THE DREADED GEAR THREAD

[Atrophist]

DOD Carcosa is def one of the best newer distortion circuits I've heard, cheap too.

Fender have a new line of cheap pedals coming up this year:
https://www.guitarworld.com/news/fender-hammertone

Wonder if these will offer anything that the even cheaper Joyo etc. Chinese pedals don't. Theyre priced kinda awkwardly in between Boss and the cheapo pedals, so I wonder if there's any reason to choose these rather than a used Boss for the same price.

My guess is probably not. Fender is a prestigious brand and you’ll probably be paying maybe 20% extra for that. Also, not that this is super important, but these pedals are bloody ugly and not in a good way. On the plus side, the connectors are on top rather than the sides which I personally prefer.

[violentgrief]

Also, the new 404 seems better suited to dealing with this problems, with an actual screen and better editing capabilities overall. Many other improvements as well.

I was watching some videos on this today. It definitely has some significant improvements. I've considered it but I don't use the one I have that much really.

[W.K.]

Some setups over the time:

[housepig]

Curious to get more info on the spring device, and I like the two-plane setup of the modular rig!

[heavyelectronix]

Metasonix gear rules. I'll post mine soon but I have a ton of their shit.

Does your F-1 not have a CV input?

[W.K.]

Curious to get more info on the spring device, and I like the two-plane setup of the modular rig!

I don't know if it's still sold but I got it from https://www.etsy.com/shop/ElectroLobotomy. If you know how to solder it wouldn't be too hard to make yourself. Basically it's a wooden board with 3 large springs attached to it, coupled with a contact mic and amplifier. It was a pretty fun device unfortunately broke down before doing anything substantial with it. For noise it's better for something to be made out of wood rather than metal y'know.

Metasonix gear rules. I'll post mine soon but I have a ton of their shit.

Does your F-1 not have a CV input?

Yeah it does but doesn't always get used, sometimes I like it only for the distortion itself and no extra modulation is needed.

[Atrophist]

Electro Lobotomy will periodically bring back their designs to their shop. So even if it’s not available now, it (or something similar) will probably be available again sooner or later. The guy who runs it is really friendly and professional, so if you’re interested, you could do a lot worse than contact him. I have couple of his designs and been eyeing his ”Sonic Forest” for a while.

[housepig]

I don't know if it's still sold but I got it from https://www.etsy.com/shop/ElectroLobotomy. If you know how to solder it wouldn't be too hard to make yourself. Basically it's a wooden board with 3 large springs attached to it, coupled with a contact mic and amplifier.

Cool cool. I made a quick and dirty similar version years ago, I should go back and make a new one. Saw Pulse Emitter playing around with a similar device in a video recently, and this just adds fuel to the fire.

[Jeep]

I use eurorack for my harsh noise project. Some Pittsburgh's modules and a IME Hertz Donutz mkii are what i use most.

I really want to learn how to process a shaker box or scrap metal into my eurorack system. I have the Pitts Inout and other modules for processing, but i never get happy with the results (maybe i don't have the "right" modules for this kind of processing).

So, I still use a couple of pedals for processing my shaker box straight to one channel of my mixer. In other channels goes 2 voices of my euro VCO's. Recently i got a TipTop One, to pair with Tiptop TG ONE, for sample playback (2 voices). Actually, i plan to get a Nebulae v2 someday, the one that Mack Chami recommend often, but i am not sure if it will be useful in a harsh noise context.

[elektrik winds]

I've been looking for distortion or fuzz that makes my RD-8 drum machine sound absolutly horrible but no luck so far. Happy to take any recommendations. I've tried Proco Rat and Digitech Death Metal & Carcosa.

[holy ghost]

I've been looking for distortion or fuzz that makes my RD-8 drum machine sound absolutly horrible but no luck so far. Happy to take any recommendations. I've tried Proco Rat and Digitech Death Metal & Carcosa.

A Boss Metal Zone has the most fucked up EQ and might be able to get you a few different sounds out of it that you may not be able to get with the pedals you mentioned. I know it’s not the most beloved pedal out there but I use mine all the time and really find it useful. If it’s “just gain” you’re looking for it might not tick that box (although plenty of gain, just not as much as a Death Metal). The other option might be a Boss ODB-3 Bass Overdrive as you can blend the clean signal in with the distorted sound (and again a very useful EQ, just no mids knob).

