Interested in a MuTron Octave Divider clone?

[chicago_mike]

My proto is almost done. Finallizing a power supply. I might try it with a laptop power supply.

Im currently debugging my ampeg sub-blaster octaver clone. And sourcing the rotary for the jet phaser.

 

[Smurf-o-Deth]

My proto is almost done. Finallizing a power supply. I might try it with a laptop power supply.

Im currently debugging my ampeg sub-blaster octaver clone. And sourcing the rotary for the jet phaser.

*twitch*

 

[chicago_mike]

Debugged the ampeg just now. Its time to play w little with the tracking section.

Sounds like the ampeg octavers that are out there, sich is good. Deep and clean.

If all goes well I'll re-add the tone and lpf controls to her tonight or tomorrow.

Next up will be the mutron. If I can get that going before I leave for tour, ill post results.

 

[Mingus Addict]

Was just reading over this thread and realized I never answered this question. Well, I have in other threads, but not here. Anyway:

The MXR's "Growl" knob is almost an exact sonic copy of the OC-2's octave down sound. However, it doesn't track quite as well. During faster playing the notes of the MXR run together more and it glitches a bit more often. That said, they are VERY similar. Add in the beefy "Girth" knob tone, the mids switch and true bypass in an attractive and slightly smaller package and I can see why people dig the MXR.

But for what I do, the OC-2 works slightly better and is cheaper to boot.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed] comparing the two with the octave down soloed. OC-2 first than BOD.

Link Removed

Thanks! In that clip they really sound almost exactly the same. One more question though. If just using the OC-2 Octave 1, or the BOD Growl, does the BOD get louder?

 

[OhulahanBass]

I noticed nobody has discussed this lately, is the Mutron octave divider clone project dead, on pause, coming soon...?

I want I want I want!!

 

[Jared Lash]

Things are definitely still moving forward.

I believe Taylor has a working circuit and is working on this project when he has time. I couldn't tell you exactly when it will be done, but I know he's cleared the biggest hurdles (the circuit itself and the power supply so that it can operate at a normal 9V) and we've talked a bit about controls/layout for the production versions so it shouldn't be too far off in the future.

Hopefully Taylor will chime in or you could email or PM him for more details.

 

[tigerbass]

Please count me in!!

 

[Jared Lash]

Thanks! In that clip they really sound almost exactly the same. One more question though. If just using the OC-2 Octave 1, or the BOD Growl, does the BOD get louder?

Missed this question the first time and my clips are no longer active (my old band broke up and I was using the website I build for it to house clips) but I figured I could answer this anyway.

The BOD's Growl knob, when isolated can get louder than the OC-2. The BOD's octave knobs can reach unity gain or perhaps a bit more while the Boss doesn't reach unity gain even when cranked. It's a small difference in volume, but you can hear it.

 

[Taylor Livingston]

Don't have any really specific news at the moment, but it's on the way for sure.

 

[byoc]

Maybe you could spread this to other forums. For input on mods and such byoc and diystompbox have some very creative people and if your searching for more participants there could be some interest there (although they would rather have the layout and get all dirty and diy on it ).

There is probably some interest on the gearpage as well.

Edit: I did some searching and the schems are readily available on the interwebz so you can safely call in the diy troops for mods and such. Maybe the builder can arrange a sort of group buy on the parts and pcb and then distribute one part to diy guys and use the other part to build some boxes to sell. That could at least cut down the parts cost considerably if there is interest.

I hope this doesn't come off as spam, but BYOC has released an Octave Divider clone. dividedoctave

It's true to the original design, but the power supply has been replaced with the MAX1044 charge pump so it can be powered with a 1-spot or typical 9v power supply, and it's true bypass. It's smaller than the original, and has the jacks on the top. We tried to keep the knob/switch layout aesthetically similar to the original.

Ala carte PCBs are available for people who what to do their own layouts or add/remove switches. Both the ringer and stabilize switches turn "off" by shorting to ground, so they are very easy to modify.

