Check this out

[mth5044]

^Devi ever had such an idea at one point. I can't seem to remember the name though.

[mistahead]

The idea is solid but only to us guys who are already able to build it, little too niche.

Physically modular kit tends to lead to "high prices" in the way that consumers look at it, and it ends up overlapping the mulit-effects market - what you'd be better off doing (from a market perspective) is a "pedal" which was just a dedicated DSP/DRM box - sell the "modules" but they're really just DRM'd software patch's. Throw in a WIFI connection...

OK - let do that guys - make quite a few multi-effects boxes redundant, first things - what is the bare hardware O/S requirements (known at this stage) to use DSP in real time?

[Electron Tornado]

...- what you'd be better off doing (from a market perspective) is a "pedal" which was just a dedicated DSP/DRM box - sell the "modules" but they're really just DRM'd software patch's. Throw in a WIFI connection...

OK - let do that guys - make quite a few multi-effects boxes redundant, first things - what is the bare hardware O/S requirements (known at this stage) to use DSP in real time?

Isn't that kind of where the iStomp and some other pedal (the name escapes me) are headed?

[mistahead]

Pretty much yeah.

The functionality has been around since... iRig I think was a portable enough take on it but stuffed into a phone rather than an independant embedded *nix/ARM box... looking at the options now, lag you're going to kill me...

[Tony Forestiere]

R.G. nailed it years ago: http://www.geofex.com/article_folders/fxbus/fxbus.htm

[tca]

Someone's going to start building fuzz boxes with that idea. Mount it externally with an LED inside the "tube" so it lights up.

How about a modular fuzz? Universal enclosure has footswitch, in/out jacks, and two or three knobs for control. The circuit is in a "tube" mounted externally on a universal socket. User decides what fuzz they want to use that day and plugs in the appropriate "tube".

Something like this?!?!?

Then there are these...

Yes, what are they?

[~arph]

^Devi ever had such an idea at one point. I can't seem to remember the name though.

Console.

I believe it is still an ongoing project. There was a kickstarter and loads of manufacturers have committed to provide cartridge circuits.

[Electron Tornado]

Something like this?!?!?

Yes, kind of like that. Sure, it might only appeal to a niche (in an already niche market), but the cool factor would be very high.

Next, someone will use that same idea on solid state amps.

[Jdansti]

Cool, but without some type of potting, it seems that you run the risk of broken leads. 

[Jered]

  I found some more.
    What they originally looked like


   
Here is one with ger. transistors mounted head to head with shrink tube and a couple with heat sinks.




   This one uses the octal 8 pin base and the mini 9 pin base. Some type of amplifier

[tca]

I found some more.
   (...)

Found the package circuit models from eeco. All schematics in there.

Cheers.

[mistahead]

TCA - your signature, my love.

Yours sincerely - An upstandingly artful guy.

[psychedelicfish]

  I found some more.
    What they originally looked like

Stick your guitar into the "squaring amplifier", feed it into the flip flop, and make a germanium octave down!

[Thecomedian]

this is kind of like the idea myself and plenty other people have had re: 'modular' circuits for stompboxes. I wonder how much personal time it'd take to come up with a design that would function well when plugging in different circuits...

I think the good part of such a design could be for testing full fledged designs before and after other circuits, without having to build entire complete metal enclosures for every circuit..

[Jered]

R.G. nailed it years ago: http://www.geofex.com/article_folders/fxbus/fxbus.htm

I agree. The FXbus is brilliant.

[mistahead]

I'm not saying that these physical modular designs aren't great, especially for us tweakers (oh wait phrasing... nah taking it back), FXBus is awesome, and I love the mojo and style of the eeco but...

The tweakers and builders are a smaller chunk of the overall community of people who use effects. The limitations and troubles (latency, bandwidth, cost of parts) with digitial sound processing VERY fast and there is already a number of good "standards" such as DSP in the software effects arena.

It is just going to be simpler in the long term to throw away the hardware "plug and play" modules like these (or some awesome multieffect reincarnation of the NES carts), but bits and bytes are more profitable than tubes and trannies.

It is sad in a way - Ge mojo and diode swapping/stacking to get custom sound slipping away for tweaking values in Python or similar... but in a way I don't hate the idea of being able to download whatever odd and amazing effect I need or want at that exact moment.