Let’s get tapping (tap mode explored).

Tap and ramp modes explored.

We’re starting a new informative series where we explore the tap and ramp features of NativeAudio pedals. The tap and ramp modes have become foundational features to NativeAudio pedals, so we think it’s important to equip you with the knowledge on how to operate your tap/ramp pedal. By the end of this series, you’ll have a better understanding of how to operate NativeAudio pedals with the tap and ramp capabilities.

It's all tap talk from here.

Today’s blog is all about tap mode and next week, we’ll cover the ramp mode. In this blog, we’re going to learn what tap mode is, how to use it, the benefits, and what a tap tremolo sounds like in action.

What is tap mode?

For all NativeAudio pedals, tap mode offers the musician an easy way to connect their effect with the music around them by simply tapping the tempo of the music into their pedal.

How to use tap tempo.

All tap tempo pedals in the NativeAudio line come with the following controls:

• Tap switch. Labeled as control and is used to sync the pedal with the desired tempo.

• Division. Labeled with four musical notes that represent the four various tempo multipliers.

• Rate. Used to manually dial in the tempo or rate of the effect.

Setting the tempo is pretty easy. You tap the tempo of the music you’re trying to sync with onto the control switch, then the effect will automatically adjust its timing to the tempo you entered.

Each NativeAudio pedal with tap capability includes divisions and depending on the effect, the type of divisions offered will vary. The divisions are so you don’t break your foot on the quick tempos and so you can dial in the slow stuff without losing your count. Incorporating divisions into your tap routine is also easy. Set your preferred division, tap the tempo, then the pedal will do the math to adjust your tempo accordingly. It’s important to remember that the pedal reads your tapped tempo as quarter notes then does the math. For example, the tempo will be what you tapped in if you have the division set on quarter note, but the tempo will double on the eighth note setting.

What if you’re not too much of a tap dancer, then what do you do? We’ve thought hard about this one and didn’t want to leave anyone out. If you want to dial in the tempo manually, that’s where the rate control comes in handy. The rate control allows you to go old school and have the ability to manually dial in the tempo. How does it work? Turn that knob down for the slow stuff and turn it up for the fast stuff. Easy-peasy. Note that each NativeAudio pedal has its own custom rate range and sweep.

The benefits.

Now that we’ve explained how operate tap mode, what are the benefits of using a pedal that features tap capabilities? Tap mode is incredibly useful for situations where timing is key or where the tempo of the music varies.

If timing is crucial and you having something like a tremolo or delay that could heavily influence the band’s tempo, you’ll need tap on your side. Otherwise, you may be put into a situation where your effect is slightly out of time with the rest of the crew, causing some confusion with the band. In other situations where the band’s timing is could vary (i.e. you’re playing faster or slower than what your rehearsed), tap mode is perfect for adjusting on the fly.

Our final notes.

Whether you’ve been around the block and you’re an expert tap machine or you enjoy the simplicity of manually dialing in a rate, our tap pedals have options to customize the experience to your own journey. We hope that you’ve had an opportunity to see how tap mode frees you up so that you can focus on the music and not have to worry about turning knobs. If you ever have questions on tap, always feel free to drop us an email and we’d be happy to help!

Tap mode in action.

For our rig, we’re using a Fender Duo Sonic through a Fender Deluxe. We’ll start off with the Rising Sun in tap mode and manually dial in a range of tremolo speeds using the rate. Next, we’ll tap in a couple different tempos and demonstrate how the division knob adjusts each tempo tapped in. Enjoy!

Let’s make some noise!

Now that we’ve explored the possible, let’s go and create the impossible. Visit here for Rising Sun.