Chock Full Of Moogy Goodness...
From the original Analog Industries archive. Some links and images from that era no longer resolve.
As you can clearly see, my Analog Effect is 6/7ths done. There’s just an MF-104Z-shaped hole in the upper right, and I’ll get that bad boy as soon as I have some fiscal ducks to put in a row. I got the second panel from Analogue Haven today.
As you can see, I wired the Effect with a George L’s pedalboard wiring kit from Pedal Geeks. This is a $60 kit and comes with 10 really nice brass jacks, 10’ of excellent coax, and 10 little rubber thingies that go over the end of the jacks. It may sound kind of expensive, but when you consider that I needed five cables of differrent lengths, and any cable worth a shit costs at least $13 (I normally use Monster patch cables) then it was actually right in line with normal pricing, with the added benefit that everything is the right length, so there’s no extra loops of cable. If you have to wire up several things that aren’t going to change with 1/4” TS cable, I strongly recommend it.
Anywho, as soon as I get the delay, this bad boy will be done. A single suitcase containing everything I need to completely ruin a Rhodes’ tone. I’m not too hip to that Dyna-Comp; I’m going to make a modded Orange Squeezer to go in its place eventually.
24 comments
dam, I cant even imagine what that rig is gonna sound like. Hmm I really wanna try out some z-vex stuff. Do you have any of their other gear?
so sweet! But would it make more sense to have the control processor down next to the rack o' moogers? seems like youdcover up everything inbetween with patches.
I've been smitten with the idea getting LFLJ pedal but on an impulse i bought a huge accordion this morning, so thats out of the question for another week or so.
on a side note..... Man New York is a motherfucker of a city to live in when you're an impulsive instrument buyer. where else this side of Sheboygan Wisconsin are you going to wake up decide you want an accordion find an accordion shop that has a shitload of accordions and buy one?
simple.... dude.
Since this will be primarily for live performance, it won't be patched and repatched en situ. Thus, the patch cables will run through the backplane hole above the delay, then down out through the appropriate holes in the backplane for the others. My main reasoning here was that I'd need to reach the LFLJ, but not the CP251; hence I put it closer.
All neat and tidy is the word for this.
-CR
Are you using good old velcro or are those things actually screwed in there?
Right now they're velcroed. As soon as I make a trip to the hardware store, they'll be screwed in. I need longer screws than the ones that are in the units.
-CR
always wanted the LFLJ... but never been able to try one out.
any examples? Chris, anyone else? i've heard the zvex samples... maybe i just gotta get my hands on one and see if it's for me.
-twlo
i own a fuzz probe & ooh wah --- i luv 'em.
only problem is they are stupid pricey in Canada, eh.
tried the LFLJ once & thought it was good fun, very analog type fidelity like the MXR delay i own. not too noisy just kinda gritty/unclear.
Chris, i thought u weren't going for the Moog delay? atleast i seem to recall those comments in one of the past posts.
also, it took me awhile to get use to my dyna-clump, but i kinda like it now. i use it pretty much everytime i play electric.
d.
Darren: I had thought the Moog delay was kind of a joke, 'til I tried one out at Old Town Music. That, plus people I respect telling me it was the business convinced me. Plus, it'll just look better sitting there.
Twlo: Personally, I think it's great. "Lo Fi" isn't a misnomer. It's fantastic for what it does. Good loops can be had a' plenty with proper looping pedals; this ain't one of those. It's one of those inspirational pieces. I like doing a cool chord progression or rhythm low on the keyboard, looping it, then switching in some effects and comping/soloing over the top.
Is this (the LFLJ) going to be the next AD plug-in by any chance?
Been meaning to ask: how are you liking the Korg 770?
I haven't got the 770 yet. The guy sending it to me is in the midst of getting married. Since I'll be at the wedding (in December) I'll probably just pick it up then.
-CR
For some reason I thought you're boycotting the Monster brand cables! Although I did notice the Monster patch cables in your setup a while back, I thought you bought them before Monster started suing the hell outa every small company.
>> If you have to wire up several things that aren't going to change with 1/4" TS cable, I strongly recommend it.
Would you say they're better than Mogami? The reason I'm asking is that I'm in the market for some patch cables and I was gonna have Redco custom make some Mogami cables for me while I didn't even know about George L's cable products.
