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vintage mutron III

#81
Funkinthetrunk said:
For years my Mutron III left me with such a bad taste...I would turn my nose up whenever anyone claims that those were the Holy Grail of filters....

After all that and all you can say is MIGHT? ;)
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Well, I am working on building a Mutron sound-alike, but I won't release it commercially unless I can make it cop the mutron sound and improve upon the original design.
 
#82
Spencer! said:
Well, I am working on building a Mutron sound-alike, but I won't release it commercially unless I can make it cop the mutron sound and improve upon the original design.
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You mean, do a better job than Mike Biegel (the original designer of the Mutron III) did with the Q-tron? It'll be interesting to see what you come up with, but I can't help but think this is like waiting for the 10th cover version of a particular hit song from the 70s.
 
#85
mikeboth said:
What exactly is it you are looking to improve?
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Well, the gain knob has to go. I'm going to try and graft in the sensitivity circuit I use. The 9v+/9v- power requirement will have to be changed as well. I'd also like to make it as small as possible. I think it can be made the size of a Zvex pedal.

I want to keep it simple. No effects loop, no added controls. Just a simple, great-sounding funk box.
 
#86
Spencer! said:
Well, the gain knob has to go. I'm going to try and graft in the sensitivity circuit I use. The 9v+/9v- power requirement will have to be changed as well. I'd also like to make it as small as possible. I think it can be made the size of a Zvex pedal.

I want to keep it simple. No effects loop, no added controls. Just a simple, great-sounding funk box.
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Based on the success of the GR, I think you're the man for the job. Best of luck and don't let the TB crowd give you grief if it's not ready for production as soon as they'd like it to be.
 
#87
Spencer! said:
Well, the gain knob has to go. I'm going to try and graft in the sensitivity circuit I use.
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I've made MutronIII 'clones' with unity gain on the audio and a separate path for sensitivity through the envelope detector. It works pretty well.

The 9v+/9v- power requirement will have to be changed as well.
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Ala the Neutron? RG has always been ahead of his time. :)

I want to keep it simple. No effects loop, no added controls.
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So:
- sensitivity
- resonance
- drive direction switch (up / down)
- LP / BP / HP switch
- range switch
- blend
- output volume
?

You can 'lose' one control by merging sensitivity and drive direction too. And I'm not sure if bass players ever use the high-pass setting.
 
#88
Spencer! said:
Well, the gain knob has to go. I'm going to try and graft in the sensitivity circuit I use. The 9v+/9v- power requirement will have to be changed as well. I'd also like to make it as small as possible. I think it can be made the size of a Zvex pedal.

I want to keep it simple. No effects loop, no added controls. Just a simple, great-sounding funk box.
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A guy living very nearby did that (sensitivity instead of gain and (in later versions) 9v) with his Mu-Tron clone:
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He made an MXR-sized version too, but I think they're all sold now.
 
#93
Sounds great Spencer, although I do think an output volume knob would be useful. I mean, how many people complain about spikes with filters and needing a limiter to tame them? Whenever I use compression after my Mutron (I use a Demeter Compulator, which is supposedly one of the most transparent compressor pedals) I find it alters the sound in a less than desireable way. I definitely think adding a volume control would gain even more interest in your product.
 
#94
mikeboth said:
You mean, do a better job than Mike Biegel (the original designer of the Mutron III) did with the Q-tron? It'll be interesting to see what you come up with, but I can't help but think this is like waiting for the 10th cover version of a particular hit song from the 70s.
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you know a lot of people here prefer his GR over the original meatball and all its other clones, right?

i wouldent be suprised at all if what he comes up with is a lot closer to the mutron sound than a qtron is.
 
#95
groooooove said:
you know a lot of people here prefer his GR over the original meatball and all its other clones, right?

i wouldent be suprised at all if what he comes up with is a lot closer to the mutron sound than a qtron is.
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maybe, and i wish Spencer well and am curious to check out the results

but he's still limited by the same unavailability of the original components that everybody else has been
 
#98
RCCollins said:
maybe, and i wish Spencer well and am curious to check out the results

but he's still limited by the same unavailability of the original components that everybody else has been
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small bear sells the optos man. i have 2 of them, and the board to make the clone. the parts are all out there, i don't know where you're getting this "no parts" idea, people have been building the "neutron" mutron clone for years man.
 
#99
markjazzbassist said:
small bear sells the optos man. i have 2 of them, and the board to make the clone. the parts are all out there, i don't know where you're getting this "no parts" idea, people have been building the "neutron" mutron clone for years man.
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Yeah small bear sells them, but I don't think they have enough to make a production pedal with.
 

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