Bo0tsy

I'll raise you...😆

I paid £250 quid for mine and I thought that was expensive 

Yep, when you switch it on it'll tell the firmware version. 

An old 2gb card should work fine.

I haven't used mine on batteries for a vey long time, from memory I probably got about 14-15 hours max, but I could have that wrong.

Congrats, these are fantastic pedals Ped, one of my favourite pedals, I've had mine for several years. The gated fuzz and filter in particular sound especially amazing on their own, or when combined, and a lot of the standard presets are very usable and tweakable on the fly. There's sounds in the Squeezer that you definitely can't get out of a Future Impact or other synth pedals and the filter circuit from the Chunk 00Funk is one of the best filters around. (Very different from your Mu-Tron).

On the flipside, there's a few design flaws though in my opinion:

Be prepared to spend a LOT of time with it, the manual is actually well written, but the software interface is quite complex to say the least.

The ADSR retriggers/tracks too slowly IMO to be really usable.

Be warned there are no save errors on the Squeezer - you also have to be sure to unlock all settings and allow presets to be overwritten in the setting parameters to update or overwrite a preset.

If you are going to use an SD card use a really cheap lower capacity one, higher spec cards don't seem to work.

If you haven't already seen it there's a great site from Gastric, a TB user, with lots of good custom patches and last released v11 of the firmware:

http://www.cgraham.com/chris/music/bass/octavius_squeezer/

Enjoy it though, the sounds you can get out of these are unbelievable.

Glad you like it Ped and great write up. They really are superb and very musical filters, and like you say fully worth the hype. The old Mu-Trons just have the funk mojo and they have a slightly dirty lovely gain stage that provides the Mu-Tron with a filthier quack that is hard to find in other filters.

this is another new one...I like the graphics on this, seems pretty flexible, but I'd like to hear a proper bass demo

There's plenty of knowledgeable folks on this forum when it comes to envelope filters, which are one of the most subjective of effects, and what you like often come down to personal experience, your bass and your set-up. 

Of the three you mentioned, I haven't tried the Filter Twin, I had a EBS Bass IQ but wasn't a huge fan, (just a bit murky sounding to me) and still have a DiscumBOBulator (v1). The Emma is a really good filter, not as resonant/peaky as some other filters, but if you are looking for a funky quack, easy to dial in then it's a great candidate. Caveats being that IME the DiscumBOBulator likes an active or hotter output bass, and the down-sweep is sweet but on the milder side.

Of the other filters out there, Mu-Tron Micro-Tron IV is awesome but not cheap. They've just got a UK supplier (Joespedals.com - no affiliation), @Al Krow will attest how good the latest v4 Proton is, but like you say good luck finding one. Maxon AF-9 is also really underrated and will get you into Mu-Tron territory and is similar size as the others with a down-sweep. Sometimes those old big box Q-Trons do come up cheap on eBay and as @lee650 mentioned they're really great filters. They do sound sweeter than the current EHX iteration. EHX Enigma Q-Balls can be trickier to dial in but has a huge array of sounds in it, though I prefer an up/down sweep switch personally than the stop/start controls on the Enigma.

The newer Source Audio Spectrum and C4 have lots of fans on this forum. I've no experience with these, as prefer a simpler analogue filter myself, but they're meant to able to cop the sounds of most of the well-known filters out there.

Good luck on your search!

Concur with @Quatschmacher about the Future Impact especially after the latest couple of releases which Q was heavily involved with. I like old gear and still love my Octavius Squeezer for the Envelope and Brown Dog Gated fuzz and the Matryoshka for the craziness but I can't really see myself ever needing another bass synth pedal as the FI does everything I ever need synth-wise. 

For standalone envelope filters although I always keep an eye on new releases, the venerable Mu-Tron III still just has that sound for me. It does the slightly dirty funky quack better than any other filter I've tried IMO.

