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Bit crusher? How important would it be for you?

Dominick C.

Dominick C.

Guest
Jul 2, 2012
860
945
Austin, Tx
Disclosures
I don't like mean people or mean comments....
#1
i am in the process of building a new pedal board. I have decided to include a few pedals to help get synthy! I have never played with a bit crusher, I was hoping for a few opinions. If you were building a highly capable pedalboard, and you wanted some tasty synth options, how important would you consider a bit crusher? I've listened to hours worth of clips on the internets, so I know how they sound, and I know the ultimate answer is gotta try it to see if I like it. Just wondering what y'all thought.

I am considering a frantabit. Current pedels, in order, on the board include:
Subterranea
Holding place for oxide
Xerograph Deluxe
Cali76
Polytope
Nimbus
Micro thump.

I know one of the biggest steps to reaching my synthy bliss will be a fuzz, I am waiting on an oxide.
 
#2
Another thought? Where does one typically place a bit crusher in ones signal chain? I am guessing I would want it pre compressor, maybe close to the front of the chain to assist with tracking? Right after the SubT maybe?
 
#3
Or am I over-thinking this? The SubT and the XeroDeluxe are stupid awesome by themselves. When I add the oxide it should slay. So would I really have a need for a bit crusher? Do those of you that have one find that you use it often?
 
#4
I've had several bitcrushers and other than them being fun, I never could find a good use for it. Most of them are just too compressed sounding IMO. The Red Panda Bitmap was the most pleasing one to my ears.

I always put it after fuzz in my chain, but I've tried it several other ways as well.
 
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#5
I think bit crushers (not talking about sample rate reduction) are highly under-rated. Lowering the bit rate is a way of getting distortion without adding extra noise via gain. I think at down around 6-4 bits the texture it adds is quite pleasing. Of course, at bit settings that low it also starts gating heavily, so it's a good idea to boost the signal heavily before the bit crusher.

I often wonder why no one has made a bit crusher with boost in the front. Maybe attentuation to compensate at the output stage. This would make way more sense than pairing bit crushing with sample rate reduction, which sounds nothing like it, is far less musical IMO, and kinda gives bit crushing a bad name. Whenever people buy bit crushing pedals I think they get distracted by the sample rate reduction. But I'm ranting now.
 
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#7
Thanks for the suggestion, that red panda seems like fun.

I agree that bit crushers are underrated, I have heard some killers sounds out of them. I think the issue is the craziness they can create.
 
#9
i have moved away from bit crushers due to the limiting effect they have on other pedals. instead have focused on specific pedals that either heavy gate or max compress or incorporate a extreme square wave that chops and exaggerates what is after them.
 
#15
ryansalmond said:
I think bit crushers (not talking about sample rate reduction) are highly under-rated. Lowering the bit rate is a way of getting distortion without adding extra noise via gain. I think at down around 6-4 bits the texture it adds is quite pleasing. Of course, at bit settings that low it also starts gating heavily, so it's a good idea to boost the signal heavily before the bit crusher.

I often wonder why no one has made a bit crusher with boost in the front. Maybe attentuation to compensate at the output stage. This would make way more sense than pairing bit crushing with sample rate reduction, which sounds nothing like it, is far less musical IMO, and kinda gives bit crushing a bad name. Whenever people by bit crushing pedals I think they get distracted by the sample rate reduction. But I'm ranting now.
Click to expand...

If you ever get a chance to try the WMD Geiger Counter, you will not find any volume issues. That is easily the loudest pedal I have ever used. Tons of gain on tap and more combinations of tones than you could ever remember, let alone use. I ended up selling mine because of "Option Paralysis"(When there are so many tones to choose from you can't even pick 1 or 2.) The Geiger Counter does both bitcrushing and sample rate reduction.

jez79 said:
A bitcrusher would not help tracking. Best placed either with dirt (mid chain) or after filter (later near end)
Sample rate reduction can make a filter sound very vocal, placed before or after
Click to expand...

I love Bitcrushing or SRR after filters or modulation. They just add that magical EDM tone that other pedals can't do on their own. The vocal tone is what I'm talking about. I use the Destroyer on the Strymon Mobius as a SRR, and it can function as a distortion voice or a robot vowel effect. Granted the Mobius is not as extreme as other dedicated bit pedals.

To @dominickc: I'd say get the Frantabit. You seem to own a lot of the other IE effects and might as well own them all at some point, that GAS won't pass til you at least try them. Try the Frantabit in different points in your chain and find the one you like the most. You'll either want a crazier device like the WMD GC or a simpler device like that Mooer Lofi.
 
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#16
jasonmitsch said:
To @dominickc: I'd say get the Frantabit. You seem to own a lot of the other IE effects and might as well own them all at some point, that GAS won't pass til you at least try them. Try the Frantabit in different points in your chain and find the one you like the most. You'll either want a crazier device like the WMD GC or a simpler device like that Mooer Lofi.
Click to expand...

I second that. And there's one on Invalid Link Removed right now!
 
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#17
You clearly have a thing for IE pedals! Which is great.

But I would say rather than adding a bit crusher, add another super synthy fuzz.

And I do love what Bit Crushers can do. I just have trouble using them well in band settings. Kinda like ring mods.

A good phase pedal will help your fuzz go super synthy!
 
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#18
If you want synthy, I'd forego the bit crusher in lieu of an EH Micro Synth. To my ears, bit crushers are useless because honestly how many times can you use a bit crusher in a set of music before the audience goes "oh, there's that weird, buzzy sound I hate again making the bottom drop out of the music."

A bit crusher is like the asafoetida of the effect world. Maybe tasty on one dish out of a million, but not a taste you'd want a lot of.
 
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#19
MGR said:
If you want synthy, I'd forego the bit crusher in lieu of an EH Micro Synth. To my ears, bit crushers are useless because honestly how many times can you use a bit crusher in a set of music before the audience goes "oh, there's that weird, buzzy sound I hate again making the bottom drop out of the music."

A bit crusher is like the asafoetida of the effect world. Maybe tasty on one dish out of a million, but not a taste you'd want a lot of.
Click to expand...

This too kinda. I think a strong synth voice is an important start, but doesn't replace or devalue a quality bit crush effect.
 
#20
You could always get one of those for cheap to try out :

l_17335-MOOMSM1_super.jpg
 

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