Pigtronix Quantum Time Modulator - any insights?

[Mark Hammer]

Wasn't previously aware of this pedal, even though it has been around for several years. Stumbled onto a Youtube of John Scofield trying one out, and it's an interesting concept: an envelope-sensitive chorus vibrato that seems to shift the clock of two BBDs in response to pick attack, such that the modulated delay widens.  Or at least that's what the video would suggest.  The ad copy from Pigtronix is more baffling than helpful, unfortunately, and I couldn't find any gutshots on-line to shed any light.  Any ideas or relevant experience?  I'm not looking to clone this particular pedal.  More a matter of understanding what could be an interesting concept.

[StephenGiles]

Mark I'm thinking the AMS100 pluck detector is called for?

[11-90-an]

Always love this guy's demos... he includes all the facts about the pedal

Anyway I think it shouldn't be *that* hard to emulate with 2 PT2399s, 1 pt2399 would be envelope controlled (stick a LDR/LED combo on pin 6? honestly works the best for me) and the other would be LFO controlled (probably ala Dimension P). Both signals would be mixed with a pot (one of those 2nd-lug-is-ground-and-both-signals-on-lug-1-and-3). Additional pots would be for LFO speed and envelope detector sensitivity.

I think the idea would be similar for BBDs

[Mark Hammer]

Near as I can tell, the two control sources do not independently drive separate BBDs.  Rather, the Source control simply blends between LFO and envelope, in much the sameway that the "Depth" control on some flangers blends between LFO and a fixed DC voltage, controlled with a Manual/Initial control.

What it sounds like, to my ears, is that 2 BBDs, possibly 256-stage and 1024-stage, are being driven by a common clock such that the time-stagger between them  can be changed.

[garcho]

driven by a common clock such that the time-stagger between them  can be changed

.

Is one clock a VCO, the other fixed?

All things being equal, I’d much rather have my Keeley Bubbletron. I know it’s not the same concept, but it’s close. I’ve always been impressed by Pigtronix build quality, but not really the sound, and their copy makes me want to talk trash. I’ve never played their more standard fare stuff, overdrives and what have you, but I’ve played a few of their mod and synth pedals and always felt relieved I never purchased one. I can hear some harsh brittle mid/high end I don’t like, almost like ADC distortion, though I doubt that’s what it is, I can hear it in this demo too and it immediately reminded me of my experiences. Might be coincidence, there’s obviously a lot more going on than the pedal (guitar, amp, camera, youtube, etc.).

It’s validating to hear Scofield noodle like a mortal when he tries out a pedal. 
At one point he looks at the camera like, “why are you filming me doing this?”