Iron Ether Appreciation Society

[bonzer]

XD arrives tomorrow, can anyone recommend an expression pedal pls?

 

[teopatl]

XD arrives tomorrow, can anyone recommend an expression pedal pls?

Just got mine yesterday! Janek uses the Dunlop x Mini in his DT review, and Taylor recommends the Moog EP-3 in the XD manual.

 

[Jakeman]

XD arrives tomorrow, can anyone recommend an expression pedal pls?

I asked the same thing awhile ago, and the resounding answer was Moog EP-3. I got one, and it works great with the XD.

 

[Eadger]

XD arrives tomorrow, can anyone recommend an expression pedal pls?

I'm using a Mission Engineering EP-1 - pairs wonderfully!

 

[spufman]

The DOD Mini works great, since the v2 Dlx has low and high adjusters.

lovemyswitches has a great selection of knobs at good prices. I've dressed up all my IE pedals.

 

[bonzer]

thanks gents! will get onnit.

 

[BurningSkies]

Just got mine yesterday! Janek uses the Dunlop x Mini in his DT review, and Taylor recommends the Moog EP-3 in the XD manual.

I've been using the full sized Dunlop Expression/Volume for a handful of years with all my IE stuff and also non IE expression (MIDI) needs.

 

[Taylor Livingston]

I still may send it back to you at some point. It's one of a batch that I think have mis-spec'ed sensitivity components.

Not exactly mis-spec'd - here's what happened: a common complaint about the original XD was that it was hard to dial in - the controls were designed with a large range so you weren't limited to a small subset of sounds, but that also means that small movements can equate to big changes in sound/response. With the redesign, I was trying to make it less like that, which meant dialing back the range a bit. It turned out that I dialed it back too much, so that some people with lower output instruments couldn't get enough envelope sweep.

So it was just a choice I made that made the pedal better for some people, but worse for others. I added back some more gain on the envelope follower after the first batch.

It's easy to make the control ranges perfect for the way I play and my bass, or even to work just right for a small group of beta testers, but instrument levels, dynamic range, and playing styles are so diverse that there needs to be more range than people think, to work equally well for everybody. Definitely send it in, I'm happy to take care of that for you.

 

[BurningSkies]

Not exactly mis-spec'd - here's what happened: a common complaint about the original XD was that it was hard to dial in - the controls were designed with a large range so you weren't limited to a small subset of sounds, but that also means that small movements can equate to big changes in sound/response. With the redesign, I was trying to make it less like that, which meant dialing back the range a bit. It turned out that I dialed it back too much, so that some people with lower output instruments couldn't get enough envelope sweep.

So it was just a choice I made that made the pedal better for some people, but worse for others. I added back some more gain on the envelope follower after the first batch.

It's easy to make the control ranges perfect for the way I play and my bass, or even to work just right for a small group of beta testers, but instrument levels, dynamic range, and playing styles are so diverse that there needs to be more range than people think, to work equally well for everybody. Definitely send it in, I'm happy to take care of that for you.

Thank you. I always hate sending stuff away, but it's probably a good thing. Just to confirm, I found that with it set up as a traditional envelope filter (no expression) I COULD dial in the sensitivity though it was fairly high...once I used the expression pedal, I could sweep the filter but not get any 'envelope' triggering. Am I confused about the functionality? I do play Dingwall basses, but never really considered them low-output.

 

[shaggy45]

Not exactly mis-spec'd - here's what happened: a common complaint about the original XD was that it was hard to dial in - the controls were designed with a large range so you weren't limited to a small subset of sounds, but that also means that small movements can equate to big changes in sound/response. With the redesign, I was trying to make it less like that, which meant dialing back the range a bit. It turned out that I dialed it back too much, so that some people with lower output instruments couldn't get enough envelope sweep.

So it was just a choice I made that made the pedal better for some people, but worse for others. I added back some more gain on the envelope follower after the first batch.

It's easy to make the control ranges perfect for the way I play and my bass, or even to work just right for a small group of beta testers, but instrument levels, dynamic range, and playing styles are so diverse that there needs to be more range than people think, to work equally well for everybody. Definitely send it in, I'm happy to take care of that for you.

He should probably send you his bass too


You know, to make sure it’s perfect.

 

[Taylor Livingston]

Thank you. I always hate sending stuff away, but it's probably a good thing. Just to confirm, I found that with it set up as a traditional envelope filter (no expression) I COULD dial in the sensitivity though it was fairly high...once I used the expression pedal, I could sweep the filter but not get any 'envelope' triggering. Am I confused about the functionality? I do play Dingwall basses, but never really considered them low-output.

They're both active together, so you should be able to get the cutoff to sweep with either dynamics or the expression pedal simultaneously. But if the envelope follower is just barely getting triggered then it might be hard to dial in the right interaction between the two.

He should probably send you his bass too


You know, to make sure it’s perfect.

Ha! I once played a Dingwall, and it was a beautiful instrument, but it was a fretless with no lines. It felt like being a complete beginner again - I couldn't play in tune to save my life.

 

[Emanuel]

The DOD Mini works great, since the v2 Dlx has low and high adjusters.

