What stompbox for this sound?

[JimRayden]

I mean a guitar sound like in RHCP "Walkabout", somewhere about 3:04 starts a fuzzy solo. That ain't the most precise sound that I'm after but it's close.

go to http://www.home-wrecker.com/salvo.html and take a listen to the Buzz Box. That's almost the thing I'm after.

Basically, I'm looking for a fuzz effect that would sound like something would be broken in the chain. Like the guitar signal would get stuck somewhere and distort a thing it shouldn't and has difficulties coming through. Like at the peaks it would cut off. Something contrary to a thick fuzz.


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Jimbo

[lightningfingers]

build Tim Escobedo's TMK. 6 Knobs - caters for every fuzz sound you could ever wish for

[JimRayden]

Lol, TMK sure can do lots of types of oscillations. I'm not in for that . I like the text that it's an "unruly fuzz" but couldn't hear my kinda sound in the clip... :\


I just found the sound I was looking for. http://www.geocities.com/tpe123/folkurban/fuzz/snippets

Go to that site and search for PWM. Now, what I was looking for was that sound but without the wah effect. More precisely, listen to the second part of the clip (starts at about 10 sec), and listen to the higher tone of the wah effect. Or at about 24 secs it reaches the same kind of effect, add more lower end to it and that's exactly the thing. That's the kind of "stuck behind something" sound I was looking for.

Any circuit that can do only that sound? Or is there any way to remove the schmitt trigger from the PWM while maintaining that sound?

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Jimbo

[JimRayden]

EDIT: I just found another similiar thingy. On the same page there is the Square wave shaper. In the sound sample, the low notes start at 18 secs. That's the kinda hairy buzz effect I need all over the fretboard, maybe a bit more damaged... The PWM was closer.

If I was wise enough, I'd attempt to design my own Buzz Fuzz box but I'm not. So, anyone know a box that can do that?

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Jimbo

[JimRayden]

I'm gonna push the thread up one more time and hope that someone can help now



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Jimbo

[mudmen]

As far as I know he was using Boss DS-2 with RHCP....

[JimRayden]

Yea, he must of have something else in the chain too. Anyway I just found what I need. The "stuck behind something" I was talking about is Threshold.

So, a new question arises. Where could I get a guitar threshold stompbox? When I use it with a simple fuzzbox, I get the desired effect.

Uglyface has threshold control but it adds a bit too unfuzzy buzz (if that makes sense). Is a clean threshold control possible by using the 555 circuit?

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Jimbo

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

What do you mean by a "guitar threshold"?
Do you mean, a fuzz that suddenly kicks in when the guitar reaches a certain loudness? If so, you could do this by having an envelope follower, and usign the envelope output to drive a schmitt trigger controlling a 4066 to switch a fuzz in and out.
(the circuit needn't be as complex as this sounds :wink: )

[JimRayden]

Yea, PWM uses schmitt trigger. Anyone know how to remove the phasing effect on that one? I'm not a designer, so I need step-by-step instructions

Actually I didn't mean the fuzz effect kicking in at a certain volume. I ment as there is no signal until the input is loud enough.

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jimbo

[slotbot]

Actually I didn't mean the fuzz effect kicking in at a certain volume. I ment as there is no signal until the input is loud enough.

Thats called a "noise gate"

there are a bunch out there. MXR makes one that i know of. maybe the schematic is around. Boss has probably made one at some point.

the suggestion with the 4066 was ok. you could use that for a noise gate. or just use a simple transistor switch (since you only need 1 switch, and the 4066 has 4 and is a 14 pin IC and will cost more, but then again if you wanted to make a QUAD input/output noise gate........)

Heres my idea for a simple noise gate that you could more then likely fit in the same box. I have not actually made it but it should work nicely.

Use something like an op amp to boost the signal into a half wave rectifier. make the gain of this adjustable via a pot. This will control as you put it the "threshold" that the volume has to break in order for the "noise gate" to "open".

Then feed that signal from the rectifier into a comparitor (+ input). use an led or something to clamp the voltage at the other input (- input) to a set referance voltage (1 or 2 volts should be fine).

Take the output of the comparator to the base of a transitor (or perhaps put a 1K on the way). a 2n3904 will do fine. Put the input guitar signal at the collector of the 3904 and put the emitter of the 3904 at the input of your fuzz or whatever effect you want. also put a resistor form the emitter to ground. (100k?) i dont think the value will be that important.

Basically the half wave rectifier will turn the AC guitar signal into a DC signal. The level of the DC signal will depend on the ADJUSTABLE gain from your op amp booster. When the DC voltage coming from the rectifier exceeds that of the REFERANCE voltage at the other input the output goes high and it will push the 3904 into saturation allowing your guitar signal to flow from the collector to the emitter.

I realize that this may not be enough info for you to go ahead and make it since you say you have little electrical knowledge. But maybe with a schematic it would be. The point is that YES you can quite easily throw together a simple noise gate at the front of any circuit.

[JimRayden]

Yea, at least I now understand the basic designing of a noise filter. Thanks.

I'm not a complete dumbo in electronics but I'm not good at designing a circuit myself. So if anyone would be kind enough to make a schematic for a diy noise gate.


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Jimbo

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

The GOOD news is that Jack Oram has done all the work:
http://www.muzique.com/ssm2166.htm
The BAD news is, the SSM2166 is surface mount, and costs $5 or so from Digikey.

Here's a couple of noise gates for the experimentally inclined:
http://www.geocities.com/kobraelectronic/index/17/17.htm

[JimRayden]

Well, I don't want a compressor. And I don't want to pay for compressor+noise gate if all I want is a simple noise gate. Besides, these SSM2166's are like 10 bucks here...


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Jimbo

[niftydog]

Daves Secret explained

as for the PWM circuit, the frequency sweeping sound you hear is the pulse width changing. Leave the pulse width pot in one position and you get that constant sound.

[ErikMiller]

Haven't heard the target track....

But if that was a built-in amp, and he left it turned on for a while and then cranked it, chances are it's the sound of a voltage-dropped 386-based amp.

I've gotten this with my PAiA Pygmy when the batteries are about to go. Very squarish gate-y fuzz.

Build up a Smokey and feed it lower voltage.

[JimRayden]

Thanks niftydog, I couldn't imagine that a webpage would have an answer to my navarro-question.

I'll try out the drained-battery-mini-amp-trick when I get home today.

I guess I'll build PWM then

Thanks,

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Jimbo