[Kida Motifoo] How to Recreate the tricot Sound + Guitar Gear and Tone Settings [Effects & Amps]

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Introduction (Overview of Tone)

Kida Motifoo, the guitarist of tricot, is a driving force behind the band’s sound with her unique cutting and riffs. Her ability to navigate complex time signatures and polyrhythms allows her guitar riffs and chord work to resonate vividly, largely due to her sound crafting and playing sensibility.

From clean tones to crunchy sounds and occasionally driving lead lines, she skillfully manipulates a delicate yet aggressive tone that injects vitality into the music.

In iconic tracks like “POOL” and “potage,” she enhances a crisp clean tone with a short delay, accentuating the intricate chord progressions and riffs.

In songs like “E” and “Melon Soda,” a subtle overdrive emphasizes her sharp cutting style, resulting in a striking sound that shines in live performances.

This sound is supported by her unique choice of gear, including original models from Altero Custom Guitars, and a meticulously crafted effects setup.

Another distinctive feature of her sound is the sense of “space” she creates when playing chords. By avoiding excessive effects and relying on minimal distortion and modulation, she maintains the rhythm of tricot’s complex structures, delivering a refreshing guitar sound to listeners.

Her focus on “clarity of sound” rather than “density of notes” is a key reason she is admired by many guitarists.

In live settings, she primarily uses Fender amps and custom-made guitars from Altero, combining overdrive and delay to create an aggressive sound that remains true to the original tone.

This setup maintains a delicate balance, ensuring the guitar supports the overall sound pressure of the band without overpowering it.

Her sound crafting serves as a benchmark for players aspiring to masrock and alternative guitar styles.

▶ Search official YouTube videos of tricot

List of Amplifiers and Features

One of the crucial elements supporting Kida Motifoo’s sound is her choice of amplifiers. She has long favored Fender amps, which are versatile enough to handle a wide range from clean to crunch.

Especially for highlighting complex rhythms and chord work, Fender amps, known for their clarity and minimal coloration, are optimal.

Her current main amplifier is the Fender ’57 Custom Twin-Amp, introduced in 2020. With a 40W output and equipped with Eminence Alnico speakers (12 inches x 2), it features the expansive and core clean tone characteristic of twin amps, providing transparency to Kida’s cutting play and complex chords.

In live performances, it pairs well with spatial effects and boosters, balancing both attack and sustain effectively.

Before this, she primarily used the Fender Twin Reverb, which is known for its classic clean tone and deep reverb.

The Twin Reverb has been a staple since the 1960s, excelling in sound pressure and brilliance, and is believed to have supported tricot’s early sound.

It seems she often chose the Twin Reverb for recordings and studio practices.

Additionally, she has been confirmed to use the Fender Deluxe Reverb in more compact settings. With a smaller output of 22W, it is suitable for home or small studio performances.

The Deluxe Reverb excels from clean to natural crunch, making it a great match for Kida’s delicate arpeggios and crunch-oriented cuts.

From these choices, it becomes clear that Kida Motifoo emphasizes a style that “builds on clean tones while varying the sound through picking dynamics and effects.”

Instead of overly distorting the amp, she adds expression through her guitar and hands, making the transparent tones of Fender amps essential.

While there may be possibilities of using Marshall or other brands in certain songs or studio settings, based on official photos and interviews, it is assumed that her mainstay is indeed Fender.

Types of Guitars Used and Features

A crucial part of Kida Motifoo’s sound is her custom-made model from Altero Custom Guitars, the “Astra KID-A” series. She has been using the original model since the early days of tricot, and its excellent sound clarity and unique specifications are vital for supporting the band’s complex musical structures.

This is not just a “Strat-style” guitar but rather a model optimized for her playing style.

The 2012 model Astra KID-A features an Alder body and a Hard Maple neck, equipped with a Callaham hardtail bridge.

It has a unique specification with only a Vanzandt TRUE VINTAGE pickup in the center, excluding the rear pickup and tone.

This design allows for clear and edgy cutting tones, making it possible to push the band’s rhythm forward.

The subsequent model, Astra KID-A Mk-Ⅱ, produced around 2013, features a Light Ash body and VooDoo Pickups.

This model includes a tone control, allowing for a broader range of sound creation.

It also incorporates practical features like Jim Dunlop’s flush mount strap pins and Luminlay position markers that glow in the dark, making it an update considering visibility and stability during live performances.

Kida also uses Fender guitars, particularly the Fender Made in Japan Troublemaker Telecaster, which has been refinished in Ice Blue Metallic.

It is often used with the rear or mixed pickup, and sometimes the tone is rolled back to create a softer sound, showcasing an alternative approach.

