Cooper FX Arcades card comparisons
Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2020 1:37 pm
I noticed that certain programs across the different Arcades cards seemed similar, so I compiled this list to help me decide which cards to get. Right now I only have the Generation Loss and Grains cards so I can't do any direct comparisons, but maybe someone out there has experience with the other cards and can comment on how similar or dissimilar these programs are.
(Descriptions are from the manuals at https://www.cooperfx.com/card-details)
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These two seem the same, except that the Pitch card description implies that it only shifts pitch upward.
Grains: 6. Pitch - This program takes the grains and plays them back faster or slower, resulting in pitch shifted grain. SIZE and FRZ work the same as in the other modes. PIT selects the unquantized pitch shift amount, from and octave down to and octave up, with a "sweet spot" of no pitch shifting towards the middle of the rotation. FBK introduces cascading/additive feedback.
Pitch: 6. Grains - This program will analyze a delay line and adjust the playback speed to create pitch shifting. The SIZE knob adjusts the size of the grain/delay buffer to be pitch shifted, a non-additive feedback loop is controlled with the FRZ knob and can be frozen when fully CW, see the FRZ note above. PIT adjusts the pitch/speed of the grain and FBK will bring in additive feedback creating ascending pitch bends.
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Pitch: 5. Organ
Synth: 6. Organ (looks the same minus the Reverb on the Pitch version)
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Pitch: 8. Crystal - Dual pitch shifted reverse delays, whose proportional mix is set by the BAL knob. P-1 and P-2 determine the pitch of the individual delay lines, from the root pitch to an octave up. The FBK knob creates ascending additive feedback loops within the pitch shifting delays.
Reverse: 4. Dual - Two pitch shifted reverse delays for crystalline like textures. BAL sets the balance or mix between the two delays. CCW you will hear P-1 and CW you will hear P-2. P-1 and P-2 set the pitch of the respective delay line, from an octave down to an octave up. FBK is an additive feedback loop for aggressive decay.
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These seem similar, but I think the DIR parameter is not exactly the same as the SHUF parameter.
Delay: 2. Revrse - A reverse delay with some unique twists. First, like the digital delay, you can freeze the sound with the FBK knob. Additionally, the reverse signal's playback speed and pitch can be adjusted in quantized intervals using the RPIT knob (see PIT note). Finally, using the DIR knob a forward delay can be blended in with the reverse delay (see DIR note) to allow for interesting harmonies and directional bouncing.
Reverse: 1. Revrse - Standard reverse delay with some fun add-ons. PIT sets the pitch and playback speed of the reverse delay. CCW is full tape stop, noon is no pitch shifting or regular speed, and fully CW is double speed or octave up. Turning up SHUF, or shuffle, will randomly shuffle the delay between going forwards and backwards. Turn fully CCW for no directional shuffling.
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Reverb: 2. VHS - Random vibrato, hiss, and extreme filtering all add up to create a reverb with a nostalgic vibe. LPF sets the cutoff frequency of a low pass filter. SPAN sets the depth of the random modulation. Turning up the HISS will introduce random crackles, static noise, and other artifacts into the reverb tails.
LoFi: 5. Reverb - Dusty and spooky verb, inspired from my work on the Dark World. DCY sets the decay of the reverb, the random modulation is introduced with the MOD knob, while NOIS creates more instability and hiss. Darken up the reverb by [LPF knob? Description in manual is cut off.]
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LoFi: 1. VHS - Kind of like a stripped down Generation Loss, but not really. Tape or VHS emulation with pitch modulation and bandwidth reduction. WOW controls the amount of slower random modulation, while FLUT controls the amount of flutter modulation, which is fast and feathery. LPF and HPF control the cutoff frequency of low and high pass filters, respectively.
Generation Loss: 3. ComboA - Combining the wow and flutter characteristics from the W+F patch with the filtering options from the FIDELITY patch gets you a pretty nice sounding VHS emulation. WOW and FLUT control the amount of wow and flutter, respectively. LPF and HPF set the cutoff frequencies of two independent low and high pass filters, respectively. This patch borrows heavily from my work on the Chase Bliss Audio version of the Generation Loss.
