we survived, so now what? GEAR GOALS 2021

[chromandre]

one of the projects on my list is putting real Fender WRHBs and a Bigsby on a Squier Starcaster. it's a ways down the list though since the new WRHBs are $200 apiece.

went with the porter WRHBs and it sounds fantastic!

[Blackened Soul]

I don't think Laswell even used a 440, I think it was a different model DOD.

From another prescient thread:

Embrace Bill Laswell: DOD FX25. Sensitivity all the way down, play it softly so the filter never opens.

His was probably the Kermit-correct color tho?



The FX25 is the preferred bass go-to, and the 440 is more of a guitar-type dealie IMHO

I'm sad the DOD: America's Pedal site has been down for awhile now, but nerd search identifies the 440 as using a LM13600 OTA (Operational Transconductance Amplifier) chip for the envelope, whereas the 440 uses a dual Vactrol (LED/dual LDR) (and the FX25B has a Blend knob, in case you need that sort of thing)

I’ve had both, they both do the dubby sound but the sparkly ones do weird stuff better.

[goroth]

440 arrived today - it’s exactly what I wanted! Very pleased by the hot bargain, the sparkle green colour.... but very bad for my board layout, usually my ring mod goes first but somehow with the Moogerfooger in front of it it barely registers unless I crank the gain, so it’s gotta be first in the chain, screwing up my perfectly laid out board! I just spent an hour fucking with it, and it’s great though! Simple and easy, exactly what I wanted. More than a couple of knobs on a filter and I get scared....

Lay it out how you want then get funky with the wiring. I've had some weeeeeiiiirrrrdddd cable runs in my life to get my pedalboards to make sense layout wise and signal chain wise.

[Dowi]

440 arrived today - it’s exactly what I wanted! Very pleased by the hot bargain, the sparkle green colour.... but very bad for my board layout, usually my ring mod goes first but somehow with the Moogerfooger in front of it it barely registers unless I crank the gain, so it’s gotta be first in the chain, screwing up my perfectly laid out board! I just spent an hour fucking with it, and it’s great though! Simple and easy, exactly what I wanted. More than a couple of knobs on a filter and I get scared....

Lay it out how you want then get funky with the wiring. I've had some weeeeeiiiirrrrdddd cable runs in my life to get my pedalboards to make sense layout wise and signal chain wise.

+1 on this: ease of use (feet-wise) has priority, signal chain order can be done if you have enough cables and don't mind about ridicolous cable lengths. Signal loss my a$$$$

[retinal orbita]

Yeah it’s not a huge drawback atm like where am I going to take these effects? Nowhere! Just fun times organizing my board....

I really do love this 440 so far though. I had a moment of pure panic when I couldn’t coax a single sound out of it before I took the Moog out of the chain that it wasn’t working or some shit..... I’ve had a “complicated” relationship with envelope filters over the years. Off the top of my head I can think of at least four that I’ve bought and flipped.....

[Chankgeez]

Yeah, envelope filters aren't always easy to get good sounds out of.

I recommend dirt and/or sustain both before and after. Helps keep 'em under control.

[retinal orbita]

Yeah it’s going to take a lot of experimenting. I am also using a FM4 which can now just be for synth sounds as I was never crazy about the envelope filter models on it.

[Blackened Soul]

I’ve had a “complicated” relationship with envelope filters over the years. Off the top of my head I can think of at least four that I’ve bought and flipped.....

Isn’t it always? I think I’ve bought and flipped around 9

[Dandolin]

I recommend dirt and/or sustain both before and after. Helps keep 'em under control.

[retinal orbita]

I’ve had a “complicated” relationship with envelope filters over the years. Off the top of my head I can think of at least four that I’ve bought and flipped.....

Isn’t it always? I think I’ve bought and flipped around 9

I appreciate this comment quite a bit, makes me feel less insane when thinking about it. Big box Q-Tron, Subdecay Proteus, Mr. Black Fwonk, Digitech Bass Synth Wah and at least one other I’m forgetting..... I sort of regret the Mr. Black (very good) and the Q-Tron (mostly because it looked cool) but I also don’t regret them at the same time.....

At least I know that if I ever sold the FM4 I’d never be able to buy one as cheap as I got it for..... so I won’t!!

[Blackened Soul]

It’s such a personal thing because they respond to your playing and what instrument you are playing through it. The only one I really jive with for most things is the mooger, I’ve had 2 but sold my backup.. I’ve had... 2 dod fx25s, baseballs, big qtron, guyatone bwr, chunk 00funk2, basssynthwah, mxr, some Alesis table top thing..

[Dandolin]

It’s such a personal thing because they respond to your playing and what instrument you are playing through it.

tru dat

[dubkitty]

oh, christ, don't even get me started on board layouts. even my main board, which is essentially two parallel tiers of pedals on a 22×12.5" platform, took weeks of fucking about before everything made sense. the front-end board is being a huge ass-pain, though...the ROYGBIV chorus that's incoming is an oversized box that's like 5×5.75" and totally screws up any kind of logical, linear routing. once it's set i'll post it in the pedalboard thread and you'll see just how fucking baroque the layout is. but comparatively it's simpler to do than the main board. the #2 board only has 7 pedals and a mini-buffer on, while the main board has 15.

[retinal orbita]

the #2 board only has 7 pedals and a mini-buffer on, while the main board has 15.

I should just pony up a little extra dough and buy a second power supply for a second board. I would love to have a noise board and a more workable "band board" rather than flipping everything around 20 times a week. I mean I'd still flip shit around all the time but it would be way easier.....

[dubkitty]

i was talking with my psychiatrist this week and describing my board and he said "it sounds like you're building a synthesizer." i've thought this more than once when connecting an array of square-wave generators to a series of LFOs and filters. the current board(s) concept is semi-modular with the satellite boards extending the capabilities of the main board. board #2 tacks onto the front of the signal chain and adds primitive ADSR, more asymmetrical modulation, and a first insertion of reverb and delay. board #3 is a free-standing loop module which could be used on its own, and board #4 will be comprised of extreme modulation, time-bending, and a final drive-by of the Apocalypse via the Keeley Loomer. at some point i might do a mini-board for playing where the extended capabilities of the main board aren't required, but i'd feel a wee bit silly buying duplicates of devices so i could have them in both places. an alternative would be nice because i'm pretty sure the main board weighs 35 or 40 pounds packed to travel, which is to say 2/3 of the weight of the AC15. i'm trying to arrange boards #2 and 4 so each could conceivably be used on its own, with fuzz, modulation, reverb, and echo included.