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Caev & I have been discussing octave divider pedals recently- there's another compact update of the concept, from Salvation Mods:

 

http://salvationmods.com/index.php?page=vivider

Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ

 

My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx

 

http://murphysmusictx.com/

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Aaaaand just stumbled onto this- the Montreal Assembly Count to Five:

 

 

It's almost like a miniaturized King Capitol Punishment/Skychord Glamour Box...

Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ

 

My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx

 

http://murphysmusictx.com/

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Yup, what's old is new again. I still own an original Mutron Octave Divider, purchased new in whenever they came out, 1972? Now if they want to repackage the BiPhase into a pedal the size of a Phase 90 I could get very interested.

 

That's a mighty tall order! One thing to recreate or "clone" it, and even to make it more compact; but to somehow get all of the circuitry AND all those controls crammed into a Phase 90 size box? Hmmmmmmmnnnnn.... Virtually impossible. Or at the least very tough and impractical, certainly quite costly!

 

You could get a couple of these, or a couple of Minifooger phasers or other boutiquey, highfalutin feature-laden phasers, and hook 'em up to run either series or parallel...

 

Or, you could get one of these; while it's smaller than a hoary aulde Mu-Tron Bi-Phase, it's not nearly as small as a Phase 90, or even two Phase 90's.

 

Caev & I have been discussing octave divider pedals recently- there's another compact update of the concept, from Salvation Mods:

 

http://salvationmods.com/index.php?page=vivider

 

I wanna see a "shootout" comparison between the Foxrox Octron, Mu-Tron Octave-Divider, and this new Salvation Mods Vivider... :cool:

 

 

Aaaaand just stumbled onto this- the Montreal Assembly Count to Five:

 

 

It's almost like a miniaturized King Capitol Punishment/Skychord Glamour Box...

 

Dat's messtupp! :laugh::D

 

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

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I may have to scour this person's youtube channel- the same who brought the Count to Five to my attention has posted lots of unusual pedals, including the Chase Bliss Wombtone mkII:

 

[video:youtube]

 

And the Dwarfcraft Gears:

 

[video:youtube]

 

 

Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ

 

My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx

 

http://murphysmusictx.com/

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In the meantime, this pedal makes me want to grab my space suit and surfboard and ride the waves on Titan's methane seas, then play one of my Revs on the beach under a night sky filled with the reflected light from Saturn's rings...

 

Death by Audio's Reverberation Machine

 

[video:youtube]

Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ

 

My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx

 

http://murphysmusictx.com/

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...but what's with the no-batteries thing?

I've seen more and more pedals doing that. Perhaps it makes for a more compact design?

 

Lower cost, simpler design, and some designs may draw more than batteries can keep supplying for any usable amount of time. And yeah, compact size may sometimes be a factor, too.

 

 

Now, for more goodies! :D:thu:

 

 

The Z. Vex Lo-Fi Loop Junky imparted a very distinctive, lo-fi and warbling sound to whatever was run into its repeating loop, but not onto the unlooped signal, which remained throughput "dry"/"straight".

 

THIS, the Z.Vex Effects Instant Lo-Fi Junky, gives you that same tone- and more! :D:cool: - in instant, live real-time (tonal degradation, filtering, modulation and compression, without delay or repeating/looping).

 

http://www.zvex.com/images/ILFs_lg.jpg

 

 

_______________ [video:youtube]

 

___________________

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

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MOAR wierdness!

 

[video:youtube]

 

[video:youtube]

 

Isn't it more- ehr, MOAR fun to make moar- ehr, more 'conventional' pedals give up noise, hiss, ring-modulation-like sounds, squeally oscillation, and the like? ;)

 

 

In that spirit- or perhaps in spite of it- looking at the Keeley Sojourner Fuzz Verb that you'd (Danny'd) pointed out before here, I'd love it if the order could be reversed- that is, sending its reverb through its fuzz, perhaps with the option of blending-in straight/dry un-fuzzed, un-'verbed, all-analog signal from the input... I've found that there are times that I REALLY like overdriven, distorted, and/or fuzzed reverberation... It'd be rrreeeaalllllyyy niiiiiiice to be able to create, summon, and dismiss such a sonic ifrit without a labyrinthine network of series and parallel cables, pedals, splitters, buffers, and/or mixers... !

 

 

__________ [video:youtube]

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

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That kind of impulse is why I have things like my Carl Martin Octa-Switch! ;)

 

Good call, good call... I'll probably wind-up with something like that, myself...

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

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never a big fan of the BM series, but I do like that this one has a built-in noise gate. :)

 

I'm amazed at just how very quiet and low-noise the VFE Fiery Red Horse "Saturated Fuzz" is, which is initially based on the old "triangle"-era EH Big Muff Pi's of the '70s- and it DOESN'T have a noise-gate; it doesn't need one.