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These are similar, except that based on the description I think the NOIS on the LoFi version is more like the NOIS on the FIDLITY program of the Generation Loss card (i.e. there's some hiss and noise constantly, not just when you're playing).
LoFi: 2. Vinyl - Fun emulation of old dusty and warped vinyl. You know the sound. RPM determines the speed of the ptich warbles while DPTH sets the depth. This rate can be tapped in with the tap tempo control. The AGE control adjusts the amount of filtering and saturation. A dynamic and random crackling sound along with static hiss are introduced as you turn up the NOIS knob.
Generation Loss: 4. ComboB - The second combination, COMBOB, is the closest in my opinion to the original Generation Loss. It takes the full wow section with independent speed (SPD) and depth (SPAN) controls from the first version of the Generation LOSS. The AGE control leans into the low pass filter, some slight high pass filtering, and a boost in noise levels. DIST is akin to the NOISE MOD version of the Generation Loss. It adds tape crinkle and distortion (not saturation) to the signal and a little more harsh-warble.
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LoFi: 3. Crushr seems similar to Synth: 7: Mono. Crushr has a suboctave, while Mono has an OCT knob that sets the root note of the oscillator.
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Overall there's not that much overlap, and I wouldn't be surprised if even the ones that seem similar by description have tweaks that make them distinct.
I'm enjoying the pedal so far. ComboB on the GenLoss card does pretty much everything I like from the original Generation Loss, and the CDSKIP and RADIO programs are really nice, I think. I wasn't sure about the Grain card, because I thought it might duplicate the Outward I already have, but while it shares some characteristics it's its own thing. Some of the randomization on the Grain card is possible on the Outward, but those features are hidden in secondary controls I never seem to get around to exploring.
It seems like this card-based model could work well in our current reality, since he doesn't have to fabricate an entire pedal in order create new effects. And maybe I can satisfy my jones for newness by spending $50 on an Arcades card instead of $500 on a Zoia or whatever.
(Descriptions are from the manuals at https://www.cooperfx.com/card-details)
-----------------------
These two seem the same, except that the Pitch card description implies that it only shifts pitch upward.
Grains: 6. Pitch - This program takes the grains and plays them back faster or slower, resulting in pitch shifted grain. SIZE and FRZ work the same as in the other modes. PIT selects the unquantized pitch shift amount, from and octave down to and octave up, with a "sweet spot" of no pitch shifting towards the middle of the rotation. FBK introduces cascading/additive feedback.
Pitch: 6. Grains - This program will analyze a delay line and adjust the playback speed to create pitch shifting. The SIZE knob adjusts the size of the grain/delay buffer to be pitch shifted, a non-additive feedback loop is controlled with the FRZ knob and can be frozen when fully CW, see the FRZ note above. PIT adjusts the pitch/speed of the grain and FBK will bring in additive feedback creating ascending pitch bends.
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Pitch: 5. Organ
Synth: 6. Organ (looks the same minus the Reverb on the Pitch version)
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Pitch: 8. Crystal - Dual pitch shifted reverse delays, whose proportional mix is set by the BAL knob. P-1 and P-2 determine the pitch of the individual delay lines, from the root pitch to an octave up. The FBK knob creates ascending additive feedback loops within the pitch shifting delays.
Reverse: 4. Dual - Two pitch shifted reverse delays for crystalline like textures. BAL sets the balance or mix between the two delays. CCW you will hear P-1 and CW you will hear P-2. P-1 and P-2 set the pitch of the respective delay line, from an octave down to an octave up. FBK is an additive feedback loop for aggressive decay.
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These seem similar, but I think the DIR parameter is not exactly the same as the SHUF parameter.
