Aion Spectron(Lovetone Meatball)

[pingpongcomputer]

Build Rating

4.00 star(s)

This one was kind of fun and kind of annoying. I mostly did it because it looked like a crazy build, I don't see myself using it very often, maybe for weird song intros, or trying to pretend I can play like Zappa(I can't). I've seen complaints about the build docs in other build reports, mostly drill dimensions being off and things like that, so I used @flemming 's Tayda drill file here and it worked perfectly. I also used @fydo 's Illustrator template which was also perfect. Many thanks to both users for sharing the resources, definitely made things easier on my end. I deviated from the wiring and just bridged the grounds of all the jacks to one point and then attached to the negative post on the dc jack. It doesn't seem to have had and detrimental effects and cleaned up a bunch of the off board wiring. I highly recommend getting pin headers to attach the rotary switch breakout boards, I used clipped resistor leads and it wasn't very fun. It's possible there was some loud cursing at inanimate objects.
The finished pedal seems to function properly. It takes an insane amount of volume to get the envelope to trigger on the more subtle filter settings, I don't know if that's a defect of my build or just how it works. I like how it sounds with a longer attack and decay and some fuzz. I haven't messed with the effects loop yet, but it seems like more fuzz in there would be cool, I'll try that out tonight.

For the graphics I wanted to do a bad trip for a hippie lady holding a huge bloody meatball, but ended up more with a medieval noblewoman, which is fine. Tayda UV print on a Chromium 1590XX. Edit: Forgot to mention, I didn't use white under the color, only the text, so it has a cool metallic/iridescent effect in the light, kind of like foil graphics but hard to photograph.

Guts first:

Top jacks to show how well the drill worked out:

Happy 4th I guess, I'll be ripping linoleum out of my kitchen floor to prep for tiling.

 

[DailyDovetails]

Awesome build! I think this was one of the more challenging builds I had done.

I agree that the triggering can be a little difficult. I think the labels for sensitivity and intensity are swapped on your build. To make it trigger more easily the far left control gets turned clockwise. You also have to adjust the far right rotary to where it triggers easiest. Sometimes you have to play with the EQ some to get it to trigger right.

There is something funny that happens with the attack and decay controls. It seems like the farther apart they are set the easier it is to trigger. I usually set the attack low and then set the decay to the time that I want. If the decay is too high it won’t release between notes. After the decay is where I want it I adjust the attack up until it gives me whatever tightness I want. I usually end up with them set about 90 degrees apart.

 

[pingpongcomputer]

Awesome build! I think this was one of the more challenging builds I had done.

I agree that the triggering can be a little difficult. I think the labels for sensitivity and intensity are swapped on your build. To make it trigger more easily the far left control gets turned clockwise. You also have to adjust the far right rotary to where it triggers easiest. Sometimes you have to play with the EQ some to get it to trigger right.

There is something funny that happens with the attack and decay controls. It seems like the farther apart they are set the easier it is to trigger. I usually set the attack low and then set the decay to the time that I want. If the decay is too high it won’t release between notes. After the decay is where I want it I adjust the attack up until it gives me whatever tightness I want. I usually end up with them set about 90 degrees apart.

You are very correct about the control labels, and that explains some things. I do get easier triggering with the rotary towards high, but don't like the sounds as much, though now I have to adjust controls based on what they actually are and see what happens. Thank you!

 

[jimilee]

Awesome build. I built one a good while back. I have to keep the instructions handy to know how to work it.

 

[pingpongcomputer]

Knowing the proper labels for the controls has made the pedal much more intuitive, and fuzz in the effects loop is great. I may find a use for this one after all.

 

[spartan1017]

This is a great looking build, really liking the design too.. Have you found the switch and rotary control labelling is right? I've seen there's many interpretations, many assuming it matches the original but I think that's not the case. I'm about to order my UV case build, so would be great to hear your feedback on the switch & rotary orientation

 

[pingpongcomputer]

This is a great looking build, really liking the design too.. Have you found the switch and rotary control labelling is right? I've seen there's many interpretations, many assuming it matches the original but I think that's not the case. I'm about to order my UV case build, so would be great to hear your feedback on the switch & rotary orientation

Thanks. Other than mixing up the sensitivity and intensity controls I think everything is correct, but I also haven't really thought about it. I mostly just fiddle with knobs and have switches associated with the sounds they make in my head. I'll do some investigation later today and get back to you.

 

[pingpongcomputer]

This is a great looking build, really liking the design too.. Have you found the switch and rotary control labelling is right? I've seen there's many interpretations, many assuming it matches the original but I think that's not the case. I'm about to order my UV case build, so would be great to hear your feedback on the switch & rotary orientation

Ok, I just played around with it. All of the switches and rotary knobs work as labeled, with the possible exception of "mod" which I can never tell if it's doing anything.

 

[spartan1017]

You're a star, thank you... I've notice there's many a version out there, and I already falsely assumed the Obelisk (great pedal and fun build!) was as per the original, had to redo the UV case

Many thanks, I'll get cracking on the UV print design!

 

[fmcc]

This is a great looking build, really liking the design too.. Have you found the switch and rotary control labelling is right? I've seen there's many interpretations, many assuming it matches the original but I think that's not the case. I'm about to order my UV case build, so would be great to hear your feedback on the switch & rotary orientation

Ugh, I've mixed up sensitivity and intensity on the labeling for my build as well. I'd vaguely thought that they didn't really do what I expected, but somehow hadn't noticed. It's right in the documentation - I can only think that both me and @pingpongcomputer also referred to another build out there that had the two mixed up.

 

[eh là bas ma]

Nice build !

I always like to use it before any high gain effect, with the clean/wet ratio set very low (around 9 o'clock) so the modulation is barely noticeable. It subtly "opens up" the chords so to speak. In my top 3 best modulation effects i ever built. I wouldn't use it on single notes, the wah effect doesn't interest me that much, but when strumming full chords it gives some slight movements to the sound.

And yes, it took me a while to get familiar with the controls and be able to do useful adjustments. But it's not that hard either, it just requires some time. You can't expect to quickly dial some precise settings right at the beginning.

The reversed wah feature used on bass with a fuzz is amazing.

 

[pingpongcomputer]

Nice build !

I always like to use it before any high gain effect, with the clean/wet ratio set very low (around 9 o'clock) so the modulation is barely noticeable. It subtly "opens up" the chords so to speak. In my top 3 best modulation effects i ever built. I wouldn't use it on single notes, the wah effect doesn't interest me that much, but when strumming full chords it gives some slight movements to the sound.

And yes, it took me a while to get familiar with the controls and be able to do useful adjustments. But it's not that hard either, it just requires some time. You can't expect to quickly dial some precise settings right at the beginning.

The reversed wah feature used on bass with a fuzz is amazing.

Thanks, it is fun before gain. I like to do light fuzz into the meatball with color and intensity turned down and then run that into the TAFM clone which is a fuzz with a clean blend. Maybe one day I'll record something with all my fancy music and recording equipment.

Edit: highly unlikely, much better to build pedals and think about elusive tones.