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Utter Stutter Feedback Looper

Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2013 11:56 am
by paddy398
Good day to you all,
Basically i'm planning on building a feedback looper, seems pretty straight forward. There's some good instructions here: http://experimentalistsanonymous.com...hp?topic=134.0

However, i've just come across this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJR3hRmkWl8

From what i can tell it's a feedback looper with a variable rate knob, acting sort of like a tremolo. I was just wondering if any of you wonderful people have ever come across a schematic for the UTTER STUTTER pedal, or if anyone knows how i would include a variable rate knob?

Peas x

Re: Utter Stutter Feedback Looper

Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2013 12:49 pm
by eatyourguitar
paddy398 wrote:From what i can tell it's a feedback looper with a variable rate knob, acting sort of like a tremolo.


the chk chk boom from ohno is his feedback looper. the schematics on the internet are older than the product. devi eye of god is similar. a very very simple passive circuit. nothing special (although it is one of my favorite toys). the utter stutter is this old thing with a delay pedal built in. it needs power for the delay. most people use feedback loopers with a delay in the loop somewhere so it makes sense that someone would sell it in one box. whats new is the tremolo controlling feedback. I know an easy way to do it.

take this http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=101276.0

but instead of using the LDR as a pot to ground. use it like you would use a 500k or 1M feedback pot on a feedback looper. the same way a feedback pot has only two wires, that is your LDR. your in luck that most LDR will go > 1M dark. anything over 1M pretty much mutes your feedback loop on most pedals.

now you just need to chose a delay circuit from the internet or take something apart. or don't take your delay apart and use send/return jacks. lots of ways to do this.

Re: Utter Stutter Feedback Looper

Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2013 1:17 pm
by Bellyheart
I just opened mine up the other day because I remember looking at it awhile ago and being impressed with how much I paid for few parts. I saw a Ne555 and an optocoupler a few caps and maybe two resistors. I could be off but it was not a whole lot and would be a fun build I'm sure.

Re: Utter Stutter Feedback Looper

Posted: Sun Feb 24, 2013 1:01 pm
by paddy398
Thanks for the replies, very interesting although my lack of in depth knowledge is something of a hindrance. I'm a bit confused with the tremolo circuit you posted, would i use this in conjunction with the feedback looper circuit or is it a feedback looper with tremolo? Sorry i'm new to this and still pretty useless. Any chance you could explain it in simpler terms? Thanks a lot for your time

Re: Utter Stutter Feedback Looper

Posted: Sun Feb 24, 2013 1:42 pm
by Bellyheart
Yeah, I didn't follow that either. I looked at it again and it's one resistor one elect cap one tanta cap the 555 and the optocoupler. At least from what I saw. I think the pin out of the IC allows you to control the rate. The wiring is what makes the feedback happen.

Re: Utter Stutter Feedback Looper

Posted: Sun Feb 24, 2013 2:03 pm
by paddy398
Do you know what an optocoupler is/what it does? Apologies again for my lack of knowledge, i realise it must be frustrating haha
Thanks a lot

Re: Utter Stutter Feedback Looper

Posted: Sun Feb 24, 2013 4:03 pm
by paddy398
It's ok i've done a bit of reading and have a vague understanding...
Would anyone be able to draw up a very simple diagram showing how i might build a utter stutter type pedal? Schematics terrify me so would prefer to avoid them for now.
Thanks a lot

Re: Utter Stutter Feedback Looper

Posted: Sun Feb 24, 2013 5:15 pm
by Bellyheart
I don't know how nor do I think it's cool with L, but if you acquire a 555 IC there are a lot of projects you can learn and eventually apply to something similar to the utter stutter, maybe even something crazier. If you got a breadboard you could do it quick.

Re: Utter Stutter Feedback Looper

Posted: Sun Feb 24, 2013 9:24 pm
by eatyourguitar
Bellyheart wrote:I just opened mine up the other day because I remember looking at it awhile ago and being impressed with how much I paid for few parts. I saw a Ne555 and an optocoupler a few caps and maybe two resistors. I could be off but it was not a whole lot and would be a fun build I'm sure.


