Mention an octaver to a musician, especially a guitarist, and you're heading for a conversation about Hendrix.
It can be used for other styles. So here's a quick trick for writing funk. Forget the bass when you start. I half-expected to get lynched, but bear with me, at least until the end.
Background
I like the old P-funk of Funkadelic and Parliament. I think what made me hear it more was the inclusion of a distorted guitar in a funk show. This was often played in sync with the bass guitar.
Setting the groove
Find a sparse drum track. You want big drums (not 80s soft rock big though). Make sure it's a tight loop. Set it to loop as your background track. Now remove the click track if you've got one. You'll play better this way.
Setting up the guitar
We'll get the distorted guitar set-up first. That'll be a distorted guitar from the 70s, maybe even a distorted DI from the 80s. Keep the speaker simulation to a minimum. We're not looking for a modern hi-gain sound here so go for a raw guitar sound.
Next add an octaver effect. I've had better results recently with it placed after the amplifier/amplifier plug-in, but normally I'd place pitch effects before the pre-amp.
Set the octaver so it adds a note one octave (12 notes) below the signal.
Roll the tape
Now play and record. Use an extended pentatonic scale (i.e. blues scale with a few additional notes) to get started. The p-funk guitars had lots of semi-tone intervals.
Fill it Out
Add a second guitar with a modulation effect, most commonly a subtle phaser playing rhythmic, strummed part-chords.
Finish it off
I've added a club-type reverb to bond the 3 instruments tracks together, aiming for a live club feel.
Make it more complex
You could add the octaver as a send instead of a insert, allowing to mix the levels better and potentially (depending on the quality of the octaver effect) retain the character of the original signal with more clarity.
Make it more authentic
Put on the star-shaped shades, pick up the bass and record the part properly. The octaver gives you an easy way gets you started in the groove, but it really should be done with a bass.
Part of a series by Award Sounds offering a selection of creative ideas to kick-start or rejuvenate a composition.