is there a pedal for bass that can make 8 bit sounds similar to old videogame consoles like the NES?
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8 bit synth
- Thread starter Gonzo476
- Start date
The new DBA Robot does this, I think? There are lots of other good bit crushers effects out there (a bandmate has one that looks like a NES controller)
You'd be best off with something that can generate something close to a waveform.
Some pedals to check out:
4ms Nocto Loco (have one arriving in the mail today)
MI Audio Pollyanna
Death by Audio Robot
WMD Geiger Counter
I once had some luck with this sound by running the octave up on a Micro POG into a Subdecay Flying Tomato on an extremely low bias ("gate") setting. It was totally unusable for anything because it didn't have any low end to speak of really.
I think the Pollyanna is probably a good option for the money.
Some pedals to check out:
4ms Nocto Loco (have one arriving in the mail today)
MI Audio Pollyanna
Death by Audio Robot
WMD Geiger Counter
I once had some luck with this sound by running the octave up on a Micro POG into a Subdecay Flying Tomato on an extremely low bias ("gate") setting. It was totally unusable for anything because it didn't have any low end to speak of really.
I think the Pollyanna is probably a good option for the money.
What you're probably looking for is a bitcrusher.
Bitcrushers are digital, but there are analog pedals that can produce bitcrushing tones. There aren't too many bitcrushers on the market, the Geiger Counter is one I know of; there's also one called the Harvestman, though Im not sure if its being produced yet. If you do a search on bitcrusher, you may find one that was posted here some months back- I forget the name but it was a European made pedal and user posting about it iirc. There are also a couple discontinued bitcrushers worth noting- the Alesis Bitrman and the harder-to-find/more expensive Sonic Alienator (the brand name escapes me at the moment).
The Alesis Bitrman is easy to use and can do bitcrushing nintendo tones, as well as a ring mod, and other modes. Easy to use and one of the cheaper bitcrushers available, though its not quite in stompbox format as it has a smaller switch meant for hand switching.
The Geiger Counter is a dirtier bitcrusher, but it can produce those tones as well as an array of other distortion tones from mild to wild that can also be ring mod like. It's on the expensive side.
The Heliotrope is an analog pedal that I haven't used, but from what Ive read and heard it can produce bitcrushing tones- I think its advertised as such; Im pretty sure its a fuzzy ringmoddy pedal, though it only subtracts frequency, and does not add like a ringmod. Going further into fuzz territory are some of the Devi Ever pedals, specifically the 'Bit'- this is a gated fuzz that has a synthy quality to it, though its not quite nintendo like.
Bitcrushers are digital, but there are analog pedals that can produce bitcrushing tones. There aren't too many bitcrushers on the market, the Geiger Counter is one I know of; there's also one called the Harvestman, though Im not sure if its being produced yet. If you do a search on bitcrusher, you may find one that was posted here some months back- I forget the name but it was a European made pedal and user posting about it iirc. There are also a couple discontinued bitcrushers worth noting- the Alesis Bitrman and the harder-to-find/more expensive Sonic Alienator (the brand name escapes me at the moment).
The Alesis Bitrman is easy to use and can do bitcrushing nintendo tones, as well as a ring mod, and other modes. Easy to use and one of the cheaper bitcrushers available, though its not quite in stompbox format as it has a smaller switch meant for hand switching.
The Geiger Counter is a dirtier bitcrusher, but it can produce those tones as well as an array of other distortion tones from mild to wild that can also be ring mod like. It's on the expensive side.
The Heliotrope is an analog pedal that I haven't used, but from what Ive read and heard it can produce bitcrushing tones- I think its advertised as such; Im pretty sure its a fuzzy ringmoddy pedal, though it only subtracts frequency, and does not add like a ringmod. Going further into fuzz territory are some of the Devi Ever pedals, specifically the 'Bit'- this is a gated fuzz that has a synthy quality to it, though its not quite nintendo like.
Thank you Fightthepower for constantly guiding me in the slow and painful process of building a synth pedalboard
.Is the Alesis the closest sounding to and old Nintendo?
I'm going to hijack your thread and tell you to throw out the bass and do that synth on an older ATARI 2600 via the homebrew synthcart! 
BOSS VF-1 has a LOFI BOX effect available. I've only played with it briefly but it has a few different processor types (radio, player, processor - the one you likely want), bit depth, sampling rate, a couple of pre/post filters for distortion sounds and you can control the level of the effect and direct (dry) signal to blend if you want. Plus, on top of that it has a filter section you can apply to the LOFI with a cutoff and resonance. Tons of possilities from a kind of lofi fuzz to a harmonic ringmod like lofi sound depending how you set the sample rates and filters. The downside is you can only use the LOFI, EQ, and Noise Suppressor effects (in any order) simultaneously. So no adding delay, etc. when wanting to use the LOFI effect due to the way the VF-1 sorts everthing into algorithms.
