Double delay fun

[Mark Hammer]

I had etched and stuffed a couple of boards a while back, using the Cavedweller schematic/layout on the Madbean site (thanks, Bean!).  Not so much to be a replacement for the other delays I have, but rather as "utility delay" modules, that could be nested in other things.

Each Cavedweller delay has its own time, mix, and repeats control, but has no input or output buffer like the Rebote 2.5 does.  I wired up a pair of them to a simple op-amp splitter/mixer, under the assumption that they could be run in series or parallel.  Running them in series yields some fun effects, especially if you play with the time settings and repeats.  So, running them in series, with different delay times, and no repeats, can get you "Bam......ba-bam".  Turn up the feedback on the second one, and you can get "Bam......ba-ba-ba-bam", and so on.

At present, the mixer/splitter arrangement presumes that the clean sound will come from Cavedweller, so I cannot, as of yet cascade the two delays to provide a longer composite delay time.  To do that, I would need to feed the clean input signal as a 3rd signal to the mixer, and incorporate a dry-lift switch to the two delay modules.  But it can be done.  I may end up having to use a multi-pole rotary and a couple of toggles to get some different sound possibilities, like selecting between each module providing its own internal feedback OR sending its feedback to the other delay module.

Not quite a Volante or Echorec, but more interesting than a simple 3-knob delay.  And more than enough to keep me busy these days.  The overarching intent is for it to be a flexible delay module for the "Canarack" modular synth I've been very slowly building, rather than a guitar floor pedal.  NOT voltage controllable.  Just something to make synth sounds a little more interesting.

I like dual-effect units.  I have a dual-phaser pedal, and a dual Muff Fuzz pedal, both having interesting reconfiguration options to derive a much wider range of sounds.  Dual-delay is a worthy addition.  When I get it running reliably and optimally, I'll try and post some samples.

[StephenGiles]

I wonder what a dual (Craig Anderton) Bi-Filter Follower would sound like - I mean separate units on the left and right, with the voltage control moving in opposite directions?

[Mark Hammer]

Jeorge Tripps drew my attention to an "easter egg" in the Tone Core Otto Filter.  As is somewhat widely known, the "personality modules" in the Tone Core pedals can be pulled out and swapped with any other module in the series.  All modules can be used with either mono or stereo docks.  The Otto Filter, stock, came with a mono dock.  One of the filter modes it has is a so-called "Talking Filter" (TF).  Like many sweeping-formant type "talking" pedals, it uses two counterswept digital bandpass filters, that are normally mixed down to mono for the single oputput.  As Jeorge informed me, if you stick the module into a stereo dock, the two filters are assigned to separate channels, such that left sweeps up as right is sweeping down, and vice versa.

Neat effect, though a little discombobulating.  Not quite as discombobulating as the Ibanez Flying Pan, but certainly in that ballpark, cricket pitch, or whatever sport metaphor you wish to use.

[garcho]

Stereo active crossover can be fun, especially for keys. send the mud to the left, do something else with it, send the frosting to the right, do something different with it. i think some Herbie Han%^&* recordings do that. Even just two different distortions, one for each pan channel can sound really cool when hard panned.

I like the sound of what you're talking about Mark, I'm slowly putting together a MIDI delay to use with my samplers, or to just have it syncable with BPM, I might have to experiment with having series delays. Why not delay my delay further for more delay, right?

[Mark Hammer]

Do take a gander at the voltage controlled delay project from the late great Ray Wilson.  That might be right up your alley.
http://musicfromouterspace.com/analogsynth_new/ECHOFXXX/ECHOFXXX.php

[garcho]

Oh man, I learned a lot from Ray Wilson, love that guy's site, projects, books etc. I hope he's twisting knobs and cracking dad jokes somewhere in spiritual outer space.

All my devices speak MIDI right now, I'm trying to stay in that realm. I've been having fun doing DIY MIDI projects, too. I really like my electronic music setup right now: a few samplers, a few digital synths (so uncool i know), a couple sequencers, a few controllers, a ton of guitar pedals, and a digital mixing board, which I've come to love, the L-12 from Zoom. I refuse to bring a laptop on stage. I wouldn't have ever imagined using a Zoom audio interface but it's perfect for my needs, it's worth checking out. I made a master clock and controller with an Arduino Mega. 4 channels of tempo-synchronized MIDI clock out, so the sequencers can be in tempo together but they don't have to all start together at the same time.

I would love to get deep into DIY modular, so many fun projects, so many cool sounds. I've made a few basic oscillators and filters and that kind of thing but never a full blown setup. Some day...

Amazing what you can do with a damn PT2399 though, isn't it? Bravo, Ray. RIP

[diydave]

So, running them in series, with different delay times, and no repeats, can get you "Bam......ba-bam".  Turn up the feedback on the second one, and you can get "Bam......ba-ba-ba-bam", and so on.

Build a double 'small time delay' from Merlinb into a single unit in december '15.
Called it 'the shimmer' because... it shimmered 
Hasn't left my pedalboard since.

[StephenGiles]

Or you could buy a vintage Meazzi Echomatic!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDz7YZXoS9k

[anotherjim]

Merlin's Equinox is essentially a x2 delay. It has fixed time resistors for reverb duty, but no reason you couldn't extend both of them with pots. Would be an easy mod.
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[Mark Hammer]

I built a Rebote 3.0 a while back.  It uses a trio of PT2399s to achieve over a second of delay time.  I've been pondering providing selectable taps after the first 2 chips.  Bear in mind the Feedback path comes after the 3rd delay chip, so repeats are the longest delay-time.  Tapping the outputs of the preceding chips would provide interesting spacing of repeats.