SMM w/ Hazarai...Any alternatives?

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Dheuthymos
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Re: SMM w/ Hazarai...Any alternatives?

Post by Dheuthymos »

vidret wrote:i ditched my smmh for a particle, el cap and a deluxe pitch pirate. :lol:

cons with the smmh:

- doesn't do oscillation swirlies when twisting time knob
- doesn't do oscillation that well at all (that cool analogish shit)
I mean it phases thru the time settings as you go, so it's not a true "swirl", but I think the SMMH does oscillation really well. :idk:
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Re: SMM w/ Hazarai...Any alternatives?

Post by Dheuthymos »

I personally think the SMMH is freaking awesome. it's very intuitive, the tap tempo and multitap modes make sense, the reverse is cool, the looper is easy to master, and there's some secret osci goodies for the clever knob tweaker.


It may not be as wild as an IC Water or a Timeline, but it's a great standard delay that's never been knocked off my board.
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Re: SMM w/ Hazarai...Any alternatives?

Post by Invisible Man »

vidret wrote:go for it. i think it's awesome, it's just one of those pedals where it would be so easy to change a couple of things and it would be perfect, but they haven't done it.

- put reverb on incoming signal as well as echoes
- oscillations
- time changes pitch up/down

done. maybe something more on the modulation mode.
Fix volume drop
Add a third footswitch (bypass, dedicated tap, more typical 'two stomp' looper switch)
Better sounding delays
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Re: SMM w/ Hazarai...Any alternatives?

Post by frigid midget »

Dheuthymos wrote:I personally think the SMMH is freaking awesome. it's very intuitive, the tap tempo and multitap modes make sense, the reverse is cool, the looper is easy to master, and there's some secret osci goodies for the clever knob tweaker.


It may not be as wild as an IC Water or a Timeline, but it's a great standard delay that's never been knocked off my board.
I read complaints about the volume dropping when the effect's on. It's apparantly not easy noticeable, and might be more about a slight change in mids/frequency, but still...So what's your experience with that?

Also, some say it's not easy to find good 'regular' digital delay settings between the different wacky sounds...:idk:
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Re: SMM w/ Hazarai...Any alternatives?

Post by Invisible Man »

Both are accurate. But there are a lot of 'normal' delays out there that are cheap, small, and easy to deal with. I don't remember if it was in this thread, but I agree with the sentiment that having a digital delay that 'does it all' is kinda dumb. Having one utility delay and one (or more) weirdo delay is a cool way to go. SMMH is a great weirdo delay.

But the volume drop thing is legit. It's not huge, but it's definitely there, and really shouldn't have ever been an issue. I don't remember it being a psychoacoustic kind of thing, or a matter of cut frequencies--your whole signal just kinda fades about 7-10%.
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Re: SMM w/ Hazarai...Any alternatives?

Post by Ev_O))) »

I swear to god I remember that dude who does the Effectology YT series saying you can kind of overcome the perceived vol drop by plugging a "dummy plug" into the second/right input while running the pedal in Mono

I've never played one though so someone's gonna have to confirm I guess.
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Re: SMM w/ Hazarai...Any alternatives?

Post by voerking »

the volume drop is because when you turn up the effected signal, the dry signal gets reduced. that pedal REALLY needs dedicated wet & dry knobs.

I've had two (maybe even three?) SMM/H pedals. i love the looper & the reverse is cool. all of the other delays are pretty unremarkable. the real appeal (for me) is all the ways the loops can be manipulated - the cool sounding filter, the decay control, the weird way it glitches when you tap a slow tempo while a loop is playing...there are more, but it's been a while since i've owned one...
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Re: SMM w/ Hazarai...Any alternatives?

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Ev_O))) wrote:I swear to god I remember that dude who does the Effectology YT series saying you can kind of overcome the perceived vol drop by plugging a "dummy plug" into the second/right input while running the pedal in Mono

I've never played one though so someone's gonna have to confirm I guess.
There's a lot of mythology about dummy plugs in stereo delays (see: DL4). Don't own one anymore, but I remember hearing about this thing, and I don't remember that it actually worked. But you can send one delay line back into the processor with the stereo I/O...that gets pretty gnarlescent, especially in multi-tap mode :eek:
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Re: SMM w/ Hazarai...Any alternatives?

Post by Invisible Man »

I bought an SMMH for $100. Then I bought a Vexter Fuzz Factory for $100. Really, there's not a lot of stuff (that I like to do, anyway) that can't be accomplished with those two pedals.

Somewhere on my drive, there's a cool sketch that flexes the glitch power of the SMMH. I ran it through a Particle and manipulated a bunch of controls...anyone know how to get at an .aup (Audacity) file? I can't download Audacity to my work computer without permission because these IT guys are hella scared of everything.
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Re: SMM w/ Hazarai...Any alternatives?

Post by Dheuthymos »

Invisible Man wrote:But you can send one delay line back into the processor with the stereo I/O...that gets pretty gnarlescent, especially in multi-tap mode :eek:
This, anyone who wants to hear this thing osci should try plugging it into itself :poke: but what do i know :animal:


As for OP's ? about lowered volume while the effect is on.....I've used mine 3 years with numerous rigs, and I've never had that issue. Maybe I'm lucky.
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Re: SMM w/ Hazarai...Any alternatives?

Post by frigid midget »

So...Let's assume I've got my SSMH on my board real soon, but I still want a true analog delay next to it...

Don't suppose anyone knows of one that has some sort of eq/tone control? I like to be able to make the repeats darker/brighter depending on the tune I'm playing or the mood I'm in...:)

Tap tempo and more than 600ms of delay time would be nice as well, but I guess that'd be asking a lot if I don't wanna break the bank :s
Small and simple would be key words for this one, the smm covers all the hazarai after all. So no need for a large contraption with a bunch of modulation options or anything...

Only ones I could find: Way Huge Supa Puss (lotsa bad reviews saying the aqua puss sounds way better) and EHX Memory Boy Deluxe (apparantly REALLY dark repeats, dispite the tone/cut control).
Last edited by frigid midget on Fri May 27, 2016 8:41 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: SMM w/ Hazarai...Any alternatives?

Post by Tristan »

Deluxe Memory Boy, however it clearly sounds the best with the tone control full open in my opinion, and it isn't that easily accessable on the spot.
Great delay though, less flexible than the Deluxe Memory Man because the sound is darker therefore it less adaptable to rhythmic playing, for ambient styles it is perfect.
Other than that I would recommend the DMM550TT, Supa Puss or Avalanche Run as nice options for what I think you want to do.
Last edited by Tristan on Fri May 27, 2016 8:47 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: SMM w/ Hazarai...Any alternatives?

Post by frigid midget »

This is the reason why the digitech obscura caught my attention. It's compact, seems to manage to convincingly mimmick analog tones, doesn't come with too many useless (to me) extras, AND it's got the degrade and tone control to tweak the shape and color of you the repeats of your basic delay tones...

There don't seem to be too many analog delays out there that can compeet with that, even in a higher price range...:idk:
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Re: SMM w/ Hazarai...Any alternatives?

Post by voerking »

frigid midget wrote: Only ones I could find: Way Huge Supa Puss (lotsa bad reviews saying the aqua puss sounds way better) and EHX Memory Boy Deluxe (apparantly REALLY dark repeats, dispite the tone/cut control).
what about the Way Huge Echo Puss? i thought it was the best sounding of the WH delays.
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Re: SMM w/ Hazarai...Any alternatives?

Post by Tristan »

My opinion on those type of do it all delays is known and clear, high budget or low budget, they all don't sound or feel that great.
Just see if you can try it somewhere and see for yourself.
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