What you want in a pedal.

[KerryF]

Ok, I am bored and thinking about designing a pedal right now in my free time.  I have designed a few things, but they are all pretty complex pedals to just throw together in one moment and try.  Im thinking about making an overdrive, distortion, or a fuzz.  Yes, theres millions of each type, but I am not yet ready to design a synth, phaser, flanger, or chorus yet.  I think I have seen some mildly simple synth type pedals around, so if anyone knows of a site to help me learn more about the structure of synth pedals, it may be a possiblility.  So anyway, back to my point...

Is there anything that you all would specifically like in a pedal?  Maybe you like LED clipping, maybe you like the clipping of a specific diode, etc.  Maybe you want the pedal to be more aimed for a bassy sound, maybe you want it for a more trebley sound, maybe you want the EQing to be equaled out.  You may want a Big Muff type tone control.  Maybe you want to control the harmonics.  Theres so many possibilities, and here is your chance to give YOUR OPINION on what you think YOUR perfect Overdrive/Distortion/Fuzz pedal includes.

[QSQCaito]

I don't know if it's possible, but i believe it is...

Having a range of frequencies being distorted in a different way as other frequencies range..

Using for example from 40HZ to 1KHZ one type of diodes, and amount desired, and from 1KHZ to 2KHZ another type.. i think that would sound cool.. different from other types of the 100s of OD distortion and fuzz pedals.

Oh.. i would really build it if it has a switch to use it just as a booster, clean.. that would be awesome.. used like a clean preamp, or as a distortion. Tone control, anyone you like, single knob, 3knob..
A blend pot to mix between clean signal and dry signal would be awesome.. even more if each frequency can have its own..

gotta keep thinking..

bye bye

DAC

PS: im not requesting.. just some ideas that came to my mind..

EDIT: I would build anything that has a cool blues sound. kick ass blues tone

I add these.. not asking you to add.. but it's more a question about if this can be done. A metronome, as the one in Electronic Projects For Musician, but instead of hearing a "pip, pip, pip" we would use it to control a led, that controls an ldr.. like this we could have a raise in volume, or change in tone, or whatever control we want according to the time of the metronome.

[KerryF]

Thanks QSQ.  You have great ideas.  I think I have an idea of what you are thinking of, or my interpretation of it.  And so I may work with it.  I will wait for other recommendations too though.  Thanks!

Any idea is welcomed though, even if it may be stupid, just dont go overboard on things.

EDIT: To your blues comment.  Yea I love blues overdrives.  Maybe one of the frequencies can be more middy/bassy/tubey for blues.  Sounds yum.

[petemoore]

  Mainly just the stuff I put in there.
  So it can easily be taken, out if necessary.
   Switch 'n socket for the first input cap..
    Right now I'm using a buncha greenie and AVXbox caps, a few metal film ones, 10% resistors.
 I let behringer stuff a 7band, Line6 an Echo Park that I use.
 Of the DIY stuff I have:
 8 circuits
 6 boxes
 14 knobs
 4 Ge transistors
 an LM741
 two NE5532's
 two 4558's
 Some 2n3904's, 2n5088's, a couple 2n5089's and 2n5087's, only two Jfets in the OS Comp. I'll have to look into that.
 But I'd like to get that down to like..1 or 2 boxes, one power connector.
 And...each circuit as a modular circuit board and connector to PS and BP switch'd be nice...but I doubt I'll get around to all that anytime soon.

[KerryF]

^---??  What?   .  I just dont understand how that goes in here, but ok  .

[petemoore]

Having a range of frequencies being distorted in a different way as other frequencies range..
 What's just around the corner here?
 ...maybe a TS w/H.Pass clipping  mod and a juiced input to drive the high end, then clipped waveform into less of an S shape at it's output
 INto
 Dist+ with low end clipping mod?
 Perhaps a 'clean' blend to feed the DIST+ a bit of less processed signal with bass content intact.
 

[RaceDriver205]

Built Pedals: ColorSound ToneBender MKII Pro, Marshall SupaFuzz with Volume Boost, Bazz Fuss, Marshall BluesBreaker (2 of them).

Why don't you like non-fuzz pedals? Surely out of all the many dozens of types of other pedals, you must be interested in one of them?
Using a tone-altering device like an EQ, or the Purple Peaker or Red Ranger, Before the input to your fuzz gets you some distortion qualities you couldn't even imagine!
My purple peaker seems to get my Dis+ to make this metalic/electric sound which you'd never get with a fuzz pedal alone. Perhaps give it a try?

