Silent Fly

I am not sure this is exactly what you want. Please let me know if it is right. If it isn't I will try modify it for you. While you are building the box you may want to add a tuner out and/or a mute switch. [i]EDIT: I uploaded a new version (1.1). The old version had the LEDs reversed.[/i]

[quote name='Higgie' post='179042' date='Apr 17 2008, 05:16 PM'](...) Edit: Just thought I would say, I've owned the WH-4, I tried the EX-7 in the shop, and I currently own a WH-1, which as Ant says, is indeed King.[/quote] Interesting... did you notice any difference from the sound and tracking viewpoint between WH-4 and EX-7?

[quote name='Ant' post='178898' date='Apr 17 2008, 02:59 PM']tracking and tone varies from my experience. the old wh1 whammy is king.[/quote] Good point. I haven't tried the units so I can't really say if there is a difference in tracking or sound. Having said that, the Whammy function of my Digitech GNX2 tracks really well and the tone is not bad either. The RP350 has a processor (Audio DNA2) that is 4 times more powerful of the processor used in the GNX2 so in theory it should track better.

I am a little bit confused... Digitech Whammy £121 Digitech Expression Factory (EX-7) £100 Digitech RP350 £119 I understand that the Digitech Whammy can do a little bit more of the EX-7 and RP350 in terms of intervals but there is no comparison between the Whammy and the other two regarding the other functionalities. RP350 is for guitar but if it works like the other Digitech multi-fx units, as far as the cab/amp models are switched off, it works great with bass. Apart from the Whammy included in the RP350 there are reverbs, modulations, delays… The distortion functions of the EX-7 can be switched off leaving a pedal with Whammy + other 6 expression-pedal functions. I am wondering… what’s the point on buying the Whammy when with the same money (or less) I can have much more? Am I missing something?

[quote name='metaltime' post='177797' date='Apr 16 2008, 12:41 PM']ok after last night and my whole pedal boardd going down im looking for a pedal that has a true bypass loop i can put all my effects in so if anything goes wrong i dont cut out. Ideally i want one that can also select between 2 instrument inputs. Anyone got an idea if such a thing exsists? I may email red onion see if they could make one[/quote] It is relatively easy to make. I can draw the schematics for you and if it is not urgent I can build one for you.

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='162478' date='Mar 24 2008, 01:21 AM']Hi, I've got some rehousings and other bits and pieces I'd like to do, but I can't find anywhere in the UK that sells a decent range of diecast aluminium enclosures. Does anybody know of anywhere that does? I'd rather not have to buy them in from overseas if I don't have to.[/quote] I buy my pedal boxes from Banzai: [url="http://www.banzaieffects.com/Enclosures-Boxes-c-315.html"]http://www.banzaieffects.com/Enclosures-Boxes-c-315.html[/url] or Farnel UK [url="http://uk.farnell.com/"]http://uk.farnell.com[/url] I know that Canford sells enclosures but I never bought anything from them: [url="http://www.canford.co.uk/commerce/category_4584_4009.aspx"]http://www.canford.co.uk/commerce/category_4584_4009.aspx[/url] You may also want to look at RS: [url="http://uk.rs-online.com/web/"]http://uk.rs-online.com/web/[/url]

[quote name='deej' post='158934' date='Mar 17 2008, 02:17 PM']I was just wondering if you can damage a pedal by using a higher/lower voltage? (...)[/quote] Higher voltage: yes, a lot of pedals can be damaged - especially if higher voltage means 100% increase. Lower voltage: very unlikely to be damaged. Some pedals are more tolerant (e.g. boosters) to higher voltages but if a pedal has an internal voltage multiplier; almost certainly it will fry with more than the recommended supply voltage. Ironically, it is the voltage multiplier not the circuit itself that is likely to be damaged. In a nutshell, if you are not 100% sure I suggest you don't try.

