I find that creating analog pedals out of the same (mostly) basic components but being able to achieve such varied and wonderful sounds is a true art form. There is something quite beautiful about the creation of analog circuits and manipulating these basic components to create radical effects!
I have two pedal boards linked together with a tiny patch bay on each that is 99% analog. Between them they hold 70 pedals. Yes I use a digital switcher. they are divided into 4 groups. Each group is virtually a small board onto itself with it's own compressor, OD's, EQ, FX etc. During a single tune I can go from a beautiful clean sound to a crunch to a Metal sound. It allows me to get what you only hear on the Post production of a great recording. I use it live with 8 guitars with 2 different PU's in each guitar. I have PAF, P90, Strat, Tele, Gretsch, Rickenbaker, Gold Foil and even a Magnatone. I can go from a High gain sound on the the chorus of a tune with perhaps a Tele bridge PU to a chimey clean sound thru a Rickenbacker PU. Before you think this is just self indulgent I play live with a 3 piece band.I do ALL my own tunes. Most of the audience has never heard these tunes before. YOU ONLY GET ONE CHANCE TO MAKE A FIRST IMPRESSION!!! It works!!!
It must take you FOREVER to load in and set up at a gig... at least you’ll have the drummer to help out since he or she will be happy that someone has more gear to lug!
I love analog and digital, really I like or I don't regardless of the source. But I will agree analog circuits have a signature that includes nuances, that digital emulation often miss or fail that last 5%.
This is one of your best posts, Joe, you do an excellent job of communicating your thoughts and sharing your knowledge and experience. Please keep up the great work.
As someone who only very recently, and late in life, began building my pedalboard, I pretty quickly decided that I wanted analog wherever possible. Case in point: everyone raves about the Source Audio Spectrum filter as an envelope filter, but 1) it sounds completely sterile: no sense that there is a live electric instrument producing noise and hum and imperfections connected to it. And, 2) yeah, the computer desktop controls are insanely immersive, with menus and downloads and acckkk! How many times I just bailed on making any adjustments because I didn't want to haul out my laptop to tweak the tone. Sold that, got an analog envelope filter and started only buying analog. There are a few effects, like the Catalinbread delays that have such a nice preamp in them, and an analog signal onto which the delayed digital signal is added, that I'm willing to not be a fundamentalist on the all-analog thing. But, the *insert cliche here* character of analog devices, noise, warts and all, is where it's at for me. By the way, I am so thankful for finding your channel when I was shopping for a flanger. Went with the PastFX; now waiting for a plane from Australia to land. Keep up your work, young man!
Thank you for so many interesting aspects of analogue and digital. Now I know why I have always intuitively preferred analogue technology! We could be buddies, and occasionally I build and repair pedals. Greetings from Hamburg, Stephan
Some points to make, you’re missing out on some great pedals like the Caroline Guitar Co. Lo-Fi Kilobyte. Repairability has a lot to do with the way it is constructed. SMT construction is used on a lot of Analog pedals. A lot of old analog pedals mess with your tone way more then a digital pedal.
I don't think any of my pedals are surface mount (yet) but I imagine it would be much more tricky to get them repaired...unsure whether a 'normal' pedal repairer could do it? In terms of them colouring your tone - you're right, though I think it depends on the specific pedal as to whether it's a good or bad thing or not...'tone suck' isn't good, but things like the EP-3/CE-1 preamps can be great. Using a TB switcher makes that much less of an issue.
Great discussion and totally agree! If I could sum it all up it comes down to more character, from the tone, to the design of the box, paint etc.. I had a Line 6 HX Effects for a bit last year and got tired of staring at a black box. 35 years playing, back to all analog and my 59 Bassman.
Nice video! I share all of your opinions and use predominantly analog gear, but sometimes I do join the dark side of the force and use some digital stuff. I've been testing and making some demos of the new TC Electronic Plethora x5, which is my second digital multi-FX after the Zoom 505II that I had in the early 2000s. It's still not my main thing, but it's actually fun to play around with shimery ambient spacey sounds once in a while and ofc it has digital versions of all classic modulation and time-based effects, so flexibility is generally a big plus for digital
Hey Joe. Great insight. I typically agree with you about analog pedals but recently bought a Keeley Hydra that I really like. I’ll need to revisit this decision in a few years.
When I returned to playing, I was a little overwhelmed by what digital designs made possible.One day, after spending hours programming a delay to basically SOUND more analog, I realized that I didn't have enough time in my life for such extravagances,- then it occurred to me,- who really does?
