Luna Obscura (Dark Side of the Moon Pedal)

dan.schumaker

Well-known member
Here is the last build of 2022 for me. This is a continuation of my artist-pedalboard-in-a-box series (See Gypsy and Kashmir builds for the other ones). This time I put together a build based on David Gilmour's Dark Side of the Moon pedals.

For the majority of Dark Side tones, Gilmour used a combination of Fuzz Face, Overdriver, Uni-vibe and Echorec (along with a few more, but those are the bulk of tones). The pedal starts with a modified Silicon Fuzz Face (I used the Lunar Module as a base for the Fuzz). This moves into a Powerbooster circuit ran at +18V. Then it hits an effects loop if you want to add other pedals and then onto a Uni-Vibe circuit. This is the same Uni-Vibe I used on my Gypsy pedal. It sounds really good and vibe-y and the addition of being able to use an expression pedal really adds to its versatility. The Delay portion on this is a multi-head PT2399 delay I've been working on based on the Binson Echorec. Its taken a lot of inspiration from the Skidmark Sonomatic and DiabloChris's Sagan Delay. It has basic controls for Mix, Swell (Feedback) and Delay time, with 4 switches to select what heads are active. Unlike the Echorec with a max delay around 310-340ms, this goes up to about 800ms. Each head compounds into the other, so the ratio's of all delay heads are the same as a true Echorec. When you have multiple heads active, it creates a really cool sounding effect, something you don't hear anywhere else.

All in all, this is a really cool pedal. I'm really happy with how it turned out, and even if you aren't looking for Dark side tones, I think that it would be a very versatile grab-and-go pedal that would work in plenty of situations.

Luna-Obscura_1.jpg

Luna-Obscura_2.jpg



(EDIT: Added the demo)
 
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Clean build of a well thought-out design. Very interested in hearing the new sounds in the PT2399 Echo Rec section. Is that a pin header on the side connecting both boards?
 
That's super-cool! Looks like relay bypass too!

How is your relay bypass implemented? Latching or non-latching relays? Are you using the simple 555 timer scheme or a microcontroller?

What are those 16-pin SMD ICs, looks like four of them towards the right end of the PCB?
 
That's super-cool! Looks like relay bypass too!

How is your relay bypass implemented? Latching or non-latching relays? Are you using the simple 555 timer scheme or a microcontroller?

What are those 16-pin SMD ICs, looks like four of them towards the right end of the PCB?

I use a EA2-5NU non-latching relay for my relay bypass. Its using a microcontroller, on a code that I've been working on for a few years (I took a lot of inspiration from the CODA Effects relay bypass).

The IC's are SMD PT2399's. For the 4 heads, there needs to be 4 different PT2399's.
 
I use a EA2-5NU non-latching relay for my relay bypass. Its using a microcontroller, on a code that I've been working on for a few years (I took a lot of inspiration from the CODA Effects relay bypass).

The IC's are SMD PT2399's. For the 4 heads, there needs to be 4 different PT2399's.
Man that’s a good build! Do you find the SMD PT2399 less noisy? Or just cheaper and smaller?
 
Man that’s a good build! Do you find the SMD PT2399 less noisy? Or just cheaper and smaller?
A little of all three. I've found that the SMD PT2399's have been a little more consistent than the through hole versions. And when you cram a lot of parts in a small space, the smaller the better (and saving a little bit on cost doesn't hurt either)!
 
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