I have a DOD E Mini as well. Can you please describe your experience when using this expression pedal with the Xenogragh Deluxe? Connected with a TRS cable of course. It is my understanding that when lit green the Xenogragh’s LED indicates that the envelope is triggered by signal amplitude and when lit blue the frequency sweep of the filter is manually controlled using the expression pedal. All of this occurring within the scope of your selected settings.
Specifically, can you please describe how the DOD Mini expression pedal and/or the controls of the Xenogragh Deluxe behave while the LED is lit green?
Have you experimented adjusting various XD controls and/or DOD tread positions while the LED is lit green?
Thx, E

 

[BurningSkies]

They're both active together, so you should be able to get the cutoff to sweep with either dynamics or the expression pedal simultaneously. But if the envelope follower is just barely getting triggered then it might be hard to dial in the right interaction between the two.



Ha! I once played a Dingwall, and it was a beautiful instrument, but it was a fretless with no lines. It felt like being a complete beginner again - I couldn't play in tune to save my life.

I've mostly played fretted ones over the years, but right now my main player (while still remaining isolated in the wilds of New York State) is this fretless Dingwall...It started life as a straight up Combustion model, but I bought it used for 'friend price' and that gave me the ability to get it reworked...it's fretless now with luminlay inlays for all the neck markers, the pickups have been moved and it has a piezo bridge and second preamp (you can use one, or both and blend the systems).

The offshoot of this is that when Zach Rizer aka @ProtonLenny does IE demos, I know exactly what I'll hear, since he uses a Dingwall ABZ.

 

[Taylor Livingston]

I have a DOD E Mini as well. Can you please describe your experience when using this expression pedal with the Xenogragh Deluxe? Connected with a TRS cable of course. It is my understanding that when lit green the Xenogragh’s LED indicates that the envelope is triggered by signal amplitude and when lit blue the frequency sweep of the filter is manually controlled using the expression pedal. All of this occurring within the scope of your selected settings.
Specifically, can you please describe how the DOD Mini expression pedal and/or the controls of the Xenogragh Deluxe behave while the LED is lit green?
Have you experimented adjusting various XD controls and/or DOD tread positions while the LED is lit green?
Thx, E

The expression pedal is always active, whether the envelope is on (turquoise LED) or off (blue LED).

So, if the LED is blue, the frequency is

Freq knob + (expression pedal*Exp knob)

If it's turquoise, the frequency is

Freq knob + (expression pedal*Exp knob) + (signal level*Sens knob)

 

[Emanuel]

The expression pedal is always active, whether the envelope is on (turquoise LED) or off (blue LED).

So, if the LED is blue, the frequency is
Freq knob + (expression pedal*Exp knob)
If it's turquoise, the frequency is
Freq knob + (expression pedal*Exp knob) + (signal level*Sens knob)

Ah...Turquoise, that clears it up! LOL I’m just kidding Taylor and thank you for the succinct explanation of what would take me paragraphs to relate.
Part of the reason I got so deep in the weeds about this is
that admittedly I assumed the expression pedal would be inert unless the LED was blue. But what I really got excited about
was the tremendous amount use available and all the variations that different knob/tread positions could provide.
That I could not only sweep the filter manually or let it trigger normally but also that I can make substantial changes to the way the pedal behaved by changing the tread position on the fly in “envelope” mode (Turquoise). All this in conjunction with how I’m playing of course.
It’s like an extra control knob and I don’t mean the ability to turn a knob with your foot in real time. That’s a given. I mean that with an expression pedal hooked up and the LED lit Turquoise, I can achieve settings not possible with just the knobs, my bass, my hands.
It’s a brilliant aspect of the design. This is gold if you ask me and I can’t remember anybody talking about it.

 

[Emanuel]

Oh and speaking of gold, that Nimbus pedal is pure gold. And I don’t care if there is “digital” involved or not. It sounds like the rich, lush reverb I first notice on my dad’s records. It’s sounds like a bunch of money from Columbia Studio A or whatever. I’d heard that the Xenogragh was digital, never cared to ask really. I knew the new Dubterranea is going to be digital the day that Janek demo dropped and I saw the +1 octave. No problem because this stuff sounds amazing and still affords the hands-on ears-on in-the-moment approach that in many ways typifies the musical experience; it’s here, right now and only now. The next beat is a different moment never to be relived.

 

[BurningSkies]

Now if we can get Taylor to jump into the MIDI pond...

 

[Charlie Tuna]

Now if we can get Taylor to jump into the MIDI pond...

While keeping enclosure size the same and all top jacks, lol

 

[BurningSkies]

While keeping enclosure size the same and all top jacks, lol

Others are doing it.

 

[Taylor Livingston]

I'm kind of a MIDI hater, but I get how it could be extremely useful for gigging musicians. Now that MIDI 2.0 has been announced with much higher resolution, it might be more doable if it's actually being implemented already. I just know that sweeping a filter cutoff with a 7-bit CC sounds terrible.

It also means compromising the WYSIWYG interface that I feel strongly about, so if I do ever make MIDI pedals with presets, they would be a separate line, not replacing the current ones. But I've definitely thought about it and it could happen at some point.