I share all your points. I would add that using analog gear for our hobby means escaping from the digital life that we live, in front of computers, screens and apps,. Tonewise, I would say that digital might be important for time-based effects, like delay and reverb. But still, I keep enjoying an analog delay and the spring reverb of my amp.
That's very true - though were I to talk about that on RUclips, it might come across quite ironically :P Stereo delay/reverb can definitely be more interesting in the digital world - but then again, I'm a sucker for a good spring verb & mono BBD delay :P
I'll try to answer that one in a video for you soon (but in short, I have a music degree but engineering was only a small part of it...I was taught the basics but 90% of what I know has been self-taught through learning online and trial & error!)
From one left handed guitarist to another (and an ES 330 fanatic) I couldn’t agree with you more. Do I see a Colorsound Tremolo on your board? Have you done a demo?
Hi-fives for being lefty & for loving the 330! :D You do indeed...I've actually modified mine and built a 9v input and a boost pedal into it, so that I can compensate for a bit of the perceived volume drop that trems give you. It appears briefly in my 2019 board video (ruclips.net/video/Qjr1-eB078g/видео.html) but maybe I'll shoot a complete demo at some point :-)
I think they're all valid points if the style and the sound you want can be fully rendered on analog pedals, and if you have enough money to buy them (the good ones aren't particularly "cheap", tbh). For most of the traditional guitar-based genres (jazz, blues, classic rock, etc.), it works for sure. But not for all genres, neither for all musicians. For instance, you simply CAN'T do that complex and pristine modern live-looping with a classic analog reel-to-reel recorder, nor get those amazing shimmer reverbs with "analog plates or springs" only. And a massive pedalboard full of great analog pedals is not a practical option for itinerant and busking musicians. Some degree of digital control like MIDI is a _must_ when you work with synths, sequencers and drum machines to get perfect sync between them. Sometimes, digital is an option, or even THE option. Please, don't get me wrong: I love analog stuff such as classic fuzzes (which they're poorly modeled on ALL digital systems, so they should remain 100% analog to me). But not always analog is "better", nor digital. They're, in fact, pretty complementary and the decisions about it (going analog or digital, partially or fully) depend deeply on the musician's style, preferences, objectives, practical considerations and economy.
Excellent list, I completely agree. And your point about being able to replace a component has me thinking twice about purchasing any more mini analog pedals, way more difficult to diagnose and replace an SMD component than a through hole. Please keep up the great work, I've learned a lot of helpful things from your channel.
Good point! Though the two mini pedals I own - Decibelics Golden Horse and Analogman Beano - are both through-hole design in a mini footprint....so not all minis are SMD :-) Thanks for the kind words RE the channel!
@@JoePerkinsMusic Very true, I own a Fuzz Factory clone that's not SMD and in a mini pedal format. I've built a few pedals of my own and have much respect for anyone that can squeeze so much in a 1590A size enclosure, takes some serious dexterity. Thanks for the reply, Joe, your videos help keep me sane in these weird times. Cheers!
Hey Joe what's up? Nice rant. I definitely lean on the analog side. But I can't help guilty pleasures like my ct5 and my timeline! Thanks for the video brother.
Dude! Long time no see, how's it going?? Yep absolutely - nothing wrong with digital pedals at all, and they're certainly not guilty pleasures!! Digital stuff is incredible nowadays - I just prefer to use other things :-)
Correct on all counts, I value repairability and longevity. The same for why I buy vintage amps, not because I'm a snob, but because you can't repair new crap the same way
Absolutely. I know conversion technology is getting better all the time but I’ve played digital pedals before that have absolutely destroyed my sound even with the effect blend at zero!
I got an LA Lady pedal because I wanted a Marshall in a box. Then I found that the dozens of other effects in it were actually pretty good (Fuzz face, Muff, Rat, Klon, tube screamer, etc) and the analog - digital - analog conversion is impossible to detect by ear. There's also excellent stereo multiband EQ with every effect to make it work with MY amp and MY guitar. It handles stereo in and out, or mono in and stereo out, or mono in and mono out. Tone prints are available for free online. It supports MIDI switching if you need that. So I got a lot better deal than I realized. Hey! It can happen!
And then my most recent pedal purchase was a Thorpy camoflange. It is a modern remake of the Electric Mistress with a few useful improvements. What a great pedal! All analog, using a bucket brigade device.
Might sound like a daft question but how can you tell if a pedal is analogue or digital? The obvious way would be to Google it, but is there a physical difference? Examples I’m talking about are Wampler Tumnus and the new Wampler Belle, the Danelectro 3699 Fuzz, and the J Rockett series. If it doesn’t tell you on the website, how can you tell? Another great vid by the way Joe, really enjoyed it!
