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Someone cracked the Animato

#161
eveilleu said:
It's nice to hear something other then "That song" on one of these ;)
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"That" song is awesome though, as I think you're indicating that you agree. Also, I liked how @Crowella played some other Muse songs in his samples. Mixing it up.
 
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#166
You know how difficult it was to NOT play Muse when using this pedal? Very.

John's tilt control definitely adds more versatility and I would say anyone getting his version should jump on that mod.

I might do another demo in the next few days playing with the controls. I have been enjoying rolling the tone off both my bass and the pedal and getting a really nice fuzz sound. Not blaringly square synth like, but definitely present.

One very nice positive I have to say is that it preserves the bass tone through distortion rather than completely imparting its own sound. Like mentioned, using the tone knob on your bass smoothens the attack out well and the pedal sounds a bit different when you plug a different sounding bass in.
 
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#167
yaksonator said:
I got crowella effects version, just out of support, but I so want the tilt version of johnk's design too. They both seem like they'd be useful for separate things ya know, or the same things! :) and both designs sound fantastic. Like spot on!
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Seconded! Grabbed crowella effects silicon version, the germanium will be calling me as well...AFTER Christmas!
 
#169
I've ordered some AC128's today. Not enough to complete a full 20 builds but enough to test out. I am going to see how one of them goes in my current pedal, in a silicon/germanium hybrid setup. If it's better and I'm satisfied with the result, I might throw an AC128/2N5088 combination into each build. Be interesting to see what comes from that.
 
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#171
I used the clone last night at band practice for the first time. Damn it kicks!

John's already sold 9 guys so if you want that tilt control or clean blend built in, jump on the last one now. He might have to start a factory at that rate.

Meanwhile. I've had a go at simulating some different tone stacks to open up its use. I think a future version will vary slightly to open up the low end on output. Considering how loud the pedal can get, you could throw a huge option of tone stacks at it (maybe considering a Bax tone stack). I'll toy around with a modified version after the mass build.
 
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#172
Crowella said:
I used the clone last night at band practice for the first time. Damn it kicks!

John's already sold 9 guys so if you want that tilt control or clean blend built in, jump on the last one now. He might have to start a factory at that rate.

Meanwhile. I've had a go at simulating some different tone stacks to open up its use. I think a future version will vary slightly to open up the low end on output. Considering how loud the pedal can get, you could throw a huge option of tone stacks at it (maybe considering a Bax tone stack). I'll toy around with a modified version after the mass build.
Click to expand...

A two band Bax would be kind of cool on this. I don't have mine yet, but, from what everyone is saying, it looks like there could b a lot of room for modding this one. I am sure you will come up with something cool. I may even have to buy it ;)
 
#173
Adding the two band bax alone is worth considering but that alone doesn't do too much. I've done a picture of the sim with the volume adjusted to compensate for losses and I apologise for how hard it is to see The spot around 800-900Hz will be normal. You can end up losing a lot more bass by turning the bass control down, similarly more treble with the treble up. You can get comparable results but the only advantage I can see so far is the mid-scooping with both controls up. You need to adjust more than just the tone stack to get more usable tones out of it and honestly, putting a substantial amount of treble more out of it isn't probably that smart of an idea.

White indicates the original BMP stack, the red lines indicate the Bax stack with volume output compensated. This is the response at the output.

http://i.imgur.com/FMdbETi.png

Basically, one of the better places to approach getting more bass in is in the first stage with the booster which pretty much sets the stage for the rest of the circuit. If you still want that attack but collect more bass, you need to expand the bandwidth of the entry stage. C10, the 10n input cap is most critical for cutting the bass on the input. Changing either R18 and C12 will also do a fair bit too as we discovered with C12. I think ultimately, C11 will be the best to alter to allow more bass through and keep the integrity of the attack.

Also, germ's arrived. Sure, they're only AC128's of varying gains but if the hybrid goes closer, I might have to invest in a small shipment of them. Thank you, generous Australian ebay'er.
 
