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Gnomeratron VTF - a nasty muff with blend: prototype review

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#461
Thanks for the review! I'm glad you like the pedal.

I wanna talk about the noise for a second.

I used lower noise transistors than a Big Muff, included filter caps, RF blocking caps, used metal film resistors, high quality film caps, and the in/outs are run with shielded cable.

The signal-to-noise ratio of this pedal will be a bit higher than a Muff, realistically. Usually you can gate the noise off. If the gate control isn't enough, you can turn down the gain a hair and not really hurt the sound. The trimmer for the first clipping stage is a great place to turn down the gain for lower noise.

The trimmers will be scratchy. The pot probably is't dirty. That's why they're trimmers and not knobs (Ok, that and because I wanted them but didn't know where to put them). They work like Z.Vex's "Crackle OK" volume controls. They literally re-bias the transistors. The bias of the transistors is a major part of the difference between Big Muffs. Turn it all the way up, and they're running hotter than normal (hence the extra noise). Turn them down just a bit, and they're at a standard level. About half way, they're at Russian levels. (note: That doesn't mean it sounds like a Russian, or USA, or whatever-- it's just for reference)

I'll look into the popping switches. Can you give a bit more info, perhaps? Which switches pop the worst for you?

Thanks for the cons section! I'll look into everything and see if there's something I can do/change to fix those problems.
 
#462
McSpunckle said:
Usually you can gate the noise off. If the gate control isn't enough, you can turn down the gain a hair and not really hurt the sound. The trimmer for the first clipping stage is a great place to turn down the gain for lower noise.




I'll look into the popping switches. Can you give a bit more info, perhaps? Which switches pop the worst for you?
Click to expand...

+1 to the trimmer trick!! This way you can leave the Gate pulled back so more harmonic content comes thru. Unless you don't want that.;) I can manage the noise at basically any setting with some strategic tweaking hence making it one of the quietest dirt pedals I've ever used.

This is basically my only concern. Loud pops. (EDIT....It doesn't always do this though.)
 
#464
I have something I'm going to try for any pop that might be on the diode switches. The pop would likely come from being suddenly connected and disconnected (caused by DC voltage in the capacitors, if you were curious). If the switches didn't have the "off" position in the middle, this wouldn't be an issue.

The tone filter switch might do the same thing. And this would explain why it doesn't always do it. These charges aren't very consistent.

The octave switch is a bit weird, and harder to diagnose. There's no capacitor connected to a DC source there. I won't go into too much detail, in fear of revealing mah secret. : p

That said, some popping is something that happens with toggle switches in higher gain pedals. They disconnect before reconnecting, and even bounce between on and off when you switch. These creates a small pop, but the pop gets amplified.

If I find a "fix", I'll post the details for anyone that wants to fix it. You could also send me your pedal, of course.

I did notice smaller pops, but never really excessive ones. Maybe it's that "inconsistency" thing, or just different setups causing issues. I dunno, but I'm not just going to brush it off if it's a concern.
 
#465
McSpunckle said:
Thanks for the review! I'm glad you like the pedal.

I wanna talk about the noise for a second.

I used lower noise transistors than a Big Muff, included filter caps, RF blocking caps, used metal film resistors, high quality film caps, and the in/outs are run with shielded cable.

The signal-to-noise ratio of this pedal will be a bit higher than a Muff, realistically. Usually you can gate the noise off. If the gate control isn't enough, you can turn down the gain a hair and not really hurt the sound. The trimmer for the first clipping stage is a great place to turn down the gain for lower noise.
Click to expand...

OK, good to know! I shall attempt to use the gate in conjunction with the noise.

McSpunckle said:
The trimmers will be scratchy. The pot probably is't dirty. That's why they're trimmers and not knobs (Ok, that and because I wanted them but didn't know where to put them). They work like Z.Vex's "Crackle OK" volume controls. They literally re-bias the transistors. The bias of the transistors is a major part of the difference between Big Muffs. Turn it all the way up, and they're running hotter than normal (hence the extra noise). Turn them down just a bit, and they're at a standard level. About half way, they're at Russian levels. (note: That doesn't mean it sounds like a Russian, or USA, or whatever-- it's just for reference)

Excellent information! Actually only one of the trimmers is scratchy. Thew others just make awesome noises when turned.
Click to expand...

