My DIY Pedalboard

[GMC]

I've returned from a long season away from the UK and I'm re-adquainting myself with my board. I did big audio chain re-cabling activity reacently and I realised that I no longer wanted to multi route my H90 into 2 halves. Getting it back into a single route mode is a big headache because this device uses a whole different set of patch banks betweent hese two modes and there is no easy way to migrate them betweent he two modes..which means recreating all 20 of my main used patches and settings,....grrrrr...a pair of H9's was actually a lot simpler to use and operate!

 

[GMC]

I have a Source Audio Encounter on it's way to me, so I need to make room for it. I'm thinking the nemesis might be heading to ebay soon.

 

[Luke the Fluke]

I have a Source Audio Encounter on it's way to me, so I need to make room for it. I'm thinking the nemesis might be heading to ebay soon.

Exciting - how you finding the artifakt?

 

[GMC]

Exciting - how you finding the artifakt?

I really like it. It’s has a collection of various effects that I don’t use that often. The modulation is delay based, so it’s good for dimension c type. It sits as an expansion to my Luna. The ladder filter is really good, again, buffing my Spectrum options, the overdrive is exceptional too. It’s like a list of specific (but excellent) effects that didn’t seem to make it into the other pedals.
The new hardware chassis is stunning and a pointer to the direction of future smaller pedals from SA.
I’d love to see a modulator, or even a dirt pedal in this new chassis.

 

[Luke the Fluke]

I really like it. It’s has a collection of various effects that I don’t use that often. The modulation is delay based, so it’s good for dimension c type. It sits as an expansion to my Luna. The ladder filter is really good, again, buffing my Spectrum options, the overdrive is exceptional too. It’s like a list of specific (but excellent) effects that didn’t seem to make it into the other pedals.
The new hardware chassis is stunning and a pointer to the direction of future smaller pedals from SA.
I’d love to see a modulator, or even a dirt pedal in this new chassis.

I borrowed one and really enjoyed it, I could get some really nice chorus sounds in the time based section by using less delay and modulation up, and then could high pass it a bit like my lovely Anadime chorus - it was the same goodness but clean and crisp sounding in a really musical way .
They don't come up secondhand often (in the UK at least) but I would like to try again and see if it would replace the anadime and then have all the other good stuff it does.

 

[bassbrad]

Exciting - how you finding the artifakt?

As always I concur with @GMC observations. The Artifakt could almost be a one stop solution for bass tones depending on needs and situation as a wide range of classic studio or live textures can be compiled. I honestly find it a lot more valuable as a production tool.

 

[GMC]

As always I concur with @GMC observations. The Artifakt could almost be a one stop solution for bass tones depending on needs and situation as a wide range of classic studio or live textures can be compiled. I honestly find it a lot more valuable as a production tool.

I agree. It's primary function is a destructor type of device. So vintage noise / vynal / tape noise / bit crusher / low fi EQ....that kind of sonic zone. A lot of that isn't really bass (although fun for noodling and solo-ing). So I can really see the Artifakt is awesome as a studio production tool.
However, it's also stacked full of extra drops that Source Audio forgot to add to the dedicated pedals devices. As such it's full of really specific but sweet sounding random effects that may / may not be your wheel house. The modulation seems to be mostly time / delay based (like the Dimension Chorus). It sports a REALLY good flanger. However, the chorus on this pedal isn't a goto sound I use (but i do sometimes). The dirt is a REALLY great overdrive, and the same for the Ladder Filter. The Muverb is great too. However these drops are not the last word in those particular effects but a great goto if you need those specific sub-genre effects on your board. It's also nice to be able to add the Artifakt into a different location on your board. It's quite tricky to place in a chain because it's efects pallet is so broad.

 

[GMC]

On a slightly differnent direction, my Enounter has arrived:

 

[GMC]

I've plumbed it in to my board, levering out my Nemesis. I've used the same Midi Channel I had with the Nemesis, which means the single knob I use on my Faderfox PC-4 carries over to my new Encounter. Cabling is the same too, replacing a pedal is so much easier than adding to my existing chain.
I've plugged it into Neuro and updated the firmware. I was suprised to see that my copy didn't have any pre-loaded patches / pre-sets.
Initial impressions are good...it's definately an ambience player's wet dream.
I think this pedal NEEDs blue knobs...

 

[Luke the Fluke]

However these drops are not the last word in those particular effects but a great goto if you need those specific sub-genre effects on your board.

For us bass players I question what digital envelope filters out there are better... it got very close to my PastFX clone of a Moog MF-101 (I lent the Past-FX to Quatschmacher if you wanted to find his recreation on Neuro)

I liked the way it could be a version of most the moogerfoogers, and loved the crispness of the chorus I could get, and able to low pass it like I do on my anadime. My issue is it came out just as I had bought the PF101 and I like both that and the anadime.
Marketed differently to "Lo fi" I think it would get more love from the bass players.