Generally speaking, _most_ overdrive pedals are analog...there are a few digital ones nowadays (Strymon Sunset, etc). Opening them up is one way of telling (look for a processor rather than BBDs, etc), but also the current draw is typically much higher in digital pedals - analog are usually 120mA draw maximum (roughly), but digitals are typically 300mA or more. But checking with the manufacturer is probably the most reliable way of finding out. :-)
Oh, if only I had the money to purchase tape, drum and oil-can delay units and hire the team to maintain them. What do you do for delay? DMM, DM2-3, CC, AD900... or do you go all in with tape, drum, can...?
I stick with BBDs (got a few on my board & a coupe of vintage ones on the shelves) but I'd LOVE to get a tape delay at some point. Either the Fulltone TTE or the new EchoFix...both look ace!
Indeed. Ace they are! I tend to play a lot cleanish, like you, but I've never really bonded with any mod effect other than tremolo. For me, various delays are where I get my modulation, and I like one box to cover all those bases. An AlterEgo X4 is doing it now, but a DD-20/200, DL4... something Strymon could do it, too. Anyway, the AlterEgo is bringing my modulation and consequently the currently "necessary" 1s and 0s at the moment. (I keep an analog delay on my board, too, for actual delay, weirdo that I am.)
Tough call :P To be honest, I've never felt the need to even look at those sort of pedals...I'm quite happy with twisting knobs when I want a different sound. If I was a live player then I can definitely see the worth in those sorts of things, but for recording/making videos/etc, they've always seemed a bit overkill for my liking :-)
I like analog pedals and i have lots of them for many of the reasons you say but i got to a point where i "only" use about 80% analog pedals because in some cases digital have more advantages ...mostly digital reverb and tape/drum echo simulations because: -in this case good digital gear costs much less than original analog stuff even if i buy new digital gear every 5 years -no moving mechanical parts so it does not need regular repair or maintenance to work consistent -it's easier to carry and set up -less unwanted noise -latency does not rly matter since that's what these fx are supposed to do anyways -my BBD-Reverb sounds awful and i don't like the degrading echos of BBD-Delays -even if i had original Echorec, Space Echo, Spring Tank and Plate reverb units i'd leave them collector's items at home for recordings and use stuff like DD-200 and Oceans11 "on the road" for jams, gigs etc -> i also have a Digitech Whammy and a digital polyphonic octaver but my drive, filter and modulation pedals are all analog
There's a whole new reason now: Buy analog so you can't be charged again after-the-fact. The most predictable move ever. Charging me twice for one unit! Those aren't updates either; neither are they true upgrades. They're functionality already built in to the units from factory, and after you buy the unit you're being charged again to unlock basic functions and then charged for a third time to unlock all functionality. A boycot-level anti-consumer move. I too am analog only, in fact we play a lot of the same guitars and pedals, and I'm even a Dr. Z guy too, so it stands to reason I found your alnico shootouts invaluable and want to know everything possible about the new alnico 100! Just a thought, because they came out some time back, sound awesome from what I have heard, and like Barefaced cabs, inexplicably disappeared the moment they were about to make waves.
Agree with cheap digital pedals! They sound very bad. But I do feel my volante and meris M7 sounds fantastic! With that said I recently started using some analogs: Analogman chorus mini and Jam Pedals the chill, and I can see what you are referring to when stating they are warmer and “organic”. Those pedals are very nice. Considering the lama analog delay now 😊
Absolutely - the Strymons, Meris, Source Audio, etc pedals get some phenomenal sounds. The high-end digital stuff is crazy-good nowadays. But yes, for me there's something special about analog circuits that coding can't replicate for me - even if that is mostly how it makes me feel using it. P.S The Delay Llama is astonishing - I have the Delay Llama+ on my board :-)
I’m an analog guy but the biggest downside is the delay chips - they do fail...and they don’t make them anymore... The Reticon SAD chips used in the EM are nigh on impossible to get ahold of and silly money if they’re even legit ones.
Aye yeah, discontinued parts can be an issue with the vintage stuff - most components can be swapped out no trouble at all, but the chips can be a dealbreaker. I'm glad the SAD1024 in my Mistress seems to be stable & going strong...!
