Where to find mod ideas & schematics?

[Doug_H]

The best way to learn about envelope filters (which is what I'm guessing the qtron is?) is to go to the GEOFEX site linked at the top of the page and look for Mark Hammer's excellent paper on envelope filters. There are all kinds of good ideas for performing mods in there, and in addition you will get the benefit of actually learning.

[dacaumodo]

Thanks a lot Doug.
Guillaume

[wampcat1]

I should be the B.U.M. president, as everytime I get ANYTHING electronic I HAVE to take it apart and see if I can 'tweak' it. 
This includes pedals, amps, baby monitors, car radios, etc... That's just me!! I enjoy it.

That said, I would highly advise just getting a breadboard and a copy of a ton of schematics and tweak, tweak, tweak, and tweak. It helps if you can lock yourself in your house for about a week with nothing but a guitar, amp, many components, a breadboard, and a couple of cases of chocolate chip cookies and an endless supply of coffee.

THAT'S my idea of a vacation! 

bw

[amz-fx]

If I want to find an idea for a mod, without any preconceived idea of what I'm going to do, I don't know where to go.

Here is a page with some information/ideas to spark your creative impulses:

http://www.muzique.com/lab/main.htm

regards, Jack

[tcobretti]

Jack, thanks for the post, it looks great.  I've certainly spent some time at your site but never found that page.

[Processaurus]

I think all this stuff has been covered here, but some fun things I've tried with voltage controlled filters (VCFs) (like your Mini q-tron, a stripped down Mu-tron III) is to make what controls the filter a different source than what gets filtered (ie drum machine making the envelope controlling the filter, but guitar getting filtered).  Also if you can get the filter part to feed back on itself (make a note at the filter's resonant peak) without affecting the envelope part, you can make ray gun sounds.  Or disconnect the envelope and and just feed the control part of the VCF a steady voltage using a pot as a voltage divider to get parked wah sounds.  Your right to go looking for ideas and doing some some research about what potential is already in your device, life's too short for blindly randomly sticking stuff on a circuit ("circuit bending") hoping to get an awsome sound.

[dacaumodo]

I should be the B.U.M. president, as everytime I get ANYTHING electronic I HAVE to take it apart and see if I can 'tweak' it. 
This includes pedals, amps, baby monitors, car radios, etc... That's just me!! I enjoy it.

Same here!

That said, I would highly advise just getting a breadboard and a copy of a ton of schematics and tweak, tweak, tweak, and tweak. It helps if you can lock yourself in your house for about a week with nothing but a guitar, amp, many components, a breadboard, and a couple of cases of chocolate chip cookies and an endless supply of coffee.

THAT'S my idea of a vacation! 

bw

Sounds VERY seducing, though my wife would soon get mad...

guillaume

[dacaumodo]

Here is a page with some information/ideas to spark your creative impulses:

http://www.muzique.com/lab/main.htm

regards, Jack

Wow, that's exactly the kind of things I'm looking for, thanks a lot Jack! I should have searched AMZ more thoroughly!

[dacaumodo]

I think all this stuff has been covered here, but some fun things I've tried with voltage controlled filters (VCFs) (like your Mini q-tron, a stripped down Mu-tron III) is to make what controls the filter a different source than what gets filtered (ie drum machine making the envelope controlling the filter, but guitar getting filtered).  Also if you can get the filter part to feed back on itself (make a note at the filter's resonant peak) without affecting the envelope part, you can make ray gun sounds.  Or disconnect the envelope and and just feed the control part of the VCF a steady voltage using a pot as a voltage divider to get parked wah sounds.  Your right to go looking for ideas and doing some some research about what potential is already in your device, life's too short for blindly randomly sticking stuff on a circuit ("circuit bending") hoping to get an awsome sound.

These are  great ideas indeed. One cool thing would be to build a drums synthesiser I'vre read about somewhere (I can't remember the name just now, I must have come across it on a DIY site): a little box with knobs you stick on the side of a "real" drum and that triggers sounds with each stroke on the drum... and have that control the filter! Still I have some way to go before reaching this level of sophistication. Though the "ray gun" mod sounds interesting... Do you have an idea how I could realize that?
Thanks
Guillaume

[Doug_H]

Also if you can get the filter part to feed back on itself (make a note at the filter's resonant peak) without affecting the envelope part, you can make ray gun sounds. 

If you are interested in an env filter that makes funny sounds, look up the Rattle Crow. It should be in the archives somewhere. I had that one on the breadboard for a while and experimented with a lot of mods to it. In the end I think I sort of ended up "fixing it" because I got tired of the funny sounds, and I never built it but anyway... If you play with that one and read Mark's article you can figure out why it sounds funny and how ea piece of the circuit affects the sound- then you'll really be on to something. Then you can build something or mod your qtron into something really useful for you and tweaked individually for your taste, instead of stabbing in the dark.

And that's what this site is all about. Understanding how something works is much more powerful and will get you much farther than "insert tab A into slot B to sound like (insert your favorite guitar hero)".

