Amazingly odd audio effect...

Hi. Had to post about this, it's not a cry for help or anything, but just due to my bewilderment. I built this effect in my guitar fx box (breadboards + controls etc), and it does what its supposed to.

**broken link removed**


But, I always use them for what they are not "meant". So, I run a synth, with a high frequency saw wave into it, and plug in a mic, and have it all on a delay effect so that it is:

synth+mic - delay - octave box

And what comes out as you hold the note and speak sounds like a digitisation effect. Seriously, completely not what I expected, but very cool. If your interested in that kind of thing, you should try it out, see if it works the same for you

8)

Hi Dr. EM,
You don't say what the effect circuit is supposed to do, but it looks like a very distorted frequency doubler.

When you add a signal to its delayed signal, you get a comb filter effect, something like a flanger, don't you?

I don't know what the combined saw-wave would do, but I think your voice would sound like a very distorted, flanged Donald Duck!

Actually, it seems to work without the delay, just sounds more interesting with it :lol:

Yep, it's an octave effect, if you put in a sine wave, you will get a sine one octave above, anything else though and its not quite so obvious.

Hard to describe the effect, not much like a flanger, but kind of distorted yeah. If you arn't pressing a note, its more or less just a distortion which sort of removes lower frequencies. But when you press a note, it seems to impart that tone on the signal. If you say an "S" its very obvious, like a ringing on a snare almost, but very digitised sounding, despite it being entirely analogue.

Best description I can give would be a cross between a ring modulator and a decimator/quantiser/bit crush effect.

When my computer works again, i'll have to record an MP3

Hi Dr. EM
I hope your "digital voice" doesn't sound like a synthesized voice complete with an oriental accent! :lol:

Guitar effects are great with synths. I got a fairly old digitech multieffects, with a mad patch with distortion, flanger, delay and reverb. Sounds like the intro to a pantera song with guitar... it sounds *completely* different when I used it on a synth on strings patch. We spent hours trying different synth patches and different effects for...er..'ambient' sounds, like those massive pads used so very much in soundtracks these days. And 'analogue' distortion, in my experience, is always better than software (like in reason, or logic pro).. not that I have anything against digital, just 'software' distortion. lol I'll knock that circuit up on breadboard when I get a chance, can't say I've ever used an 'octave' before, as they are really just distortions that boost a harmonic.

Sorry, mini-rant there. Keep experimenting!

Blueeteeth (aka buriedcode)

ps: Try it with percussion