Dapper Bandit

The Frantabit is a hell of a lot of bitcrusher, for sure. I also have an Ottobit and the bitcrushing side of that is probably 85% of the way there, the Frantabit does get a bit raunchier though. The Ottobit will definitely do the whole Gameboy arpeggiated sound, it has a 6 step sequencer built in. However I'm not sure how wallet friendly either of those options are you, I believe there is a franta for sale on here though?

[quote name='Al Krow' timestamp='1510308367' post='3405431'] But if we're getting into the realms of £500 multifx pedals in the shape of the H9, then surely not then far to go to Line 6 Helix LT which does everything the H9 does and a whole lot more? [/quote] That is more of an apples/oranges situation, I would say. I own a Helix rack which is my headphone amp/recording interface. It does everything I ask of it, amp sims sound great and a lot of the fx are very good but the Eventide stuff really is a cut above. Certainly as far as the Timefactor, Pitchfactor and Space algorithms go, they all do things that the Helix can't really touch. That said the Helix would probably get you 80-90% of the way there depending on your needs. For just a straight octave down any of these options are probably overkill in all honesty but if you like reverse-delayed pitchshifting and other oddities then Eventide is the way forward IMO.

[quote name='owen' timestamp='1510252733' post='3405101'] If the Pitchfactor is all that then the H9 will be all that and more, no? [/quote] I would say so. I bought all the factor pedals before the H9 came out so I haven't had any experience with it but if the algorithms are the same then the H9 would totally be the way to go!

In Taylor's defence I remember he had a lot of issues when he was dealing with Prymaxe and other retailers adding confusion to his business and he scaled everything right back to the fairly simple operation that it is now. As I recall it's a small operation (one guy designing/building and I think the enclosures are done by another guy) and rather than have waitlists he now produces small batches as required when the last ones sell out. Like I have said previously he is a great guy to deal with and has scaled back to best balance demand/expectations with their output abilities.

Hi Zach, cool to see you're present on this forum! Will definitely keep an eye on the IE site, Taylor might have to give you comission on all the sales of these. Just want to take a quick moment to let you know that you are probably one of the best pedal-guys on youtube. I picked up your ep on CDbaby recently, have you got plans to release more in future? Sorry for the derail, back to pedal-lusting now...

The new Iron Ether is a very exciting release, for sure! Looks like it might cover a lot of the ground that I was using the Subterranea and then some! Zach already said in his review but this looks like a unique synth pedal and I'm pretty surprised to see that such a thing was even possible. I almost certainly will be picking one up in the future, Taylor never fails to amaze!

I would certainly say so. I'm at a point on my journey of effects where I'm pretty happy with the stuff that they are renting but if pedal rental had existed earlier in life then it would have been an immense help, for sure! Plus I don't live on the mainland so everything takes longer when it comes to the postal service but I honestly think the best thing to do would be to rent a couple/few filters at once if you can and set aside a day for a shootout. Wish I lived on the mainland, I think I would probably end up renting a few myself!

The Timefactor is a beast of a pedal, it's basically my spirit animal. I see you're looking at the Nemesis, which is a similar "big box" delay and whilst I haven't used that the Timefactor is simple as pie to use. The screen can display bpm, tempo and what every knob is actually doing which is a massive help. The tape echo is near indistinguishable from the Strymon el Capistan and every parameter can be controlled over expression pedal. Having recently compared it to a Boss DD500 I found that, for me, there is still no comparison.

If I had to choose one it would be the 3leaf Wonderlove, the effects loop is a massive game changer for me. And this is compared to a 00funk (sadly departed), Xerograph Deluxe (which I still have) and the Robot Factory Meatwad (not so sadly departed) I had years ago. Filters are massively subjective though, I've seen my favourite at the bottom of a few people's lists over time which just goes to show that one man's funk is another's junk.