Delay: 2. Revrse - A reverse delay with some unique twists. First, like the digital delay, you can freeze the sound with the FBK knob. Additionally, the reverse signal's playback speed and pitch can be adjusted in quantized intervals using the RPIT knob (see PIT note). Finally, using the DIR knob a forward delay can be blended in with the reverse delay (see DIR note) to allow for interesting harmonies and directional bouncing.
Reverse: 1. Revrse - Standard reverse delay with some fun add-ons. PIT sets the pitch and playback speed of the reverse delay. CCW is full tape stop, noon is no pitch shifting or regular speed, and fully CW is double speed or octave up. Turning up SHUF, or shuffle, will randomly shuffle the delay between going forwards and backwards. Turn fully CCW for no directional shuffling.
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Reverb: 2. VHS - Random vibrato, hiss, and extreme filtering all add up to create a reverb with a nostalgic vibe. LPF sets the cutoff frequency of a low pass filter. SPAN sets the depth of the random modulation. Turning up the HISS will introduce random crackles, static noise, and other artifacts into the reverb tails.
LoFi: 5. Reverb - Dusty and spooky verb, inspired from my work on the Dark World. DCY sets the decay of the reverb, the random modulation is introduced with the MOD knob, while NOIS creates more instability and hiss. Darken up the reverb by [LPF knob? Description in manual is cut off.]
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LoFi: 1. VHS - Kind of like a stripped down Generation Loss, but not really. Tape or VHS emulation with pitch modulation and bandwidth reduction. WOW controls the amount of slower random modulation, while FLUT controls the amount of flutter modulation, which is fast and feathery. LPF and HPF control the cutoff frequency of low and high pass filters, respectively.
Generation Loss: 3. ComboA - Combining the wow and flutter characteristics from the W+F patch with the filtering options from the FIDELITY patch gets you a pretty nice sounding VHS emulation. WOW and FLUT control the amount of wow and flutter, respectively. LPF and HPF set the cutoff frequencies of two independent low and high pass filters, respectively. This patch borrows heavily from my work on the Chase Bliss Audio version of the Generation Loss.
-----------------------
These are similar, except that based on the description I think the NOIS on the LoFi version is more like the NOIS on the FIDLITY program of the Generation Loss card (i.e. there's some hiss and noise constantly, not just when you're playing).
LoFi: 2. Vinyl - Fun emulation of old dusty and warped vinyl. You know the sound. RPM determines the speed of the ptich warbles while DPTH sets the depth. This rate can be tapped in with the tap tempo control. The AGE control adjusts the amount of filtering and saturation. A dynamic and random crackling sound along with static hiss are introduced as you turn up the NOIS knob.
Generation Loss: 4. ComboB - The second combination, COMBOB, is the closest in my opinion to the original Generation Loss. It takes the full wow section with independent speed (SPD) and depth (SPAN) controls from the first version of the Generation LOSS. The AGE control leans into the low pass filter, some slight high pass filtering, and a boost in noise levels. DIST is akin to the NOISE MOD version of the Generation Loss. It adds tape crinkle and distortion (not saturation) to the signal and a little more harsh-warble.
-----------------------
LoFi: 3. Crushr seems similar to Synth: 7: Mono. Crushr has a suboctave, while Mono has an OCT knob that sets the root note of the oscillator.
-----------------------
Overall there's not that much overlap, and I wouldn't be surprised if even the ones that seem similar by description have tweaks that make them distinct.
I'm enjoying the pedal so far. ComboB on the GenLoss card does pretty much everything I like from the original Generation Loss, and the CDSKIP and RADIO programs are really nice, I think. I wasn't sure about the Grain card, because I thought it might duplicate the Outward I already have, but while it shares some characteristics it's its own thing. Some of the randomization on the Grain card is possible on the Outward, but those features are hidden in secondary controls I never seem to get around to exploring.
It seems like this card-based model could work well in our current reality, since he doesn't have to fabricate an entire pedal in order create new effects. And maybe I can satisfy my jones for newness by spending $50 on an Arcades card instead of $500 on a Zoia or whatever.
