The Effect Builders Club!

[chicago_mike]

Most pedals can be made bass friendly by changing the value of the audio area caps to a larger size. Like a .047 or a .1 . A blend control is okay too, but you'll still get the thinner sound off the effect.

Compare a simple tube bass preamp to a guitar preamp and youll see that the guitar uses .022 caps on upwards to .01. These values are not all that good for bass.

 

[LzeroKI]

Delt with that one to many times. What are you studying?

Mechanical Engineering Technology

essentially and M.E. curriculum, but with slightly more focus on the practice side rather than theory.

 

[Sir Edward V]

Most pedals can be made bass friendly by changing the value of the audio area caps to a larger size. Like a .047 or a .1 . A blend control is okay too, but you'll still get the thinner sound off the effect.

Compare a simple tube bass preamp to a guitar preamp and youll see that the guitar uses .022 caps on upwards to .01. These values are not all that good for bass.

Yeah, but the point is that with a wah pedal, the actual wah effect is basically a notch (peak?) band-pass filter where the center (resonant) frequency is controlled via expression pedal. so when you use the effect the bass frequencies are cut dramatically anyways, so doing a simple mod like that that works wonders on distortions, preamps, etc. probably wont do as much for a wah... It would probably help a little, but I wouldn't expect a dramatic improvement.

 

[B.C.]

Mechanical Engineering Technology

essentially and M.E. curriculum, but with slightly more focus on the practice side rather than theory.

Interesting, I am rather interested in that field as well. I am a EE.

 

[B.C.]

Yeah, but the point is that with a wah pedal, the actual wah effect is basically a notch (peak?) band-pass filter where the center (resonant) frequency is controlled via expression pedal. so when you use the effect the bass frequencies are cut dramatically anyways, so doing a simple mod like that that works wonders on distortions, preamps, etc. probably wont do as much for a wah... It would probably help a little, but I wouldn't expect a dramatic improvement.

+1

 

[LzeroKI]

Interesting, I am rather interested in that field as well. I am a EE.

I was actually admitted to my school as an EE student, but after orientation and talking to my brother (who was originally an ME, but is now a CE) I decided I wanted to do mechanical. Kind of a bummer because the area I want to move with my girlfreind after graduation probably doesn't have much in the way of work for ME's.

 

[B.C.]

I was actually admitted to my school as an EE student, but after orientation and talking to my brother (who was originally an ME, but is now a CE) I decided I wanted to do mechanical. Kind of a bummer because the area I want to move with my girlfreind after graduation probably doesn't have much in the way of work for ME's.

There is always work for MEs. I bet you'll find something!

 

[Sir Edward V]

I'm in compE but I'm thinking about switching to EE. I have more of an interest in analog and digital design than programming (though i am very good at it) and everyone seams to think that CompE students are made to program! its annoying! I'm also a Math major btw


I'm working a coop job right now with a company called siemens. The division I work for develops C++ and Matlab (and some other stuff) to go on these specialized computers that control motors. They are used to control a lot of different machines including ones that make airplane parts out of metal, as well as car parts, lazer cutters... lots of things really. So far I have been writing code in Matlab mostly, and its starting to get more interesting... Recently I have been working on developing a GUI that plots functions as Bode plots and manipulates them in a lot of different ways. Its not really what I wanted to be doing, but it is more related to EE topics than anything else I was offered, and there is a lot of abstract math concepts involved so I get to use that stuff I have learned as well.

Sorry to go off and ramble about my job, lol, not too related to the topic!

well... do you guys have the option to work for engineering companies while in school like I do? for us it is required.

 

[B.C.]

I'm in compE but I'm thinking about switching to EE. I have more of an interest in analog and digital design than programming (though i am very good at it) and everyone seams to think that CompE students are made to program! its annoying! I'm also a Math major btw


I'm working a coop job right now with a company called siemens. The division I work for develops C++ and Matlab (and some other stuff) to go on these specialized computers that control motors. They are used to control a lot of different machines including ones that make airplane parts out of metal, as well as car parts, lazer cutters... lots of things really. So far I have been writing code in Matlab mostly, and its starting to get more interesting... Recently I have been working on developing a GUI that plots functions as Bode plots and manipulates them in a lot of different ways. Its not really what I wanted to be doing, but it is more related to EE topics than anything else I was offered, and there is a lot of abstract math concepts involved so I get to use that stuff I have learned as well.