[quote name='sk8' post='154515' date='Mar 10 2008, 01:39 PM'](...) Thanks in advance[/quote] sk8, I recommend you the MXR Phase 90 (or a clone). It tends to cut the lower frequencies. In order to fix this you may want to change the input and out capacitors. Silent Fly --------- [i]P.S. Nothing personal, but posting [url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=414187"]exactly the same thread[/url] on two different forums asking for advice is not usually considered very polite. If you want to maximize the number of answers, you may want to consider posting the question once and then posts links in other forums.[/i]

[quote name='cheddatom' post='152890' date='Mar 7 2008, 09:48 AM'](...) If the box is half empty, and you want two settings, why not buy another and build it into the same box? Then you'd have 1, 2, or 1+2 settings.[/quote] To be honest the box is [i]almost[/i] half empty. I had the same idea of putting two boards in the same box after 2 seconds I opened the box to remove the battery I checked inside the unit to find out the size of the board and components. It is all SMD so there isn’t too much to cut/move around. On the other side, because of the SMD, the board is very thin so in theory 2 boards could be stacked. I need to take precise measurements to find out if it is possible. The more I use it, the more I like the Knockout – it is quite an addictive effect

[quote name='dudewheresmybass' post='152494' date='Mar 6 2008, 04:50 PM']Thanks for that Silent fly, a most informative review![/quote] You are welcome Dudewheresmybass. English is not my first language - I hope there are not too many mistakes... Silent Fly

Hi, I had a little bit of time to try the Knockout and I decide to write some comments about it. I hope you will find them interesting. [b]* What it is[/b] It is an equalizer- nothing more nothing less. I run the pedal in a frequency analyzer and it confirms that. There might be something else involved but I can’t hear it. [b]* How it works[/b] Essentially, the incoming signal is divided in 3 parts: dry (the input signal), low (everything below 85Hz) and high (everything above 6.5 kHz). The low and high filters are quite aggressive (7 and 6 poles) so nothing below/above the threshold frequency escapes. In other words, the 3 knobs add to the output signal: dry signal, everything below 85Hz and everything above 6.5 kHz. The diagram shows how this works. Because the 3 parts of the signal are mixed after the processing, if the 3 knobs are all at 0, the output is zero. If low is 0, bass is 0 and dry is 12:00 o’clock, the output signal is a copy the input signal. [b]* How it sounds[/b] It works very well with guitar. My Gibson-335-like guitar can be easily transformed in Fender Stratocaster and with more extreme setting it can produce sounds that are close to an acoustic guitar with piezo pickup. Ok... but how does it sound with a bass? I tried it with my Status Graphite King Bass and I managed to transform the sound quite dramatically without creating annoying distortions and unpleasant side-effects. With the bass control at 12:00, dry 11:00 and high to 0, I can produce a very convincing fat Precision sound that I would find more difficult to produce with a standard eq. Even with more extreme settings it is a very musical effect. If I turn the bass to 9:00, dry 10:00 and high to 4:00 my bass is converted in a guitar that sounds great with a little bit of reverb. [b]* What I don’t like[/b] - The only thing I can’t understand about it is the size. In the age of extreme miniaturization, Electro-Harmonix insists in producing effects that are unreasonably big. The Knockout box is half empty. I am not asking the tiny size of Catalinbread pedals. However, little bit of effort in trying to, at least, use the standard 1590B size would be appreciated by musicians that don’t want carry around pedalboards bigger than the instrument they play. - It is not the most silent pedal in the world. Considering the extreme eq involved it is hard to say if the hiss comes from the pedal itself or the amplification of the noise coming from the input signal. Having said that, I wouldn't be too worried about it. It is not noisier than the average equalizer. [b]* What I like[/b] - It is easy to use. At the beginning it can be slightly confusing but after a couple of hours even the less technical-oriented musician can control it quite well. - It sounds nice. It is a very musical equalizer. I am surprised that there aren’t more pedals around that work on the same principle. - True-bypass. - Solid construction (metal box). - Reasonable price. [b]* What I would have liked[/b] - A smaller box. - A two channels version. Considering the range of different sounds it can produce, it would be nice to have two settings available in the same pedal. Silent Fly P.S. the Knockout box contains two free DVDs: - “Effects sampler vol.1” - “Russian Tube Battle”

[quote]Adrenalinn especially if you're working with sequencers as well as live instruments.[/quote] [quote post='147635' date='Feb 27 2008, 09:52 AM']I can't express in words how much I want one of these[/quote] Since I have my AdrenaLinn III I sold my PodXT + model packs... and I couldn't be happier. I believe AdrenaLinn III is one of most undervalued effect units one the market. The envelope follower is fantastic. Recently, I retired my MXR Bass Auto Q and my Maxon AF-9. The envelope follower of the AdrenaLinn is so versatile that I can get all the envelope follower sounds I want (AF-9 and Auto Q included). It has a drum machine with 200 programmable drumbeats (all nice and [i]usable[/i]) with synchronized effects. It is small enough to fit in a pedalboard and it has midi in/out with a powerful midi implementation. couldn’t recommend it enough. I also wrote a [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=9116"]review[/url] a while ago about it.