 

'Gated' fuzz effects can be had by rolling-back its voltage in three areas of its circuitry to the point of sag and starvation via the Power control, and midrange can be added to the Pi's scooped slice by its aptly-named Mid knob. (Instead of the Mid-knob, the latest version has a Baxandall EQ circuit with Bass and Treble controls; if one turns down the Bass and Treble knobs while increasing the Level (output-volume), a mid-boost emphasis will be achieved, and vice-verse... )

 

Going into a clean amp, it's virtually dead quiet; going into an overdriven or distorted amp or stacked into other gain and dirt pedals, it contributes a LOT less noise to the signal-chain than you'd expect. Anyone that digs BMP's would almost certainly find what they'd like in this pedal's extremely versatile controls and features and, again, it's MUCH quieter than most of its ilk... :cool:

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

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That kind of impulse is why I have things like my Carl Martin Octa-Switch! ;)

 

how do you dig that?

 

I wanted one, or even the full Ground Control or gig rig set up... but I tend to mix effects on the fly a lot to get the tones I want.

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I really like it. It is everything they claim: durable, intuitive, easy to use.

 

Plug in 8 pedals, and you can choose 8 different combinations of those effects.

 

The way I set it up to test it was with my tuner and OD & distortion before it, with a chorus, tremolo, Boss Space Echo, Boss Rotary, and Fuzz pedals plugged into it. I set it to space echo only, Rotary only, chorus + tremolo, chorus + fuzz, rotary + fuzz, chorus + echo, chorus + echo + tremolo + fuzz, and all 5 plugged in.

 

With all the pedals on, and the Octo not engaged, I had an overdriven, distorted rock tone, and nothing else. Once I tapped one of the preset buttons, the OD & Dist would be funneled through the other effects in the preset, and ONLY those in the selected preset. There was no lag- none that I could detect, anyway. I don't recall any pops, either.

 

So I could start playing something and- depending on how much tapdancing I wanted to do- have a sonic journey extraordinaire.

 

The ONLY problem is one of simple physics: 2 objects cannot occupy the same space at the same time. The Octo needs to be in front of your board, closest to your feet (unless you mount it up high where you can use your hands) to be able to switch settings on the fly. So if you have a pedal with a built in or ancillary expression pedal like my Boss space echo or rotary, you really don't want to put it into the Octo- you won't be able to reach the expression pedal.

Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ

 

My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx

 

http://murphysmusictx.com/

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I really like it. It is everything they claim: durable, intuitive, easy to use.

 

The ONLY problem is one of simple physics: 2 objects cannot occupy the same space at the same time. The Octo needs to be in front of your board, closest to your feet (unless you mount it up high where you can use your hands) to be able to switch settings on the fly. So if you have a pedal with a built in or ancillary expression pedal like my Boss space echo or rotary, you really don't want to put it into the Octo- you won't be able to reach the expression pedal.

 

I'd run into similar enough issues when laying-out pedal-arrangement on my pedalboard; for the same reasons, it's a LOT easier for me to have my RT-20, El Capistan and its outboard Tap/Favorite switch, and RC-20XL up front, rather than balance and reach over other pedals to do fast/slow/brake, tap-tempo, hold-for-infinite-echo-feedback, looper-manipulation, and such moves.

 

Now, in considering something like the Octo, I'd thought that maybe putting such a switcher to the rear of the board might work, especially if on a riser or otherwise lifted up for greater ease of access. Might that work for you?

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

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Those are both options I've been thinking about.

 

Putting it to the rear could be problematic. The eight pedal inputs into the Octa are all in its backside. That means, you'd have to run the cables over, under or around it- each option has +/- to it- or turning the Octo around so its rear faces you. But that makes ITS switches harder to access,

 

So, yeah, that makes mounting it on a riser one of the better solutions.

 

...which has all been integral in me talking about dividing my pedals into genre-specific groupings, getting REAL, well-made pedalboards to house said groupings...and getting more Octas (and power supplies).

 

All part of my Year of the Pedal initiative. The not-as-fun, expensive, LAST part.

 

Well, there is SOME fun in looking at pedalboards...here's my front-runner.

 

http://www.chemistrydesignwerks.com/holeyboard-wide.html

Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ

 

My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx

 

http://murphysmusictx.com/

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Putting it to the rear could be problematic. The eight pedal inputs into the Octa are all in its backside. That means, you'd have to run the cables over, under or around it...

 

Using compact right-angle plugs on cut-to-fit cables (leaving a little extra for strain-relief), soldered or solderless, and running them beneath the Octa and pedalboard would minimize those troubles.

 

So, yeah, that makes mounting it on a riser one of the better solutions.

 

What I had in mind was raising the Octa just enough to make its switches easily accessible; using them isn't quite as involved as, say, tap-tempo or hold-and-release maneuvers, which could be up-front...

