Pigtronix EP-2 Envelope Phaser ... opinions?

[RoeyHaviv]

Happy to inform I'm now endorsing Pigtronix effects.
Disnortion and EP2 are on their way to me now.

http://www.pigtronix.com/artists/roey-haviv/

Demo video coming soon

[JAUQO III-X]

One of my favorite pedals and it's more versatile than most give it credit for.

Here are some sound clips.

http://soundcloud.com/pigtronix/sets...-bass-guitar-1











Pigtronix Endorser.

[MilkyMcMilkMilk]

Originally Posted by JAUQO III-X

One of my favorite pedals and it's more versatile than most give it credit for.

Here are some sound clips.

http://soundcloud.com/pigtronix/sets...-bass-guitar-1











Pigtronix Endorser.

Cool sounds, thanks for the soundcloud link.

here's a cool link to this pedal bernie worrell using it
http://soundcloud.com/pigtronix/sets...ernie-worrell/

[JAUQO III-X]

Originally Posted by MilkyMcMilkMilk

Cool sounds, thanks for the soundcloud link.

Thanks and you're welcome.

[Robin Ruscio]

Just picked one of these up.

Anyone have some sample settings for various basic tones on each side? It is complex, even with the well written manual.

I'm specifically curious what might get the phaser close to my vintage MXR block Phase 90.

[gus1894]

Hey,
Just picked a Pigtronix Envelop Phaser up from Guitar Center Used Gear - and suprise! It came w/o the power supply.

Anyone know if I can run this off of a 1Spot? (And if I can also run 3 other 9v pedals simultaneously...

Otherwise I'm going to have to get my hands on a power supply from Pigtronix.

Thanks!

[Robin Ruscio]

Originally Posted by gus1894

Hey,
Just picked a Pigtronix Envelop Phaser up from Guitar Center Used Gear - and suprise! It came w/o the power supply.

Anyone know if I can run this off of a 1Spot? (And if I can also run 3 other 9v pedals simultaneously...

Otherwise I'm going to have to get my hands on a power supply from Pigtronix.

Thanks!

Hey Gus! Didn't we swap some gear at some point?

You can power the pedal off of a Godlyke Isopump with a one spot. I just got one for my One spot and am using it with the EP 2. It boosts the daisy chain to 18 volt and the pedal only needs 50ma. You can even run a Y splitter off the pump to power another 18v if you need to.

[gus1894]

Originally Posted by Robin Ruscio

Hey Gus! Didn't we swap some gear at some point?

You can power the pedal off of a Godlyke Isopump with a one spot. I just got one for my One spot and am using it with the EP 2. It boosts the daisy chain to 18 volt and the pedal only needs 50ma. You can even run a Y splitter off the pump to power another 18v if you need to.

We did, thanks.
I will have to check that out. I have an email into Pigtronix, if they have the power supply for a reasonable price I will grab it anyway b/c I'd like to have the power supply that goes with the pedal. Thanks again.

[aguacateojos]

Looks like I'm going to jump on the bandwagon of folks asking questions about the EP-2 here - but mine pertains to the original question. Got my EP-2 up and running yesterday and decided "hey, why not, I'll just use it at my gig!" then experienced the aforementioned volume jump and had to cease use mid-set. So, are there any ideas for working around this issue without sending it in to be modded?

[enjoi1018]

Originally Posted by aguacateojos

Looks like I'm going to jump on the bandwagon of folks asking questions about the EP-2 here - but mine pertains to the original question. Got my EP-2 up and running yesterday and decided "hey, why not, I'll just use it at my gig!" then experienced the aforementioned volume jump and had to cease use mid-set. So, are there any ideas for working around this issue without sending it in to be modded?

Got a volume pedal or a boost? You could run it after. Even if you don't have room or power you could solder up a mini passive volume pot just to cut a little of the jump.

[aguacateojos]

I do have a volume pedal, it just seemed somewhat impossible to coordinate engaging the EP-2 and adjusting the volume pedal quickly / precisely enough to solve the problem. Would a limiter or compressor be of use here?