Analog reverb is a tricky one - you're pretty much limited to 'spring tank in a box' pedals (Carl Martin Headroom / Crazy Tube White Whale / Gurus Sinusoid / Anasounds Element / Surfybear / etc) but I'm not sure how well they'll work with bass, being a hotter & more transient signal (usually). I tried running a snare drum through one of mine once and it was so splashy it wasn't really useable :P Spring pedals are usually huge, too!
My setup right now -> Lately I've been direct-monitoring the dry signal on my 2i2, and then adding some effects in Logic later. Going the other way, and monitoring the round-trip signal, I'm not sure I can hear the latency with a reasonably small buffer size. It's definitely more fun to monitor with the effects going, so I've been thinking about either looking at an UAD Apollo, or some outboard analog effects.
Kemper? Ahhhh, no thanks. I agree, spend your money how you want. When buying a compressor, I went with a more expensive Jangle Box. I even sprung the extra cash for the Byrds edition. I enjoy it every time I hit the switch.
I have a question I have a high end studio AKG headphones if you plug in too different amps speakers can you tell the difference ass maybe a greenback too a scumback over the headphones ???
I'll try to answer that one for you in a video (but for now, listen to this and see if you can hear a difference: ruclips.net/video/gdqk1dSINJ0/видео.html)
Thanks mate :-) Nah, not really - I've got a big project on atm (non-music) that's going to keep me busy through until July, but after that I do hope to start work on a new album though :-)
I spent way too much money buying/selling/trying all the different modelers on up to axefx 3 to learn what you’re talking about.. digital is not for me. Even if it sounds good I end up looking at my hands like, what’s going on here? I don’t hear any dynamics and I’m pounding away here… Anyway, I totally agree with you, and thanks for saying it. Sometime I feel crazy asking these digital cultists why I feel so disconnected from my guitar! The thing with me is I’m jealous of people that can’t seem to look back to analog when they cross that line, but they seem to also want everyone else to settle for that too. It’s weird tribal shit.
I find that creating analog pedals out of the same (mostly) basic components but being able to achieve such varied and wonderful sounds is a true art form. There is something quite beautiful about the creation of analog circuits and manipulating these basic components to create radical effects!
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I find that creating analog pedals out of the same (mostly) basic components but being able to achieve such varied and wonderful sounds is a true art form. There is something quite beautiful about the creation of analog circuits and manipulating these basic components to create radical effects!
I have two pedal boards linked together with a tiny patch bay on each that is 99% analog. Between them they hold 70 pedals. Yes I use a digital switcher. they are divided into 4 groups. Each group is virtually a small board onto itself with it's own compressor, OD's, EQ, FX etc. During a single tune I can go from a beautiful clean sound to a crunch to a Metal sound. It allows me to get what you only hear on the Post production of a great recording. I use it live with 8 guitars with 2 different PU's in each guitar. I have PAF, P90, Strat, Tele, Gretsch, Rickenbaker, Gold Foil and even a Magnatone. I can go from a High gain sound on the the chorus of a tune with perhaps a Tele bridge PU to a chimey clean sound thru a Rickenbacker PU. Before you think this is just self indulgent I play live with a 3 piece band.I do ALL my own tunes. Most of the audience has never heard these tunes before. YOU ONLY GET ONE CHANCE TO MAKE A FIRST IMPRESSION!!! It works!!!
...and I thought my rig was big!! :P
70?
Thanks, I feel much better about my 16 analog.
I can't help thinking that a digital solution would be so much more reliable and easier to carry around...
It must take you FOREVER to load in and set up at a gig... at least you’ll have the drummer to help out since he or she will be happy that someone has more gear to lug!
I feel bad for you dude. You’ll never know the awesomeness of owning a Strymon El Cap or Red Panda Tensor.
Don't feel bad - I'm very happy with that being the case!
I love analog and digital, really I like or I don't regardless of the source. But I will agree analog circuits have a signature that includes nuances, that digital emulation often miss or fail that last 5%.
This is one of your best posts, Joe, you do an excellent job of communicating your thoughts and sharing your knowledge and experience. Please keep up the great work.
Thanks Glen! :-)
As someone who only very recently, and late in life, began building my pedalboard, I pretty quickly decided that I wanted analog wherever possible. Case in point: everyone raves about the Source Audio Spectrum filter as an envelope filter, but 1) it sounds completely sterile: no sense that there is a live electric instrument producing noise and hum and imperfections connected to it. And, 2) yeah, the computer desktop controls are insanely immersive, with menus and downloads and acckkk! How many times I just bailed on making any adjustments because I didn't want to haul out my laptop to tweak the tone. Sold that, got an analog envelope filter and started only buying analog. There are a few effects, like the Catalinbread delays that have such a nice preamp in them, and an analog signal onto which the delayed digital signal is added, that I'm willing to not be a fundamentalist on the all-analog thing. But, the *insert cliche here* character of analog devices, noise, warts and all, is where it's at for me. By the way, I am so thankful for finding your channel when I was shopping for a flanger. Went with the PastFX; now waiting for a plane from Australia to land. Keep up your work, young man!