The other thought might be to add an EQ pedal after your distortion to mess with the frequencies more. You can buy a cheap used one for like $20.

Personally I have never tried them but the Amptweaker pedals look hella cool but are real pricey. Most seem to have a lot of different options and FX loops on them.

[Remi]

I think blending is a feature that shouldn't be forgotten here. That's like the dry/wet of delays and reverbs. I use a Frantone Peach Fuzz clone with an extra blend on it for my drum machine. It definitely helps because you can dial in the amount of fuzz (in my case) and precision/natural sound to your liking with the blend knob.

[Zalhietzli]

I've been looking for distortion or fuzz that makes my RD-8 drum machine sound absolutly horrible but no luck so far. Happy to take any recommendations. I've tried Proco Rat and Digitech Death Metal & Carcosa.

Have you looked into circuit bending it ? I'm not sure if it's doable on such recent gear, but for late 90's early 00's stuff this can lead to some absolutely crazy sounds you can't replicate with distortion. Or just wet fart sounds, always a gamble with circuit bending !

Also, more distortion/fuzz pedals should have a blend knob.

[MiseryEngine]

The WMD Geiger Counter makes absolutely anything sound completely fucked.

[Remi]

Also, just for the lolz, here are my clone and the OG next to it.

[Ineffable Slime]

I have a Metasonix TX-3 (the iCunt) and that thing puts out sounds I just can't get from anything else, amazingly versatile for something so unstable. It's a two tube feedback loop circuit that works as a noise maker unto itself, but also has CV + regular in for processing signals. It's got some quirks due to the nature of the circuit (it's not very "playable" live as the sound will often drop out into a "bad" noise before swinging back up if you start to twist knobs) but I use it on everything lately. I find it most immediately useful paired with a drum machine; you can dial in this extremely warm sub-bass, or just have it turn anything into the nastiest drum sounds. Such a killer company, just wish most of the gear wasn't 5k+ lol. Stimbox used to have/use the butt probe IIRC

[Namahs]

I've been looking for distortion or fuzz that makes my RD-8 drum machine sound absolutly horrible but no luck so far. Happy to take any recommendations. I've tried Proco Rat and Digitech Death Metal & Carcosa.

A Boss Metal Zone has the most fucked up EQ and might be able to get you a few different sounds out of it that you may not be able to get with the pedals you mentioned. I know it’s not the most beloved pedal out there but I use mine all the time and really find it useful. If it’s “just gain” you’re looking for it might not tick that box (although plenty of gain, just not as much as a Death Metal). The other option might be a Boss ODB-3 Bass Overdrive as you can blend the clean signal in with the distorted sound (and again a very useful EQ, just no mids knob).

The other thought might be to add an EQ pedal after your distortion to mess with the frequencies more. You can buy a cheap used one for like $20.

Personally I have never tried them but the Amptweaker pedals look hella cool but are real pricey. Most seem to have a lot of different options and FX loops on them.

I dig the Metal Zone haha! There is something so fucky with it that it is actually fun/cool pedal to use. Pretty much every pedal setup I've done so far has included MT-2

[parasitenurse]

I use eurorack for my harsh noise project. Some Pittsburgh's modules and a IME Hertz Donutz mkii are what i use most.

I really want to learn how to process a shaker box or scrap metal into my eurorack system. I have the Pitts Inout and other modules for processing, but i never get happy with the results (maybe i don't have the "right" modules for this kind of processing).

So, I still use a couple of pedals for processing my shaker box straight to one channel of my mixer. In other channels goes 2 voices of my euro VCO's. Recently i got a TipTop One, to pair with Tiptop TG ONE, for sample playback (2 voices). Actually, i plan to get a Nebulae v2 someday, the one that Mack Chami recommend often, but i am not sure if it will be useful in a harsh noise context.

i use a pedal on each shaker box i use (odb-3 and death metal respectively) then run them into strymon interfaces then into the schlappi 100 grit and get amazing results. would highly recommend if youre not using one already.

as far as the nebulae id say maybe also look into the morphagene. its a little more expensive but you can record directly onto the mini sd card where as the nebulae cant save input recordings to the usb stick (last i checked there may have been a firmware update). but if that doesnt matter to you the nebulae is great and totally comparable to morphagene.

