Bit crushers and a quick Frantabit review

[solewheelin]

Aside from the awesome cascading bit crushed sounds I get from my wolf computer, I just got what I would say is my first true bit crusher pedal.
After some time spent with it, the Frantabit does some amazing tricks. I'm loving the sample rate knob and I can really get some deep, unpredictable deep vibrations on different spots of my fretboard. As if it makes your guitar into a new instrument. This pedal is this freaking magic and I haven't even plugged in an expression pedal yet.
And I love that the sample rate knob sounds as if it has a dual purpose. A simultaneous rise and drop on the sample rate but in such a beautiful way.
I do find that rolling the bit depth knob anywhere before 3:00 gets too dirty and seems to choke the tone. I gotta look into it.

The one thing I learned after I got the Frantabit is that it is a completely digital pedal. No big deal. So far so good but for now i'm keeping it first in my chain.
But is there something out there thats an even simpler bit crusher with a completely analog circuit? I know Luck duck pedals had the 8 bit duck but thats not too easy to spot at this point.
I'm looking for the cleanest bit crushed sounds with the simplest controls if that makes sense.
If I can't find what I want, I can just have one made buy one of you guys

[Uncle Grandfather]

Catalinbread Heliotrope is the only analogue "bitcrusher" I've heard of......technically because it's analogue there is no actual bit crushing going but it sounds like it. Here is a demo I made of the clone I have, I've got allmost all of the available bitcrushers on the market and the heliotrope does a pretty good job of sounding like its crushing bits, though unique.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j93PeTAGFgY[/youtube]

[rembrandtvanrijn]

I have a frantabit but not had much time to play with it yet. Does anyone have examples of songs with bitcrushers used in a band context? Just curious.

[goroth]

Bit crushing can only be done digitally.
I wouldn't worry about where the frantabit is in your chain - at least not just because it is digital.

Anything analogue is sample rate reduction. Parasit Studios has a nice simple sample rate reducer.

[solewheelin]

Maybe i need to more understand the difference between bit crushing and true analog sample rate reduction.
Thanks Goroth. Yes, Parasit studios Sonic Reducer looks to be closer to what i'm looking for but they seem to be in Sweden. Was hoping to find a maker in the US.
The Heliotrope didn't tickle my pickle when I first heard it but i'll spend more time listening. I'll let you know more of what I think when I get my headphones.
thanks

[lordgalvar]

Freppo is a good designer dude man! Support him. Get somebody around here to build the Sonic Reducer for you. (and get a dminner/Satellite enclosure!)

[behndy]

But is there something out there thats an even simpler bit crusher with a completely analog circuit? I know Luck duck pedals had the 8 bit duck but thats not too easy to spot at this point.

Luck Duck dooder was a complete asshole that i had to bad-PR bully into getting a full refund on a pedal he sent that sounded meh and had a constant whine that he said was an unavoidable "feature". doucher that i would never give money to.

also, he's an idiot for advertising an Analog Bit Crusher. bits only happen in the digital realm. sample rate reduction is different butts.

[Tristan]

For all I know true sample rate reduction is digital only as well, there's some analog pedals that feature similar sounds though.

[behndy]

truth.

i guess you can just get closer to SRR with analog approaches?

[solewheelin]

Freppo is a good designer dude man! Support him. Get somebody around here to build the Sonic Reducer for you. (and get a dminner/Satellite enclosure!)

Awesome.
I definitely just realized that I could do that after looking more at the website. And just 2 knobs. Very cool.
I'd also be interested in this dminner (seen that guy around) Satellite enclosure.

[solewheelin]

But is there something out there thats an even simpler bit crusher with a completely analog circuit? I know Luck duck pedals had the 8 bit duck but thats not too easy to spot at this point.

Luck Duck dooder was a complete asshole that i had to bad-PR bully into getting a full refund on a pedal he sent that sounded meh and had a constant whine that he said was an unavoidable "feature". doucher that i would never give money to.

also, he's an idiot for advertising an Analog Bit Crusher. bits only happen in the digital realm. sample rate reduction is different butts.

You learn something new everyday. Thanks for the heads up on that.
Sample rate reducers and bit-crushers are kind of new to me. I have two ring modulators which seem to be similar sounding.

[coldbrightsunlight]

For all I know true sample rate reduction is digital only as well, there's some analog pedals that feature similar sounds though.

It is, because that's what the sample rate refers to. The sample rate is the frequency at which the ADC takes a sample of the continuous analog signal.

[Tristan]

Yep, I didn't want to go all technical but that's what it is.

[goroth]

True. But in the case of the heliotrope it is pure analogue, with the transistor being turned off and on a high frequency which gives the illusion of sample rate reduction. heliotrope would have been rad with a gate to get rid of the carrier noise, and a decent tone control.

[behndy]

Malekko dood bro has some bad history with customer service too, not as shitty a person as Luck Dick, but man. the Scrutator sounds GOOD.