Since the Brutes are wafting in the air, I’ve got a sensitive question that might ignite some sparks.
Firstly, what effects processors/pedals/plug-ins/ iOS Apps are members using with their Brutes?
Secondly… digital or analog? I know that it depends on several factors such as: application and taste,but since the Brutes are analog, would it be somewhat of a disservice to run them through digital pedals or an iPad? Or, would any of this matter since I’ll be laying the Minibrute down in a DAW anyways?
I like the idea of having unpredictable artifacts in analog, but it seems like analog multi-effects pedals are out of my price range. (budget = $200 approx)
I’ve never owned anything by Behringer, but they have some enticing and affordable effects.
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/VM1?adpos=1o1&creative=55282474801&device=t&matchtype=&network=g&gclid=CKyz8NHoy8ACFQypaQodhKwANw
That’s a fifty dollar analogue delay. They also have a twenty-five dollar analogue delay. Might make a nice pairing with a brute.
You can also see if the effects you are looking at have true bypass. To. My understanding, this means that the actual dry signal is mixed with the wet and dry knob versus a resynthesized version of the sound. If the effect was digital and the synth was analogue, you would simply be blending an analogue and digital signal together, each lending their character.
Analogue is always classy, but I think there is a desirable character to almost anything that lets you twist your sound. Even something like a cheap 90s digital multi effect might have a unique character that couldn’t be duplicated by a more expensive unit. Hell, someday you might find a higher end effects unit with an emulation of a cheap old multi effect. The only rule is trust your ear and give your sound character.
If only the Zoom pedal had a built-in looper, then I’d be set. Essential I’d like a compact multi-effects pedal t with a looper and that can be battery powered.
i think inevitably digital will win out over analog. Isnt that why we all own an op1? anyhoo both have there strengths and weakness’s. I for one welcome our new technological overlords. My modular rig is my guitar pedals and it is a mix of analog and digital. as per for your brute which direction are you trying to go in. if you want singing cleans youll need a reverb. Delay is basically reverb(or the other way around) and will sound good on most anything(like reverb.) If you want to go into chaos id recommend somekind of fuzz pedal. MAYBE A GREAT DESTROYER!!! fuzz factory is also great fun!
oooh i dont know if the brute has any mixing ability but an Andertons super tone control would be AWESOME!!!. it lets you blend HP; BP; LP to a cutoff knob with a resonance control.
You can use an analog mixer with FX bus as a ‘true bypass’ for digital effects without one.
Also, you got me thinking. All the connectivity aside from USB and fiber-optic is analog. So every time you connect two digital boxes with normal cables you add another DAC-ADC (digital to analog converter and vice versa) step. Supposedly, that degrades sound quality, regardless of whether your original synth is digital or not. Running digital effects on a digital synth is even worse than running them on analog, because the output of the synth itself would have DAC. So ideally, analog should be analog all the way through, and digital should be digital all the way through.
Although, the actual impact of all this might be negligible. It also greatly depends on the quality of ADC and DAC components.
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i think inevitably digital will win out over analog. Isnt that why we all own an op1?
That already happened, but now analog is getting its ground back. I think part of the reason why is that people found new ways to design and
manufacture analog gear, so it’s cheaper, more reliable and more compact. That Behringer VM1 is a good example. Another reason why is that people want to own something “real”. A lot of digital gear simply emulates old analog equipment without doing much to embrace its digital nature.
Very valid points everyone. I’ll have to look up your suggested pedals. Delay is a must for me, as I’m going for soft, organic, luscious sounds.
I’m gung-ho to own analog pedals, but are there analog pedals with multi effects out there? It would be nice to have a looper in there two, but that only seems possible with digital, unless there’s one for around $200.
analog multi-effect, probably not going to find that easily. Each analog effect needs its own dedicated circuitry anyway, so there’s no huge reason to put them all into a single box. I.e. an analog multi-effect would just be on the same price level as the equivalent separate pedals.
What I like about analog delays is the way they behave when you crank up the repeats (“feedback” on some pedals) knob to get self-oscillation, though some digital delays are getting better in this area, especially the ones that, well, emulate analog delays. I also like the “dirty” character of the repeats, which also tend to be fat-sounding.
Digital delays tend to have cleaner sounding repeats (no “fatness” added - they just sound exactly as you put into the delay), which is actually desirable for some musical approaches, eg. dance music. Also, they can do backwards delay, which is impossible on analog delay pedals.
Shopping-wise, JRRShop occasionally has nice sales on delay pedals. I got a Way Huge Echo Puss (analog) and a Aka Headrush E2 (digital) during one of those sales. Hello Music is more controversial, but i got my EHX Deluxe Memory Man 550TT (analog) from them because the price was the best I’ve ever seen for one of these new. Really fun to play with an expression pedal, and so easy to switch between expression pedal modes. Also, one of the switches can do instant self-oscillation.
The Electro-Harmonix Tone Tattoo is the only analog multieffects that I know if that’s in production. It actually costs less than the DMM. However, it’s a combination of cheaper pedals that you may or may not like. People who get into analog pedals tend to want to mix and match as they see fit, which is why you don’t see too many people buying an all-analog multieffects pedal. Also, a lot of newer analog pedals (mostly the fuzz/overdrives) come in very small sizes so you can practically make your own “multieffects” by squeezing them together. Anyway… http://proguitarshop.com/electro-harmonix-tattoo.html
^ remember your gonna need a way to power your pedal. either an adaptor; 9v batteries. or get pedal power hub if you plan on getting more 9v pedal effects.
Here’s some good suggestions from members on the Kvraudio forum, incase people were interested. Man o’ man, the Bluesky from Strymon sounds so heavenly! One day…
i meant a slide pot not linear ooops(although it may be linear). like the vertical knob being a slide pot is so super awesome. when you move the time knob on a delay effect you end up with pitched values. Its a great way to make some chaos and the fact that its a slide pot will only make it more amazing!!!