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#174
Crowella said:
Adding the two band bax alone is worth considering but that alone doesn't do too much. I've done a picture of the sim with the volume adjusted to compensate for losses and I apologise for how hard it is to see The spot around 800-900Hz will be normal. You can end up losing a lot more bass by turning the bass control down, similarly more treble with the treble up. You can get comparable results but the only advantage I can see so far is the mid-scooping with both controls up. You need to adjust more than just the tone stack to get more usable tones out of it and honestly, putting a substantial amount of treble more out of it isn't probably that smart of an idea.

White indicates the original BMP stack, the red lines indicate the Bax stack with volume output compensated. This is the response at the output.

http://i.imgur.com/FMdbETi.png
Click to expand...

Interesting.
 
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#175
Okay, this is a weirder result than I was expecting. The AC128/2N5088 combination sounds WARMER than the original. Ummm... And I prefer it even more now since you still have that immense amount of gain. (the AC128I used has a HFe around 90)

Just excuse me while I go try and figure that out. If this is the case. I'm tempted to buy a metric ton of AC128's now

EDIT: So the decay with the AC128 is now shorter and weaker, which I can adjust with the gain trimpot. Still... some shock. Original has a better, warmer decay. The clone has a warmer, more full attack (still with that treble bite)

EDIT 2: Trimpot adjustment fixed that. Oh my... So... Might have to assess this and consider putting some AC128's in the builds instead.
 
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#176
Crowella said:
Okay, this is a weirder result than I was expecting. The AC128/2N5088 combination sounds WARMER than the original. Ummm... And I prefer it even more now since you still have that immense amount of gain. (the AC128I used has a HFe around 90)

Just excuse me while I go try and figure that out. If this is the case. I'm tempted to buy a metric ton of AC128's now

EDIT: So the decay with the AC128 is now shorter and weaker, which I can adjust with the gain trimpot. Still... some shock. Original has a better, warmer decay. The clone has a warmer, more full attack (still with that treble bite)
Click to expand...

Deluxe version with both with a switch to choose which signal path you want activated?
 
#177
Okay, on analysis, maybe the 2N5087/2N5088 is better for noise sake but honestly, all three sound every so slightly different. The main characteristics are there.

Also should note, the 220k resistor I chucked in instead of the 100k does do a bit to affect the tone and may be what draws it further away. I'll be sure to follow the schematic for the builds. In fact, it does a lot to boost the high mids and treble, it actually moves the peak frequency, so there we are. Lesson learned. Don't replace a resistor in fix to a problem that it wasn't part of.
 
#179
Yep and based off my LTSpice simulations it would bring the pedal closer to the original (well, obviously, same value). The difference it makes actually means I can get closer to the original with gain settings too (not so much gain as its closer to ground now) and also focus in on getting a warmer tone without doing much more. Woo, excitement from the practical and theoretical.

Still keeping the prototype as is though because for what its worth, I have enjoyed all the tinkering I have done with it. Now, if only the PCB and cases can get here. I'm itching to build so I can get them out of the way and work on my own overdrive. :D (John, you'll be more than welcome to critique that when I get around to it)
 
#180
Bit of a bump as I've extended the pre-sale because I've got a number still to go out. Also to mention that the PCB's are etched and being shipped right now so I'm hoping for them to come this week. Phew. So if you did order, that's the go at the moment. I'm bored waiting for the parts.

The clone is getting use in my live rig and going to be put through the paces with a lot of shows soon. I find with each use I have been turning the tone down even lower, to about 11-12 o'clock where you can hear the attack come through but still get some of the body. May be the new strings, its really sensitive to your tone controls on your bass or guitar, especially the treble.

Now... To find those flatwounds and put them on my P bass...

Also, got an EQ pedal on the way so I might do one that uses that EQ as the tone stack and analyse the results to mention where there can be any tonal improvements. Again, still stress the heart of it is that first booster.

Could do with some resistors to stop the lowest distortion setting from being muted.
 

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