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Iron Ether FMeron
- Thread starter bassbassbass12345
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- ether iron iron ether
It's all based on what you feed it. Nice even playing with great technique to prevent overtones, roll off your tone knob, monophonic is the name of the game. Besides all that it's a beautiful sounding pedal that rewards those who learn it with awesome DX-7 like tones that can be metallic, harsh, brass-like, damped and many tones unique to FM. Permenant place on my main board and got one early as Iron Ether has is quality stuff. Great compliment to my SubT.
Sweet! I am on the list as well, hopefully will be seeing mine soon! That finish on yours looks really cool!
I've had the FMeron for a few days now and although this thing gets some bada$$ tones, I cannot seem to get an expression pedal to work. I have tried a few different TRS cables and a few different expression pedals. Is there some oddity with the type of pedal or cable needed?
Taylor Livingston
Commercial User
What type of expression pedal are you using?
The FM knob turns into an "attenuator" for the expression pedal when you have one connected, so if you have the FM knob turned all the way down or mostly down, the expression pedal will appear not to do anything. Also if the expression pedal has its own attenuator like the Moog ones, check that that's not turned down.
The FM knob turns into an "attenuator" for the expression pedal when you have one connected, so if you have the FM knob turned all the way down or mostly down, the expression pedal will appear not to do anything. Also if the expression pedal has its own attenuator like the Moog ones, check that that's not turned down.
I tried a source audio reflex controller expression. I tried 2 of the expression outputs with 2 different TRS cables. I also tried an ernie ball volume pedal with a TRS on the pedal end and the ring/tip in the appropriate spots on the volume in/out to be an expression. Both of these setups work on every other pedal. Is there anything special about the FMeron? Does it not need a TRS cable? I also have a dunlop volume/expression that I can try. Seems to me like something is just not working. I can try more later, but curious if there is any guidance to ensure it is not a problem with the pedal? @Taylor Livingston
I have the same setup and it works fine - i have the 3 outputs of the Reflex going to a FMeron, a Xerograph, and a QF2. one of hte 3 outputs is a different ohmage so its not as effective, but all work...
now to get the MIDI out of the reflex (which goes to the Future Impact) to actually do something...
-carl
Taylor Livingston
Commercial User
It does need a TRS cable, and there's nothing too special about it beyond the thing about the FM knob attenuating the expression control when the exp pedal is connected. Please email me at info at ironether.com and I'll be happy to help you sort it out.
Will do. Will try and experiment later but most likely not til tomorrow.
Tried to PM you @Taylor Livingston but I think your settings are such that I cannot message you as I do not see the option to start a conversation. Edit - I emailed the info at address you suggested.
In any event, I shot a tiny video of what I am experiencing and it seems like there is a very subtle change w expression (could just be my head hoping it is changing since it is so subtle), but any real filter sweep cannot be achieved. I have tried multiple cables and different expression pedals and all the same result. I am happy to try whatever settings or tests you suggest. If anyone has some settings that would produce dramatic filter sweeps, please share them and I will show you what happens when my pedal is set that way. Here's a clip...
Thoughts on next steps?
In any event, I shot a tiny video of what I am experiencing and it seems like there is a very subtle change w expression (could just be my head hoping it is changing since it is so subtle), but any real filter sweep cannot be achieved. I have tried multiple cables and different expression pedals and all the same result. I am happy to try whatever settings or tests you suggest. If anyone has some settings that would produce dramatic filter sweeps, please share them and I will show you what happens when my pedal is set that way. Here's a clip...
Thoughts on next steps?
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I just set up my FMeron for your settings and was getting that limited sweep effect - try turning down the ENV knob to like 10 oclock and it will give a more satisfying sweep (at least it did for me)
Taylor Livingston
Commercial User
@cosmicevan and I continued this by email, but it's a good opportunity for me to explain something better than I did in the manual: The envelope and expression pedal have equal power to sweep through the full FM range, and they're both active simultaneously. If you have the Env Depth up most of the way, it will be sweeping through most of the available range on its own, so the expression pedal has little room to affect the sweep. So as @JMGiraffe says above, the solution is just to turn down the envelope depth - I suggested starting it all the way down while playing with the expression pedal at first to get the hang of this "democratic" control, and then adding in a bit of the envelope to taste.
FWIW, the FMeron doesn't do any filtering, but it does generate lots of harmonically rich sounds to send into a filter like the Xerograph Deluxe.
FWIW, the FMeron doesn't do any filtering, but it does generate lots of harmonically rich sounds to send into a filter like the Xerograph Deluxe.
Yep, twiddling the knobs per your directions definitely resulted in the expression pedal producing nice harmonic content. I was thinking it would result in more of a filter sweep, but that's not the case. I find that if I pluck and hold a note I have to rock the expression back and forth to get the after note hit effects. I plan to watch more demos and try more things. Does anyone have a setup they can share that gives a dramatic sweep effect with an expression? If possible, share the settings and a sound clip. I'd love to set mine like yours and do a comparison just for peace of mind.
Confirming your assertion that it would be impractical and big and incredibly expensive, from the one company (Jellinghaus) that actually made one:
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Definitely wouldn't fit on most pedalboards!
fwiw I don't think there's much point in comparing the FMeron to a DX-7. Way more appropriate to compare it to a Bananana Matryoshka or a Source Audio C4 or a BOSS SY-1 or a Korg G5...y'know, one of the many other synth-in-a-stompbox pedals. The fact that the FMeron uses FM synthesis sets it apart from most of those, and makes it rather appealing to my mind. The fact that it (probably) can't do a passable DX-7 Rhodes emulation makes it even more appealing!
Taylor Livingston
Commercial User
Those DX programmers are really cool. I would love to have one... looks like $3000 ish if you can find one.
Yeah, the idea with the FMeron was never to make a DX7 pedal. It's a lot more like a modular synth patch in a pedal, except with a lot of special tuning in the controls to make it easier to center in on "usable" sounds and make it quick to move from one sound to another, without requiring you to connect it to a computer to do any meaningful sound design.
I'll be posting some new sounds soon using the FMeron along with other IE pedals, on the Instagram page I finally got around to setting up (@iron.ether).
Yeah, the idea with the FMeron was never to make a DX7 pedal. It's a lot more like a modular synth patch in a pedal, except with a lot of special tuning in the controls to make it easier to center in on "usable" sounds and make it quick to move from one sound to another, without requiring you to connect it to a computer to do any meaningful sound design.
I'll be posting some new sounds soon using the FMeron along with other IE pedals, on the Instagram page I finally got around to setting up (@iron.ether).
