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Bit crushers, which is your favorite?

#22
Jared Lash said:
Honestly, one of my favorites was the Destroyer setting of the Strymon Mobius. It was great for bass, guitar, keys, and drums.

But one important consideration is which side of the FrantaBit you liked more. I'm a HUGE fan of IE pedals and one awesome aspect of the FrantaBit is that Taylor built in both true digital sample rate reduction and bit depth controls as well as an analog version of bit crushing that is ring mod like.

If you used the latter more, something like the Catalinbread Heliotrope would work well. Or a straight ring mod like the very awesome Randy's Revenge or Moog.

If you liked the digital bit crushing side you might want to check out the Bitquest, Geiger Counter, or Scrutator.

Side note - I also love the BugCrusher but it's a bit of a different animal. It's analog and actually a sample & hold filter (like the old Maestro FSH-1 or original Xotic Robotalk) that is running at audio rates instead of normal LFO rates.
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I also really love IE pedals, bought and kept pretty much everything Taylor made. I really liked the ring mod with light crushing I could get from the FrantaBit but also loved that it could go to face melt crushing if I wanted. So I'm looking at pedals that will do a bit of everything and less at straight ring mods or limited crusher such as the Bug Crusher. I tried a Randy's Revenge a while back and it sounded awesome but I went with the Franta at the time as I liked its versatility more.

I'm leaning towards the Red Panda or the Meris because they offer the most with the BitQuest a solid third option. My early favorite was the Meris but I think the Red Panda just might be the winner after all. Still not sure if I should go with a v1 or v2 though..
 
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#23
@Dr Greenthumb
I happen to have a Frantabit that I don't use anymore. I could sell it to you if you're interested.


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#30
Dr Greenthumb said:
Hahaha I knew someone would recommend that! I remember having a chance to buy one and a Revolver for around 800$ for both some 7 years ago but passed on the deal. Feel so dumb now.. But I'm not going full r***** and paying 800$ for just the Bitcrusher now!!
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Yeah I loved mine, but I didn't love it so much that it felt right to have that much $$$ wrapped up in a (extremely well executed) one-trick-pony pedal. The "Telephone" knob does cry out to me from across the universe sometimes though... FWIW, I plan on getting a FrantaBit if/when they reappear!
 
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#31
I built a DBA Robot clone to try out the whole bit crush thing but for me it was more fun to build than to use. Anyone in the UK can have the built PCB (ICs but no potentiometers) if they want it...
 
#32
I know OP already made a move, but I've got opinions :p and BitCrusher experiences to share. I've got an Ottobit Jr, Dream Crusher which is a slightly improved upon version of the Frederic BugCrusher and as a Red Panda fan boi I've definitely been eyeing that Bitmap v2. Amazingly, I've never owned a BitQuest (yet).

The Ottobit and Bitmap are your best bet, but only if you are willing to explore MIDI. The Ottobit is on my main board, but I don't love it. I also haven't gotten deep enough with it, I use it at a very surface level with a few presets and some sweep (the ottobit filter sounds incredible!!!!). Without MIDI, I'd stick with the Bug Crusher as it's simple and sounds incredible and can be had at a reasonable price second hand when you can find them or you can order overseas from Frederic (although not sure if Brexit is now a factor?).
 
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#33
I appreciate the insight nonetheless! The Meris is definitely still on my radar, that thing looks like a lot of fun, the sequencer in particular. But MIDI straight up scares me. Not in a ''I can't do this'' type of way but more in the sense that diving in there will lead to a rabbit hole of perfecting and tuning patches instead of playing and that's not what I'm looking for. Had I not been offered the Franta and found a Bitmap v1 locally it would have been difficult to resist going with the Ottobit or the Bitmap v2. Maybe once GAS gets the better of me I'll have get either and try the MIDI quest.. The Bug Crusher I feel the Franta can compete with but I'm on the look out for one for sure, they used to pop up all the time a couple of years back..
 

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