 

It occurs to me that the Octa would be improved if the plug/jack matrix and the footswitch-array were two separate units, connected by a cable- so that you could have the footswitch-bank located remotely, instead of right on the same pedalboard. As an Octa owner and user, you might suggest that to Carl Martin...

 

...which has all been integral in me talking about dividing my pedals into genre-specific groupings, getting REAL, well-made pedalboards to house said groupings...and getting more Octas (and power supplies).

 

All part of my Year of the Pedal initiative. The not-as-fun, expensive, LAST part.

 

I'd also considered putting together two, smaller pedalboards- one for everything before the amp's input, and the other for everything connected in the amp's effects-loop.

 

Well, there is SOME fun in looking at pedalboards...here's my front-runner.

 

http://www.chemistrydesignwerks.com/holeyboard-wide.html

 

If you're continuing to stick mostly to home/studio use, those HoleyBoards would be an even better option than if you were gigging a lot; they seem rather cumbersome and awkward, particularly with those loose bags instead of out-and-out cases, "soft" OR "hard".

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

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Using compact right-angle plugs on cut-to-fit cables (leaving a little extra for strain-relief), soldered or solderless, and running them beneath the Octa and pedalboard would minimize those troubles.

 

I try to use compact cables as it is.

 

Unless there was some kind of clearance created for the cables, I wouldn't feel comfy resting the Octo on them. There would be juuuust enough instability that your selection/deselection would be jeopardized. Not to mention the wear & tear on the cables themselves.

 

It occurs to me that the Octa would be improved if the plug/jack matrix and the footswitch-array were two separate units, connected by a cable- so that you could have the footswitch-bank located remotely, instead of right on the same pedalboard. As an Octa owner and user, you might suggest that to Carl Martin...

 

THAT has serious potential. Not only would that potentially solve the described problem- hopefully,me it's minimal tonal impact- it could also lead to a bigger version of the unit.

 

I'd also considered putting together two, smaller pedalboards- one for everything before the amp's input, and the other for everything connected in the amp's effects-loop.

Clearly a gigging musician's solution. Very practical!

 

If you're continuing to stick mostly to home/studio use, those HoleyBoards would be an even better option than if you were gigging a lot; they seem rather cumbersome and awkward, particularly with those loose bags instead of out-and-out cases, "soft" OR "hard".

 

True.

 

One of the big attractions of the Holey Boards- besides their aesthetics- is the tie-down method of pedal attachment. I've seen others do that with some homemade boards, and it really does seem to secure the pedals like nothing else.

 

(Of course, if it is a battery operated pedal, it creates its own problem...)

 

Part of my problem with more traditional boards is size. An inordinate number of my pedals are behemoths. Ever see a Morpheus Dive Bomber? They're freakin' HUGE! By not having hard sides enclosing things, the Holey Boards give me precious extra cm to work with.

 

OTOH, their curvature and LACK of a hard carrying case introduce problems of their own, not the least of which is storing the damn things! If I do follow through and make multiple, discrete, genre-defined boards- and possibly 1+ for the effects loop- storage of the boards while not in use becomes increasingly important.

 

I'm smart enough to recognize the plusses & minuses of the various commercial boards, and maybe even design my own. But I lack the tools, fabrication/assembly skills and- most importantly- the will to make my own from scratch. ;)

 

All of which will be considered when the time comes.

Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ

 

My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx

 

http://murphysmusictx.com/

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Using compact right-angle plugs on cut-to-fit cables (leaving a little extra for strain-relief), soldered or solderless, and running them beneath the Octa and pedalboard would minimize those troubles.

 

I try to use compact cables as it is.

 

Unless there was some kind of clearance created for the cables, I wouldn't feel comfy resting the Octo on them. There would be juuuust enough instability that your selection/deselection would be jeopardized. Not to mention the wear & tear on the cables themselves.

 

Oh, I did mean running the cables under the pedalboard, which would be beneath the Octa. Yeah, I wouldn't intend to run cables directly beneath a pedal.

 

It occurs to me that the Octa would be improved if the plug/jack matrix and the footswitch-array were two separate units, connected by a cable- so that you could have the footswitch-bank located remotely, instead of right on the same pedalboard. As an Octa owner and user, you might suggest that to Carl Martin...

 

THAT has serious potential. Not only would that potentially solve the described problem- hopefully,me it's minimal tonal impact- it could also lead to a bigger version of the unit.

 

Please forward that to Carl Martin. :thu:

 

I'd also considered putting together two, smaller pedalboards- one for everything before the amp's input, and the other for everything connected in the amp's effects-loop.

 

Clearly a gigging musician's solution. Very practical!

 

Yeah, it'd allow the two smaller 'boards to be arranged at an angle to each other, in front of the player, although it also makes for TWO things to carry, etc. I wound up getting one very large Pedaltrain Pro with a case.

