Tremolo into stutter

[Mark Hammer]

On another forum, a fellow was expressing his difficulties - largely mechanical - with installing a killswitch into his guitar.  I started thinking about it and realized that perhaps a tremolo with foot actuated on-demand stuttering might solve his problems.

Thinking about it some more, I looked at the EHX Pulsar.  It uses a single humble NPN as voltage-controllable resistive element to ground - not unlike how one is used in the Dr. Q - whose impact/control could be defeated or engaged, simply by whether or not the ground connection is made.  Set to "chop" (or however close to chop a Pulsar gets), it could easily be an on-demand replacement for killswitch, with rate set by the pedal.

[iainpunk]

so a momentary tremolo? i could see that work, but then you are stuck with a fixed rate, which incidentally has to match the music's tempo.

i usually fake the stutter effect with my hands, strumming and muting quickly. especially in lead, where single notes are used.

cheers

[Mark Hammer]

Absolutely agree that hand-generated stutter can be more "musical" and expressive than electronically-produced stutter.

My suggestion of adapting a tremolo pedal really came from thinking about whether one could achieve the same "feel" as an on-board killswitch, using one's foot.  That is, a momentary switch in a box that mutes the signal every time you press it.  Rapid pressing of a button with one's hand is easily done; a half-dozen or more fast foot-presses not so much.  The OP on this other forum was finding that he could not achieve a reliable "plunger-like" button-press on his guitar, and that the switch he had tried to use would "wedge" (which I gather he meant catch against its housing).  Conceivably, all that would be required is to find a better push-button (I don't know what he used, only his level of disappointment), but I thought perhaps an electronic solution might be feasible.

[EBK]

The OP on this other forum was finding that he could not achieve a reliable "plunger-like" button-press on his guitar, and that the switch he had tried to use would "wedge" (which I gather he meant catch against its housing).  Conceivably, all that would be required is to find a better push-button (I don't know what he used, only his level of disappointment), but I thought perhaps an electronic solution might be feasible.

Buckethead uses arcade buttons on his guitars.  Designed to quite reliably allow quick tapping.

[Mark Hammer]

The OP on this other forum was finding that he could not achieve a reliable "plunger-like" button-press on his guitar, and that the switch he had tried to use would "wedge" (which I gather he meant catch against its housing).  Conceivably, all that would be required is to find a better push-button (I don't know what he used, only his level of disappointment), but I thought perhaps an electronic solution might be feasible.

Buckethead uses arcade buttons on his guitars.  Designed to quite reliably allow quick tapping.

I have no idea what sort of real estate is available to the requester, but I'll pass the tip along anyway.

[Fancy Lime]

How about a pedal that either mutes for a short time every time a foot switch is pressed AND every time it is released or conversely, one that only allows sound to pass for a short time every time the foot switch is pressed and every time it is released. Doubles the chopping frequency of the foot action. Downside: the length of the mute or "burst" (oh no...) time must be set separately by pot. But if that is no deal breaker, then an edge detector into an integrator with a pot controlling the time constant into a flipflop controlling a muting thingamajig (e.g. á la the Pulsar) should do it, no?

Andy

[ElectricDruid]

The OP on this other forum was finding that he could not achieve a reliable "plunger-like" button-press on his guitar, and that the switch he had tried to use would "wedge" (which I gather he meant catch against its housing).  Conceivably, all that would be required is to find a better push-button (I don't know what he used, only his level of disappointment), but I thought perhaps an electronic solution might be feasible.

Buckethead uses arcade buttons on his guitars.  Designed to quite reliably allow quick tapping.

The weird thing about that is that you finish up using a normally-closed button, since you need the guitar to make a sound when you're not futzing with the button. So then the button has a "press to mute" action, which (at least for my head) is the opposite of what I'd expect and want it to do. Of course, if you're Buckethead, you can simply *learn* to play the rhythms back-to-front with the "on" bits where you *don't* press and the "off" bits where you *do*, and no problem! Amazing stutter lines are yours to play with! But it would scramble my poor brain...

[Mark Hammer]

Not really.  It could be a normally-closed button if placed in series with the signal, but it could also be a normally open switch, connecting to ground when closed by a button-push.  Either of those would prevent any signal from being heard as long as the button is pushed.

[FiveseveN]

the button has a "press to mute" action, which (at least for my head) is the opposite of what I'd expect and want it to do.

That is how all kill/mute/stutter switches work though.

[deadastronaut]

heres my stutter button....works great.  momentary off , done...

[iainpunk]

how about using/converting a morse key? they are soft and light switches!

cheers

[Mark Hammer]

heres my stutter button....works great.  momentary off , done...

Great demo, Rob.  Daddy likes.

[deadastronaut]

Cheers daddy 

Yeah its pretty cool, dead easy, and cheap...just like me 

[Fancy Lime]

Reminds me that I hadn't listened to this in a while: