Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Your favourite Bit Crusher ...is?
- Thread starter cnltb
- Start date
Crushing bits is a digital thing. An analog bit crusher is like serving vegetarian beef.
Ooh sounds disgusting...Ok, so which is your favourite bit crusher...title edited.
My favourite at this point is the bug brand one(and I am tempted to get the workshop crusher kit). The only other I have heard and can remember was the Iron ether pedal.
Strymon Timeline has one of the best bitcrushers, if you use lo-fi delay to do this. Also it has a nice pitch modulation.
I have a Bugbrand Bugcrusher that JohnK built. It's really more of a sample rate reducer, but it does what it does very well. The company is out of business, but the plans are readily available.
Im also not a big bit crusher type a guy. But that Scrutator does look mighty tasty. I want to grab and see whats its about. Bit crushers have always been one of those effects for me that sounded great at the time of watching a demo or two, but then is pretty quickly forgotten afterwards. But that Scrutator stuck with me. I think it was Juans demo of it that did it for me. The Gonkulator looks pretty rad as well.....
Crazy crushy "bit-like", actually just some gits & shiggles sonic mayhem.
Link Removed Anti-Nautilus
mtlasm.blogspot.com/ Wrong Side of Uranus
You're right, they're still in business, but it looks like the Bugcrusher is no longer for sale on the shop, hence why people DIY them.
I think this is all thatS# still available at this point;
Invalid Link Removed
As bit crushers pedals go I think there are a lot more analog "approximations" available than there are actual digital bitcrushers but I've tried a few and here are my thoughts.
BugBrand Bug Crusher - I've had a couple of these now. As I understand it they are essentially using a sample & hold filter but operating at audio rates. In my mind this is the best option for doing electronica/modern synth tones. It has this very full range quality and is as "clean" a bitcrusher type sound as you'll find. They are noisy buggers but fantastic sounding for these tones.
Malekko Bit - This is the closest thing to the Bug Crusher but it (1) doesn't feel as full range (2) seems to lose a bit of bass and (3) doesn't seem to have as wide a range of frequencies. Still, it's a decent option for the size and price. Both it and the BugCrusher are about as "musical" as can be when mangling your sound.
WMD Geiger Counter - This is a real digital sample rate reducer/bit crusher. It has a wide range of tones that go from 8-bit "Nintendo" tones to digital distortion/fuzz to a relatively subtle "foldback" like distortion somewhat similar to the extreme settings of the Red Ripper or along the lines of the Prunes & Custard but more "electronic" sounding. It doesn't get really "clean" sounding at any setting and can be very complex (I wish I'd bought the Civilian Issue rather than the big daddy) but tons of sounds to explore.
Catalinbread Heliotrope - I believe this is actually a variation on ring modulation with a carrier wave but it only adds the difference of the two waves and not the sum. Also has a built in dirt/fuzz of some type. This pedal is really somewhere between ring modulation and analog "bit crushing".
Iron Ether FrantaBit - The FrantaBit has true digital sample rate reduction and bit crushing and then also has an analog approximation of bit crushing that seems similar (to my ear) to the Heliotrope. From velcro fuzz sounds to NIN-style industrial distortion to 8 bit tones and ring mod like sounds. I do find that it needs a judicious amount of blend to not lose low end on a lot of settings and it doesn't do "clean" bitcrush sounds like the BugCrusher but it's very versatile and the expression control is pretty awesome.
Strymon Mobius - The Destroyer setting of the Mobius is good enough that I'd likely buy a standalone pedal that just had those functions. Throw in the Quadrature setting and I absolutely would. It's also more on the clean side of things but goes from lo-fi (old phonograph) sounds to really bitcrushed tones. Also allows you to add in this seasick warbling sound that's great for electronica/synth bass sounds.
DOD Gonkulator Modulator - It's basically a distortion/ring mod combo. I had the original version which cut bass and didn't have control of the carrier frequency of the ring mod. The new one gives that control apparently which is good but I'm guessing it still needs a blend at some settings to be useful on bass. Tim Lefebvre used to get a lot of mileage out of his but I never got on with it. It's really a dirty ring mod and not a bit crusher or analog approximation but if the Heliotrope qualifies then I guess this guy does too.
Subdecay Noise Box - Not a bit crusher or an analog approximation but I'm throwing it in because it's another sound mangler worth checking out. Well, if you can find one - I understand they're discontinued now. It's like a spitty, uncontrolled synth. I think it's awesome in front of a swept LPF.
BugBrand Bug Crusher - I've had a couple of these now. As I understand it they are essentially using a sample & hold filter but operating at audio rates. In my mind this is the best option for doing electronica/modern synth tones. It has this very full range quality and is as "clean" a bitcrusher type sound as you'll find. They are noisy buggers but fantastic sounding for these tones.
Malekko Bit - This is the closest thing to the Bug Crusher but it (1) doesn't feel as full range (2) seems to lose a bit of bass and (3) doesn't seem to have as wide a range of frequencies. Still, it's a decent option for the size and price. Both it and the BugCrusher are about as "musical" as can be when mangling your sound.
WMD Geiger Counter - This is a real digital sample rate reducer/bit crusher. It has a wide range of tones that go from 8-bit "Nintendo" tones to digital distortion/fuzz to a relatively subtle "foldback" like distortion somewhat similar to the extreme settings of the Red Ripper or along the lines of the Prunes & Custard but more "electronic" sounding. It doesn't get really "clean" sounding at any setting and can be very complex (I wish I'd bought the Civilian Issue rather than the big daddy) but tons of sounds to explore.
Catalinbread Heliotrope - I believe this is actually a variation on ring modulation with a carrier wave but it only adds the difference of the two waves and not the sum. Also has a built in dirt/fuzz of some type. This pedal is really somewhere between ring modulation and analog "bit crushing".
Iron Ether FrantaBit - The FrantaBit has true digital sample rate reduction and bit crushing and then also has an analog approximation of bit crushing that seems similar (to my ear) to the Heliotrope. From velcro fuzz sounds to NIN-style industrial distortion to 8 bit tones and ring mod like sounds. I do find that it needs a judicious amount of blend to not lose low end on a lot of settings and it doesn't do "clean" bitcrush sounds like the BugCrusher but it's very versatile and the expression control is pretty awesome.
Strymon Mobius - The Destroyer setting of the Mobius is good enough that I'd likely buy a standalone pedal that just had those functions. Throw in the Quadrature setting and I absolutely would. It's also more on the clean side of things but goes from lo-fi (old phonograph) sounds to really bitcrushed tones. Also allows you to add in this seasick warbling sound that's great for electronica/synth bass sounds.
DOD Gonkulator Modulator - It's basically a distortion/ring mod combo. I had the original version which cut bass and didn't have control of the carrier frequency of the ring mod. The new one gives that control apparently which is good but I'm guessing it still needs a blend at some settings to be useful on bass. Tim Lefebvre used to get a lot of mileage out of his but I never got on with it. It's really a dirty ring mod and not a bit crusher or analog approximation but if the Heliotrope qualifies then I guess this guy does too.
Subdecay Noise Box - Not a bit crusher or an analog approximation but I'm throwing it in because it's another sound mangler worth checking out. Well, if you can find one - I understand they're discontinued now. It's like a spitty, uncontrolled synth. I think it's awesome in front of a swept LPF.
Last edited:
@Jared Lash really nailed it with his descriptions of the BugCrusher and the Frantabit. I own one of his old BugCrushers, and have played the Frantabit a few times. The Frantabit is pretty bad at doing the "clean" sample rate reduction thing, or at least it was when I was in control of it. The BugCrusher does it very very well until you get the sample rate down so low that no pedal could cope without copious amounts of the effect blended out of the circuit. I wasn't looking for a distortion type bitcrusher/sample rate reducer, so for me and others with a similar tone goal (i.e. closer to 8-bit Nintendo sounds than anything super distorted), the BugCrusher does a wonderful job.