 

[byoc]

I think rather than a "stabilizer" switch, I would simply prefer an extreme lowpass filter (range of something like 250hz to 500hz) and a high pass with a range of 30 hz at the bottom to 60 hz or so before the detector. This would help filter out unnecessary harmonics on both the low and high end, optimizing the detector's tracking of the fundamental with minimum confusion.

The tone knob on the Octave Divider is unique. It's a blend between the outputs of two Sallen-keys low pass filters - low and lower. There are many S-K low pass filter calculators online. It would be very easy to modify them. It's a matter of 2 resistors and 2 caps.

However, these low pass filters are post-octave. But if you really wanted to implement what you had in mind, there is an IC based buffer that leads into the octave down circuit that you could bend into a S-K lowpass filter. You could use a dual gang pot to adjust the roll off frequency so that it suits your particular instrument.

FWIW, I have found that the tracking isn't affected so much by the frequency of the input signal, but more so by the level of the input signal. Smaller signals do not track as well. Active pups seem to benefit less from the stabilizer than lower impedance single coils. That being said, frequency does play a roll. The G string tends not to track as well as the others. And playing an open B on a six string guitar makes it freak out sometimes.

 

[Funkinthetrunk]

I hope this doesn't come off as spam, but BYOC has released an Octave Divider clone. dividedoctave

Yes...finally. Guess I better order one now.

 

[byoc]

Doh! I just looked at the schematic and there is a low AND high pass filter leading into the stabilizer portion of the circuit. 6Hz low pass feeding the inverting input and 34Hz high pass feeding the non-inverting input. That would filter out the entire spectrum, but they're only 6dB per octave simple R-C filters.

I'm not sure how changing the frequencies would affect it, but you could do what you had proposed and it would naturally be turned on and off with the stabilize switch.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

I very much want one of these. Has anyone had luck with finding someone to do a build for them? I've never soldered more than a wire or two so that doesn't look like much of a starter kit.

 

[cultrvultr]

Awesome! How hard is this build? Ok for beginners/intermediate?

 

[byoc]

Awesome! How hard is this build? Ok for beginners/intermediate?

It's my personal belief that there's no pedal that's easier or harder to build than another. It's just that some are more complex and take more time to build. The only difference between this pedal and something like a simple fuzz or boost is that it has more parts. The octave divider kit uses 1/8watt resistors which are very small, which in turn, makes them very hard to read with the naked eye. But aside from that, it doesn't require any more skill than a less complex circuit. It just requires a little more time.

Anyhow...to answer your question, yes, I think it's ok for beginners. There are a number of dealers and distros who will build it for you if don't feel you're up to it.

 

[ziggymudfud]

PLEASE. PLEASE.

 

[5stringwonder]

any updates on this?

 

[Laurent]

Stay tuned, I just ordered a BYOC, it should be here next week.

 

[Laurent]

The pedal arrived today (following a winning bid on Saturday - that ultra fast) and my first impressions are very positive.

I general, I am not a great fan of octaves because I find them too artificial and synthy sounding. You can hear them a mile away.

This pedal is different, the tone of the octave down is a lot more organic and old school than the other pedals I have tested. The pedal tracks well and the tone and blend knobs work very well. I tested this pedal with flatwounds which generally don't play well with Octave pedals.


The octave up switch offers just that with some distortion which make things more interesting. There is a foot switch that allows isolating the octave down. This too works well but the frequencies are so low playing up the neck that the volume seems to drop. It does not actually drop, it's just that bass that low is hard to hear.

I found myself using the blend at 2 o'clock with the octave down to let the tone of the instrument shine through and at 11 o'clock with the octave up and octave dow,n to counter balance the sizzling top with more bottom. A great tool.

Overall an impressive pedal and a great musical tone.

If I had a recommendation to make, I would say switch the isolated octave down (on a foot switch in this pedal) and the octave up/distortion (on a switch). I think the octave up is more useful in a live setting hence the switcheroo recommendation.

I have not tested the Mutron Octave divider after which this pedal is modeled after but the BYOC Divided Octave is a fantastic pedal that I would highly recommend.