Madbean AquaBaby Delay (DM-2 clone with modulation)

[coltonius]

Build Rating

4.00 star(s)

After spending a bit of time with the AquaBaby, I've decided to share my thoughts on the project and sound.

The Good:

• The PCB and build doc are high quality, which I've come to expect from Madbean's projects
• This PCB specifically was green, which I prefer when/if I need to troubleshoot. It's easier to shine a light through and make sure there aren't any broken traces or bridged connections. (My first AquaBaby PCB was black, and I ended up scrapping it due to some unknown error that I couldn't track down..)
• For a short delay, it sounds really good! It has Goldilocks repeats: not too bright and not too dark. With the Mix down, Repeats up, and Modulation on, they kind of smear into a sort of faux reverb type of ambience.

The Okay:

• On a pedal that's prone to noise, I would have liked board mounted pots. As you can see, they aren't. I believe this is to easily allow enclosure options, though it does make for a less neat board with long-ish leads between the PCB and pots. I used insulated wiring for the Input and Output to cut noise as well.
• The guts aren't as neat as I prefer, and I blame myself for not taking more time with the layout. Side jacks would have been a better move, even in a 125B: shorter leads could have prevented me from having to use insulated wiring.
• As @MichaelW has succinctly stated, the modulation feels like a bit of an afterthought. To me, it's really subtle. I don't know if it's my LDR (a 9203 from a batch sourced from Small Bear) or the short delay time, but I'm not getting the seasick repeats I'd expect. This is kind of a moot point, I guess, since the daughterboard is no longer available.

The Conclusion:

• Generally speaking, short delay times aren't really my thing. I'd prefer more than the AquaBaby can give, but I did know that going into the project.
• If you dig the DM-2, it's a worthwhile project for sure. In retrospect, the AquaBoy with its 550ms delay would have been a better choice for me.
• Any hiccups with this build were entirely of my own making. I do not fault Madbean for them!

And now for some photos. The enclosure is a hydro dip from Gear Ant, who you can find on Instagram or at gearant.com. The man has talent!

 

[Phil hodson]

+1 for Gear Ant enclosures they are amazing.

 

[bean]

It's a difficult build and you are right - PCB mounted pots would be better but it was the only way to get it in a 1590B. I used to do a 125B version that had those way back when. Anyway, looks good! I dig the wraparound art.