Warm-to-wild pedal for G2

stiiiiiiive

Yeah guys.

I'm looking for a process unit to place after my G2 -and others synths. I aim to warm the sound as well as destroy it radically. I would prefer a pedal-like box rather than a rack.

Here are the products I found, with my early thoughs about each :

- Metasonix TM-7 : ultimate, unpredictable, great but expensive.

- Frostwave The Resonator : MS20 filter clone, that's ok (moreover : "order now and get a SpaceBeam controller for free !!")

- JoMoX M-Resonator : double channel, independant or not, sounds great.

- Sherman FilterBank : a classic, a bit expensive and no portable enough for me.

- Z-VEX effects. they're weird but i don't know...

- Effector 13 effects : I let you watcht hose.

- Several distortion pedals, some with tubes : ElectroHarmonix, Maxon, Soldano, Vox, Pro Co,...

- Several little synths with inputs for processiong an external signal : Microcon, DSI Evolver,...

So ! You guys use M-Resonator, Filterbank and TM-7 amongst others, don't you ? Is there any particular reason ? I guess so... What is the particular reason ?

Well, any reaction is welcome...

elektro80 · Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 8:05 am Post subject:

For a general "warming" .. how I hate that term.. Rolling Eyes

.. anyways.. any well made preamp DI- line driver will do. Well.. not quite.. but any of the vintage inspired designs with iron ( transformers ) ( and possibly even tubes ) will do.

Bring your G2 to a pro shop and test out the UA Solo 610s .. and try to drive these into a slight overdrive.. subtle does it.

elektro80 · Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 8:08 am Post subject:

You see, adding a little amount of tube drive and transformer "warmth" before you then run the signal into filters and other stuff will often make a big difference.

CaptainPoopface · Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 8:10 am Post subject:

I can only speak for the Sherman Filterbank, since I owned one briefly. I know it's famous for mangling sound, but I actually loved it at moderate settings, where it seemed to sweeten and give character to the sound without overpowering it. I used it as a guitar preamp, which is the stage where most guitarists dogmatically insist on vacuum tubes for warmth. I think a guitarist from Stereolab also uses the Sherman as a guitar preamp. It added some great color at lower settings, and then of course, cranking the input stage could overdrive off the deep end, and adding AM and FM would add thickness and jagged edges, respectively.

But I ultimately sold the Filterbank because it was big, expensive, had no presets, not-so-good midi control, and it took a long time to dial in a sound I liked, and then I was "stuck" with that sound until I felt like cranking 17 knobs to the exact position for another sound I liked. Maybe I am spoiled by the flexibility and control of the digital age. I'm willing to accept 90% of the analog sound for 10% of the analog hassle. For the price, you could almost get a G2 engine! At least here in the U.S. I'm not sure about overseas.

My favorite warmth/distortion effect, among all the real-time choices I've heard, hardware or software, is Rob's Revox77 tape machine patch for the G2. It is a permanent resident on my G2. It would easily be worth several hundred dollars by itself if it could be packaged in a little stomp box with a few knobs, especially if it had a vacuum tube visible on the outside, in its own circuit not connected to anything, but just glowing and getting hot so guitarists could swear by that wonderful tube warmth. Razz

So my advice is to dive in to Rob's Revox patch, if you haven't already. If you are considering a Sherman, set aside plenty of time to learn its ways. And if you decide you don't like it, its resale value is pretty good, so it would only cost a couple hundred USD to scratch that itch.

stiiiiiiive · Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 9:25 am Post subject:

elektro80 · Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 9:32 am Post subject:

Groove Tubes the brick is pretty cool too!

Trivia: A Clavia NM into a decent preamp/ DI/linedriver and driven a bit on the hot side.. and then plugged into a PA.. very convincing!

elektro80 · Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 10:08 am Post subject:

As for something completely different, try the Jürgen Haible Krautrock Phaser. It´s a clone of the old Compact A.

party!

stiiiiiiive · Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 10:10 am Post subject:

elektro80 · Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 10:21 am Post subject:

Stuff like this:
http://www.pavlovsmusic.com/P.A.Gear.html

elektro80 · Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 10:24 am Post subject:

And this

Fozzie · Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 3:29 pm Post subject:

Stompbox-option: I have used a Hughes & Kettner TubeFactor (not tubeman; there is a distinct difference) with success to warm up eg a soft pad from my G2. However, it is very versatile and can be used for many things from warm to wild. It can do wild distortion, and has a kind of coloring knob that does mid-scoopy sounds when turned past 2 o'clock. I use it for anything: guitar overdrive/distortion, bass warming and overdrive, I run my MS20 through it, my rhodes, pretty much anything. I like it pretty much. H&K claim that the tube that's in there is run at high voltage and therefore has better characteristics than other tube-containing stuff. I don't know if that's accurate, but like the thing anyway.

jksuperstar · Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 3:59 pm Post subject:

I have a DSI Evolver...cool stuff. The filter is very nice, but to my ears, it only get's really fun when it's driving hard. But it also has some analog osc., plus wavetable stuff, so it opens a few other doors as well for sound generation.

Also, I have an Alesis NanoComp. Stereo, small, very cheap, but effective, especially for live. It can bring out those subtle harmonics that might get lost in a live situation otherwise.

v-un-v · Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 4:15 pm Post subject:

v-un-v · Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 4:17 pm Post subject:

I've always used an ancient HH 12x2 100w guitar amp for my micromodular. It gives a really grungy sound Cool

mother misty · Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 5:29 pm Post subject:

stiiiiiiive · Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2007 7:11 am Post subject:

Yeah.

I've been suggested to get the Evolver on another forum too. It may be a nice solution since it is also an independent instrument...

I'll think about that.

Anyway, I'm looking for information about the H&K TubeFactor.

Thanks guys !!

stiiiiiiive · Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2007 7:13 am Post subject:

Ow I also thought about getting a guitar amp. But I'm just looking all the time for the lightest live kit ever...