Hmmm...
From the original Analog Industries archive. Some links and images from that era no longer resolve.
Okay, I’m working on Analog Rack V2, which will replace my (now gone) Blacet modular in stage performances for knob twiddling and stuff. I decided to build it around Moogerfoogers, because they have nice big knobs. I’m using one of those SKB flip-up 12-space things that all the Serge folks use, because it is convenient for my purposes. (Like so.)
I’ve only just started building, and I’ve reached an impasse of sorts. I’ve got the Moogerfooger LPF of course, and I got the ring mod. The rack unit that Moog sells (and which I just received today from Analogue Haven) holds three of the little fuckers. The question is: which one do I get for the third slot? The choices are MURF, phaser, and analog delay. That should be an easy choice, except the delay costs twice as much as the other two, and live I’ll almost certainly be using Dubstation for all my delay needs. So, I’m really thinking either MURF or the phaser.
Any particular reason I should get the phaser instead of the MURF? I can’t think of one off the top of my head, but there’s a lot of people reading this blog that own one or both of these pedals, and who might have some insight in to why one is more appropo than the other.
To satisfy the obvious curiosity, the other things the rack will have are fuzz, distortion, compressor (all handmade by me), a CP251, a small mixer/router, and AES->analog->AES. I _may_ add a MIDI->CV convertor so I can give the pedals some presets, but I haven’t decided for sure about that yet.
21 comments
Apply the same logic as you used with the delay. You have PhaseTwo, ergo you don't need the phaser.
--Adam
And I thought you didn't much care for phasers? The MURF is a cool little unit.
I don't much care for phasers. But I have to put _something_ in the slot, don't I? I think the MURF is the obvious choice. I'd like the delay, but it's just too much money, and if I was going to buy an analog delay (and pay over $600 for it) I'd get that HiWatt tape delay, I think.
-CR
The solution is simple. Why not get a MURF and a delay?
I'm interested in your compressor. Would you be willing to share the schematic/ details?
It's just an Orange Squeezer where I've knobbed out all the resistors for total control.
-CR
You might be able to build or mod some of the other things into a homebuilt case that fills that hole. I don't really see the point in spending $299 or $399 for something you only sort of want but will get to fill an empty slot, when that could go towards buying something that you actually want (for example, a DSI Evolver is only two hundred more than the MURF and you can create all sorts of ridiculous noises with it).
The MURF is cool, but to use the same logic as PhaseTwo and Dubstation, doesn't BigSeq obviate your need to buy an sequenced filter, especially a $399 one?
I got the MuRF when it came out, to play with my modular. I grew bored of it faster than any other piece of gear I've owned. I sold it, losing a twenty in the process, about three weeks later. The MF phaser is super sweet sounding, I'd go with it.
Has anyone used the Moog delay? Does it merit its cost in any way?
well, i believe, but don't hold me to it, that this delay has VC over delay time. that's a rare & fun feature.
or get another filter and hack it to be high pass, that'd be evil.
well, actually with 914 and FlStudio internal controllers you can emulate the MuRF quite well!!!!
The big problem with the MuRF is a syncronization. Tap tempo works quite well, but isn't perfect, xpecially when you have some backing track to sync to.
You can do also great modulation effects with the MuRF using a slow modulation time and slow attack slow release envelope. really Floydish.
I also own the Phaser, and before buying an expression pedal was just a great phaser, now is THE phaser!
Those pedals sounds real gooooood!
Kokkobill
Quite a dilemma.
On the one hand, phasers are limited in usefulness because it's hard to avoid that instant-70's-cheeze sound. On the other, while the MuRF is a pretty cool device, it's incredibly limited - I mean, how many times can you use an 8-step filter before you and your audience are bored with it? (I remember listening to the sound samples, and after the 5th one I was thinking to myself "is that ALL it can do?!?")
In the end, I think the phaser has far more use, especially since it's 12-stage. Crank all of the settings up high and you have some serious PA-destruction potential!
I think the MuRF is the coolest of those three pedals. Especially if you have a stereo setup. Synch can be fine tuned using a foot pedal but you won't get perfect match (part of its charm?). Some of my co-workers and I did a podcast where we played with all three of these pedals a while back. Maybe it will help you make your decision:
http://www.gearwire.com/gearwire-crosstalk-010.html
MuRF. Even the static preset imparts a pleasing character to the sound, but things get really interesting and butta-smooth when you adjust the rate of the sequenced filters and realtime control of the amplitude envelope over a timbre that's dynamic in the time domain. I've mostly lost interest in realtime knob-tweaking, m-m-man, but putting a V-Synth behind a MuRF is an excellent way to regret not recording everything you do at all times.
Et voila. Instant Parmegiani.
FWIW:
the only phaser i've ever liked is the doepfer a-101-3! vactrols, and fully patchable.... endless non-phaser sounds add that and some of of the bbd modules to your rack and you'll be happy! and the A-101-2 is very cool a dirty borg lpg!
Shit. By the time I bought all that, I might as well have got something actually useful. Seriously, that shit needs Infrastructure. The damned rack costs more than the Moogerfooger.
-CR
i also got the murf when it out. sounds great but also fairly limited . The overdrive on it is nice and the preset rythms at different tempos and the eq can yeild alot of difference. However anyone that has used a MURF will instantly recognize it. I usually run mine directly into a sherman filterbank II and get some great results. Its a module you can become easily bored without a little creative planning.
if it were my rig, I would get the moog control voltage processor instead of either of those. you could use it to do a lot of really cool stuff with the other pedals, especially with the s&h generator.
I'd have to agree about getting the control voltage processor - surprised it didn't come up until page 2. I think what is being alluded to with all of the 914, phase two, etc refererences is that by buying a 'black box' like the MuRF - you wouldn't really leveraging the modular advantage that hardware (still) has. Personally that's what I like about hardware (even if it means the expense of sound quality) but I don't know what your Blacet experience was like.
Don't I say in the original post that the rack will have a CP251 regardless? Oh, yes, right here:
"...the other things the rack will have are [...] a CP251, a small mixer/router..."
It's already part of the plan. I think I'm just going to man up and get the phaser. Mainly, I want to fill the spot for looks. I'm quite happy with the ring mod and filter, so I figure I can't go wrong.
-CR
oops - i blame my limited attention span. that and I forgot the control processor isn't the same size as the rest...
to add something useful - i've used the MuRF quite a bit and I think that for your purposes (live use) its usefulness would be limited. As flexible as it is its not something you want to use over and over in every song.
sorry about that. I'm an idiot, and I didn't realize the cv processorr was called "cp251"
I own both the phaser and the newest delay and I'll try to give an accurate commentary... other than "I own it... it must be great".
The sound/flexibility of these units is just incredible. I bought the phaser for my modular and started messing around with it and its timbres are more than your typical phaser. You can get very smooth... almost chorus-like effects all the way to the typical woosh and whirl attributed to phasers. And its relatively quiet (compared to the EH boxes) when in bypass mode.
The AD is really cool. I have DD's... and they really don't compare. There is definitely a different sound from the analog delay. The CV control is really nice and adds to the flexibility.
Downside... they are pedals. The jacks are on the back forcing someone using it w/ a synth vs. guitar to purchase a patch bay for the things. You have to mess with the levels if you're interfacing with non-Mooger gear... the input LED is this funky green-orange-red indicator. And its annoying trying to determine "is it redish orange or orangeish or...". Though your ears will obviously let you know since they do distort if you overload the input.
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