I have the Heliotrope mentioned here and it can also do some bitcrushed type sounds, but it's done via ringmod type applications. And there seems to be a healthy dose of dry fed through the Heliotrope with no Blend control so you can't really ever dial in pure effect sound that you really need for that 8 bit tone. It's better as a ringmod type effect, at least when soloed.
Some day when I stop buying/selling equipment and have some time to fully learn it I'll try to whip up some sound clips.
I have the Heliotrope mentioned here and it can also do some bitcrushed type sounds, but it's done via ringmod type applications. And there seems to be a healthy dose of dry fed through the Heliotrope with no Blend control so you can't really ever dial in pure effect sound that you really need for that 8 bit tone. It's better as a ringmod type effect, at least when soloed.
Some day when I stop buying/selling equipment and have some time to fully learn it I'll try to whip up some sound clips.
Thank you Fightthepower for constantly guiding me in the slow and painful process of building a synth pedalboard
Is the Alesis the closest sounding to and old Nintendo?
Hey no problem.. err sorry... I mean.. you're welcome? Im not sure if Im being a good or a bad influence haha
Of the ones I've tried, yes. The Geiger Counter is probably capable of many of the same tones, but it has so many wavetables and options- with most of them being heavily distorted, that I haven't zero'd in on as many 'clean' bitcrushing tones as I have with the Bitrman which is much easier to use. Ive been meaning to make a clip for someone interested in buying mine, if I get around to it I'll post them here.The triangle wave may be a good input signal, but he'll need the bitcrusher first. A smoother signal like the triangle is probably a good idea though, so you're hearing more of the bitcrushing action and less distorted sounding signal under it.
That's the one I was trying to thinking of earlier. Someone did a review of it here recently and it sounded pretty cool. I don't have any experience with it, but it seems like it could be a good option as well.
that would draw more potential buyers I guess
the review is here:
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=533223
http://www.buildyourownclone.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=18708
I'm building two of these as soon as all the parts arrive. Prepare for clips in a few days.
I'm building two of these as soon as all the parts arrive. Prepare for clips in a few days.
Bryan R. Tyler
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I made a quick one with one of the VF-1's bit crush/lo-fi sounds a while back:
Link Removed
Here is a quick BOSS VF-1 LOFI sound clip
It starts with clean bass, then just the BIT feature at 8 then 1 noting it's more of a dirt sound, then I add in the SAMPLE RATE which gives the bit crushing sound and noise, then I diddle with the filter section cycling through LPF/BP/HP then back to LPF and play with the cutoff and resonance. Lastly I push a MXR Bass Octave Deluxe and then BOD + Brown Dog through the LOFI so you can see what it does to signals other than clean bass. It can generate total pure noise depending on what you feed it. Unfortunately I whipped through this fairly fast and failed to write down the various settings I used so I'm going off memory as to what values for the various settings I used. One setting I didn't use was the PRE FILTER = ON which functions somewhat like a pre noise gate as it cuts out the clicks and noise between notes you play. There's also a POST FILTER which I have never found a use for as it basically muffles the entire sound and seems pretty useless.
The BOSS VF-1 has a ton of functionality for a pretty cheap $100 - $150 product. All MIDI controllable, with four assigns you so you can assign 4 parameters to pedals/CC though I haven't gotten that far yet. But I'd think you could assign CUTOFF FREQUENCY to a CC pedal to sweep with it, though I'd expect it to be a stepped sweep based on how it functions when sweeping the front panel control knob.
It starts with clean bass, then just the BIT feature at 8 then 1 noting it's more of a dirt sound, then I add in the SAMPLE RATE which gives the bit crushing sound and noise, then I diddle with the filter section cycling through LPF/BP/HP then back to LPF and play with the cutoff and resonance. Lastly I push a MXR Bass Octave Deluxe and then BOD + Brown Dog through the LOFI so you can see what it does to signals other than clean bass. It can generate total pure noise depending on what you feed it. Unfortunately I whipped through this fairly fast and failed to write down the various settings I used so I'm going off memory as to what values for the various settings I used. One setting I didn't use was the PRE FILTER = ON which functions somewhat like a pre noise gate as it cuts out the clicks and noise between notes you play. There's also a POST FILTER which I have never found a use for as it basically muffles the entire sound and seems pretty useless.
The BOSS VF-1 has a ton of functionality for a pretty cheap $100 - $150 product. All MIDI controllable, with four assigns you so you can assign 4 parameters to pedals/CC though I haven't gotten that far yet. But I'd think you could assign CUTOFF FREQUENCY to a CC pedal to sweep with it, though I'd expect it to be a stepped sweep based on how it functions when sweeping the front panel control knob.
also, not mentioned too often.. there is a ringmod in the modfactor that can get some crushed type sounds.
