New Subdecay - but what???

[brian m]

i hate to be a bitch, but my issue with the Subdecay stuff is that i love love love the various step-filtering options, but don't care for the EV/flanger/phaser sounds which i always find kind of thin and lifeless. i wish they'd make a step filter with variable frequencies, some kind of real bandpass/parametric filter rather than the XXX + step filter things. i already have a flanger i love, and don't really want to buy a flanger i don't love just so i can get it to go BEEPBEEPBOOP.

The prometheus DLX has a "real bandpass" filter and is very similar to what you'd find in an analog synthesizer. That has a lot in common with a parametric EQ, but it only adds rather than subtracts at the cutoff frequency.

I'm not sure I am understanding your distinction between 'step filter with variable frequencies' and 'xxx+ step filter thing'

If you have a flanger that you love stick with it.

Now in the case of the PDLX and QDLX they are VCA based. They filter portion reacts logarithmically to a control voltage and are essentially 'perfect' analog models of what they are supposed to be. Whether or not that translates in to something that works for you is up to you. Especially in the case of the DLX i never wanted it to sound like a wah pedal. I started playing synths when i was about 13 and didn't get my first electric guitar until i was 16. On some level I'm always trying to bridge the two to an extent.

This flanger is different though. For our other modulation pedals I've really never spent any time looking at older designs. In the Starlight DLX I took some cues from the old MXR M117, & A/DA Flanger. That's not to say anything is straight up copied, but I spent a lot of time looking at their routing, filtering and the way things were controlled.

[AngryGoldfish]

My favourite way to BLEEPBLOP is to run a very compressed fuzz into the GK3. I can BLEEPBLOP to my hearts content then. I kinda wish it had the eight stages like Aen's new pitch shifting pedal, thogh.

[dubkitty]

The prometheus DLX has a "real bandpass" filter and is very similar to what you'd find in an analog synthesizer. That has a lot in common with a parametric EQ, but it only adds rather than subtracts at the cutoff frequency.

the PDLX is the most interesting Subdecay to me by far.

I'm not sure I am understanding your distinction between 'step filter with variable frequencies' and 'xxx+ step filter thing'

to clarify: something along the line of the PDLX which was intended solely as a step filter, as different to a phaser, flanger, or EF with added step-filter options.

Now in the case of the PDLX and QDLX they are VCA based. They filter portion reacts logarithmically to a control voltage and are essentially 'perfect' analog models of what they are supposed to be. Whether or not that translates in to something that works for you is up to you. Especially in the case of the DLX i never wanted it to sound like a wah pedal. I started playing synths when i was about 13 and didn't get my first electric guitar until i was 16. On some level I'm always trying to bridge the two to an extent.

i'm sure you've done everything you can to get the best sound possible for your ears. i just prefer a thicker, gooier phase/flange sound. i'm not saying you're WRONG, especially given the success of your pedals, just that some aspects don't ring my chimes.

thanks for the dialogue.

[Chankgeez]

i just prefer a thicker, gooier ...

That's what she said.

[dubkitty]

HEH

[goroth]

Boom!

[AngryGoldfish]

i'm sure you've done everything you can to get the best sound possible for your ears. i just prefer a thicker, gooier phase/flange sound. i'm not saying you're WRONG, especially given the success of your pedals, just that some aspects don't ring my chimes.

thanks for the dialogue.

Not to sound unnecessarily disagreeable, but I actually find both my Starlight and Quasar Dlx very gooey and sticky. In fact, I want to try other phasers for this very reason. The QDLX seems a little too sickly at times. I know that's being veyr fastidious, but as far as this conversations goes, I'd consider my experience with Subdecay to be very thick and juicy.

[Chankgeez]

I'd consider my experience ... to be very thick and juicy.

Uh ... that's what she said?

[brian m]

i'm sure you've done everything you can to get the best sound possible for your ears. i just prefer a thicker, gooier phase/flange sound. i'm not saying you're WRONG, especially given the success of your pedals, just that some aspects don't ring my chimes.

thanks for the dialogue.

In the case of flangers, I really do think the SDLX sounds much thicker and gooier than the Quantum version. We had a lot more room to work with. Using the MN3209 is admittedly a compromise, but with the lack of a depth knob using a longer delay line wasn't really going to be useful. It also runs at 5volts, so it lacks the headroom you get with higher voltage chips. Still, I do find it to be a huge upgrade over most simple flangers I have used. Don't get me wrong though, I really do like the Starlight Quantum, but I generally use it in random or tri/square shapes.

On the phaser side of things, I will admit there are some cheap phasers I own that I really like. I have a DOD FX20B that sounds really gooie, but also distorts a little. It's also a little on the dark side. It has all kinds of headroom issues, but it certainly does have an interesting sound. On the other hand it is not super useful with bass or synthesizers.
The most common complaint we have about the quasar dlx is that it can be too over the top (although I think we get that because people haven't figured out that the voice knob needs to be in the middle for minimum feedback.)

[sylnau]

(although I think we get that because people haven't figured out that the voice knob needs to be in the middle for minimum feedback.)

People are scared by too much knobs... but not here on ILF.
I will need to upgrade my Proteus one of these day.
It is doing exactly what I need... but Prometheus DLX will do a lot more.

[Chankgeez]

Brian, in light of your recent comments, I'm now reconsidering my position of questioning your qualifications to build this flanger.

I think that there're a lot more good sounding cheap phasers floating around than there're good sounding cheap flangers.

[brian m]

Brian, in light of your recent comments, I'm now reconsidering my position of questioning your qualifications to build this flanger.

I think that there're a lot more good sounding cheap phasers floating around than there're good sounding cheap flangers.

I definitely agree with this, and it is probably the biggest reason I never got in to flangers. I started playing guitar in 1990, and by then almost everything was MN3207 based, and used the MN3102 for the clock. The MN3102 just doesn't go fast enough to get the delay times as short as they probably should be. (that's actually a big reason we went with the shorter delay line mn3209 in the quantum)

Back in the day there weren't many choices. Pretty much boss, DOD, Ibanez. I had a boss BF2, HF2, the two knob DOD (fx70?) and some ibanez flanger at one point. I was big time in to the cure at the time and was always looking for modulation pedals. The only one of those I hung on to for any length of time was the HF2. It wasn't great, but definitely sounded nicer to me than the others... likely because it used a shorter delay line.

The SDLX does use an MN3007, which is basically the higher voltage version of the MN3207, but we are driving it with a PLL and buffer that can run much higher clock speeds for shorter delay times. This thing has some serious range. The gate and volume controls also lets us trim it for oscillation, which I have to to say is something I am really enjoying about it.

Anyway, I just got a call from the powder coater. Cases are ready. YAY! I need to go pick them up.

[sylnau]

Good news.

[Chankgeez]

Wow, you're getting me more and more psyched for the Starlight DLX.

This's my favorite era of The Cure:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ref8HbuWDo[/youtube]

[Chankgeez]

This one too:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buZUrOt7vDc[/youtube]