Some Changes Round These Here Parts/Feedback Wanted.

[Scruffie]

So! Been quiet around here for a while (how ya'll doin'?), life took over as it is wont to do but I'm ready to get back in to things...

I've decided that while the confinement of my standard stock 4 knob, 1 switch layout can be a blessing for design, I've been focusing on it too much and want to do some bigger, bolder, synonym designs so I'm looking at the next stage of things for a while... 1590BB with top mount jacks, 6 controls and 2 foot switches (one of which will be on/off, duh). Some of them might have to be 18V DC due to current draw ruling out charge pumps, deal breaker?

As such, I want some feedback on what you all would be interested in, here's some projects I've currently got in mind and on the breadboard(s).

BBD Delay
An MN3005 based delay with tracking filters (this will be familiar to those who know the big old greenie MXR delay) so it can provide from 40mS (Bright) to 800mS ( Dark) of delightful analogue delay time.
Would have Time, Feedback, Mix, Mod. Rate & Depth and Feedback EQ. (Treble boost/cut) controls with a foot-switchable filtering network to go to super ambient tones.

Stereo Chorus
A bit like a DC-2 with counter-swept LFO's but with a secondary modulation source to add more movement akin to an 'ensemble' chorus found on stuff like the Solina or VP330 vocoder.
Would have Rate, Secondary Rate, Depth and some kind of mix control, haven't thought through what would be the most useful yet, +/- Phase wet level for each channel? A master wet level for both? A 100% Wet/Dry for one channel and a phase flipper for the other? Maybe a master feedback control too? Tell me what you'd like to see!

Phaser
Super deep phaser, 4/6/8 stage toggle, Rate, Depth, Feedback, 100% Wet/Dry Mix, Odd/Even Harmonics Footswitch and... a tone control? a secondary LFO? a Manual Control (maybe 0-5V CV controlled too?)

Through Zero Flanger
Rate, Feedback, 'Crossing' control ('dry 'delay time) and either the standard Width/Manual control or a Top & Bottom sweep control so you can set exactly how high or low it goes and then a phase invert switch for the wet signal and possibly a grit control like the Warbler for some tapey tones? Or perhaps a control to stagger the sweep like an old tape deck motor playing catch up?

Dynamic PWM Fuzz
Dynamic as in, usually square wave based effects totally kill all your playing dynamics, this will still have them... although I guess it could be envelopey too if you wanted (I'm not super in to envelope effects moi self)
Rate, Depth, Dry Level, PWM Level and... a resonant filter? secondary modulation source? an octave down (would have extremely good monophonic tracking)? A bag full of kittens? envelope controlled modulation?

Ring Mod
Coarse & Fine Rate, Mix, Level, Tone and an 'input filter' foot switch that will track your guitar and produce a sine-ish wave form leading to much purer ring tones. No idea what the 6th control should be!

Any other suggestions for what you might like to see? There's only 2 main philosophies to stick to - 6 controls & 1 foot switch control and don't ask for tap tempo & infinity waveforms or I'll tap your tempo.

[coldbrightsunlight]

Personally I like the sound of the BBD delay and the chorus. They both sound very interesting?! But that's just me.

On the chorus I'm too confused to figure out what options all of those various configurations would give...

[Scruffie]

Personally I like the sound of the BBD delay and the chorus. They both sound very interesting?! But that's just me.

On the chorus I'm too confused to figure out what options all of those various configurations would give...

The BBD delay is the one I've been playing with most, it's super eerie and I'm digging it.

When I try to think of stereo mixing options I just see nothing but a white light and hear children laughing

[coldbrightsunlight]

[Dowi]

I'd be down for the ring mod thing as long as the bleed-through is quiet, the 6th control could control the feedback of the ringmod? like a feedback loop where the ring modded sound goes back in itself etc etc (i don't even know how it could sound of if it makes sense elctronically )
Also, a stereo chorus with all those features could led me to paralysis but it is interesting nonetheless.

[oldangelmidnight]

Dynamic PWM Fuzz
Dynamic as in, usually square wave based effects totally kill all your playing dynamics, this will still have them... although I guess it could be envelopey too if you wanted (I'm not super in to envelope effects moi self)
Rate, Depth, Dry Level, PWM Level and... a resonant filter? secondary modulation source? an octave down (would have extremely good monophonic tracking)? A bag full of kittens? envelope controlled modulation?