I have an Enigma and Lee is pretty much spot on in my opinion. It is a 9v pedal but doesn't like being daisy chained in my experience. It is super flexible but a little tricky to dial in as the controls are very interactive. The expression pedal output is very useful, though not as deep sounding as a Moog LPF with expression plugged into the cutoff. The Q-Tron and Mu-Tron sounds are in there, but in all honesty I prefer the sound quality of the other filters I've mentioned for that classic dirty quack. There is a lack of controls on the fuzz circuit and as Lee says it is loud but adjustable via the internal trimpot, and it doesn't get as synthy as I'd personally like. Would have been better with more fuzz controls and preferably gated.

Of all time...?

Musitronics Mu-Tron III (or Mu-Fx Tru-Tron 3x)

Moog MF-101 LPF

Chunk Systems Agent 00Funk Mk II (or the Octavius Squeezer which shares the same filter circuit)

Frostwave Funk-a-Duck

The Keeley sounds like a really cool, old school Moog style synth to me. I'm actually tempted by it. Not super flexible but it's pretty phat sounding, sounds good for a hip-hop dirty synth bass Dr Dre/Snoop Dogg type sound and it looks easy to dual in. 

These demos by a Talkbass member make it sound better too. I think the Synth-1's real strength is going to be using it with an expression pedal as the filter control has a really wide sweep to it.

7 minutes ago, Quatschmacher said:

I thought it was entirely his design, like the Q Tron, but just released under the auspices of EHX.

My understanding was that it was a partnership with Mike Matthews, so Mike Beigel didn't get the choose the make /quality of the components for example.

43 minutes ago, sshorepunk said:

How many modern mu tron variants are there?

 

1972 Musitronics Mu-Tron III is the original with the separate power supply

1979 ARP Mu-Tron came next with a fixed power cable, these don't sound as good imo but can be calibrated to sound more like the original.

In the mod 90's there was the Haz Mu-Tron 3+ looked like a vintage Mu-Tron but was a completely different circuit, plus notch filter setting, some internal dip switches and a low battery light indicator. The original inventor (Mike Beigel) slated these and said they stole his designs, and recommended the EHX Q-Tron instead although I think the Haz version does sound ok, but different. Q-Tron coincidentally is a different circuit too. Mike Beigel also had a hand in the EHX Enigma QBalls design.

Next came the Guyatone Ultron, different designer and manufacturer but meant to be based on a Mu-Tron, with a whole host of other features including different wave forms.

After that Mike Beigel brought out the official Mu-Fx Tru-Tron 3x in 2014 (also called Mu-Tron 3x in Europe), with a preamp option, mix filter mode, and Peak and Preamps going up to 11 on the dial giving it more range than the other Mu-Tron's to date.

After that came the Mu-Fx Micro-Tron III. They then got back the rights to use the Mu-Tron brand name in the US to become the Mu-Tron Micro-Tron III.

Lastly, the current version is the Micro-Tron IV. The only difference between the three and the four is that they started building their own switchable opto-couplers in the IV, but imo they sound pretty identical to the III using the gold default opto-mod. There is a red opto mod which is meant to sound dirtier like an original Mu-Tron which has drifted out of calibration. Not heard any demos of this though and I think all the later Mu-Tron's sound a bit cleaner than the originals.

Other unofficial Mu-Tron variants or similar filters with albeit different circuitry include the 3Leaf Proton, VFE Mini-Mu, Mojo Hand Wonder and Little Wonder, Keeley Neutrino, and Maxon AF-9. I'm sure there are others out there.

9 hours ago, Skinner said:

Many thanks, to Bo0tsy on this potentially unending quest for many of us funky bassists. The Tru-Tron 3x really is the business, it's the first filter that really can do it all, and importantly when set up right for me I don't feel a loss when I switch it off. Just superb sounding when engaged, oh my, great for fingerstyle and brilliant for slap and pop. Truly the king of envelope filters - well for me at least.

Glad you like the Tru-Tron. It really is a very powerful and versatile filter..it definitely has the  most range of all the Mu-Trons released. Had mine a few years now and Mu-Trons are one of the reasons (along with the Chunk, Moog and Frostwave filters! 🤩) that I don't really lust for other envelope filters anymore.

I think they got discontinued back in 2018. I love my MF-101 LPF, sounds awesome with an expression pedal. Moog really needs to resissue them in a smaller design without sacrificing functionality as I think the market for them is still there. Used Moogerfoogers have also shot up in value over the past couple of years.

