SOLVED Low Tide - Springy noise

[LJSJS]

Hi everyone,

I’m currently working on my second Low Tide pedal build. During my first attempt, I received lots of helpful advice from this forum, but unfortunately, my poor soldering skills ended up ruining the PCB. Thanks to your guidance, I’ve managed to almost perfectly complete this second build, and it works pretty great—except for one issue.

When I turn the Gate knob past the 3 o’clock position, a subtle spring-like noise appears. The noise occurs throughout the entire usable range of the Gate trimpot. The noise gets louder when I play harder.

My build uses the exact same components as listed in the build document, except for one substitution: I used a B1M pot for the Slew knob instead of an A1M pot. There is one part I’m a bit unsure about—the J201 transistor. I salvaged it from my first failed PCB, so it’s possible it could be causing the issue.

Is this a common thing with the Low Tide? Or can it be fixed?

I’ve attached a photo and a recording to help explain the issue. In the recording, each strum corresponds to the Gate knob being set to Max, 3 o’clock, and 1 o’clock, respectively. I'm sorry the noise is inaudible but you'll definitely hear it on the first strum.

 

[Waldo_jeffers]

Sounds like a working Low Tide to me! I’m not sure if there’s something else I’m not hearing (on my phone speakers) but I think what you’re referring to is just the random modulation that’s at the heart of the pedal. If you don’t like that sound you can turn up the slew and turn down the depth and rate to smooth things out.

Is your gate trimmer all the way open? The 1 o clock setting sounds more open than what I’ve heard from other builds, including my own, but it’s definitely a personal preference thing.

 

[BrainDrain]

Yeah this is just how the pedal sounds. That clip sounds good.

 

[LJSJS]

Sounds like a working Low Tide to me! I’m not sure if there’s something else I’m not hearing (on my phone speakers) but I think what you’re referring to is just the random modulation that’s at the heart of the pedal. If you don’t like that sound you can turn up the slew and turn down the depth and rate to smooth things out.

Is your gate trimmer all the way open? The 1 o clock setting sounds more open than what I’ve heard from other builds, including my own, but it’s definitely a personal preference thing.

Thank you! It seems like the noise is just part of this pedal's character. However, I think I can get a better sound by tweaking the gate trimmer a bit more. I’ll try adjusting it to the 1 o’clock position as well.

 

[LJSJS]

Yeah this is just how the pedal sounds. That clip sounds good.

Thanks! I’ve also concluded that this noise is just part of the pedal’s character. I found the same noise in several YouTube demos (even in the Shallow Water demo!). I hope future builders can refer to this post and complete their pedals without feeling doubtful.