Fuzz “blend” advice

[heymrbassman]

Hi. im new to circuit design. I’ve built a handful of clones and some fuzz circuits. Can someone direct me towards a fuzz circuit that has a blend knob? Ive built the Parenthesis(my fav because it’s so flexible), FF, and the two Spires circuits. my boss odd-3 has a blend knob that I wish I could add to these circuits. Possible.

 

[Elijah-Baley]

I was thinking about a project like that in these days.
Do you prefer a Blend control or a separated Clean control?
I think that a Blend passes from a total clean sound to a full fuzz sound. The Clean control just add in parallel the clean to the fuzz sound always on.

Anyway, what about this?

This should be based on that schematic: http://pedalparts.co.uk/docs/Blender-V2.pdf

For the Clean control I seen just add in the input a boost (LPB-1, for example), with a final pot as volume and a resistor before the output in common with the main fuzz circuit. (I think even in the fuzz circuit needs a resistor before the output).

 

[kristopher]

Check out guitarpcb.com. They make a Buff n Blend add on circuit. I’ve used it a few times in certain builds. It works great with a Big Muff.
There are other sites/shops that offer blend circuits, but I can only vouch for guitarpcb.

 

[Feral Feline]

GuitarPCB's BuffnBlend mentioned above is essentially the same circuit that Elijah-Baley posted above that.

There are other options, such as splitter-mixers that are op-amp based that include a phase toggle.


The Split N Blend or Buff n Blend sometimes doesn't play well with circuits that flip phase of the signal, but you can always add another transistor as buffer that flips phase so your clean is in phase with your wet (fuzz, or whatever).


Robert's working on some more utility stuff, but if you can't wait:

Fuzz dog has spluffers, mixers, buffers and I quite like the Fat-ass Blooper.

THCustom's Madbox, Pro-cessors and parallel mixer look like fun.

Splitter-Blend

Brian

This is Brian. He is a buffer He is also super tiny (10x14mm) You can use him as a standalone buffer or to add buffered bypass to all of your...

moonnelectronics.bigcartel.com

Split 'n Blend

Got a request for more blend effects, so let's start with a simple one. You can use this as a daughter board to add a blend control to an ex...

effectslayouts.blogspot.com

Split 'n' Blend

Collection of vero (stripboard) & tagboard layouts for 100s of popular guitar effects, with over 500 verified designs. DIY your own boutique effects!

tagboardeffects.blogspot.com

Check out MusikDing if you're in Europe (or even if you're not, just to find ideas and PCB suppliers with splitter-blenders...).

 

[Elijah-Baley]

The Split N Blend or Buff n Blend sometimes doesn't play well with circuits that flip phase of the signal, but you can always add another transistor as buffer that flips phase so your clean is in phase with your wet (fuzz, or whatever).

Hi Feral Feline, could you post some schematics where an added transistor stage flips the phase starting something like the simple Split'n'Blend or Buff'n'Blend?
I'd like to know something small to include in fuzz pedal.

Thanks!

 

[Feral Feline]

First off, don't make more work for yourself than necessary.

Before you go to too much trouble, if this is going to be a fixed situation, ie you aren't building the Buff n Blend as a loop with clean blend, and various circuits or chains of circuits going through it — then you should just determine if the circuit you're adding the Buff n Blend to inverts the signal or not.

If it doesn't, then you should be able to just add the Buff n Blend with no problem.
If you do encounter a phase issue, then you can re-assess and add an inverting buffer.


You could build a small buffer on a scrap of perf or vero, but you can also get a small PCB from GGG, GPCB, Fuzzdog and other places.

I can't explain buffers as well as others...

Here's some examples of wiring up a BJT as non-inverting (output taken from the emitter) and inverting (output taken from the collector):

Inverting and Non-inverting Buffers

Simple buffer using a 2N3904:
http://www.learningaboutelectronics.com/Articles/Transistor-buffer-circuit.php

More info:

Basic Buffers

Basic buffer circuits for use with guitar effects pedals.

www.muzique.com

So I'd take the Buff n Blend's SEND and run it through a toggle with an inverting buffer, so you can toggle off the inverter depending on what you've got going through the chain.

 

[Elijah-Baley]

Thank you. That's a good advice.

Do you think the first stage of this schematic makes more or less the trick? (Though, I'm not sure that is real 1:1 buffer, but it's just to understand the thing).

I hope we are helping the author of the thread, too.

 

[Lemontheo]

The Split N Blend or Buff n Blend sometimes doesn't play well with circuits that flip phase of the signal, but you can always add another transistor as buffer that flips phase so your clean is in phase with your wet (fuzz, or whatever).

A transistor as buffer do not flips phase. Emitter AND base are in the same phase.
A solution to flip phase is to add a transistor with a unity gain setup, and use the collector output.
Like this schematic (use out 1, leave out 2)

 

[Fama]

A transistor as buffer do not flips phase. Emitter AND base are in the same phase.
A solution to flip phase is to add a transistor with a unity gain setup, and use the collector output.
Like this schematic (use out 1, leave out 2)
View attachment 57108

Would a SPDT switch on out 1 and 2 and output from the middle lug then be a phase flip switch with that schematic?

 

[Elijah-Baley]

The schematic I posted above seems do it. A Phase Switch. Though the transistor is a JFET, not a BJT. It has some little implementation, too, but it has the switch.

 

[Feral Feline]

A transistor as buffer do not flips phase. Emitter AND base are in the same phase.
A solution to flip phase is to add a transistor with a unity gain setup, and use the collector output.
Like this schematic (use out 1, leave out 2)
View attachment 57108

Cool; and what if you added a switch to go between out 1 and out 2?

I just came across this on the MadBean forum an hour ago or so, from a post by Aleph Null: