Boss pedals appreciation thread

[goroth]

Ok, I understand now - thanks dudes.

[bigchiefbc]

Yeah, Slicer is more than just a tremolo, because with each chop it also bandpass-filters your signal so you only get a frequency "slice" of your signal, and the filter follows a pattern. The only other similar thing to a Slicer would be the Moog MURF. The difference with the MURF is that you have more control over what frequencies are used in each pattern. But the Boss has MIDI sync and fun techy stuff.

[Mudfuzz]

I thought the murf was midi.. not sure though off hand how much control it actually gives you...

[bigchiefbc]

Actually yeah, the new Murfs are MIDI, the old ones weren't.

[univalve]

But seriously, would a Goatkeeper get you in the ballpark of those sounds? Or are they two tooootally different effects? I kinda couldn't work out what I was hearing from the demos I listened to.

Not really. They are both tremolos, the goatkeeper is highly adjustable, the slicer is "just" a pattern based choping tremolo.
The goatkeeper can do 4 steps of sequenced choping (depth control of the tremolo) that may sound like the slicer on specific settings. But that overlap is minimal. The slicer has far more and complex patterns that are not possible to adjust with the goatkeeper. Plus 2 of the 5 banks are with modulation.

Slicer unique features:
- MIDI in: it syncs to a MIDI click
- Looping of sliced sounds (wet only), tight to the click , you can only play with your dry signal over it which means no overdubs of slicer sounds (and general no overdubs in that built-in mini-looper)
- 50 patterns that are not editable (like take it or leave it), 20 with modulation: so there is minimal possibility of adjusting things to your needs.
- stereo ins and outs (that really blows your mind with headphones)

Goatkeeper unique features:
- 4 step sequencer, for each step the division can be set (triples etc.): so very unique tremolo design possible
- LFO: different waveshapes and the possibility to record your own wave shapes, LFO out that is CV compatible and works with Moogerfooger, Boss DSD-2 etc. Even if the goatkeeper tremolo effect is bypassed the LFO send still works
- syncs to an audio click signal

[goroth]

That was the mother of all explanations univalve. Nice work!

[univalve]

Welcome!

[Adoom]

Badass sir, badass.

[bigchiefbc]

But seriously, would a Goatkeeper get you in the ballpark of those sounds? Or are they two tooootally different effects? I kinda couldn't work out what I was hearing from the demos I listened to.

Not really. They are both tremolos, the goatkeeper is highly adjustable, the slicer is "just" a pattern based choping tremolo.
The goatkeeper can do 4 steps of sequenced choping (depth control of the tremolo) that may sound like the slicer on specific settings. But that overlap is minimal. The slicer has far more and complex patterns that are not possible to adjust with the goatkeeper. Plus 2 of the 5 banks are with modulation.

Slicer unique features:
- MIDI in: it syncs to a MIDI click
- Looping of sliced sounds (wet only), tight to the click , you can only play with your dry signal over it which means no overdubs of slicer sounds (and general no overdubs in that built-in mini-looper)
- 50 patterns that are not editable (like take it or leave it), 20 with modulation: so there is minimal possibility of adjusting things to your needs.
- stereo ins and outs (that really blows your mind with headphones)

Goatkeeper unique features:
- 4 step sequencer, for each step the division can be set (triples etc.): so very unique tremolo design possible
- LFO: different waveshapes and the possibility to record your own wave shapes, LFO out that is CV compatible and works with Moogerfooger, Boss DSD-2 etc. Even if the goatkeeper tremolo effect is bypassed the LFO send still works
- syncs to an audio click signal

Except the slicer isn't just a tremolo. There is some sort of filtering going on there as well. There are several patterns where the frequency of the signal noticeably shifts from step to step, and creates an arpeggiating effect. The Goatkeeper can't do that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgkZDox3t2A&t=3m1s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wMzUIkaZ-I&t=5m33s

[univalve]

But seriously, would a Goatkeeper get you in the ballpark of those sounds? Or are they two tooootally different effects? I kinda couldn't work out what I was hearing from the demos I listened to.

Not really. They are both tremolos, the goatkeeper is highly adjustable, the slicer is "just" a pattern based choping tremolo.
The goatkeeper can do 4 steps of sequenced choping (depth control of the tremolo) that may sound like the slicer on specific settings. But that overlap is minimal. The slicer has far more and complex patterns that are not possible to adjust with the goatkeeper. Plus 2 of the 5 banks are with modulation.

