslie speaker * List of music software * Overdubbing * Phaser (effect) * Phasing * Shepard tone * Wave interference *
Resonance Resonance describes the phenomenon of increased amplitude that occurs when the frequency of an applied periodic force (or a Fourier component of it) is equal or close to a natural frequency of the system on which it acts. When an oscil ...


Sources


Further reading

* *


External links


P.A.S. – Boss Chorus EnsembleChorus effect sound samplesBrief History of ChorusChorus Pedals By Type
{{Music production Audio effects