Looking for VERSATILE Dirt...

Feral Feline

Feral Feline

Well-known member
To give you an idea of the sort of circuits I'm looking for: I've got the PPCB Muffin Factory and the PPCB Infinidrive (Hollis' Omni).
I've also got Storyboardist's Barranca (Palisades-ish), but I do *not* have BYOC's Crown Jewel. Each pedal will have to be a several-trick pony, such as VFE's Dragonhound (808/Rat), or Triplet (Squeezer/Ringer/Dist+) — which I also have. So, looking for multiple-circuits on one board or mega-tweakable single-circuits.

I'm toying with the idea of putting together the most versatile DIY board possible, to that end I have the aforementioned Muffin Factory and Infinidrive etc, but I'm not limiting it to dirt, alone...

I've got PPCB's Module8 for Module-elation and might get M'bean's Headtrip II. The Spillway Multi-Vibrato might be a contender. Would be cool if PPCB did DOD's Vibrothang!

Having trouble deciding which Reverb to get — ThreeVerb, Spatialist Multiverb... VHS, maybe D3Lay too... [EDIT: forgot OCTAGON!]




I think I've got most categories covered, research-wise, but Dirt... PPCB's list of dirt has grown so fantastically huge it's hard to keep up and there may be circuits/combination-circuits that I've missed, or forgotten. Seriously, PPCB's dirt list is ginormously hooj.


Thanks in advance for any suggestions, dirt or otherwise.


Cheers,
FF
 
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This is an interesting topic. It got me thinking: Gain pedals are very subjective, my friends who play would not be happy/comfortable with my favorite pedals and vice-versa.

So if I ignore my preferences and just answer your question: If I could only keep one pedal (and the point is purely versatility), I would keep my Crown Jewel. If you allowed me another pedal, I would add the Parentheses. If given a 3rd pedal, I would add my Behringer SF300 (so PPCB Hyped Fuzz).

That gives me 3 pedals with 6 footswitches, 17 knobs, and 20 toggle positions. Each pedal has a boost (my Crown has the LPB module). I have 2 fuzz modes, octave, and more clipping options than I can count. And then you can factor in the swappable modules in the Crown.

Numerically, that's pretty nuts in only 3 pedals. . . but is it what I want? Well, I'd want to add a big muff and either a carcosa or a death cap. I'm building a pedal with 2 big muff boards inside. So give me that one and the death cap. Now I have 5 pedals containing all of the sounds that are in my head AND it's so complex, I'll never reach the end of fiddling with pedal order and switches and knobs.

BUT: If you change the question to "You are on a desert island and can only have 1 pedal" I would take the SF300, tune to C-standard, crank up the gain, and play doom/stoner riffs until rescued. If you allowed me 2 pedals, I would add the Parentheses. 3rd would be the Crown. Then the muff box and the death cap. So the order inverts if I pick what I like vs pick based purely on versatility. But after 5 selections I end up in the same place.

There are builds in the build forum where people have combined multiple gain boards with order switching into the same enclosure. Maybe that's where you are heading: Figure out what flavors you need, then figure out which ones could coexist in the same box.

Dan
 
Dan M said:
This is an interesting topic. It got me thinking: Gain pedals are very subjective, my friends who play would not be happy/comfortable with my favorite pedals and vice-versa.

So if I ignore my preferences and just answer your question: If I could only keep one pedal (and the point is purely versatility), I would keep my Crown Jewel. If you allowed me another pedal, I would add the Parentheses. If given a 3rd pedal, I would add my Behringer SF300 (so PPCB Hyped Fuzz).

That gives me 3 pedals with 6 footswitches, 17 knobs, and 20 toggle positions. Each pedal has a boost (my Crown has the LPB module). I have 2 fuzz modes, octave, and more clipping options than I can count. And then you can factor in the swappable modules in the Crown.

Numerically, that's pretty nuts in only 3 pedals. . . but is it what I want? Well, I'd want to add a big muff and either a carcosa or a death cap. I'm building a pedal with 2 big muff boards inside. So give me that one and the death cap. Now I have 5 pedals containing all of the sounds that are in my head AND it's so complex, I'll never reach the end of fiddling with pedal order and switches and knobs.

