MXR Env Filter: where are you running yours?

[Bucksears]

I finished up my GGG MXR Env Filter this weekend and it functions correctly; I have an resistor + 100k trimmer for R16, but it works fine across the sweep.
I did the version with the mods (attack, threshold, emphasis, range and reverse sweep). It sounds very funky and after a few minutes of getting used to the pick attack variations, it can really 'talk'. It doesn't have the fatness (WAAAAOWWW) that I remember my old DOD FX25 having (and I'm considering one of those next), but it does get some 'bubbly' sounds going.

I noticed that it didn't sound as good with the filter AFTER fuzz/OD; little to no dynamics. Is this a characteristic of the MXR or pretty much all env filters?
Where do you run yours?

Thanks,
Buck

[soggybag]

Your fuzz box is probably adding a lot of compression which flattens out the dynamics of your playing. With the envelope filter following the fuzz box it's not seeing dynamic playing it's just seeing a hotter compressed signal. Try it in front of the fuzz box.

[Mark Hammer]

+1

The trick to envelope filters is that they need to have dynamics to respond to, and if you constrict dynamics they won't sweep right.  That doesn't mean you can't stick them after a distortion device, but you have to pick 'em right.  For instance, you'd get better performance sticking an SD-1 or Timmy or Dano Tranparent Overdrive ahead of the filter than you would sticking a Big Muff or TS-9, because the former have greater dynamic response than the latter.  It also means you don't want to have a compressor on ahead of a filter, unless that compressor is set for very minimal compression.

This is also why the Q-Tron+ comes with an effects loop.  This allows for a fuzzed signal to be filtered, but detects the envelope before the fuzz, rather than after it.

[Bucksears]

Worked like a charm.
I put it in front of my BSIAB II with the gain rolled back to 1/2, then flipped on the low-range and the 'reverse' sweep. Played the opening/main riff of U2's 'Mysterious Ways' for a while.

Thanks guys

[petemoore]

  You can have filter sweeping fuzz, but the filter expects a wide dynamic range.
  If fed an analog of the guitar output voltage, would sweep the same as what it's fed raw guitar.
  [A separate wire of course would be required] and a buffer/splitter would help if impedance/loading is a problem...is probably needed or good way to do it ? [If you plan to proceed this would be good to figure out.
  At the fuzz input a buffer/splitter---< the splitter A-output feeds fuzz input, output-B feeds the envelope detector input.