[enjoi1018]

You could use a limiter or compressor, but if it were me I'd just use some sort of boost pedal set below unity gain. then you don't have to worry about attack/release, and you'll save a few pennies in the process.

[aguacateojos]

Found this nice little post while Googling "unity gain" - Technically Unity Gain is an operating point at which the amplitude of the signal going in is the same as the amplitude of the signal coming out of a gain stage.

A Gain Stage is simply any device that is designed to enlarge or shrink the amplitude of a signal, and do it accurately. (More or less.) A single gain stage is also known as an amplifier.

What we think of as an amplifier is actually a big collection of several types of gain stages, each designed to alter the signal in a different way. Generally when we say "amplifier," it's sort of a slang-type usage for talking about a whole box full of gain stages, as in a guitar amp.

So what's Unity Gain? Signal going in is as "loud" as signal going out, roughly speaking. But which part of the signal? The attack, the body, the decay, the overtones? What decides where Unity is--your ear or the circuit that gets the signal? Your ear may tell you it "seems" to be the same, but electrically the circuit may see an entirely different response, and do very different things to your signal than it would with a truly matched amplitude.

Fortunately, your ears are a pretty doggone good guide with guitar rigs. You have lots of clues: Are the two sounds equally loud? Equally EQ'd? Equally clean? Equal distortion? Does the sound sit in the mix the same? Do you hear the pick the same? Does it sustain the same? Do the dynamics match?

As you might gather, depending on which of those criteria you use, your intuitive sense of where Unity Gain is may very well be different, and for valid reasons. Ultimately, when we're talking guitar rigs as opposed to pro audio, it's an artistic decision and it's all about whether you think it sounds "good."
---
So, it looks like I need to continue my research. I'd like to keep this pedal and I might also like to add some distortion on top so I guess an early step might be to determine which effects I would like and how they will affect my overall volume concerns. I did spend some time tonight playing with the Sensitivity knob and my right hand in order to get a feel for the pedal and how my technique works with the filter... its difficult to gauge from headphone use but that might be a simple beginning point for dealing with these rogue frequencies.

[enjoi1018]

^ Good stuff! There's always a Boss LS-2. I have no room on my board (or in my pocket right now) for one, but my instincts keep telling me to buy one to have. So. Damn. Useful.

Another note, I know someone around here has has the volume drop modded by Pigtronix at the factory.

[fivestringgecko]

(special thanks to odineye for pointing me to this thread, I wasn't subscribed for some reason, despite my earlier posts)

Originally Posted by enjoi1018

Another note, I know someone around here has has the volume drop modded by Pigtronix at the factory.

That would be me.

I played a musical last summer, and the sound guy got spooked when I turned my EP2 on... When I shut it off again, I noticed that my dry volume had been lowered. He told me that my signal jumped +6db when I turned on the Envelope Phaser. After noticing it, I couldn't UN-notice it, and ended up having to dial the volume knob back on my bass whenever I turned it on. Not a HUGE deal, but kind of a pain. I'm pretty OCD about keeping my signal at unity, so that prompted an email to Dave Koltai at Pigtronix.

I asked him if mine wasn't working right and if he could fix the problem. He didn't say why, but said that volume boost was designed into the pedal, and then offered to put a volume control on it. Cost me $40 + shipping to get it to him, but it was worth it. Now I can +/- the volume output of the EP2 as needed with any bass.

It looks like a pretty simple mod, but I wasn't brave enough to do it myself. My knowledge of pedal guts is pretty limited and soldering skills aren't the greatest. For me it was worth it to send it to Dave.

5sg.

Two wires off the volume pot, white and green.


White connects to what WAS the green wire on the wiring harness


Green connects to the middle outside pin on the on/off stomp switch

[BawanaRik]

The EP-2 may be a little hi fi in the tone department but in a world where the term awesome is over used this pedal approaches that point of tremendousness.

Read the instructions and spend time twisting the knobs. There's a lot of options with this pedal.