Sounds like plugging into an old stereo aux jack and nearly blowing the input by overloading it. Have no use for this.
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Bit crusher? How important would it be for you?
- Thread starter Dominick C.
- Start date
Maybe the ones I've heard haven't been set right.No, that's a different sound. We're talking about Bit Crushers.
Ring mod is similar to sample rate reduction, one of two main aspects of 'bitcrusher' effects (SRR, and bit depth which sounds like weird dirt). The electronics of ring mod and sampleratereduction are different, but end result similar
never used those on my bass much ... I think there was a bit crusher in the Zoom B3 I tried for a while ...
my keyboards have them in there effects section ... they do work great when I'm working own older analog synth type sounds ... moog leads , strings and pads are phatter at a lower bit rate ... a little warm/fuzzy as they where in the old days ... !
my keyboards have them in there effects section ... they do work great when I'm working own older analog synth type sounds ... moog leads , strings and pads are phatter at a lower bit rate ... a little warm/fuzzy as they where in the old days ... !
For funky, keyboard-like synth tones (trying to cop Stevie Wonder type sounds) I don't think they are important.
For modern, electronica type synth tones I think they are a very important component to the signal chain.
When I was seriously into synth sounds I always had a bit crusher and/or a ringmod.
Of course most pedal "bit crushers" are really an analog approximation of sample rate reduction. The Catalinbread Heliotope does this in a way that is similar to ring modulation (just subtractive and not additive IIRC) and the BugBrand Bug Crusher does it with a sample & hold filter operating at audio rates. I don't know for sure but it seems the Malekko Bit does the same thing. The FrantaBit does it's own "analog bit crushing" but it also does true digital bit crushing as well as sample rate reduction.
As "bit crushers" go I think the FrantaBit is the most versatile but I still prefer the Bug Crusher. It has this "clean" sound to it that is full range and just sounds amazing as part of a synthy chain. The Malekko Bit is close but not quite as good IMO. It IS tiny though and less expensive. The Strymon Mobius is expensive but essentially gives you ring mod, bitcrushing AND a ton of other modulation effects.
As for where to put a bit crusher in your chain to me there are essentially two options. Just before the Xerograph is great because it adds a cool bit of harmonic content. You can get something relatively similar with the SubT octave soloed and the filter all the way open but it isn't quite the same. The other option is just after the Xero where the bit crusher can create formant filter like vocal tones. Personally I like those but not enough to keep my bit crusher downstream of the Xero.
When I had a Malekko Bit and a Mobius I set the Mobius up (using Strymon's pre/post feature) so it could be before or after the Xerograph so I could use its bit crushing and ring mod tones in either spot. Very versatile.
Not to be a pusherman but with my recent downsizing I have a johnk_10 Bug Crusher that I won't be using if you'd be interested.
Hope that helps.
For modern, electronica type synth tones I think they are a very important component to the signal chain.
When I was seriously into synth sounds I always had a bit crusher and/or a ringmod.
Of course most pedal "bit crushers" are really an analog approximation of sample rate reduction. The Catalinbread Heliotope does this in a way that is similar to ring modulation (just subtractive and not additive IIRC) and the BugBrand Bug Crusher does it with a sample & hold filter operating at audio rates. I don't know for sure but it seems the Malekko Bit does the same thing. The FrantaBit does it's own "analog bit crushing" but it also does true digital bit crushing as well as sample rate reduction.
As "bit crushers" go I think the FrantaBit is the most versatile but I still prefer the Bug Crusher. It has this "clean" sound to it that is full range and just sounds amazing as part of a synthy chain. The Malekko Bit is close but not quite as good IMO. It IS tiny though and less expensive. The Strymon Mobius is expensive but essentially gives you ring mod, bitcrushing AND a ton of other modulation effects.
As for where to put a bit crusher in your chain to me there are essentially two options. Just before the Xerograph is great because it adds a cool bit of harmonic content. You can get something relatively similar with the SubT octave soloed and the filter all the way open but it isn't quite the same. The other option is just after the Xero where the bit crusher can create formant filter like vocal tones. Personally I like those but not enough to keep my bit crusher downstream of the Xero.
When I had a Malekko Bit and a Mobius I set the Mobius up (using Strymon's pre/post feature) so it could be before or after the Xerograph so I could use its bit crushing and ring mod tones in either spot. Very versatile.
Not to be a pusherman but with my recent downsizing I have a johnk_10 Bug Crusher that I won't be using if you'd be interested.
Hope that helps.
I use both the Iron Ether Oxide with the Frantabit with an expression pedal. It creates a nasty, spaced out, freaky sound that I love but nobody else does. I only engage it when I want to just go crazy over the top. A project is coming up and I will be able to use it more effectively.
Thanks for clearing that up. My ring modulator can remain as reserve micstand levelling device and I will invest in a piece of 4x2 in case I need a doorstop, rather than a bitcrusher proper.
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Or get the BitQuest, which crushes your bits, but can put a few other kinks in your signal – flanger, reverb, dirt...
Clearly, the answer is a synthy fuzz, a ring mod, AND a bit crusher
You forgot glitch!
CT5/Context/Particle/etc.You forgot glitch!
Ok, so, bare minimum would be as follows then:
Moog MF-102 Ring > Fairfield Randy's Revenge > Red Panda Particle, Red Panda Context > Raster >H9 > CT5 > H9 ?
Right. That should be it for the basic blues/rock/cover board.
Well, I think you could cover a few other genres with that setup
Maybe folk/country/reggae?
I agree with Jared about the Bugcrusher it seems to work better on bass than the other sample rate reducers I've tried. It seems to retain all the low end while adding higher harmonics and overtones, and it gives great atonal broken robot sounds at low sample rates.
I've got a Frantabit here too. I use the bitcrusher as a fuzz but don't really bother with the SRR side of things. For whatever reason it just doesn't work as well as the bugcrusher.
For what it's worth I find SRR - or at least the bugcrusher flavour of it - way more useful than bitcrushing. You can use it to colour pretty much anything and sometimes the results are quite surprising.
I've got a Frantabit here too. I use the bitcrusher as a fuzz but don't really bother with the SRR side of things. For whatever reason it just doesn't work as well as the bugcrusher.
For what it's worth I find SRR - or at least the bugcrusher flavour of it - way more useful than bitcrushing. You can use it to colour pretty much anything and sometimes the results are quite surprising.
Important, not at all. But great fun to toy around with. Unless you're in a very electronica friendly genre I think you'll struggle to find much real world use for one. That said, I enjoyed mine and it was good fun to stack effects and make some noise when woodshedding, etc.
My guitarist uses a Bit Commander on one of our songs. I hope he finds more applications for it as we write more, because I really dig the sound. I don't think it matters so much where it is on your board, but I would think after any default effects on your base tone (compressors and such), not before.