BTW, your rack looks fly...
- BMU
I'd say that, as far as patch cables go, the Monster ones are more durable, but the Mogami ones are easier to use. The Monster patch cables are so thick that if your pedals aren't nailed to a board in some fashion, the cables will push them apart, because they'd really rather be straight than curved. I'd use the Monster ones on stage and the Mogami ones in the studio.
Now, that said, if you use a fixed pedal board, I think the George L system is the best of the three, simply because the jacks are smaller (so your pedals can be closer together) and you can configure the system however you want. If you're constantly unplugging and replugging your pedals, I don't think it's a good idea, because the design doesn't lend itself to that sort of thing. It's definitely for something that doesn't change. It's a bit of a pain in the ass because you have to make the cables, but it's really easy. You don't strip the coax at all. You just jam the end in to the connector, then screw in the set screw. The set screw has a little blade on the end, and it cuts through the coax just enough to hit the shield, but not enough to get to the hot in the middle. Great design.
Durable? Nope. But like I said, if you have a fixed pedal board system of some sort, or are doing something like my Analog Effect above, it's the way to go.
-CR
Isn't the lo-fi looper just an ISD chipcorder device?
It always seemed a bit high priced to me, when a few wiring changes to a $10 radio shack chipcorder board can achieve the same sound quality.
I have never actually used any Z-Vex stuff, so maybe it is built so high quality that it is worth the price... I am a bit hesitant to diss anything I haven't actually used.
But in case you like the lo-fi looper, but don't like the price, here are a few options:
http://www.makezine.com/blog/archive/2006/04/how_to_20_audio_looper.html
or this circuit I used as the basis for building my own monophonic sampler using the chipcorder:
http://www.scary-terry.com/dsr/2560recadv.htm
If the lo-fi looper is in fact based on the chipcorder chip (I haven't looked inside one, but I have a suspicion from what people tell me that it is a chipcorder), both of the above projects should do a pretty good job at replicating the distinctive sound the Z-Vex lo-fi looper has.
It's actually a fair bit more sophisticated than that, but I'll grant that it's the same net result. ;-)
-CR
Looks like loads of fun. Any chance we can hear the rig in action?
Chris: I'm a big fan of compressors, especially when they add a bunch of color and aren't transparent. Might I recommend the Electro Harmonix Black Finger? It's my favorite to date. Very mid range and plenty of parameters to fuck with. Another one that's pretty cool is the Tech 21 Bass Compactor. Cheaper than the EHX pedal, has eq and again, plenty of coloring. I'd try that one out first though.
I've been using George L's everywhere in my guitar rig, and I haven't had one fail in 2 years. I think their stuff is great.
"Looks like loads of fun. Any chance we can hear the rig in action?"
Yeah, when my next two records are out. ;-)
EDIT: actually, here you go:
http://www.analogindustries.com/samples/AE_test.mp3
This is my first test recording once I got it all hooked up. The bass and the guitar are both LFLJ (minor editing involved to get them in sync, of course.) The EP is not LFLJ. All three signals are mic'd through that amp I made a few months back.
The EP has the ring mod doing its tremelo thing. I don't recall using the filter on that one, and it doesn't sound like it. The phaser is in 6-pole mode.
So, nothing drastic; just a proof-of-concept.
-CR
Oh, and regarding the compressors: I agree with you that color in a pedal is nice, and that's why I don't particularly care for the Dyna-Comp. The BlackFinger is too big for the spot. I really need something in a Hammond B sized box, which limits the options considerably. I like my Orange Sqeezer I made, but I use it for guitar all the time (and bass occasionally) and I don't really want to put it in the Analog Effect, so I need to make another one if I go that route.
-CR
Are you refering to the amp made from the heater??
No. The one I made from the tube reel-to-reel deck, which you can find here:
http://www.analogindustries.com/blog/entry.jsp?msgid=1147304984839
And other posts in that time frame.
-CR
A friend in germany has a midi controlled floppy disk sampler (analog direct-to-floppy)! you can vary the speed of playback, etc. it was a one-off built by his mad friend.
Forget about the delay, I think you should put a George Foreman grill in that space.
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