Toadworks Barracuda sound clips

nad · #1 03-15-2009, 02:26 AM

So yeah, been using this pedal quite a bit lately. Sometimes at home I think it is too subtle to last long on my board, but it's one of very few pedals that I've had several people comment upon, lovingly so, after hearing what this here thing thing can do in band and solo contexts. Oh sure, behind a wall of distorted geeeeeeeetars the effect will be unnoticed, but that's not really what this type of sound is for, at least on bass. Well okay, I should clarify that with an IMO, IME, HTF, or L@@K, because my tonal needs do not encompass the realm of all others, and some may disagree with that particular assessment. I'm not someone else, at least as far as I know (more on this later), and I can barely tell myself when to or when not to use whatever effect it is that I'm trying to abuse during any given inappropriate aural location. Quite. Something slightly less subjective of note is that the white LED is bright. Really bright, but not painfully so, unlike those stupid blue LEDs, which make me want to punch fish, amongst other life aquatic, but this is the only pedal I've used that I can read in complete darkness just by turning it on. Another note of some is that hotter basses seem to distort this pedal, and the manual says to back off the Depth and/or Regen to prevent this, but honestly I've found it to be a very pleasant sound and quite enjoy said feature when playing my Sterling, aka The Distort Every Effing Thing Possible Bass. It also sounds amazing with delay, but why take my word for it when I could just move on to the clips. Before I do that, just one more thi--

GET ON WITH IT!

Right. Passive j-bass with various pickup combinations, gone direct, amplified in Audacity as needed:

Barracuda strong
Definitely does the subtle thing extremely well, but this clip is more on the obvious flanging side of things I suppose.

Barracuda quick
Doesn't ever really get metallic, even on the extreme settings. To me at least. But who am I, really? Sometimes I wonder.

Barracuda chorus
It can do a nice chorus as well.

Barracuda fuzz
This one starts off with my own version of shreds it would seem, but also shows the pedal's capabilities with a good bit o' fuzz. I don't know why this clip is so long, the jet landed several times already. Hey-o!

Barracuda dirt
Also sounds nice with a little dirt in front of it.

Barracuda fake
I suppose I reveal my generation since I chose this as my Known Flanger Quantity. I played this riff (amongst many others) to accompany a speech at my high school graduation in 1997, but I didn't have a flanger back then. Tool has since sold millions of albums. I finally got a nice flanger. Lemons => Lemonade

Barracuda yep
delay + chorus + flanger + what + Iunno + whocares

SpankyPants · #2 03-15-2009, 02:52 AM

Sounds nice, but I still prefer the SEM.

And as always, nice playing.

fightthepower · #3 03-15-2009, 04:16 AM

I was wondering about these, I'm glad you posted clips. I dig the general character of the flange, but it doesn't seem to get quite rubber bandy enough based on these clips. I think Im set on getting something with cv control anyway.. but as much as I like these clips, my barracuda flanger gas has subsided a little bit

RCCollins · #4 03-15-2009, 08:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fightthepower

I was wondering about these, I'm glad you posted clips. I dig the general character of the flange, but it doesn't seem to get quite rubber bandy enough based on these clips. I think Im set on getting something with cv control anyway.. but as much as I like these clips, my barracuda flanger gas has subsided a little bit

is there another flanger with expression control?

fightthepower · #5 03-15-2009, 02:59 PM

Yeah but I not many that I know of.. paradox tzf, a/da, the lovetone flanger I guess.. Im not paying over 500 for the paradox, and the a/da are pretty expensive given their age. The lovetone is obviously up there as well.. I have a friend who just graduated with a degree in electrical engineering (iirc) among others, and was interested in doing a pedal project. I was going to send him a few schematics of fuzz's and octavers (plus ideas for changes) and see what he thought, but now I'm thinking an a/da flanger would be cool.. although the original chips are impossible to find it seems. Anyway I haven't looked into it enough yet to really discuss the topic of flangers, but Im trying to replace pedals im not totally in love with, with other cv controllable ones. The mp201 has changed the way I look at a lot of this stuff, and Id like to get a cp251 to go with it.

RCCollins · #6 03-15-2009, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fightthepower

Yeah but I not many that I know of.. paradox tzf, a/da, the lovetone flanger I guess.. Im not paying over 500 for the paradox, and the a/da are pretty expensive given their age. The lovetone is obviously up there as well.. I have a friend who just graduated with a degree in electrical engineering (iirc) among others, and was interested in doing a pedal project. I was going to send him a few schematics of fuzz's and octavers (plus ideas for changes) and see what he thought, but now I'm thinking an a/da flanger would be cool.. although the original chips are impossible to find it seems. Anyway I haven't looked into it enough yet to really discuss the topic of flangers, but Im trying to replace pedals im not totally in love with, with other cv controllable ones. The mp201 has changed the way I look at a lot of this stuff, and Id like to get a cp251 to go with it.

you should! - with the cp251 you can officially say you own a modular synth. you're SO CLOSE already!

fightthepower · #7 03-15-2009, 08:48 PM

Im not exactly sure what all the necessary parts are to constitute a full 'modular' but I figure I must be close- an attenuator away or so? hehe.. I wasn't really 100% sure what the cp251 would do, and didnt seem to care much, until I got the mp201 and quickly put the pieces of the puzzle together.. *ding* ahh so thats the relation of cv, lfos, vco's etc. Admittedly Im very a much a newb to playing/making music in general and just kind of stumbled on to the synth stuff.. so Im regularly having light bulbs go off as the stuff Ive been reading and absorbing begins to add up. At some point I think the mopho will be a no brainer to use with my boards.

**barebones** · #8 03-15-2009, 08:59 PM

Go, nad, GO!

RCCollins · #9 03-15-2009, 09:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fightthepower

Im not exactly sure what all the necessary parts are to constitute a full 'modular' but I figure I must be close- an attenuator away or so? hehe.. I wasn't really 100% sure what the cp251 would do, and didnt seem to care much, until I got the mp201 and quickly put the pieces of the puzzle together.. *ding* ahh so thats the relation of cv, lfos, vco's etc. Admittedly Im very a much a newb to playing/making music in general and just kind of stumbled on to the synth stuff.. so Im regularly having light bulbs go off as the stuff Ive been reading and absorbing begins to add up. At some point I think the mopho will be a no brainer to use with my boards.

I think the cp251 will make it complete. sure you could have a facnier tone generator than the freqbox, sure you could have a sequencer, etc but the the about modular synth is that there literally are no rules so consider yourself a player, player!

excane · #10 03-15-2009, 09:17 PM

You da man nad....I shoulda put up clips a long time ago.

Thanks for taking the time for this. Sounds great - nice tone, really cool playing. I love mine, and I'm guessing you're feeling the same

I usually run mine just like your clip #5 with some dirt before it.

fightthepower · #11 03-15-2009, 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by excane

You da man nad....I shoulda put up clips a long time ago.

Thanks for taking the time for this. Sounds great - nice tone, really cool playing. I love mine, and I'm guessing you're feeling the same

I usually run mine just like your clip #5 with some dirt before it.

I was diggin' his playing style as well. Good stuff