Doug

[dacaumodo]

If you are interested in an env filter that makes funny sounds, look up the Rattle Crow. It should be in the archives somewhere. I had that one on the breadboard for a while and experimented with a lot of mods to it. In the end I think I sort of ended up "fixing it" because I got tired of the funny sounds, and I never built it but anyway...

Yup, I must look that one up. Thanks! I'vre read Mark's article, it's great, I'll have to re-read though, for all the info to really sink in.

Guillaume.

[oldrocker]

I would guess that looking for mods for an effect is ok if just want to see what it does and how it's going to change the sound of an existing effect.  But also be prepared to be disappointed too.  I've had effects that I just love and then I stumbled onto some mods (I can't help it) I had to try them.  I ended up changing it back when I realized I didn't like it.  It's all in the ear of the beholder.  Which is fine.  I love to tweek.  But all my effects are DIY's that I've built.  If you are talking about store bought pedals and doing mods to it (if you're a beginner like me) I would be leary about making mods to it and screwing it up.  I've read some threads from people who screwed up a nice pedal and wished they didn't mess with it.  Just a thought.

[wampcat1]

If you are talking about store bought pedals and doing mods to it (if you're a beginner like me) I would be leary about making mods to it and screwing it up.  I've read some threads from people who screwed up a nice pedal and wished they didn't mess with it.  Just a thought.

I respectfully disagree...messing a pedal up and trouble shooting it until it works again is a GREAT way to learn this stuff. 

bw

[petemoore]

  dacaumodo !! Please excuse that I didn't welcome you to the forum 'till now...WELCOME !!!
  The progression of this thread is inspiring.

[markm]

If you are talking about store bought pedals and doing mods to it (if you're a beginner like me) I would be leary about making mods to it and screwing it up.  I've read some threads from people who screwed up a nice pedal and wished they didn't mess with it.  Just a thought.

I respectfully disagree...messing a pedal up and trouble shooting it until it works again is a GREAT way to learn this stuff. 

bw

I can understand both sides of this statement.
It reminds me of an old Will Rogers quote;

"There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves."   

[dacaumodo]

  dacaumodo !! Please excuse that I didn't welcome you to the forum 'till now...WELCOME !!!
  The progression of this thread is inspiring.

Thank you Pete!

Guillaume/dacaumodo

[dacaumodo]

I can understand both sides of this statement.
It reminds me of an old Will Rogers quote;

"There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves."   

lol!
That's a very nice and well-phrased summary! Although I'd say most of us have gone/will go through all three categories at one time or another... I sure have and will!

[Doug_H]

If you are talking about store bought pedals and doing mods to it (if you're a beginner like me) I would be leary about making mods to it and screwing it up.  I've read some threads from people who screwed up a nice pedal and wished they didn't mess with it.  Just a thought.

I respectfully disagree...messing a pedal up and trouble shooting it until it works again is a GREAT way to learn this stuff. 

bw

I wouldn't encourage a newbie to do that to a brand-new pedal. It's much cheaper and simpler to buy the parts and stuff them on a breadboard. Much easier to mod that way and try different ideas out. Production pedals can be very difficult to work on due to space limitations, electronic switching, etc etc... I try to encourage everyone on here, esp novices, to use breadboards to try things out before they build something or futz with something that is already built.

[wampcat1]

If you are talking about store bought pedals and doing mods to it (if you're a beginner like me) I would be leary about making mods to it and screwing it up.  I've read some threads from people who screwed up a nice pedal and wished they didn't mess with it.  Just a thought.

I respectfully disagree...messing a pedal up and trouble shooting it until it works again is a GREAT way to learn this stuff. 

bw

I wouldn't encourage a newbie to do that to a brand-new pedal. It's much cheaper and simpler to buy the parts and stuff them on a breadboard. Much easier to mod that way and try different ideas out. Production pedals can be very difficult to work on due to space limitations, electronic switching, etc etc... I try to encourage everyone on here, esp novices, to use breadboards to try things out before they build something or futz with something that is already built.

That's a good point, I should've followed up my thought though...haha!
When you mess a pedal up that you have good money invested in, it's a great motivator to figure out the problem! 

bw

[swt]

i agree with the idea that if you're a newbie, just leave a great sounding pedal the way it is. instead, go and build a new one...here's some ideas. the mutron III is similar to what you have. or the mc meat. if you want to go simpler, just build the vcfs at circuit snippets. and here's a list of mods you can do to something like that:
lfo for the filter.
pre/post od.
up/down envelope.
sequencer for the filter.
sample and hold.
splitting the signal, clean goes to one loop, wet to another, and then make a simple mixer, that way you can add whatever effect you want to, for example the wet envelope controlled signal ( like delay), and have a decent clean signal on the ride.
all this can be done in some way to your mini qtron, but it'll lose it's value, plus you can f**k it in a bad way.
my advice here is...if you wanna play guitar...you have to learn the basics, and through the years get better.
if you wanna build or have useful fxs, etc, start from the ground up. we'll all help you from here. and it won't take a lot of time...usually less than learning to play guitar, (plus you'll taking a lot of practice time when you do this hobby).