BUT: If you change the question to "You are on a desert island and can only have 1 pedal" I would take the SF300, tune to C-standard, crank up the gain, and play doom/stoner riffs until rescued. If you allowed me 2 pedals, I would add the Parentheses. 3rd would be the Crown. Then the muff box and the death cap. So the order inverts if I pick what I like vs pick based purely on versatility. But after 5 selections I end up in the same place.

There are builds in the build forum where people have combined multiple gain boards with order switching into the same enclosure. Maybe that's where you are heading: Figure out what flavors you need, then figure out which ones could coexist in the same box.

Dan
Click to expand...
Many thanks, Dan, for your reply.

Indeed it's NOT a desert island situation, more like a Dessert Dirt Buffet — so it's pick and choose as you please, gluttony is encouraged.

PCBs such as the Parentheses or the War Scythe are okay, but too large for what they are and would need to be modded out with a LOT of off-board wiring to achieve the versatility I'm after. For instance, I've mapped out my Fuzz Factory build for this project and its 13 knobs, and a few switches; Only 8 of those knobs are on the PCB I already have, so I have to offboard wire 5 pots and the switches. I'm looking for projects that will help minimise off-board wiring.

Stuff such as the Crown Jewel and its likeness the Infinidrive in PedalPCB's roster, as mentioned, and the Muffin Factory (which is possibly the most tricked out DIY Muff PCB out there) — each offer a great deal of options without having to remove/replace a resistor or cap, and then run wires to a scrap of vero with further off-board wired pots & switches etc.

After starting this thread I was turned on to MAS Mimir's Well in another thread on the forum. Mimir's Well has 23 different FV-1 circuits in one 1590XX box! After that I saw mention of a possible 8-EEPROM PCB from Bugg — that would give me more modulation, delay and reverb than I'll ever need, which is precisely what I'm after.

There's more or less 8 categories of pedals: Wah/Filter, Compression, Octavers/Synths, Distortion, Clean/Dirty Boosters, Modulation, Delay/Reverb. I'm after at least one multi-versatile pedal per category that I'd include in the build.
Then squeeze in wild-cards such as Ring Mods, Bit-Crushers, resonant filters and other odd-balls into the multi-melange.

Hmm just thought of a potential boost: SoulSonic's FourBanger (Rangemaster/MOSFET, op-amp, JFET).


I'd stuff all the multi-PCBs into one of the following 10º-sloped Hammond enclosures:
1456RL1BKBK — 432mm (17”) X 287mm (11.3") — [about PT Jr-ish size, not as deep]
OR
1456WL1BKBK — 508mm (20”) X 287mm (11.3").


Kind of like a Fly Rig dosed with Hulk Gamma Rays and some Radioactive Spider Venom thrown in... Marvelous!
 
Feral Feline said:
To give you an idea of the sort of circuits I'm looking for: I've got the PPCB Muffin Factory and the PPCB Infinidrive (Hollis' Omni).
I've also got Storyboardist's Barranca (Palisades-ish), but I do *not* have BYOC's Crown Jewel. Each pedal will have to be a several-trick pony, such as VFE's Dragonhound (808/Rat), or Triplet (Squeezer/Ringer/Dist+) — which I also have. So, looking for multiple-circuits on one board or mega-tweakable single-circuits.

I'm toying with the idea of putting together the most versatile DIY board possible, to that end I have the aforementioned Muffin Factory and Infinidrive etc, but I'm not limiting it to dirt, alone...

I've got PPCB's Module8 for Module-elation and might get M'bean's Headtrip II. The Spillway Multi-Vibrato might be a contender. Would be cool if PPCB did DOD's Vibrothang!

Having trouble deciding which Reverb to get — ThreeVerb, Spatialist Multiverb... VHS, maybe D3Lay too... [EDIT: forgot OCTAGON!]




I think I've got most categories covered, research-wise, but Dirt... PPCB's list of dirt has grown so fantastically huge it's hard to keep up and there may be circuits/combination-circuits that I've missed, or forgotten. Seriously, PPCB's dirt list is ginormously hooj.


Thanks in advance for any suggestions, dirt or otherwise.


Cheers,
FF
Click to expand...
In reference to your reverb question, I’ve found the ThreeVerb to be a very useful and versatile reverb. It’s my favorite reverb offered from PedalPCB.
 
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