[KerryF]

Built Pedals: ColorSound ToneBender MKII Pro, Marshall SupaFuzz with Volume Boost, Bazz Fuss, Marshall BluesBreaker (2 of them).

Why don't you like non-fuzz pedals? Surely out of all the many dozens of types of other pedals, you must be interested in one of them?
Using a tone-altering device like an EQ, or the Purple Peaker or Red Ranger, Before the input to your fuzz gets you some distortion qualities you couldn't even imagine!
My purple peaker seems to get my Dis+ to make this metalic/electric sound which you'd never get with a fuzz pedal alone. Perhaps give it a try?

I dont only like fuzzes.  Actually, I like fuzzes probably the least out of all of the types of drives (overdrive, distortion, fuzz).  The Bazz Fuss was only on breadboard because it was so simple, it was stupid not to try.  The ToneBender and SupaFuzz were pedals I built for people.  The 4uzz I designed was 4 fuzzes based off a simple circuit with different mods for different sounds.  I can get stuff like low octave fuzz sounds, synthy (Fuzz Factory) type sounds, fuzz face sounds, etc...  Each fuzz is seperated by a rotary switch.  That fuzz is amazing and probably one of the most useful fuzzes besides the Zvex Fuzz Factory.  But I will look into the Purple Peaker and RedRanger type things to see about a distortion mod with them.

[KerryF]

Ok I just drew up a schematic for what I think I will need to put to add the Red Ranger boost part to this pedal.  Please let me know if you think it will work.  The footswitch is a DPDT Center Off footswitch.  Heres the schematic.  Let me know if adding this will do anything, or be bad, or anything I need to fix, etc.

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

Most reports I have seen on Craig Anderton's Quadrafuzz have been underwhelming, but mayve if it had different distortion circuits for each of the four bandpass filter sections, it could be worthwhile! Just a thought for anyone who wants to put TOO MANY parts in a box...

[KerryF]

^--I decided not to do different distortions for different frequencies.  Instead, I am having different types of distortions (a Crunch, a Bluesy OverDrive, maybe 1 more) each with their own level/gain controls.  This allows mixtures and non-mixtures of all these different types for boosting certain ones, having them seperate, having nothing, having the worst sounding crazy feedbacking distortion, etc...  But then, I would like to have the switch to go between treble, bass, and full boosts, like from the Red Ranger.  Above I posted the schematic I drew up, but need to make sure it will work, so I need advise for it from someone.  The "in" and "out" indicate it being stuck into the middle of the schematic for the distortion pedal.

[Ashurbanipal]

I want a pedal that will help me write a hit song.

[QSQCaito]

I want a pedal that will help me write a hit song.

+1, but go to dsp, they might be closer than us, that we are "more analog"



bey bye

DAC

[KerryF]

I want a pedal that will help me write a hit song.

While unreasonable, you it would be cool to try to make a pedal with an LCD to show all the different letters of the alphabet depending on what note and what octave, etc. you hit.  And you take note of every letter and play randomly and see what you get.  But then ummm you may tend to get a lot of words like "afmrngis" or "skfjnjn" or "wmmfh" or basically and combination of letters...

[blanik]

A better BD-2  !

[cakeworks]

I know the overwhelming talk of fuzzes will overwrite my voice but I would love to see something built for bass. Not just something that will accomodate for one, but something that will really work well with one.

thanks

-Jack

[KerryF]

I know the overwhelming talk of fuzzes will overwrite my voice but I would love to see something built for bass. Not just something that will accomodate for one, but something that will really work well with one.

thanks

-Jack

Yea, I would try, but I dont have a bass or bass amp laying around here so it would be hard to make something that will specifically sound good for bass...

[captntasty]

Here's an idea - combine two different distortion types and tie them together with a blend knob.  Probably not much in the way of design - two circuits connected by a blend pot.  Just a thought... 

[KerryF]

Yea, thats definately a possibility, and I do know how.  Its just that I am doing that in a different pedal.  I will think about it though.

Anyone for verifying, or looking at my little schematic to see if it will work?    Please 

[lumpymusic]

Anyone for verifying, or looking at my little schematic to see if it will work?    Please 

Left side of the circuit goes nowhere.
DC power in the circuit but no active components.
Not sure what a "center off" foot switch is.

What is it that you're trying to achieve with this circuit?
Is it part of a bigger circuit? And if so, what's on the input
and output side of it?


Lumpy
--
You were the Ken-L-Ration St Bernard?
Yes. My dog's bigger.
www.lumpyvoice.net