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Octave-down and fuzz?

Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2016 7:15 pm
by sssweatyauraaa
Hey. I know a lot of people are in love with octave-up fuzzes, but what about octave-down??? Just thinking about the handful of octave-down fuzzes from the past few years. On my mind, is the CoPilot Mantis, Catalinbread Perseus, Recovery Couples Skate and of course the MXR Blue Box. What else is out there and what's your experience with them? Do you prefer using an octaver or harmonizer plus the fuzz of your choice? Before or after fuzz? Just trying to pick your brains.

Re: Octave-down and fuzz?

Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2016 7:26 pm
by frigid midget
I ended a similar search with the conclustion that my best bet would be to add something like an ehx pitchfork to my board, to go with my current selection of my fuzz peds :idk:

The octave up/down options on the pitchfork are way more eloborate than what any octave fuzz pedal could offer, and you get the freedom of using it with one or several of your distortion/fuzz pedals, or none of them at all...:idk:

I'm hoping for someone to prove me wrong though :snax:

Re: Octave-down and fuzz?

Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2016 7:59 pm
by Dheuthymos
Does anyone else use a POG2 with a fuzz, and what order should I put it in, POG>FUZZ or v.v? Or should I just get a blue box?

Re: Octave-down and fuzz?

Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2016 8:03 pm
by lordgalvar
-Musitronics Octave Divider -> Just Glorious in every way, stacks well and has a green ringer (can't really beat it)...thing has punch
-MXR Blue Box -> It was fun...I liked it when I had it years ago
-LAL Gomorrah -> Wonderful and glitchy (has some env control) but doesn't bring the real deep lows, but it is awesome and I love it.
-LAL Tone Axe -> Another Divider fuzz with a gate...I like it
-Infanem Second Voice -> I thought it was alright (though it is a pll...including it)..a little sterile and tame to me...just didn't have the character I like
-Subdecay Octasynth -> Another good one. Kinda more synthy, but all of these are in their own way. I think it sounds great and outperforms things like the Bit commander
-Bit Commander -> I thought it was kinda weak sounding up against the octasynth.

Others to think about (and I am sure people will chime in):
-Seppuku Sub-Octave Synth
-Dwarfcraft Gears (didn't really keep it long enough to remember...I kinda remember it being too clean and not fuzzy enough).
-EHX Microsynth

I'd imagine that the Copilot stuff is awesome too (but I haven't used it...just the Broadcast, Caracol, and Planetoid of his).
What about that mini-ark you have?

I personally didn't like running the digitech drop into or after a fuzz...it was fun once, but it was, in a way, less interactive. I like the motion and sounds I can get but altering dynamics, volume, and stuff to change the way a fuzz acts.

There is the seppuku DPM-2, DBA Robot and other stuff too that is a little outside the normal realm.

I'm sure (and would like to hear) other varying opinions...just quickly went through the ones I tried.

Re: Octave-down and fuzz?

Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2016 8:43 pm
by sssweatyauraaa
Yeah the Mini-ark is sweet, but definitely getting into synth territory, it's the size of a Yugo too. Thinking compact and fuzzy. Also forgot about my old DOD Buzz Box, which is pretty killer. I'm not even in the market for this kind of pedal, just on my mind for the past few days. The Gomorrah demos sound sick. Curious to simple DIY circuits that might lean into this territory(if I ever sit to put anything together without throwing things across the room in frustration).

Re: Octave-down and fuzz?

Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2016 8:44 pm
by sssweatyauraaa
Ah, Robot Devil.

Re: Octave-down and fuzz?

Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2016 9:45 pm
by lordgalvar
Freppo/Parasit Studios would have some awesome stuff and also the old Anderton Rocktave Divider...Build the rocktave with a ringer and it would be pretty sweet (maybe a bazz fuss after it or something too).

Actually forgot that Arcaderator does octave down (it's a PWM fuzz) and that is an amazing pedal/design. Raygun Youth, Sidescroller, etc <- all http://www.parasitstudio.se

For the price, the blue box is great (and the output volume can be fixed). Buzz box is the alternative (and probably better version anyway) and you have one...so no need to go there haha.

Re: Octave-down and fuzz?

Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2016 9:52 pm
by tremolo3
Octaver in the Pitchfactor is the only experience I have with an octave-down + fuzz pedal. Shit was fun, but got bored too fast.

Re: Octave-down and fuzz?

Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2016 10:03 pm
by infamousalien
Blue Box is cool. I have one and enjoy using it. You just have to clip one part to fix the volume thing. Super easy. MXR Sub Machine sounds good in the demos but I've never played one in person.

Re: Octave-down and fuzz?

Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2016 11:19 pm
by UglyCasanova
BitQuest dirty pitch shift is really tasty. Plus, you get a shitload of other neat effects in the same box. :thumb:

Re: Octave-down and fuzz?

Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2016 12:14 am
by casecandy
Honestly, there is no better sound to me than octave down and fuzz.

If I could choose one combination of effects until the end of time, it would be guitar into splitter, A octave down into fuzz pedal into bass amp, B fuzz pedal into guitar amp. (Thanks for teaching me how to do this, ILFers!)

I actually hate playing guitar without an octave down at this point, it sucks. I get bored in ten minutes.

Have always wanted a Blue Box (because of Zeppelin).

Re: Octave-down and fuzz?

Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2016 2:05 am
by Jero
Dheuthymos wrote:Does anyone else use a POG2 with a fuzz, and what order should I put it in, POG>FUZZ or v.v? Or should I just get a blue box?
Really wide spectrum there, haha. The order depends on your style, or mood. Typically, having the octave after the dirt will sound more synth like. I like both. Used the pog2 for a while but slimmed down.

Re: Octave-down and fuzz?

Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2016 9:56 am
by Eivind August
MASF Kidnapper is an updated Buzz Box clone, no? Oh, and there's the Mantic Flex.

Alot of oscillating fuzzes will do weird, cool octave downs. Wolf Computer, Sonic Shroom, Infanem 141, Dwarfcraft She Fuzz, Ugly Face, to name a few.

Re: Octave-down and fuzz?

Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2016 10:39 am
by frigid midget
I'm now kinda eying the MXR sub machine myself...

The fuzz can be used by itself, and the I could use just the octave down with one of my other fuzz peds as well. Can't think of any octave down fuzzes that have two footswitches, and a blue box box obviously doesn't have the series/parallel switch or the tone control. It doesn't come with the hefty price tag either though :s

Come to think of it...Kinda weird that with all the fuzz/octave in their product catalogue, EHX doesn't seem to have a single octave down fuzz :idk:
Or am I overlooking something? :?:

Re: Octave-down and fuzz?

Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2016 10:52 am
by Eivind August
Oh, yeah, the Electro-Faustus Guitar Disruptor does some of the fatest, most pleasing suboctavefuzztoanz in teh planet.