Stereo (was: mono) FUZZ box

[A.S.P.]

why does everybody make mono fuzzes?
wouldn`t a stereo-fuzz offer more sound options?
are there any out there?

maybe even 5.1 ? 3D? binaural?

[MartyB]

Maybe I'm not thinking enough here but I don't see that adding any depth to the sound (as with modulation effects).  Perhaps if you had  crossover-type filtering you could spread the fuzz highs and lows, or were you thinking dry vs wet panned?

[The Tone God]

why does everybody make mono fuzzes?
wouldn`t a stereo-fuzz offer more sound options?

Most equipment is mono so there is little sense in going to oddball stereo. Even if you use a mono input and split to stereo you would still need either a stereo amp or two amps neither of which people want to deal with. Why not just put a mixing section before the output to make it mono again ? There are many clean boaster / distortion units that do this.

Andrew

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

Maybe it would be worth putting one of those "pseudo stereo" circuits on the end of a fuzz. They work by running the mono signal to two phase shifting and notching networks that work in opposite fashion, so you get an illusion that the signal is smeared out, not in the middle.

[H S]

What if you clip half only the cycle in the right channel, and the other half in the left?
Like an AB amp with the two halves panned left and right.

[A.S.P.]

HS: something like that was running thru my mind...

(and thinking of the amount of speakers, that a lot of guitarists carry around...,
why not split`em in 2 halves?)

[Steben]

Guitar and stereo: mmmm looks like a studio/post-rig kind of thing. Chorus or even phasers are the only true effect (I mean "panning" is just volume) that are eligible for stereo to me. And even then only for recording.

[MartyMart]

I'm "reliably" told that a lot of small/nedium clubs run mono rigs anyway !
( and a loud three way rig will sound v good )
All the bigger tour work I've done uses stereo, so half the audience
hears just the left/right info, as they can't ALL be in the middle !!

.... interesting .....?

[Steben]

I'm "reliably" told that a lot of small/nedium clubs run mono rigs anyway !
( and a loud three way rig will sound v good )
All the bigger tour work I've done uses stereo, so half the audience
hears just the left/right info, as they can't ALL be in the middle !!

.... interesting .....?

yeah, indeed, somehow we should have "range-compression" speakers that give less loudness at close range and more at higher range, that would solve the problem, wouldn't it? 

On topic:
As a matter of fact I have an idea. A harmonic enhancer-like effect (or think of blending in a Tube screamer) gives two signals that are normally mono mixed at the end. You could make a "stereo" enhancer with clean and dist channel.
Or better: use one channel in a 50%-50% mix (looks like "in the middle") and the other channel in a 180° phase shifted pair (looks like "both in the corner"). You can choose to use a middle clean with side distortion or the other way around.

[puretube]

strange world, nowadays...
everybody records/processes digital(!) in stereo,
and wants his thick dirt in mono,
just to thicker it afterwards with all kinds of "pseudostereophonical" gadgets
for recording and playbacking...

only live artists here?

[WGTP]

HS, that is such a cool idea.  You could run one side thru a FF and the other thru a    

[moosapotamus]

What if you clip half only the cycle in the right channel, and the other half in the left?

Yeah, very cool idea. Maybe already been done by someone?
I think that might be exactly what's going on with this...
http://www.maindragmusic.com/js/two_face.html

~ Charlie

[Mark Hammer]

The Gretsch Controfuzz is an excellent candidate for this.  http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/pdf/ggg_controfuzz.pdf

The Controfuzz works on a simple but counterintuitive premise.  The volume envelope of an unfuzzed guitar is fairly shortlived.  The volume envelope of a fuzzed guitar is fairly longlived.  The Controfuzz feeds the fuzzed and unfuzzed version of the same signal to the opposite inputs of an op-amp such that whatever they share in common cancels out.  The fuzzed version is seriously goosed so that the buzz lasts a long time, and then just as seriously attenuated so that its volume is reasonably comparable (in the same ballpark, though not identical) to the clean signal.  What happens is that as the clean signal dies out, the fuzz signal seems to fade in and replace it.  No great magic, but it sounds neat.

If you had a second output/op-amp that fed the fuzz and clean to the SAME input, its output would appear to differentiate from the other over time as the "subtraction effect" disappeared.  Depending on what configuration you used for the second output stage (inverting, noninverting), you could end up with outputs that were in phase (and fuzzy) or opposite phase.

Lots of room for tinkering there.  In general, stereo efects sound most interesting when they don't stand still.  I think you might be pleasantly surprised by the possibilities of this silly little circuit.

[puretube]

woodwork squeeks, ... 

[Mark Hammer]

...and out come the freaks?   

[A.S.P.]

i love that song - a pity i was out of money when it came out, and couldn`t buy a copy...
but i can still sing (hum) it from memory!

[A.S.P.]

btw: Tom - thanx for your info`s...

[squidsquad]

And so....
I had a nice wooden case from an old telescope: 8"x12"x36".  My little Pig Nose fits nicely into one side.
My Ruby (car radio speaker in a wooden case similar to the PN) fit in the other side.  Ax goes into a mosfet boost (at unity)...a signal splitter....an analog delay to one amp...and a digital delay to the other.  Everything wired up & snug.  So, if I wanna practice...instead of a rat's nest messing up the living room....I can pop open the case and all is ready to go!  And it sounds friggin GREAT (true stereo).  And when I read this post...I tried running 2 different fuzzes...one to each amp.  There can be a problem if one fuzz is way more compressed than the other...the sound will fade from one side on the attack...and then come back.  And together...even when balanced...it sounds OK...but not much different than a mono fuzz.  However...when both delays are kicked in...MOTHER OF PEARL!   A HUGE soundscape of lovely fuzziness...RUFF RUFF! 
But then...it would still sound good using only one fuzz (in this set-up)....and be easier to control.
BTW...running one side clean...simply *waters down* the fuzz sound...nothin earth shaking.

[WGTP]

   I'm sitting here feeling pretty stupid.  I have 2 amps sitting in the Lab/bedroom.  A Tube PV Bravo and a SS PV Special and it never occured to me to run them in stereo with different distortion/effects stuff going on.  Tube distortion on one side and SS on the other.  The family will love this.   

[Mark Hammer]

It's the animation or swirl of the harmonics that you want to monkey with.  Two different fuzzes in stereo is pretty mundane.  When the source of a given harmonic of note X moves around back and forth, THAT gets interesting.  That's one of the reasons why brother Squidsquad's setup came alive when the delays (nonidentical, I presume) were introduced.  That's also one of the reasons why I suggested the Controfuzz as an interesting place to start, because it is a fuzz whose character changes over time and is intended to do so.