Octave Up Sick Box

[Doug_H]

a;lkjd

[petemoore]

I'll have to try that again then...I can probably get it going this time!

[Arn C.]

Hey Doug,
   What size input cap did you use?  

Peace!
Arn C.

[/quote]

[Arn C.]

Hey Doug,
   What size input cap did you use?  

Peace!
Arn C.

[Doug_H]

a;lkjd

[petemoore]

Hey Doug,
   What size input cap did you use?  

Peace!
Arn C.

I grabbed a 22uf I had handy but I think 10u would be enough.
 >>>I just put one marked 473 in it, seems bassy enough, I'll have to tag a huge capacitro on there and see what it does .
 As it is, [other than the incap is like schematic, I choose NE5532, tho 4558 is cool too, squashes chords AlOt...kind of cool, I can 'push the attenuation' with big chords over period of a second, or so, like a long response deep compressor takes a 1/8+ second to 'come back up'].
 Nice thick EZ play Octave, wide freboard range, [FTM I think is larger, but sound is 'different], input amplitude variances cause large differences in what comes out [playing dynamics and attenuating the input volume, it goes from 'yawning ring mod' to 'electrocution scream'. 'Well behaved wildness'...[my octaves sometimes let out high output sqwaxks].
 Suffice it to say it Worked This Time !!!
Doug[/qu

[jmusser]

I thought that circuit sounded familiar. I have an EZ Build for it over on JDs site (General Guitar Gadgets. Oddly enough, I've never even built it, so I guess it's time. If I remember right, there is a cleaned up schematic on that too that I did from Gus's original hand drawn schematic.

[Gus]

The circuit is very sensitive to guitar vol and gain setting.  You realy need to play with it a bit to find some of the fun spots.  If the gain is set high you only tend to get the squash if you get the gain and the guitar vol right you can get a nice octaveup that tracks all over the fingerboard sometimes.  You can get sqash to swell effects when adjusted via the guitar vol and pick attack.  I try to make the circuits ineractive.

Its fun for bass as well.

I am happy people are starting to build this, don't forget about the simple octave one use the transformer spec for the tyco.  If one looks close at the circuit you might note that I did a simple model of the tyco.  The output Z of the tyco gain stage is close to the collector R value.  When you drive/load a transformer with different source R and/or loading the sound can change a little the simple octave can use a 1k to 2.2 K for what you want.  The resistor after the opamp is a simple model of the real tyco.

IIRC Amscay like the simple octave.

[Doug_H]

a;lkj

[petemoore]

I like squash, lotta good stuff in there, just gotta figure out how to cook it is all.

[Arn C.]

Thanks Gents!!! Much abliged!

Peace!
Arn C.

[Doug_H]

a;lkjd

[petemoore]

I love that thick third' note'. Sounds like a 'coutersprung note' when I play the a to b bend on the G string [12th fret area "E lead] and a D [b string 15th fret]...goes Bowwooiiinnggg, big fat third note !!!
 I tried the OUSB a While back, Mine didn't 'go.
 and Bobtavia. [Bob's cool]
 FTM [heavy octave, but 'direct' sounding, less of the 'wierdness of 'inbetweens]
  Tycho OCtavia, [Cool too IMO, plenty of wierdness, but less pronounced octave. These are All subjective opinions, and 'my build' notes.
 I would have to say, somebody looking for the 'fire it up and it goes OCtave' build, the Sick Octave in the O.U.S.B. is easy to solidly recommend

[jmusser]