I'll look into the popping switches. Can you give a bit more info, perhaps? Which switches pop the worst for you?

All of the switches pop. My amp was turned down a lot compared when I am playing with a band and the popping sound was really loud. If it wasn't as loud, I wouldn't mind. I do play through a fairly "hi-fi:" set up. (Passive 4 string with Delano soapbars, Markbass F1, Bergantino AE410)

McSpunckle said:
Thanks for the cons section! I'll look into everything and see if there's something I can do/change to fix those problems.
Click to expand...

Excellent. You REALLY have a great pedal here, Dan!

This is the type of pedal in which if you like two very different sounds from it a lot, you just go ahead and buy two of them!
 
#471
I'm building in much larger batches, which leads to less updates, but more pedals built in less time. For reference, I pretty much just did 4 pedals in 2 days (if you assume the finishes are already done-- which was the delay this time around).

I'm about to go do the finishes for every pedal in this run. While I'm waiting, I'll probably finish off all the circuit boards as well in the next day or so.

It's more efficient, but it does mean there's gaps between pedals shipping out. But there already were, since making them in smaller batches means anything that goes wrong (or just slow) delays stuff more.

Basically, now I'm:

Sand all enclosures in one sitting.
Do all the labels, again in one sitting.
Pour all the finishes.

While those are curing, I can make the circuit boards, which takes about 2 hours per pedal.

Once they're ready, drill, mount components in several enclosures, do internal wiring, then mount the circuit boards and finish them off individually.
 
#476
It's my baby. ^_^

Although, it was originally called "Dr. McSpunckle's Waveform Decapitator." I decided that name is better suited for something more original. I have a few ideas, but it's a while off yet.

While I'm waiting for glue to dry and stuff, I have been working on something. Haven't put much time into it (because, well... too busy with the VTFs), but it's going to be cool, I think. I'll post it when it's ready. Might have a website by then...

For the sake of not instantly pissing people off, after this run, the price of the VTFs will have to go up. Unfortunately, I just can't build them for what I'm charging. The price won't be unreasonable, and it'll definitely stay $<200.


Anywho, it's time to get to work. Peace!
 
#477
Wow! Just, Wow!

Gotta give my ears a break, but there is a lot of possibilities in this pedal. There is not a bit of hype here. (The enclosure looks great too, BTW.)

My initial ten seconds was, crap, it's broken. But the Gate was turned way up and wasn't letting any signal through. Operator error.

Ok, back to the Gnomeratron.


Update: Another break for the ears.

I keep gravitating back to Magic on, no diodes, Gain and Fuzz at about noon, Gate at noon, Octave off, Tone switch to the right, bottom tone knob around 10-11 o'clock, Clean[ish] around 3:00, top Tone varies between all the way down and 3:00 for more string clack.
 
#478
First off, Snyder: :mad::spit::rollno::eek::crying::crying::help:

:D

McSpunckle said:
I'm building in much larger batches, which leads to less updates, but more pedals built in less time. For reference, I pretty much just did 4 pedals in 2 days (if you assume the finishes are already done-- which was the delay this time around).

I'm about to go do the finishes for every pedal in this run. While I'm waiting, I'll probably finish off all the circuit boards as well in the next day or so.

It's more efficient, but it does mean there's gaps between pedals shipping out. But there already were, since making them in smaller batches means anything that goes wrong (or just slow) delays stuff more.

Basically, now I'm:

Sand all enclosures in one sitting.
Do all the labels, again in one sitting.
Pour all the finishes.

While those are curing, I can make the circuit boards, which takes about 2 hours per pedal.

Once they're ready, drill, mount components in several enclosures, do internal wiring, then mount the circuit boards and finish them off individually.
Click to expand...

Killer! Seriously sounds like a more efficient sequence of events during the manufacturing process.

I think the wait is making this all the sweeter. I'm excited, but I know it'll be worth it.

Keep the reviews coming guys!!
 
#480
I'm just gonna leave this here:

4998888432_3b91bb58b3.jpg
 
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