Question: What is the difference between tremolo and vibe?

[td2243]

Like the title says, what is the difference between tremolo and vibe? They both sound so similar to me that I don't really know the difference. Do they serve the same purpose? Please enlighten me. :huh

[smallstoner]

Tremolo is volume oscillation. Vibrato is pitch oscillation.

This distinction has been royally muddied by Fender, which called the tremolo effect on their amps "vibrato" and then called the vibrato units on their guitars "tremolo".

[AXXA]

Another way to put it could be tremolo is amplitude modulation and vibrato is pitch modulation.

[reverendfrankie]

Another way to put it could be tremolo is amplitude modulation and vibrato is pitch modulation.

Reminds me of radio
AM = Amplitude Modulation
FM = Frequency Modulation

Now back to your regularly scheduled programming

Rev.

[AXXA]

Reminds me of radio
AM = Amplitude Modulation
FM = Frequency Modulation

Now back to your regularly scheduled programming

Rev.

Indeed, another good way to say it! Let's further confuse the OP and think of even more names!


All joking aside, a very simple way to describe the actual sounds is tremolo sounds like the volume is moving up and down, and vibrato sounds like the pitch is moving up and down, much like doing actual vibrato with your finger would sound.

[td2243]

That totally makes sense. The thing that sparked this was a YouTube video for the bear foot FX Mint Green Mini Vibe and it sounded like a trem to me. Maybe I need to give it another listen and listen for pitch modulation.

It doesnt help that a tremolo bar on a guitar changes pitch and not volume.

[cosmodog]

It doesnt help that a tremolo bar on a guitar changes pitch and not volume.

It's actually a vibrato bar. As stated above, you can thank Leo Fender for confusing everyone :)

[td2243]

so, to take this one step further. How is rotary different than trem and vibe?

[5cent]

but "vibes" are generally not vibrato pedals.

tremolo = amplitude modulation
vibrato = pitch modulation
vibe = phase modulation (and maybe a bit of amplitude/pitch mod in there as well). the name comes from the Uni-Vibe pedal which was a poor 1960s attempt to capture the "rotary" sound. it then became a desired sound itself, due almost exclusively to Hendrix's use of it.
rotary = a simulation of a leslie rotating speaker, which spins around and creates (acoustically) amplitude, phase, and pitch modulation.

[cj_wattage]

but "vibes" are generally not vibrato pedals.

tremolo = amplitude modulation
vibrato = pitch modulation
vibe = phase modulation (and maybe a bit of amplitude/pitch mod in there as well)
rotary = a simulation of a leslie rotating speaker, which spins around and creates (acoustically) amplitude, phase, and pitch modulation.

Spot on!

Vibrato is pretty much just pitch bend. If it sounds a lot like a tremolo but with pitch bending, it's a "vibe". And that's really just another way to say tremo-phase with a bit of pitch bend.

[smallstoner]

Spot on!

Vibrato is pretty much just pitch bend. If it sounds a lot like a tremolo but with pitch bending, it's a "vibe". And that's really just another way to say tremo-phase with a bit of pitch bend.

True, I should have noted that. "Vibe" can be short for a simple vibrato effect, but most often in the guitar context it refers to the Uni-Vibe and its many descendants which sound, as described above. Most "vibe" pedals are Uni-Vibe types, I'd guess.

[AXXA]

As others have said, vibe does often refer to univibe instead of vibrato, but univibes have 2 modes: chorus and vibrato! The chorus mode is the famous univibe sound, but the other mode is a true pitch shifting vibrato. And the chorus mode sounds nothing like a typical chorus effect, just to make it more confusing.

[Clean Channel]

but "vibes" are generally not vibrato pedals.

tremolo = amplitude modulation
vibrato = pitch modulation
vibe = phase modulation (and maybe a bit of amplitude/pitch mod in there as well). the name comes from the Uni-Vibe pedal which was a poor 1960s attempt to capture the "rotary" sound. it then became a desired sound itself, due almost exclusively to Hendrix's use of it.
rotary = a simulation of a leslie rotating speaker, which spins around and creates (acoustically) amplitude, phase, and pitch modulation.

This is one of the most accurate, informative, and concise posts I have ever read.

[Magicpad]

Just to throw another wrench at you guys.... what is a Dunlop Rotovibe considered?

[NHBluesMan]

rotovibe is a univibe clone...

it's an interesting evolution of effects... first there was the Leslie, but the cab was too big to haul around for some people, so the univibe was made to try and emulate that sound, and then phasers were made as a partial emulation of the univibe sound.

[68bandmaster]

my question is, what's the difference between vibrato and chorus! :dunno

[NHBluesMan]

my question is, what's the difference between vibrato and chorus! :dunno


chorus splits the signal, detunes one half of it, then brings them back together, usually with the detuned signal being delayed slightly

vibrato is just a straight detune/pitch change to the original signal