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3Leaf Audio Club - Episode 2

Does anyone have opinions on the Proton vs MXR BEF?
Like @geolikezik I've also owned both. To me the big difference is where the envelope sweep begins in the frequency range. The Proton is a very "meaty" sounding envelope as the sweep tends to start somewhere in the midrange. By comparison, the BEF seems to start its sweep much higher. You can make it do other things, but that high frequency up-sweep thing is what it seemed to gravitate towards while I owned it. Ultimately the BEF was a little too bright for my taste, but to be honest the Proton was a little dark, which is why I ended up with a Wonderlove and now a Chromatron.
 
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Like @geolikezik I've also owned both. To me the big difference is where the envelope sweep begins in the frequency range. The Proton is a very "meaty" sounding envelope as the sweep tends to start somewhere in the midrange. By comparison, the BEF seems to start its sweep much higher. You can make it do other things, but that high frequency up-sweep thing is what it seemed to gravitate towards while I owned it. Ultimately the BEF was a little too bright for my taste, but to be honest the Proton was a little dark, which is why I ended up with a Wonderlove and now a Chromatron.

Thanks for that man. I just pulled the trigger on a proton, perhaps it’ll be a stepping stone to the wonderlove or Chroma! My pedalboard is looking more and more 3Leaf right now...not a bad thing!
 
Thanks for that man. I just pulled the trigger on a proton, perhaps it’ll be a stepping stone to the wonderlove or Chroma! My pedalboard is looking more and more 3Leaf right now...not a bad thing!
The Proton does things that my Wonderlove and Chromatron don’t, so there’s definitely a reason to use one or the other... or both!
 
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The Proton does things that my Wonderlove and Chromatron don’t, so there’s definitely a reason to use one or the other... or both!

wait...wut?!



checks wallet...NOPE.




please elaborate. I just sold my groove regulator after picking up a chromatron. I compared the 2 and although different beasts, they served the same purpose. The voicings were definitely different, but I preferred the timbre of the chromatron over the groove regulator for most applications and the added value of leveraging an expression for a wah like vibe was a no brainer. I have never had a proton or a wonderlove but was debating getting a mutron like thingy and after getting the chromatron, I can dial it in so simply. What can the proton do that the chromatron cannot? Also which version of proton - is there a difference or are they simply aesthetic changes?
 
There were version differences that swapped out switches for a pot. I don’t recall all the iterations. I had the most recent.

In general the Proton does the Mutron thing better than either the Chromatron or the Wonderlove. The Proton can get quackier (I’ve always loved that envelope filter description), and it generally feels less “clean.” Not clean in the sense of overdrive or anything, but it definitely has a more aggressive tonality to it than the Chromatron or Wonderlove which both feel decidedly polished to me. For what it’s worth I greatly prefer the Chromatron over everything after having owned a v1 Groove Regulator, a Proton, a Wonderlove Deluxe and a brief detour to an MXR BEF.
 
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I went from Wonderlove to Proton mainly for the size factor and ease of operating. Feature-wise, Proton is a subset of Wonderlove. I did hear the difference in voicing but as far as I remember it was not too dramatic to my ears...
Quoting Spencer "They are designed to sound different but the differences are subtle enough that most people probably don't notice".
 
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Oh? I’m listening...
 
I hate hearing that... 4 months ago I got the Octabvre 2...that was a short series.

It happens. I get it. The mkII has been out for a while now. I’m usuing a Tim Modded MKI and have no issues with it and don’t NEED to upgrade to a III. Will I? Depends if these new improvements are worth doing so. Any version is an awesome version and if you decide to sell, you’ll still get money towards the upgrade.
Who doesn’t like new toys??
 
I had the groove regulator for a WHILE as my man filter. When I saw a black friday deal I couldn't resist on the chromatron, I took the plunge to check it out and it was light years ahead of the groove regulator. I sold the groove regulator so as not to just collect these, but they all have their unique voices. I'm extremely interested to see what this octave has to offer, though I've been in massive love with my Ampeg since getting it during the reissue. Would love to see something smallish in form factor...that new MXR is looking real worth checking out.
 
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