Tom Dalton wrote:ILF's DIY forum is not for cloning small builders' in-production pedals


I can help you with a feedback looper because it is public information since before ohno was making them. feedback looper is nothing special. this new utter stutter is definitely proprietary or at least it WAS till you posted top secret info. I'm not the police but I can only give DIY help from this side of the fence. do what you want, I'm out.

Re: Utter Stutter Feedback Looper

Posted: Sun Feb 24, 2013 11:08 pm
by Dr Satan
I don't think it's a big secret that this is a feedback looper with a tremolo, seeing as how it states that on the manufacturer's website. A quick listen will tell you it uses a square wave LFO for the trem(the information on how to accomplish this has existed probably longer than the maker of this pedal has been alive). Probably the simplest way to obtain a square wave tremolo is with a 555 timer(again, probably older than the maker of this pedal and the information on how to do this is widely available). You can google "feedback looper" and "555 tremolo" and find everything you need. There is nothing proprietary or top secret about it. I opened my Tube Screamer and there were some caps, some resistors, and a 4558 op amp.

Re: Utter Stutter Feedback Looper

Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2013 9:19 am
by eatyourguitar
Dr Satan wrote:I don't think it's a big secret that this is a feedback looper with a tremolo, seeing as how it states that on the manufacturer's website. A quick listen will tell you it uses a square wave LFO for the trem(the information on how to accomplish this has existed probably longer than the maker of this pedal has been alive). Probably the simplest way to obtain a square wave tremolo is with a 555 timer(again, probably older than the maker of this pedal and the information on how to do this is widely available). You can google "feedback looper" and "555 tremolo" and find everything you need. There is nothing proprietary or top secret about it. I opened my Tube Screamer and there were some caps, some resistors, and a 4558 op amp.

I %100 agree but how do you think he would feel if we opened up every new pedal he designs and posted an exact schematic right here on the same forum that he is paying money to support. I posted a LED LDR way of doing it since devi actually posted the part number for the silonex LDR. I took a random guess at what LED blinking circuit might do the oscillator part. there are numerous ways to make a square wave oscillator. 555 is probably the most common. I have never ever ever seen on the internet someone making a feedback looper with a 555 and an optocoupler. it is new to me. I could go and build it right now based on the information in this thread. so far a real schematic has not been posted on THIS forum YET (wink wink) and I think it should stay that way. the people that can reverse engineer from a product description will always figure it out even if it is not totally identical to the thing they are trying to replicate. you can't stop them. this includes you and me both. but maybe we should stop and think about how posting step by step cloning instructions for one of our very own ILF builders may affect other people or break forum rules? I am not going to flag or report anything. I just don't see how I should break forum rules myself when I have been warned before.

Re: Utter Stutter Feedback Looper

Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2013 12:17 pm
by Bellyheart
No one posted a schematic or plans on it…or is making one.

Re: Utter Stutter Feedback Looper

Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2013 12:44 pm
by eatyourguitar
Bellyheart wrote:No one posted a schematic or plans on it…or is making one.

you posted all the information I need to go and build one right now. maybe its a semantic argument that we should not debate each other on. who knows. I say if you want to build one, do it. just don't post specific info about it on this forum if it breaks Tom's rules and gets PM's from him. I got a PM about posting info on the regular feedback looper that everyone already knows about. is Tom being too sensitive on this grey area? maybe, maybe not. but its not my forum so I just do what I'm told. if you want to draw a schematic, you own the schematic. you can post it on FSB for all to see. no problem.
:hug:

Re: Utter Stutter Feedback Looper

Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2013 1:28 pm
by Bellyheart
For what it's worth I forgot one component and no values were mentioned

Re: Utter Stutter Feedback Looper

Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2013 4:00 pm
by Dr Satan
I don't think the ones who can and will build their own pedal are the target audience for any pedal builder. Devi has no problems selling her pedals and she supplies schematics, and DIY kits for most of her pedals. OP wants to build a pedal like the UTTER STUTTER for themselves to use. My guess is because the $175 price tag is too much. Is helping the OP keeping OHNOHO from making a sale or is the $175 price tag keeping OHNOHO from making a sale?