Broken Cable Simulator Pedal? (Yes, I'm serious).

[steveyraff]

Hey guys,

I haven't been building pedals for long at all - just 6 months or so. So my knowledge is limited as far as what the possibilities are.

Recently, I received an email from a friend asking me could I make him an unusual pedal. He stated he wanted:-  "something that would give the sound of a broken cable that intermittently gives a signal then breaks up with a variable pot that maybe controls the amount of signal to noise - and yes I tried using a broken cable".

Anyone know of anything like this or if it would be possible to make a circuit that could do what he is thinking of?

I know of a plugin that does exactly what he is looking for which would require him to use his laptop via and interface, but he said he wants something in pedal form.

Suggestions welcome,
Cheers.

[italianguy63]

That's an intermittant, anti-burst box, I'm pretty sure.  

[deadastronaut]

^ yep..

momentary push to break switch...done.

uness you want loads of crackling going on too...

[steveyraff]

^ yep..

momentary push to break switch...done.

uness you want loads of crackling going on too...

Hmm, maybe. From my interpretation, I thought he meant he wanted a pedal that when engaged, would cut out at random intervals. Then he mentioned a pot that when turned up would increase the amount of noise, crackle or cutting out.

I think the breakup has to be randomly timed, but in some way controllable in amount.

[bluebunny]

[facetious]
You could search for posts saying things like "help: pedal keeps cutting out intermittently" and "pedal is noisy".  Then read the resulting threads, but stop before you get to the solution at the end.
[/facetious]



( Sorry!  :-}  Getting coat now...  )

[R.G.]

No problem.
(1) generate a pseudorandom signal
Here's one not-too-complicated way: http://www.geofex.com/article_folders/lfos/psuedorandom.htm
(2) run that into a comparator to generate a solid on/off signal
(3) run the on/off signal from the comparator into a fast switch that turns the signal on and off. A CMOS analog switch works well.

[Mario44]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcv-em1kQx4
maybe something like this, but I cant find any schem of this funny device

[Fender3D]

What about a FSH?
you might mod the filter to act as a gain (level) stage (its an OTA)...

It should be easier, since it's plenty of layout out here and there...

[duck_arse]

get a bad cable, attach it to a high-impedance buffer. get a motor w/ a small whacking weight attached, connected to the aforementioned "speed" pot and "burst" switch. the weight whacks the cable, maybe even flails it around the stage, the cable capacitance (?) does all nasty things in the buffer signal.

any spare coats, it's cold outside?

[wavley]

Solder one of the cheapest blue 3PDT switches for way too long, bypass it with one that you didn't abuse.

[italianguy63]

I was thinking just buying a cheap, broken, or low quality pedal off eBay and use it as is... problem solved for about 9 bucks.

[GibsonGM]

....or 2  SPST pushbuttons mounted on top of a box...one just cuts your signal, the other breaks an internal ground on a high-gain circuit.  Your foot does the rest.  I bet you could easily find the one wire that, when disconnected, makes the thing go crazy (bzzzzzzz)!    Doesn't get you a "pot to dial in the amt. of noise", tho. 

[Mike Burgundy]

Big Cheese has a setting that I like to use looking at the sound engineer during a soundcheck " I don't know what you're doing, but..." That is definitely what you're looking for.  Technical details: this potentionally works in any transistor circuit, just bias it *wrong*. If it's biased so it wants to turn OFF a lot of the time, the sound you'll get is just that.

[Scruffie]

A really misbiased fuzz with nice noisy leaky germaniums.

Or... a trem using a 4017 decade counter like a z.vex seek trem with a blendable noise generator.

[J0K3RX]

Pull the guitar cable out of the guitar jack and stick your thumb on the tip and use a volume pedal... bzz bzzzzzzzzzzz bzz bzzzz bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. done

[Mark Hammer]

This is sort of the audio analog of the "scratched celluloid" effect one sees in cult movies like Machete.

And really, it's more of a frayed cable simulator.  If you want a broken cable simulator, just pull the plug out of the jack. 

Actually, first thing that came to mind, before I scrolled down was exactly what RG presented.  Though now that I think of it, maybe a switch is not the best emulation.  Maybe what one really wants is intermittent abrupt attenuation; a discernible drop in level, but no complete gating out of the signal.

In that respect, no comparator would be required.  Imagine a random noise source, rectified and fed to a resistor/FET voltage divider, like the gate on a CE-1 or A/DA Flanger, but with VERY little smoothing/averaging.  The degree of intermittent attenuation would be determined by a variable resistance in series with the drain-source resistance to ground.

Part of what prompts this suggestion is the way that envelope followers with very poor ripple rejection often elicit comments about "distortion" from irritated users of filters, gates or compressors.

[Digital Larry]

I do kinda like the sound Pete Townshend used to get when he would smash his SG against the stage, resulting in a BZZZZT-SkkreeeEEEEEEEEEE sort of sound.  If you could get that on demand then you wouldn't have to smash so many guitars.

[italianguy63]

Pete killed a LOT of Strats and Les Pauls too...

[MartyMart]

Some of my early builds will do exactly that for you 

M

[Mark Hammer]

I do kinda like the sound Pete Townshend used to get when he would smash his SG against the stage, resulting in a BZZZZT-SkkreeeEEEEEEEEEE sort of sound.  If you could get that on demand then you wouldn't have to smash so many guitars.

Kidding aside, and in keeping with my scratched movie comment earlier, I guess part of what a realistic frayed-cable simulator would do would be to introduce hum resulting from intermittent ground connection...which is part of what Pete's "disassembled" guitars would do.  I once watched him decimate a lovely all-white Strat, back in 1969 or so, and there was a LOT of 60hz hum involved.