 

[Annette]

Hey GMC, what are your impressions of the new pedal so far? I replaced my nemesis with the collider a couple years ago because I preferred having a more classic set of delays and reverbs in one pedal as opposed to the more experimental delays on the nemesis.
When the encounter came out, my initial reaction was not even to bother looking at it but unfortunately I just did, sigh. The extra modulation and filter options sound so good! Some of my questions are: does self-oscillation work with all/most of the delay algorithms? Does the reverb have a hold/freeze function like the Collider? And, can you elicit more classic sounds like a digital delay and a spring verb?
I guess this all comes down to: would I miss the collider if I replaced it with the encounter?
I skimmed through the manual and played around the neuro app but wanted to get your highly appreciated input

 

[GMC]

Hey GMC, what are your impressions of the new pedal so far? I replaced my nemesis with the collider a couple years ago because I preferred having a more classic set of delays and reverbs in one pedal as opposed to the more experimental delays on the nemesis.
When the encounter came out, my initial reaction was not even to bother looking at it but unfortunately I just did, sigh. The extra modulation and filter options sound so good! Some of my questions are: does self-oscillation work with all/most of the delay algorithms? Does the reverb have a hold/freeze function like the Collider? And, can you elicit more classic sounds like a digital delay and a spring verb?
I guess this all comes down to: would I miss the collider if I replaced it with the encounter?
I skimmed through the manual and played around the neuro app but wanted to get your highly appreciated input

Inside the box, there's a card which clearly shows which engine uses the base (familiar) verb or delay type and it's a simple step to turn down the two control knobs to zero and most of the engines behave in a regular / default / bread and butter fashion. You just have to look up on the card (or remember) which one is which. Some are obvious, such as Resonant, it's based on the Analogue resonant from the Nemesis and EchoVerb is based on a standard Digital Delay type. It's no trouble to create a patch that has the two control knobs dialed down. I haven't delved into the reverbs too much yet.
It's a nice pedal for sure and hosts a lot of nice ambient sounds. I tend to find that dual mode (instead of cascading) is usually good for ambient patches, but I'm still in my early stages with this pedal.
I'm liking it a lot. I think the tone knob is a bit os a waste on bass, it never really seems to have much effect on bass delay / verb trails. It's cut off is probably set too high for bass.

 

[GMC]

Usually with a multi reverb or multi delay pedal / panel, there are a bunch of obvious engines and then a lot of variations on those engines. For instance, a lot of reverb pedals use just a sing;e hall reverb engine / algorithm and then just apply a series over versions with different other effects or controls applied to various parts of that reverb. A lot of groubd can be covered with just a single Hall type of reverb. I think SA's own E-dome is based on a Hall reverb. So many manufacturers comission a Hall reverb and then try to make it sound like a spring, plate or other type of reverb. Where as Source Audio made engines / algorithms for each type of reverb. The same with their delays.
The encounter seems to have less obvious source engines than the Collider. The source delay types are quite clearly described in the manual, however the reverb area bit more vague.
Hypersphere - n-Dimesional reverb. Use the feedback to change the size of the room. From room size to massive. Probably a Hall reverb as it's base.
Shimmers - who knows?
TremVeb - I would have guessed that it was a Sprint verb at it's core, but it's actually the E-Dome verb.
Reverse - who knows?
Lo-fi - who knows?
Swell - who knows?
For all the "who knows", they are probably variations of their Hall reverb model. Howeve a lot can be done with a hall reverb, short predelay delay feedbacks can simulate plate and spring verbs.

 

[GMC]

Here's my upgraded Encounter with blue knobs:

 

[GMC]

For me, the Encounter isn't going to replace my Nemesis on my main board for long. I'm going to learn how to use it and integrate it, but it will eventually come off my main board and become the ambient pedal on my new mini / church / small gig board that I'm about to start building.
I'm thinking of making a small board around the Pedaltrain Nano+ side. I'm thinking Input>C4>Atlas>Artifakt>Encounter. I might fit an active volume pedal / expression pedal in there somewhere too.
The challenge for me is getting the specific pair of Chorus sounds that i like on bass out of the Artifakt. I may have to bite the bullet and drop a Lunar on there too. There's a lot more Artifakt patches available than the last time I looked at the modulation on the Artifakt.

 

[GMC]

Something along thse lines:

Or maybe this:

Where i can swap out the volume pedal with a poly tune.

 

[GMC]

I might spend a few hours over the weekend and see how versatile the compressor is in the Artifakt. I might be able to spin this as a three pedal board. If i can make a nice and convincing CE-2 and a Multi-Chrous patches on my Artifakt and assign one of the knobs to a compressor control, I might be able to get away with just a C4 / Artifakt and a Encounter. Sweet and small mini board huh?

 

[GMC]

Actually...I've been playing with the Artifakt a bit this afternoon...I've found a great base Chorus that I can use on the cloud...and I've added a compressor and a bit of dirt...Oh my...what a sweet pedal. SO versatile!
I'll have a few GMC patches avalable some time on Saturday. My new "all in one" dirt patch, my new Chorus patch and a few multi use patches. I have one I'm playing with at the moment that has a master volume, dirt on a knob, trem on a knob, chorus on a knob and compressor on a knob....that's powerful and very sweet!

 

[GMC]

Exciting - how you finding the artifakt?

So my 2nd reply....it's very versatile and a one box solution if you want a single pedal to do dirt, filters, most types of modulation, mini verbs plus all the stuff it's already famous for. It's very bass centric and there's lots of tailoring available under the hood. Now that i'm starting to understand it's internal controls I'm starting to get some benefits from it. The new chassis and knob assignments are epic.