I looked at 4049 and 4069 datasheets...

[Steben]

Man, what an output characteristics!
Logic chips? cough cough: these graphs are sheer publicity for stompboxaholics!

Vin vs Vout: can it get any softer than that!
Their tone is not a mystery. Aren't these curves softer than a power tube amp? Serious now?
They look tuby-er than tubes.

It's odd how a 4050 or 4049UBE shows typical solid state clipping instead of the 4049.

By the way about current consumption: aren't tube amps also the current soakers in coparison to transistor amps?
It seems efficiency isn't a friend of good tone...

[MartyMart]

I have a couple of projects that use these "cmos" beauties ( and a couple that dont work!)
The "Three legged dog" is awesome, a very sweet sounding OD and i think my "C.A.T.S.F"
"kind of" works, with a wierd gain pot reaction.
Great tone from these 
Marty.

[Steben]

Is it because you use different types of CMOS, or are there 4049's that work ànd don't work?
Did you know in the in/output graphs the 4069 is even yet a bit softer than the 4049, but it can be splitting hairs (scanning )
With these characteristics I think you can get some "compression" feel with only small amounts of harmonic distortion. Is this true at low gain settings?

[JimRayden]

You might wanna look for the 4049"UB" version, I had bad experience with the buffered version because it's completely unsuitable for audio use.

Doesn't the schematic of the inverter look alot like Orman's MiniBooster?

----------
Jimbo

[gez]

It seems efficiency isn't a friend of good tone...

If you run these chips at 5V current consumption drops dramatically and they still sound good (one of the data sheets for either the 4049 or 4069 has graphs of transfer characteristics at 5V)

[puretube]

there are lots of threads on this topic hidden behind the "search"-button,
where the search-box wants to be filled with some magic words...

[Steben]

You might wanna look for the 4049"UB" version, I had bad experience with the buffered version because it's completely unsuitable for audio use.

Yes UBE is like 4050. Harsher curves btw even if workable.

Doesn't the schematic of the inverter look alot like Orman's MiniBooster?

----------
Jimbo

Well, it IS different. Other biasing. The inverter feeds two antipolar MOSfets with signal biased at ground. Minibooster has same polarity Jfets and first biased to ground and the other one biased at 1/2 V, etc... By the way a single MOSfet has softer curves than a Jfet but more noise.

[Connoisseur of Distortion]

this is a little bit OT, but would you guys be willing to post voltages on your projects? i have a long standing project that just keeps pissing in my face (the one that bias fades...) and i think i'm going to take another shot at getting it running. i would like some idea of what might be messing up the circuit... because when it DOES sound, it sounds absolutely incredible. pin voltages much appreciated!

[gez]

this is a little bit OT, but would you guys be willing to post voltages on your projects? i have a long standing project that just keeps pissing in my face (the one that bias fades...) and i think i'm going to take another shot at getting it running. i would like some idea of what might be messing up the circuit... because when it DOES sound, it sounds absolutely incredible. pin voltages much appreciated!

It would make more sense if you posted voltages...plus link to a schematic (or at least give a description)

[puretube]

whatcha gonna do with tha 4050???

[Connoisseur of Distortion]

gez-

i posted awhile ago about this, and finally gave up because i simply couldn't see what was wrong (and my time had become pretty scarce...)

all i want is voltage readings from other people's completed projects, to get an idea of where the chip can be effectively abused. i don't want to bug the forum with a topic as silly as my little side project not working like i think it should 

now, if i ever get it done, you guys will get sick of hearing about it. don't worry. 

[Steben]

whatcha gonna do with tha 4050???

Nada. Just comparing datasheets.

Connoisseur: The inputs should be at zero to start with like a simple Jfet. These things tend to work without bias. V+ and gnd connection is enough. So you have in 0V gnd 0V and (normally)9V at power pins. The output should bias around 4.5V.

EDIT: Hey! these are not Jfets! right! Normally it should be biased....

[gez]

all i want is voltage readings from other people's completed projects, to get an idea of where the chip can be effectively abused. i don't want to bug the forum with a topic as silly as my little side project not working like i think it should 

If you've just got resistors from output to input of each inverter, with or without an input resistor,  then both should sit at around half supply provided you AC couple the stages.  Some designs have a resistor from input to ground - do you have these in your design? - and this offsets the output.  Check power connections and ground the inputs of all unused inverters.

[gez]

PS  If it's on perf or something and all connections seem ok, reflow some joints.

[A.S.P.]

read your Marston, yet?
http://nutsvolts.com/~downloads/fetjul.pdf from 5 years ago,
or your National`s AN-88 from 32 years ago?