This is compelling to me. There isn't a lot of competition in this area.
I love a random setting for the modulator. Resonant filter would be great. Envelope control over rate would make sense.
How would this sound in a feedback loop? That might be a good use of a second footswitch.

[Scruffie]

I'd be down for the ring mod thing as long as the bleed-through is quiet, the 6th control could control the feedback of the ringmod? like a feedback loop where the ring modded sound goes back in itself etc etc (i don't even know how it could sound of if it makes sense elctronically )

That'd be a must so no worries there

I imagine feeding a ring mod back in to a ring mod would sound like an absolute mess... I'll try it!

Octave up is the more boring and easier to implement option I neglected to think of.

Also, a stereo chorus with all those features could led me to paralysis but it is interesting nonetheless.

It doesn't have to be all those mixing options, that was kinda what I was asking about, what's useful for you stereo peeps?

Dynamic PWM Fuzz
Dynamic as in, usually square wave based effects totally kill all your playing dynamics, this will still have them... although I guess it could be envelopey too if you wanted (I'm not super in to envelope effects moi self)
Rate, Depth, Dry Level, PWM Level and... a resonant filter? secondary modulation source? an octave down (would have extremely good monophonic tracking)? A bag full of kittens? envelope controlled modulation?

This is compelling to me. There isn't a lot of competition in this area.
I love a random setting for the modulator. Resonant filter would be great. Envelope control over rate would make sense.
How would this sound in a feedback loop? That might be a good use of a second footswitch.

Sample and hold modulation would be a possibility which is random-ish.

As luck would have it, I've been informed I'm getting a vintage EHX Guitar Synth in for repair (rack mount thing, not the micro) which does PWM a long with filters and envelope modulation (not sure what patches through what though) so once it's running I should be able to get an idea of what sounds good with it

I don't think a feedback loop would be a good option...

[oldangelmidnight]

Maybe the second footswitch could select between fast and slow rates? Or high and low pulse widths?
I'm reminded that I made a little video when I had two PWM fuzzes to play with: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcvMwC8fOEg

[coldbrightsunlight]

I am not a stereo person so the chorus sounding good in mono would be priority 1

S&H modulation would be a cool option on anything if feasible without too much extra work.

[Scruffie]

Maybe the second footswitch could select between fast and slow rates? Or high and low pulse widths?
I'm reminded that I made a little video when I had two PWM fuzzes to play with: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcvMwC8fOEg

That video gave me an idea, a manual control for fixed PWM tone, don't know why I didn't think of that before.

Also, I think I've decided the foot switch will switch in a harmonically related second PWM core for them detuned sounds.

I am not a stereo person so the chorus sounding good in mono would be priority 1

S&H modulation would be a cool option on anything if feasible without too much extra work.

I'm not either, but I thought that was kind of the 'thing' these days but maybe I should just aim to make a mono uber chorus with a couple of mixed channels... maybe series/parallel switched.

S&H isn't particularly difficult but a lot of these circuits are going to be big to squeeze the best out of them so it might come down to board space as for extra options like that on certain circuits, but I'll keeps it in mind.

[coldbrightsunlight]

Yeah I'm sure you want to avoid putting things in enclosures that can be seen from space etc. Doesn't necessarily actually work in an interesting way for everything either

[oldangelmidnight]

Also, I think I've decided the foot switch will switch in a harmonically related second PWM core for them detuned sounds.

That sounds great. Especially if it could be controlled by expression pedal.

[Scruffie]

Also, I think I've decided the foot switch will switch in a harmonically related second PWM core for them detuned sounds.

That sounds great. Especially if it could be controlled by expression pedal.

This circuit is definitely in the pipe line now, been playing with a stripped down version last week and it sounds super awesome and very synthy. How I've approached the detuned sound wouldn't gain much from an expression pedal but it's a very cool sound...

And having just tried the Ring Mod, I can now describe the sound of using the input filter as 'nightmare flute'... which sounds cooler than it is, not sure about carrying on with this one.

[Bioklastik]

A TZ Flanger is always a beautiful thing.

[dubkitty]

honestly, any of these would be interesting. i've never heard a PWM fuzz that really worked for me, so that's right up there. and my phaser just died, so that's way up the list. (i'm rather bummed that i missed the Vixen.) and the input filter thingy on the ring mod could get it a spot in the toybox next to the Randy's Revenge, which is high praise indeed from me.