I am not sure the [i]Steel Leather[/i] is an expander in the sense of [i]reverse-compressor[/i]. I have no elements to be sure about it, but I expect to be similar to the Aphex Bass Xciter but only working of the bass frequencies. I am surprised nobody bough one yet

[url="http://www.jimdunlop.com/index.php?page=products/pip&id=254"]MXR M-134[/url] I decided to try it after I read the Richard Bona use it. It is a fantastic chorus. It works great with bass and guitar. No tone loss or sound degradation. Now I use the chorus in my AdrenaLinn III but only because it is more practical and I don't have space left in my pedalboard. Even if I don't use it I decided to keep it simply because it is the best chorus I ever tried. The flip side is that it is expansive, it runs at 18V and it is relatively big.

If you can find one second-hand I recommend you the [url="http://www.presonus.com/products/Detail.aspx?ProductId=15"]Presonus Eureka[/url] ([url="http://www.dv247.com/invt/21245/"]new £279[/url]) Not strictly "for bass" but my bass sounds great through it. The compressor is one of the best I ever tried. If you look for a stomp box size pre, Tech21 SansAmp Para-Driver (below £200) or the EBS MicroBassII (above £200) could be what you look for.

I am not a huge fan of distortion/overdrive on bass guitar. I see it more as a special effect than an integral part of my sound. Recently I purchased a Digitech Bad Monkey that I modified for better bass response. The difference is not huge - the BM doesn't suffer of any major bass loss to start with. The original pedal was a little bit too strong in the middle frequencies for my taste. I also added a [i]character control[/i] (see attached picture). Now I can select “standard Bad Monkey”, “Warm” and “Deep”. Overall I am very happy with it.

There are several alternatives to the Tech21 Sansamp DI. I have a [url="http://www.tech21nyc.com/paradriver.html"]SansAmp Para Driver[/url] and I am quite happy about it. I analysed the frequency response and it can be set to be completely linear. AFAIK it is more difficult (impossible?) achieve the same thing with the SansAmp DI. Another alternative is the [url="http://www.jimdunlop.com/index.php?page=products/pip&id=257"]MXR M-80[/url]. I have never tried it but apparently it is a very interesting pedal. It also has a distorted channel. I also own a [url="http://www.behringer.com/ADI21/index.cfm?lang=eng"]Behringer ADI21[/url]. It is designed for acoustic guitar but it works very well with bass guitar. If you have tight budget this might be an interesting choice. I attached a picture of my ParaDriver with the settings for linear response (the blend knob is set to 0).

It is not easy analyse the bass sound as it is (nicely?) mixed with the other instruments. If [u]I[/u] would need to get that kind of sound (this is not the kind of music I play though) I would probably use my boss ODB3 with a little bit reverb and some chorus. Having said that, I think the sound is more down to EQ than effects. If you play the same song with you band, I wouldn't be so worried about the effects. I think it is more down on how the bass interacts with the other instruments (i.e. EQ and bass-drums-guitar tight synch). Silent Fly [i]A quick note: I like the music but to avoid people that don't like to song to listen the entire clip, I suggest you give the exact point where you can listen the sound you are looking for. [/i]

[quote name='mr pablo' post='125704' date='Jan 22 2008, 08:28 PM']From having a look inside the pot is a mini one and the LED and footswitch looks like its attatched to the circuit board. . .[/quote] Thanks for the extra info Mr Pablo. I have the mini-pots but the configuration I will use is slightly different. The circuit board will be detached from the footswitch. Thanks again Mr Pablo

[quote name='mr pablo' post='125633' date='Jan 22 2008, 06:39 PM']I've got a hyperpak! I'll take the cover off and post up some pics for ya [attachment=5138:Photo_0004.jpg] Not the greatest pic but it'll hopefully give you some idea[/quote] Thanks, Mr Pablo. Not a great picture but it helps a lot. I wonder how the the layout with two knobs is...