This has an absolutely monster groove to it...so good...

Love the Meters.

Prime time 70's Parliament-Funkadelic would also fit that description for me. Whilst the line-up was constantly evolving when you had the likes of virtuoso musicians such as George Clinton, Bernie Worrell, Eddie Hazel, Michael Hampton, Bootsy and other JB's Maceo Parker and Fred Wesley playing together, they were collectively both one of the tightest and yet somehow also one of the loosest funk bands around.

More new Bootsy, loving the Spacebass on this one 🤩 

4 hours ago, bobbass4k said:

Added some new builds to my dirt section - 

Brief annotations of the DIY ones - 

1 - EQD Ghost Echo clone (Reverb)

2 - Madbean Dreamtime, FV-1 delay in a teeny tiny package - granular and tremolo modes in partiular are very useful.

3 - EQD Sea Machine Clone (Chorus)

4 - EQD Data Corrupter Clone with mods (Harmonizer/Synth Fuzz?)

5 - EQD Life Pedal Clone with mods - Octave Up into a Rat with a MOSFET boost at the end (boost can be switched off or used on it's own)

6 - Darkglass Microtubes clone with substantial mods (Overdrive). Took me a long time to get on board with this one but wit the right mods (and run at 18V) it can really sparkle.

7 - Catalinbread SFT clone with mods (itself an attempt to capture the SVT Vibe) - I've added a switch to lower the gain and the option to rub at 18V - makes a really good clean preamp at low gain.

8 - Lovetone Big Cheese Clone - Slightly modded to make the silly super gated mode even sillier.

9 - Moosapotamus Dirty Bird - Ridiculous chirping, quacky fuzz - kind of like a prunes and custard but waaaaaaaay weirder.

17 - Phase inverter

10 - DBA Echo Dream Clone - substantially modded to make it actually work properly....

11 - Frostwave Funk-A-Duck Clone - Absolutely mad envelope filter, designed for synths I think. Takes a lot of patience, a lot of the knob settings will make no sound but if you treat it right... like no other filter I've ever had.

12 - DBA Space Ring Clone with mods (Ring Mod) - Built from the deadendfx PCB which makes a lot of useful improvements.

13 - Schalltechnik Pumpernickel Compressor

14 - Lovetone Doppelganger clone (Phaser/Vibe) - All the bells and whistles - had a smaller form factor clone of this but I sold it and missed it so much I didn't care that the only PCB i could get was for this masive version.

15 - Mid-Fi Pitch Pirate Deluxe Clone (Super Extreme Chorus)

16 - Step Sequencer - Puts out sequenced CV via 3.5mm cables to the control the pedals modded to take it, replacing their internal LFOs (Pitch Pirate and Doppelganger on this board) 

Love that you have a Frostwave Funk-a-Duck clone. I have an original of these and as you say tricky to dial in but the sweet spots sound awesome.

Yes great demo, both modes sound really good and the tracking seems excellent...count me interested

2 hours ago, pineweasel said:

I must have missed the OC-4

4 is an unlucky number in Japan so I don't think they'll ever be a OC-4.

Seems to track very well, although everything is through the BC-1X compressor. I'd like to hear the OC-5 just on its own.

@GisserD you're killing it with those Steak clips. Loving it. Sounds like a monster of a pedal 👾

That sounds awesome, and absolutely filthy... exactly how a great filter should sound 🤩

18 minutes ago, GisserD said:

 

i personally find analogue gear does "generally" sound better and is more responsive. But there are also drawbacks with analogue gear, as mentioned above, as well as as lack of presets which we are all becoming acustomed to with digital systems. 

Is the Chunk Octavius Squeezer an exception to this? It's all analogue circuitry with a digital preset system, and wonderfully responsive. I do wonder why we don't see more analogue pedals controlled by a digital preset system? Is it the higher cost to manufacture? Are there any other analogue/digital preset pedal hybrids like this? I read that you might be working on a similar type of solution for storing presets on analogue pedals @GisserD?