New Madbean Current Lover and Klon Buffers - Incompatible? Squealing Issue

[Fingolfen]

So I just built a few of the new Madbean Current Lover pedals - and a friend sent me a video with a lot of oscillation, etc. that I hadn't heard when I'd tested the pedal. I think I've narrowed down the problem, but I'm not sure it makes sense.

(Pardon the REALLY rough videos, dust, and wife bringing the cat in)

The pedal sounds clean when I test it at the front of the signal chain:

It sounds pretty clean when I test it near the end with no Klon (with Klon buffered bypass) in the signal chain:

When there is a Klon in the chain in front of it though:

I can also get it to make noise when I activate a compressor in front of it... though not as much.

So... thoughts? Is this something intrinsic to the EM design or something else???

 

[Guardians of the analog]

nothing new, many flangers and delays with clocks do this. There was a recent thread about an analog delay and DEM not playing nice together. Classic EHX

 

[Fingolfen]

nothing new, many flangers and delays with clocks do this. There was a recent thread about an analog delay and DEM not playing nice together. Classic EHX

Any handy tips on making the two play nice? Two sides of an effect loop or something?

 

[Guardians of the analog]

Any handy tips on making the two play nice? Two sides of an effect loop or something?

don't run them together. Sometimes the answer is not what people wanna hear. Strymon stuff can be good for messing with clocks in flangers and delays. Buffers and charge pumps like the klon style are notorious for bringing the noise in these vintage circuits.

 

[Big Monk]

New power supply might help.

The TREX Fuel Tank has shared grounds on the 9vDC. Scratch that. You have the Chameleon, not the classic.

Like Chris said though, even that might not help. Some circuits don't play well with BBD stuff with clocks. Shit, I've got a Cepheid that doesn't play nice with itself.

 

[Fingolfen]

I was only powering the EM through the t-rex, everything else was powered by my cleverly hidden 1Spot...

What about a Klon where you can go true bypass like the AionFX one?

 

[Big Monk]

I was only powering the EM through the t-rex, everything else was powered by my cleverly hidden 1Spot...

What about a Klon where you can go true bypass like the AionFX one?

It’s the charge pump causing the issue. It’s a known thing.

 

[Fingolfen]

It’s the charge pump causing the issue. It’s a known thing.

Gotcha, so even going with a true bypass wouldn't help? I'm just trying to figure out how the charge pump on a deactivated Klon in true bypass would be talking to the EM - especially if the EM is on a completely different isolated power supply.

 

[Big Monk]

Gotcha, so even going with a true bypass wouldn't help? I'm just trying to figure out how the charge pump on a deactivated Klon in true bypass would be talking to the EM - especially if the EM is on a completely different isolated power supply.

It has nothing to do with the bypass. You've got frequency based switching noise from the Klon charge pump (could be any circuit's charge pump) sneaking into the CL, through power most likely, and being picked up by the clock.

I've begun avoiding charge pumps whenever possible.

 

[Big Monk]

This is also a scenario that makes me seriously reconsider whether these power supplies are actually isolated.

In theory, this should NOT happen if the power feed AND ground is isolated.

 

[Harry Klippton]

Tone is in the squeal. Just embrace it and be free

 

[Fingolfen]

This is also a scenario that makes me seriously reconsider whether these power supplies are actually isolated.

In theory, this should NOT happen if the power feed AND ground is isolated.

I'd tend to agree... of course, it depends how far back in the chain you have to go to get "isolation"

I was running everything but the Electric Mistress on the 1SPOT, and the EM on the T-rex, but both are going into the same surge suppressor ...

 

[Fingolfen]

Just some more info - The guy that first found the issue and gave me the heads up was running a Strymon Zuma power supply, and I think his Klon was an Archer...

 

[Guardians of the analog]

Just some more info - The guy that first found the issue and gave me the heads up was running a Strymon Zuma power supply, and I think his Klon was an Archer...

John Mayer? I hate that guy

 

[Fingolfen]

John Mayer? I hate that guy

Nah, John's got an actual OG Klon...

 

[Guardians of the analog]

Nah, John's got an actual OG Klon...

I didn't think it was possible to hate him more, yet here we are
Clearly you have to have the klone in your setup, which means potential issues with other flangers/delays down the road. Luckily this exists...no charge pump and true bypass.

SKELEKLONE MK.II – Effects Layouts

 

[Fingolfen]

I didn't think it was possible to hate him more, yet here we are
Clearly you have to have the klone in your setup, which means potential issues with other flangers/delays down the road. Luckily this exists...no charge pump and true bypass.

SKELEKLONE MK.II – Effects Layouts

Thanks! I'll check it out... EL stuff is usually fairly awesome...

That being said... the JM side gets better though...

John Mayer signs fan’s Klon Centaur onstage and marks his specific settings

One lucky gig-goer received some special tone advice from the Sob Rock star himself, who divulged his go-to Klon settings

www.guitarworld.com

John Mayer signs fan’s Klon Centaur onstage and marks his specific settings​

By Matt Owen published May 11, 2022
One lucky gig-goer received some special tone advice from the Sob Rock star himself, who divulged his go-to Klon settings

 

[Diynot]

Chiming in late and behind others more steeped in EM usage/lore than I, but I ran some tests with with my Old Chap and Kliche and sure enough I get a faint whistle/whine in time to the rate. I first noticed it with other clock bearing devices upstream. At the suggestion of @blackhatboojum I built a simple Jfet buffer, but that didn’t stop it. Tried it with a boss pedal between the kliche and Old Chap and it’s still there. Meh, damn thing is too freaking good sounding to chalk it up as a loss though.

 

[Big Monk]

Chiming in late and behind others more steeped in EM usage/lore than I, but I ran some tests with with my Old Chap and Kliche and sure enough I get a faint whistle/whine in time to the rate. I first noticed it with other clock bearing devices upstream. At the suggestion of @blackhatboojum I built a simple Jfet buffer, but that didn’t stop it. Tried it with a boss pedal between the kliche and Old Chap and it’s still there. Meh, damn thing is too freaking good sounding to chalk it up as a loss though.

Power supply?

 

[Diynot]

Power supply?

The old chap is an 18v so it is on a dedicated Dunlop wall wart the rest is all one spot