 

Part of my problem with more traditional boards is size. An inordinate number of my pedals are behemoths. Ever see a Morpheus Dive Bomber? They're freakin' HUGE! By not having hard sides enclosing things, the Holey Boards give me precious extra cm to work with.

 

Yeah, tell me about it! :crazy::D A number of my pedals are quite large and even enormous; in particular, a Sustainiac Model C (link to a big picture of a big pedal), among others. Most of my pedals are on the fairly big side.

 

OTOH, their curvature and LACK of a hard carrying case introduce problems of their own, not the least of which is storing the damn things! If I do follow through and make multiple, discrete, genre-defined boards- and possibly 1+ for the effects loop- storage of the boards while not in use becomes increasingly important.

 

One thing that I really like about the HoleyBoards is that curved design. A similarly curvaceous Pedaltrain with matching hard-case would be ideal for me! I like having pedals somewhat radially arrayed; I had a quick-and-dirty plywood 'n' duct-tape affair that I arranged like that...

 

 

 

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

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Also, has anyone ever experimented with splitting their signal?

a long time ago, I used two DOD passive mixers, one to split the signal into 4 different rack effects and the second to recombine the signals. The output and input came from the effects loop on my amp. It worked great, no problems to speak of, except I found that I liked the way the gadgets sounded going from one to the next and back into the amp. The interaction of the sounds gave me more of the tone I liked, although I would freely admit it was also what I was most used to. Somebody else might like it better. It just wasn't for me.

Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else.

 

 

 

 

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Also, has anyone ever experimented with splitting their signal?

a long time ago, I used two DOD passive mixers, one to split the signal into 4 different rack effects and the second to recombine the signals. The output and input came from the effects loop on my amp.

 

I've used "stereo" pedals, like a Flanger or Chorus with dual Outs, which is very straightforward, if you're not using two amps that are horribly mis-matched. I've also used an old Boss J-5 passive splitter box with an MXR Micro Amp in front of it, to drive dual effects chains to different amps. Lots of fun with sounds, but it's easy to run into phase or gain issues with a rig like that.

"Monsters are real, and Ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." Stephen King

 

http://www.novparolo.com

 

https://thewinstonpsmithproject.bandcamp.com

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Phase 1: I had/have an old Dan Electro chorus pedal with stereo outs that allows a signal split which I would run last in the signal chain. I lost interest quick in the concept of carrying around two amplifiers and in the chorus effect as well. You could get some very cool sounds with it though...

 

Phase 2: I had/have a Fender Floor pedal with dual xlr and dual 1/4" outs, that I can run to 1 or 2 channels of my PA or to two different amps. But, I really don't feel any big advantage as I usually wind up setting both channels on the PA the same. Plus, I feel guilty tying up 2 channels for guitar and 1 channel for my mic on an 8 channel mixer, as it only leaves 5 open for my buddies...

 

Phase 3: I have a new little Roland Cube EX4 amp which I can use as a monitor and then run it to the mixer on my PA. It has two 1/4" outs left and right and switch for using stereo or mono. So, here I go again with the experimenting...next time I set up the PA. Only this time instead of working with a split guitar signal, I'll be premixing the guitar and mic...and I will only tie up 2 channels on the PA leaving 6 open for my buddies LOL! Anyway, it should be fun to play around with even though I'm getting a little OT from just using the pedal(s). I actually prefer mono LOL! :cool:

Take care, Larryz
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  • 3 weeks later...

If anyone is interested, Korg has shipped 90 of the Miku Stomp pedals to the U.S., to test the market, I guess. My FLMS got 3 of those, and of course, I got one. Still testing it out, but I'll have some tracks up soon. I don't know who got any of the others, but I suspect they mostly went to independents, rather than GC. I guarantee you, you don't have anything like it.

 

Korg Miku Stomp

"Monsters are real, and Ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." Stephen King

 

http://www.novparolo.com

 

https://thewinstonpsmithproject.bandcamp.com

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If anyone is interested, Korg has shipped 90 of the Miku Stomp pedals to the U.S., to test the market, I guess. My FLMS got 3 of those, and of course, I got one. Still testing it out, but I'll have some tracks up soon. I don't know who got any of the others, but I suspect they mostly went to independents, rather than GC. I guarantee you, you don't have anything like it.

 

Korg Miku Stomp

 

Cool. :cool:

 

 

Cool; I particularly like that Blackout Effectors Fuzz Bear. :crazy::cool: I really like that!

 

Check this out (I don't think I've posted this here on this thread before)- based on the old Shin-ei FY-6/Univox Super-Fuzz, upgraded and enhanced, with added controls for extra flexibility:

 

________ Wattson Classic Electronics EFY-6

 

 

________ [video:youtube]

 

 

________ [video:youtube]

 

______

.

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

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