Slicer unique features:
- MIDI in: it syncs to a MIDI click
- Looping of sliced sounds (wet only), tight to the click , you can only play with your dry signal over it which means no overdubs of slicer sounds (and general no overdubs in that built-in mini-looper)
- 50 patterns that are not editable (like take it or leave it), 20 with modulation: so there is minimal possibility of adjusting things to your needs.
- stereo ins and outs (that really blows your mind with headphones)

Goatkeeper unique features:
- 4 step sequencer, for each step the division can be set (triples etc.): so very unique tremolo design possible
- LFO: different waveshapes and the possibility to record your own wave shapes, LFO out that is CV compatible and works with Moogerfooger, Boss DSD-2 etc. Even if the goatkeeper tremolo effect is bypassed the LFO send still works
- syncs to an audio click signal

Except the slicer isn't just a tremolo. There is some sort of filtering going on there as well. There are several patterns where the frequency of the signal noticeably shifts from step to step, and creates an arpeggiating effect. The Goatkeeper can't do that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgkZDox3t2A&t=3m1s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wMzUIkaZ-I&t=5m33s

[bigchiefbc]

But seriously, would a Goatkeeper get you in the ballpark of those sounds? Or are they two tooootally different effects? I kinda couldn't work out what I was hearing from the demos I listened to.

Not really. They are both tremolos, the goatkeeper is highly adjustable, the slicer is "just" a pattern based choping tremolo.
The goatkeeper can do 4 steps of sequenced choping (depth control of the tremolo) that may sound like the slicer on specific settings. But that overlap is minimal. The slicer has far more and complex patterns that are not possible to adjust with the goatkeeper. Plus 2 of the 5 banks are with modulation.

Slicer unique features:
- MIDI in: it syncs to a MIDI click
- Looping of sliced sounds (wet only), tight to the click , you can only play with your dry signal over it which means no overdubs of slicer sounds (and general no overdubs in that built-in mini-looper)
- 50 patterns that are not editable (like take it or leave it), 20 with modulation: so there is minimal possibility of adjusting things to your needs.
- stereo ins and outs (that really blows your mind with headphones)

Goatkeeper unique features:
- 4 step sequencer, for each step the division can be set (triples etc.): so very unique tremolo design possible
- LFO: different waveshapes and the possibility to record your own wave shapes, LFO out that is CV compatible and works with Moogerfooger, Boss DSD-2 etc. Even if the goatkeeper tremolo effect is bypassed the LFO send still works
- syncs to an audio click signal

Except the slicer isn't just a tremolo. There is some sort of filtering going on there as well. There are several patterns where the frequency of the signal noticeably shifts from step to step, and creates an arpeggiating effect. The Goatkeeper can't do that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgkZDox3t2A&t=3m1s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wMzUIkaZ-I&t=5m33s

Ah, my bad. I guess I didn't understand that you mean that filtered arpeggiation as modulation. So the modulation on the goatkeeper, is it capable of the arpeggiated effect that the slicer does? Or is it some other kind of modulation?

[univalve]

Ah, my bad. I guess I didn't understand that you mean that filtered arpeggiation as modulation. So the modulation on the goatkeeper, is it capable of the arpeggiated effect that the slicer does? Or is it some other kind of modulation?

The goatkeeper has no modulation (Filter, Pitch, Chorus etc.) except the volume alternation (if we call that also modulation - that may be the point why i got misunderstood - sorry about that). It is really only tremolo. But the LFO out can e.g. feed a Moogerfooger Chorus/Flanger FLUX (--> synced tremolo and chorus/flanger).
So partly the slicer patches 1-29 may be reproduced by the goatkeeper. But that is really the smaller part that may work. These are only choped tremolo (volume alternation) sounds.
Patches 30-49 are outstanding unique slicer effects that i never heard before (except on the 90ies techno stuff ). These are in the core choped tremolo sounds plus modulation, filtering etc.

[hbombgraphics]

it sounds like the only reasonable thing to do is buy a goatkeeper and a slicer

[zRobertez]

I use a TU-2 and sometimes a DS-1 although I lose like all my low end with that. My CE-5 and BD-2 were pretty good if I'm remembering their numbers right. The PH-3 might have been one of the worst pedals I'd ever played. I think I sold it within a couple days of getting it.

[madmax1012]

I'm gonna buy an RV-3 soon. So many bands I love have made it a part of their sound, so i must have one.