Additionally, the Fender Made in Japan Hybrid II Jazzmaster is known to have been gifted by Fender.

This model has been used in recordings, primarily utilizing the rear pickup to achieve a tight and dry tone.

The unique attack of the Jazzmaster pairs well with tricot’s intricate rhythms, broadening the sound palette.

From these guitar choices, it is evident that Kida Motifoo prioritizes “sharp tones centered on cutting” and “sound separation even in complex phrases.”

By using the Altero custom model as her mainstay and Fender products as secondary options, she ensures stable tones for both live performances and recordings.

Effects and Pedalboard Setup

Kida Motifoo’s sound is heavily reliant on her meticulously assembled effects board.

The complex rhythms and diverse tonal changes demanded by tricot’s music require a wide array of pedals, from boosters and overdrives to multi-effects units.

Her characteristic sound crafting involves layering distortion and spatial effects over a clean-based amp, adding subtle nuances to each song.

For distortion, she favors pedals like VEMURAM Galea, Electro-Harmonix Soul Food, and her own brand’s Altero Custom Guitars KAEDE -楓-.

These pedals can handle a range from light boosts to thick overdrive, supporting volume differences and clarity in riffs throughout the songs.

Additionally, she incorporates the VAHLBRUCH Jewel Drive and the classic BOSS SD-1 / SD-1W to create varying drive sensations for different tracks.

In terms of spatial effects, she utilizes delay pedals like the Electro-Harmonix Memory Toy and BOSS DD-5 to give depth to intricate riffs and arpeggios.

These are often set with shorter delay times, adding dimension without overwhelming the complex rhythms.

Moreover, the BOSS RC-20XL looper is a significant asset for layering riffs live, enhancing her performance capabilities.

As for multi-effects, she employs the Line 6 M9 and Line 6 HX Stomp.

These units complement modulation and auto-wah effects while providing compact, multifunctional capabilities.

The HX Stomp, in particular, is paired with the MIDI controller Morningstar FX MC6 MKII for seamless preset switching, which is crucial for tricot’s complex time signatures and song transitions.

Additionally, she uses auxiliary pedals like the Lee Custom Amplifier 12AU7 Buffer + Booster and One Control Minimal Series AB Box, along with a tuner like the KORG Pitchblack Advance, and a power supply from FREE THE TONE PT-3D.

This setup emphasizes professional-grade stability and efficiency.

Overall, Kida’s effects settings focus on “minimal distortion + precise spatial processing + efficient switching.”

In the dense ensemble of tricot’s music, her guitar maintains a distinct presence thanks to the thoughtful selection of effects and board design.

Tone Settings, EQ, and Mixing Approaches

Kida Motifoo’s sound crafting is supported more by “settings and nuances” than by the gear itself.

Given that tricot’s music frequently features complex time signatures and polyrhythms, it is essential to maintain a balance where the guitar does not get buried under other instruments while not being overly prominent.

Thus, her EQ and amp settings consistently reflect a focus on “clarity and non-intrusive brightness.”

The amp settings are typically based on the Fender ’57 Custom Twin-Amp, with bass set low (around 3-4), mids slightly boosted (5-6), and treble enhanced (6-7).

This approach helps prevent the guitar from getting lost in a band setup that can easily inflate the low end.

Her style of varying sound intensity through picking aligns perfectly with this EQ, which is flat yet slightly treble-forward.

Regarding distortion control, she keeps the amp gain low, maintaining a mostly clean foundation.

The necessary distortion is added via overdrive pedals, which she switches up for different songs.

For example, in “E” and “POOL,” she lightly applies Soul Food or VEMURAM Galea to accentuate the contours during cutting.

Conversely, in lead parts of “Melon Soda” and “おちゃんせんすぅす,” she layers with Altero KAEDE or SD-1W to create a rougher and more prominent tone.

Her use of delay and spatial effects is also distinctive.

The Memory Toy and DD-5 are set with shorter delay times, adding depth to riffs and arpeggios without interfering with tricot’s complex rhythms.

The reverb is kept minimal, using the amp’s built-in spring reverb to avoid overly expanding the sound image.

In terms of mixing and PA approaches, engineers tend to emphasize the 2kHz-3kHz range while cutting around 250Hz to avoid interference with vocals and drums.

This technique highlights the cutting rhythm and allows the bass and kick’s low end to thrive.

Additionally, in live settings, they may mix in line support along with direct mic’ing of the amp to further enhance clarity.

For song-specific adjustments, for instance, “potage” is characterized by a nearly clean tone with delay for transparency, while songs like “あふれる” feature stronger overdrive to elevate the entire band.