[quote name='ordep' timestamp='1505912102' post='3375155'] my favorites are: for solo'ed octave down: OC2 (sounds fatter than the clones) for Subs: Solo'ed Octave down on the Eventide H9/pitchfactor. That thing is nasty. [/quote] Got to say I agree with you on the Eventide totally. Even compared to a Meatbox (Hi Cameron!) it still comes out on top for me. Used it for a dub section of a song my old band played and it would completely fill the room with molar-rattling sub frequencies. We tried to record the song and the microphones used didn't pick up the lowest notes! That said in the realm of OC2 tones my favourite is the Octabvre mkii which conveniently has every 3leaf flavour of octaves in it, the increased volume and sub switch makes it the swiss army knife of OC2s, although with the exchange rate being as it is you really have to want that sort of sound!

So it arrived on Friday and I've put a few hours in on it so far. I've got to say that I am very impressed. A little background, I am out of playing live for the foreseeable future so this is a headphone amp/recording interface and for me there is a marked increase in quality over the HD series. The amps (doubly so for guitar) have a lot more depth and space to them. The effects quality is much improved (the bubble vibrato sounds really close to my VB-2W as one example). I've no reason to think this would be any different used as a preamp with a FRFR setup. Only really messed around with the factory presets so far but as of now I would say this was a wise investment!

I've got to say, I think every Eric Gales video I've seen has been tradeshow based so I may have to look him up again. He's clearly a player with phenomenal chops so it would be interesting to see how he normally uses them.

I've seen some stuff with Mono that is just jaw-dropping (a microtonal soul band and his mental playalong videos come to mind) but I can't say I'm a fan of this one. Eric always strays into the "lookatmelookatmelookatme" school of playing IMO YMMV and it doesn't shake this particular tailfeather. Mononeon is well worth further investigation by everyone though, certainly a unique voice on the instrument!

On an unrelated note I'm pretty sure I have the box set of Leningrad Cowboys movies in the to watch pile, is it worth bumping it up to the top?

Oh yeah, definitely planning on updating straight off the bat! Not on Facebook but apparently I can have a little browse though the group and there is certainly some food for thought to be found there. Not going to lie, I'm pretty excited about getting this, more than I have for a new piece of gear for quite a while!

[quote name='planer' timestamp='1494334246' post='3295052'] 2. It's hard not to feel at least a little isolated from the music wearing earplugs and unless everyone does it, it's just not cool. [/quote] A few years ago I played in a band that opened for a group called Conan. They were terrifyingly loud, in a pub they were using 2 full guitar stacks (4 4x12s) and two full bass rigs (1 x 8x10, 1 4x10 and 1 1x15) plus full PA support! I was stood as far back as I could with ear plugs in and it was still too much as pint glasses were shook from the shelves behind the bar. Imagine my dismay as I watch a crowd of young chaps without ear protection right at the front sticking their heads directly in front of cabinets for "the full experience". It may not be cool but this whole "maximum amplification ensures maximum results" philosophy does need the caveat that you need protection for maximum enjoyment.

They sound different for sure, they are different tunings after all. Having had a conversation with another musician at work about this very video which involved the immortal line "Hitler invented 440 standard tuning because the higher pitch made everyone that heard it anxious. Because they were anxious he could redirect all their negative energy into starting WWII" I'm kind of worn out on the whole debate. Use what sounds good. Surely you could tune to D standard and then everything would sound twice as better because you're tuned even lower?

I've got a set on my fretless that do the job just fine, I used the d'addario tension charts to put together a set from Strings Direct and I was delighted to find that they were exactly as promised tension wise. I did have to go down a couple of gauges compared to my preference in roundwounds so I would definitely check out the tension calculator that d'addario has before buying.

You can get a good set of earplugs for not a huge amount of cash. I noticed I was getting a faint ringing after every band practise and thought it prudent to get something before it got worse and it was the best choice I ever made. I bought a set for about £25 and it made long practises and gigs that involved me cranking an 8x10 in every setting much more bearable from a health perspective and also watching other bands.

So curiosity got the better of me and I have a Helix rack incoming! Didn't have chance to try on out prior as I live on an island and one music shop we have doesn't really do it for me but as my POD HD is starting to give up the ghost I feel confident this was the right move.

[quote name='Paulhauser' timestamp='1489650188' post='3258584'] Here is one pic with my Spectors then :-) [attachment=240724:17269383_1469388653093553_2000809018_o.jpg] [/quote] Is that a pink Spector I spy? Very nice indeed, always had a soft spot for a pink instrument (fnar fnar)!