[Atrophist]

I've been looking for distortion or fuzz that makes my RD-8 drum machine sound absolutly horrible but no luck so far. Happy to take any recommendations. I've tried Proco Rat and Digitech Death Metal & Carcosa.

The other thought might be to add an EQ pedal after your distortion to mess with the frequencies more. You can buy a cheap used one for like $20.

Cheap-ass EQ pedals excel in making things sound horrible. Especially combined with distortion and maybe a short delay.

Nothing can mess up the sound of a drum machine like a Sherman Filterbank. They are expensive, but many still find it worth the money.

[W.K.]

I've been looking for distortion or fuzz that makes my RD-8 drum machine sound absolutly horrible but no luck so far. Happy to take any recommendations. I've tried Proco Rat and Digitech Death Metal & Carcosa.

Maybe try overdrive + compressor combo, that should do the trick pretty well. Or else use an analog mixer that produces nice clipping when gain is turned in the red.

[k.p.g]

Lately, I have been enjoying the process of making tape loops and source tape again with the new Portastudio I picked up. Usually just use iPhone voice memos nowadays to record snippets of sound I find interesting during my weekday activities (work, playing with the cat I'm sitting, going for walks) to loop later on. As for actual synths/noisemakers, noting really tops the KArp Odyssey.

[Residual / RT]

I've been really into feedback loops. There's constantly a huge amount of interesting pedals for sale locally, so I keep picking up 1-2 pedals a month for less than 100 bux each. Building long pedal chains and seeing what comes out is fascinating. I should really get into tape loops, I have all the materials and gear needed but the Octatrack is such an easy way to make loops that I never get around to getting my hands dirty.

Oof, an original MS20 and an MS10 just popped up for sale for pretty cheap, 1400€ for both. I am tempted, but kind of apprehensive due to experience with old tube amps that were constantly in need of service. Bragging rights and mojo for days but the downside is you either have to learn how to repair them or bleed out money to keep them in working condition.

[Remi]

I've been really into feedback loops. There's constantly a huge amount of interesting pedals for sale locally, so I keep picking up 1-2 pedals a month for less than 100 bux each. Building long pedal chains and seeing what comes out is fascinating. I should really get into tape loops, I have all the materials and gear needed but the Octatrack is such an easy way to make loops that I never get around to getting my hands dirty.

Oof, an original MS20 and an MS10 just popped up for sale for pretty cheap, 1400€ for both. I am tempted, but kind of apprehensive due to experience with old tube amps that were constantly in need of service. Bragging rights and mojo for days but the downside is you either have to learn how to repair them or bleed out money to keep them in working condition.

Please post pictures of those pedals or the pedal chains if you'd like (kind of a pedal nerd here, although I don't use any for noise)

And regarding the MS20 + MS10, that's a good price but my advice is that you should try to test them if you can and see what you can get out of them. Vintage synths now are not the best of investments in my humble opinion, exactly for the reasons you mentioned. But I've also used busted OG MS20s before and they still sounded amazing, if that's what you're really after.

[Residual / RT]

Please post pictures of those pedals or the pedal chains if you'd like (kind of a pedal nerd here, although I don't use any for noise)

Sure, I'll try to remember to take a few pics the next time I build a longer chain. I like using pedals because I quite like the idea of them not being made for making noise. It's fun to slowly acquire random gear and see what kind of sounds you get out of them. Pedals are great for this since they're pretty cheap and there's so many different types out there.

And regarding the MS20 + MS10, that's a good price but my advice is that you should try to test them if you can and see what you can get out of them. Vintage synths now are not the best of investments in my humble opinion, exactly for the reasons you mentioned. But I've also used busted OG MS20s before and they still sounded amazing, if that's what you're really after.

Yeah, they do sound wonderful. I have a bunch of synths right now that I'm fairly happy with, but with those two you could do so so much. Get a CV - Midi converter and then the Octatrack could sequence both, with the plocks and probabilities and everything the Elektron sequencer offers. Fairly tempted, but it's located in Tallinn which is a short ferry trip away and would cost me around 100 euros to pick them up. Probably not worth it, but I'll let it simmer until next week and see what I think about it then.

[Namahs]

Just bought a ElectroHarmonix "Random Tone Generator" pedal and had a quick test.
I like it a lot and gonna have fun with it.