Something I didn't expect (SOU)

[jmusser]

I have been building an awful lot of up octaves lately, and I decided to get them out to see who is top dog. I had always thought nothing could beat the Bobtavia for pure screaming highs, but I was wrong. Gusses Simple Octave Up is just all the way around better. It's got a better octave pitch to it, and if you fiddle with the gain, you can get some shrieking highs like you get out of the French Toast. There is another gain setting that gives you a clucking, triggered sound with each pick attack. With the gain backed all the way off, you get a lot of ring mod stuff on the high strings above the 10th fret. It has more sustain than any I have built to date. The Bob is still a great circuit, but in my opinion is out shined by the SOU. The OUSB is a great box too, and fuller sounding than either of the other two, with more growl. Tim's Octup Blender is distinct among the up octaves, because it can blend original signal with the octave up fuzz. When you totally remove the original signal, there seems to be an octave up haunting weirdness to the tone that you normally only get from hearing down octaves. It's almost like some of that type of harmonics is in there along with the up octave. It's really cool, but definitely a fuzz. The Pushme Pullyou circuit I just wrote about last night is a clean octave up. The Buzz Box is not normally talked about as am up octave, but that's what it is. I really like the buzzy type synth feel it has. I have at least two more I need to build, to see what the best DIY octave up is. The Univox Super Fuzz sounds awesome in the samples, and the Tychobrahe to me has always sounded like the premier gutteral chaos of the up octaves. So, I need to build them in my quest for the ultimate up octave. Right now it's the SOU though :wink:

[MartyB]

Thanks for the nice build reports and comparisons - very useful.
MartyB

[jimbob]

THANKS FOR THE REPORT!  This helps out down the road when others are looking for info that has either been covered before or no one is wanting to discuss. Great job. I think ill giver a try sometime. As you are working on a variety of octave effects, im doing the same with compressors.

[jmusser]

Hey, you're welcome. I think it's important to let people know what you've found out, like you did with the heavy wah mods. That way a person has a clue as to what circuits they may want to build and what they sound like. The thing is though we're getting into the area of preference. I'm really liking the Simple octave Up right now, for a lot of reasons, but it may not be someone elses cup of tea, and they may like the fact that the Bobtavia is a little more bassy, and that the Buzz Box a little bassier still, to the extent that it's hard to tell right off the bat it is an up octave. I'm sure I'm going to reach my threshhold on what constitutes too much octave up, but not yet :wink:  RDV has me sold on building the Super Fuzz, and if my Tycho build is even remotely like the sample on GGG, I'll be in hog heaven! That sample to me is the gold standard. It's not the highest pitched, but it has a gutteral, wretching, untamed tone that nothing else has. Some of the coolest features of the up octave fuzzes, and things like the Ugly Face and Crash Sync, are all the background mayhem that goes on. The SOU has a particular note that if you play the string above it at the same time, it will trigger, drop, trigger and drop on it like the Tycho sample does. It is extra cool for the small parts count. I need to get to my buddies one day and spend several hours making sound samples. He has all the stuff. It sure helps to have them to use for comparison, and also help in deciding what to build.

[jimbob]

I think youve just bout sold me on that one too!

[Alpha579]

what transformer did you use for the sou?

[jmusser]

http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/diagrams/simple_oct_up_ez.jpg   That ought to answer all your questions. Let me know what you think of the circuit after you build it.