Mark, have you tried another dual op amp in that circuit to see if it will work, like a TL062 or 72? You've got me chomping at the bits to build one now, and I don't have a 5532. Why I'm at it, could a person use a couple LM386s in a dual op amp circuit and get by with it? There are a couple sound samples I listen to once a week. One of them is the Tycho sample on JDs site (instant wood), and the other one is of the Bobtavia. There are a couple Bobtavia samples around, but this particular one is ripped into the stratosphere, and someone does a pinched harmonic on it that octaves somewhere up in dog audio. If this OUSB is better than either of those, I couldn't stand it! These are both two different animals in my book though. The Tycho has a gutteral wreching quality to it that to me, makes it the king of up octaves. The Bobtavia is probably the king screamer up octave, with a sort of grating, train brakes scraping mayhem, that I don't hear on other up octaves. Someone on here said it before and it's true, "the Bobtavia is way underrated". My son was talking to his girlfriend last night, and I overheard him say " My Dad makes these boxes, and he has this one named Bob, and My God you ought to hear that thing"!

[Doug_H]

a;lkjd

[petemoore]

I'll go along with all that.
 Also, not knowing how much, but thinking it probably matters, I used two 32.2k resistros [says 33k] and measured also the Ge diodes in at 6.15. I had these Si's already in a double paired config, and put them right in there.

[jmusser]

Sorry Doug, I wasn't looking at the thread when I replied, and thought it was Hammer. Down in the bottom of my tool box, was a little yellow envelope, that had two 5532s in it. It must have come from the effects Gods or something. I had no idea I even had them. That means that the OUSB is meant to be. While I was in mourning last night before I discovered these chips, I built the Gargletron. When my kids wake up, I'll fire it up and see how I've done. I also replaced the 1 meg 10% resistors in the Octup with 5%rs, and hopefully that will make it bias correctly, and actually do octave up. It was hard to make out the fuzz in the Mud Honey samples behind the lead singer. I had never heard grunge before in my life, which I found out by those samples had been a blessing! I guess I'm just a classic rock kind of guy. If I remember right, you're the one who modded Bob Star's Octavia to make the Bobtavia. It was my first effect, and still one of my favorites.

[Doug_H]

a;lkj

[jmusser]

Well, that's good information to know. Maybe these dual op amps are a lot more universal than I've been lead to believe. On most of the circuits people are pretty adamant on what has to be used, and it it looks like this may just be a personal preference in most cases. There are some circuits that do give the option though. I guess every generation has the type of music they grew up with that they like. The stuff that's out now I don't care for, but I'm probably not supposed to. My parents didn't like Black Sabbath or Uriah Heep, and I don't like "The Used" my son plays. I call it "Anger Rock". It's odd though, that I absolutely love the music of the 60s and British Invasion stuff, and that wasn't my era (I'm 47). The new group I do like is "Jet", and I guess because they sound like a 60s band. On effects again.... I built Tim's Gargletron Friday, and so far, it just makes a good preamp, I can't get his Octup to do much either. This is my first run of bad luck on circuits. Most of the time, I find out I've done a wiring error or put in a 220K instead of a 2.2 or something, but as of now, I'm not finding anything like that. It's a little discouraging, but I'll iron it out eventually. In the Octup, I used 10% 1 meg resistors initially because that's all I had. It caused a lot of misbiased mayhem due to wide tolerance. I replaced them last night with 5%rs and that all went away, but the octave up is very faint and pitiful. Like I said, I'll wring this out, it's just frustrating.

[Kleber AG]

 Yeah this box really is sick!!!

I've breadboarded it and really liked it, it "swells?" very nice and crazy with your chords and single notes.

The octave sounds are crazy, beautiful(you can calm down the sickness), with my neck pickup the octave is way more pronounced and the effect Dougs is talking about with added 5th is cool, i think it sounds good with 4ths as well.

I tried 5532, 4558, TL072 and it's "almost" the same as Doug said, but with 5532 it's more full or fat...

Lot's of fun, gonna go perf and box it for sure, and call it "Destruction Fest Pedal"      

I liked the fuzz as well, removing one of the 33K.

One thing: I easily get oscilations when moving the gain pot to higher gains, i think it's because it's on breadboard??? :roll:

Thanks Gus, and Doug for building and reporting it here(actually it's way more than just reporting) Thanks!

Kleber AG