The smoothness of these transitions is supported by the efficient board design enabled by switchers and MIDI controllers, minimizing operational stress during performances.

In summary, Kida Motifoo’s settings are built around “sharpness based on clean tones,” “coloring with overdrive,” “depth through delay,” and “midrange organization in PA.”

Her approach to sound crafting, which avoids excessive effects and adds only necessary components, allows for the transparency and aggression of the tricot sound to coexist harmoniously.

Affordable Alternatives to Recreate the Tone

Kida Motifoo’s sound is supported by custom guitars and high-end amps, but it is possible for beginners or budget-conscious guitarists to achieve a similar tone with more accessible gear.

The key is to focus on a “clean foundation,” “light overdrive,” and “short delay.”

By keeping these elements in mind, it becomes easier to replicate the sharpness and clarity found in tricot’s music.

For guitars, since custom models like those from Altero Custom are hard to come by, alternatives include Telecasters or Jazzmasters from Fender Japan or Squier.

The Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster is particularly appealing due to its affordability and bright tone, making it ideal for a cutting-focused style.

The Squier J Mascis Jazzmaster offers a balance of thickness and clarity, making it a suitable alternative for Kida’s Jazzmaster recordings.

For amps, since the Fender ’57 Custom Twin-Amp is pricey, alternatives like the Fender Champion 40 or YAMAHA THR30II are recommended.

The Champion 40 can reproduce the bright and clear sound typical of Fender amps, making it perfect for practicing with a clean tone.

The YAMAHA THR series is excellent for home recording and practice, as it includes built-in delay and modulation, allowing users to experiment with Kida’s sound in one unit.

For overdrive, since Kida’s favorites like VEMURAM and Soul Food fall into the higher price range, affordable options include the BOSS SD-1 and Electro-Harmonix Soul Food.

The SD-1, in particular, is budget-friendly and a direct connection to her tone, as she also uses it.

For delay, the BOSS DD series is a staple.

They are readily available in the used market, and using something like the BOSS DD-3T allows for short delay settings that can give depth to riffs similar to the Memory Toy or DD-5.

If an analog sound is preferred, the Electro-Harmonix Memory Toy is also an affordable option.

Moreover, utilizing a multi-effects unit is a practical approach.

Introducing models like the ZOOM G3n or lower-tier versions of the Line 6 HX Stomp (like the Pod Go) allows for handling distortion, spatial effects, and modulation all in one device.

This is a highly cost-effective method for beginners to practice and replicate her sound.

Overall, a combination of “affordable Telecaster/Jazzmaster models,” “Fender-style clean amps,” and “SD-1 or budget-friendly delay” represents the most realistic way to approximate Kida Motifoo’s sound.

Particularly, BOSS’s standard gear is reasonably priced and durable enough for live use, making it a reliable choice.

Summary and Conclusion

Kida Motifoo’s sound crafting can be summed up as “sharp tones based on clean foundations” and “delicate distortion control.”

Given that tricot’s music is predicated on complex time signatures and chord progressions, excessive distortion or muddiness would disrupt the overall balance.

Thus, she centers her approach around Fender amps, maximizing transparency and range while selectively adding overdrive and delay as needed.

Her main guitar is the original model from Altero Custom, complemented by Fender Telecasters and Jazzmasters.

This combination allows her to maintain a visually unique presence in live settings while enabling a wide range of expressions, from sharp cutting tones to thicker leads.

The simplified pickup configurations and tone circuits reflect her emphasis on “the nuances of the player.”

Her effects board is a practical setup that includes a variety of pedals but is curated to include only the essential elements.

By combining multiple overdrives to alter thickness and using short delays to add depth to riffs, she prioritizes effects that enhance the song rather than showcase flashiness.

Furthermore, the use of switchers and MIDI controllers ensures reliable effect switching during tricot’s live performances, which often feature complex time signatures.

Ultimately, her sound crafting is underpinned by a philosophy of “emphasizing the sharpness of performance without relying on excessive embellishments.”

In tricot’s music, the guitar is always part of the rhythm, fulfilling the dual role of presenting melody and rhythm simultaneously.

Kida Motifoo fully understands this role, making rational choices both as a player and an engineer.

For readers looking to recreate her sound, the most important aspects are “the quality of clean tones,” “the way overdrive is applied,” and “the restrained use of delay.”

Even without high-end gear, focusing on these three elements can help capture her essence.

In the end, the essence of Kida Motifoo’s sound crafting lies in the “precision within simplicity” rather than the uniqueness of her gear.

Thus, tricot’s guitar sound, while seemingly complex, relies on “stripped-down composition” and “the expressiveness of the performer.”

This depth is what continues to attract many listeners and guitarists alike.