Sorry to go off and ramble about my job, lol, not too related to the topic!

well... do you guys have the option to work for engineering companies while in school like I do? for us it is required.

Well, what Saint Louis does is helps you set up internships for your summers of Junior and Senior years. Its really nice.

As for me, I am primarily a EE major, but they offered me a double major in CompE. The reason I chose EE is for the same reason, I really like the hardware stuff but programming just is kind of boring, but not many schools offers this double major and if all I have to do is take a few more classes, why not?

Your job sounds really really cool! I'm still trying to set up some stuff with some computer firms and the city, so heres praying!

Math major too? Man, I actually really really dislike math, I like it as a means to solve physical problems.

More on topic though, I've had some professors who do this kind of stuff as a side job. Its pretty cool that anyone from novices to doctorites do this stuff!

 

[LzeroKI]

I'm in compE but I'm thinking about switching to EE. I have more of an interest in analog and digital design than programming (though i am very good at it) and everyone seams to think that CompE students are made to program! its annoying! I'm also a Math major btw


I'm working a coop job right now with a company called siemens. The division I work for develops C++ and Matlab (and some other stuff) to go on these specialized computers that control motors. They are used to control a lot of different machines including ones that make airplane parts out of metal, as well as car parts, lazer cutters... lots of things really. So far I have been writing code in Matlab mostly, and its starting to get more interesting... Recently I have been working on developing a GUI that plots functions as Bode plots and manipulates them in a lot of different ways. Its not really what I wanted to be doing, but it is more related to EE topics than anything else I was offered, and there is a lot of abstract math concepts involved so I get to use that stuff I have learned as well.

Sorry to go off and ramble about my job, lol, not too related to the topic!

well... do you guys have the option to work for engineering companies while in school like I do? for us it is required.

Here in at UNC Charlotte we have an office that does the same thing, helps set you up with coops and internships, plus theres a couple engineering job fairs on campus a year, and a College of Engineering Picnic, the COE cooks up some burgers and dogs, and a bunch of local employers come by with booths looking for students for internships. Im am just now a junior so I am about to venture into the world of finding a real job...


so, what was this thread about again?

 

[B.C.]

so, what was this thread about again?

I'll get it back on topic.

So I am finishing up my phasor, playing with my input buffer. Anybody else find that a inverting config( input to inverting -) to work a little nicer? I mean just with the buffer and a guitar, I am getting a much nicer signal. All that my feedback loop consists of is just a wire from the output.

This is strange, as I see most buffers are non-inverting.

 

[niftydog]

With your non-inv. config., do you have a resistor from the non-inv. terminal to ground to "set" the input impedance?

 

[B.C.]

With your non-inv. config., do you have a resistor from the non-inv. terminal to ground to "set" the input impedance?

Edit: Actually, I just have a resistor from input(inverting) to ground and a wire to ground from non-inv.

 

[niftydog]

But that would short the non-inv. input to ground resulting in no output. I think our wires are crossed!

I was just saying that in a non-inv. config you need a resistor to ground from the non-inv terminal to set the input impedance. Otherwise it's set by the circuitry within the op amp itself which results in an input impedance somewhere in the gigaohms range which is enormous and impractical. The result is that any tiny, weak signal (such as noise and interference) easily passes into the op amp and gets amplified/processed.

 

[B.C.]

But that would short the non-inv. input to ground resulting in no output. I think our wires are crossed!

I was just saying that in a non-inv. config you need a resistor to ground from the non-inv terminal to set the input impedance. Otherwise it's set by the circuitry within the op amp itself which results in an input impedance somewhere in the gigaohms range which is enormous and impractical. The result is that any tiny, weak signal (such as noise and interference) easily passes into the op amp and gets amplified/processed.

Yeah, I probably am describing it incorrectly. I'll look at it tomorrow and show you what I mean. Thank you though

 

[Sir Edward V]

Well, what Saint Louis does is helps you set up internships for your summers of Junior and Senior years. Its really nice.

As for me, I am primarily a EE major, but they offered me a double major in CompE. The reason I chose EE is for the same reason, I really like the hardware stuff but programming just is kind of boring, but not many schools offers this double major and if all I have to do is take a few more classes, why not?

Your job sounds really really cool! I'm still trying to set up some stuff with some computer firms and the city, so heres praying!

Math major too? Man, I actually really really dislike math, I like it as a means to solve physical problems.

More on topic though, I've had some professors who do this kind of stuff as a side job. Its pretty cool that anyone from novices to doctorites do this stuff!

My job is starting to get more interesting. Usually at my school people do 3 month stints at a time at jobs, but I am "double sectioning" so I am working with them for 6 months in a row instead of broken up. It is definitely helping me land more interesting assignments.

Here in at UNC Charlotte we have an office that does the same thing, helps set you up with coops and internships, plus theres a couple engineering job fairs on campus a year, and a College of Engineering Picnic, the COE cooks up some burgers and dogs, and a bunch of local employers come by with booths looking for students for internships. Im am just now a junior so I am about to venture into the world of finding a real job...


so, what was this thread about again?

With us it is required that we do 6 - 3 month (one quarter of school) stints cooping. I am a sophomore already doing real engineering work . The University of Cincinnati invented this coop thing (so they tell us) way back in the early 1900's. It is the main reason a lot of students (including me) decided to come to this school. I am getting some mad $$$ from it too. No more student loans for me! I make more than my girlfriend's mother does... and she is a single (divorced, ex-husband has since died... sad story...) supporting 2 kids now, the rest are out on their own already. But I found that interesting...

 

[Sir Edward V]

But that would short the non-inv. input to ground resulting in no output. I think our wires are crossed!

I was just saying that in a non-inv. config you need a resistor to ground from the non-inv terminal to set the input impedance. Otherwise it's set by the circuitry within the op amp itself which results in an input impedance somewhere in the gigaohms range which is enormous and impractical. The result is that any tiny, weak signal (such as noise and interference) easily passes into the op amp and gets amplified/processed.

mmhmm

This is one thing I discovered for myself! non-inverting buffer = in(-) to output of op-amp and output. signal input to in(+) and a resistor from in(+) to ground.

Do you have any other suggestions for a good buffer? some people have told me to use a low value capacitor in parallel from in(-) to opamp out. but I hear no difference when I do this.

 

[niftydog]

Do you have any other suggestions for a good buffer? some people have told me to use a low value capacitor in parallel from in(-) to opamp out. but I hear no difference when I do this.

That's just compensation by the sounds of it - it makes the op amp more stable at high frequencies so it doesn't oscillate.

There's a few application notes available from texas instruments that explain good op amp practice, but they are aimed at engineers so expect a heady read!

 

[LungDisease]

Ok, I've been buying locally and from Newark for the most part, but I'm tired of spending months sourcing parts from local folk and paying shipping on a minute number of components. So, I'm looking at Small Bear, and I'm pretty satisfied with the selection of stuff available. However, I did see a few negative posts on the diystompboxes forum, so I'm wondering if any of you have had bad experiences with Small Bear.
Thanks

 

[BassJunkie730]

I'll do a more detailed thread on this as soon as I get a working prototype - but I just solved or got closer to solving a major problem I had with my Tonebender Mod.

In it's original schematic - it doesn't tolerate active basses as much.

But after some work on a TBer's Bluebeard fuzz - I discovered that a little power supply filtering can go a long way.

Here's the bluebeard clip (jaguar with flats played with the preamp full on then switched off. volume at 70% tone at 70% and gain at 70%
Link Removed

then here's the same pedal modified to tonebender specs while retaining the bluebeard power supply filtering and input resistor and cap.
Same settings as above.
Link Removed