Thank you for so many interesting aspects of analogue and digital.
Now I know why I have always intuitively preferred analogue technology!
We could be buddies, and occasionally I build and repair pedals.
Greetings from Hamburg,
Stephan
Some points to make, you’re missing out on some great pedals like the Caroline Guitar Co. Lo-Fi Kilobyte. Repairability has a lot to do with the way it is constructed. SMT construction is used on a lot of Analog pedals. A lot of old analog pedals mess with your tone way more then a digital pedal.
I don't think any of my pedals are surface mount (yet) but I imagine it would be much more tricky to get them repaired...unsure whether a 'normal' pedal repairer could do it? In terms of them colouring your tone - you're right, though I think it depends on the specific pedal as to whether it's a good or bad thing or not...'tone suck' isn't good, but things like the EP-3/CE-1 preamps can be great. Using a TB switcher makes that much less of an issue.
>easy to repair
That's my only reason. When I buy something I want to use it for the rest of my life.
Great discussion and totally agree! If I could sum it all up it comes down to more character, from the tone, to the design of the box, paint etc.. I had a Line 6 HX Effects for a bit last year and got tired of staring at a black box. 35 years playing, back to all analog and my 59 Bassman.
Good man! :-)
TONE BUZZWORD BINGO LOL GENIUS LOL
Nice video! I share all of your opinions and use predominantly analog gear, but sometimes I do join the dark side of the force and use some digital stuff. I've been testing and making some demos of the new TC Electronic Plethora x5, which is my second digital multi-FX after the Zoom 505II that I had in the early 2000s. It's still not my main thing, but it's actually fun to play around with shimery ambient spacey sounds once in a while and ofc it has digital versions of all classic modulation and time-based effects, so flexibility is generally a big plus for digital
Aha - the dark side! :P
Hey Joe. Great insight. I typically agree with you about analog pedals but recently bought a Keeley Hydra that I really like. I’ll need to revisit this decision in a few years.
Nothing wrong with digital pedals if they work for you - if it sounds good, it is good! :-)
When I returned to playing, I was a little overwhelmed by what digital designs made possible.One day, after spending hours programming a delay to basically SOUND more analog, I realized that I didn't have enough time in my life for such extravagances,- then it occurred to me,-
who really does?
That’s what I always think...I prefer to have one amazing sound that I connect with rather than infinite sounds I don’t. :-)
I share all your points. I would add that using analog gear for our hobby means escaping from the digital life that we live, in front of computers, screens and apps,.
Tonewise, I would say that digital might be important for time-based effects, like delay and reverb. But still, I keep enjoying an analog delay and the spring reverb of my amp.
That's very true - though were I to talk about that on RUclips, it might come across quite ironically :P Stereo delay/reverb can definitely be more interesting in the digital world - but then again, I'm a sucker for a good spring verb & mono BBD delay :P
Thank you for supporting smaller builders since every single sale matters to us
Exactly! :-) I much prefer sticking with people who make the pedals themselves & really care about them, rather than big businesses.
I can't disagree with any of your points, I am the same way. I'm really enjoying your content, your quickly becoming one of my top youtubers. Cheers
Ah thanks mate! Let me know if you have any #AskPerky question!
@@JoePerkinsMusic Here's a question: I see a lot of cool studio gear in your videos, have you studied in audio engineering or are you self-taught?
I'll try to answer that one in a video for you soon (but in short, I have a music degree but engineering was only a small part of it...I was taught the basics but 90% of what I know has been self-taught through learning online and trial & error!)
From one left handed guitarist to another (and an ES 330 fanatic) I couldn’t agree with you more. Do I see a Colorsound Tremolo on your board? Have you done a demo?
Hi-fives for being lefty & for loving the 330! :D You do indeed...I've actually modified mine and built a 9v input and a boost pedal into it, so that I can compensate for a bit of the perceived volume drop that trems give you. It appears briefly in my 2019 board video (ruclips.net/video/Qjr1-eB078g/видео.html) but maybe I'll shoot a complete demo at some point :-)
I think they're all valid points if the style and the sound you want can be fully rendered on analog pedals, and if you have enough money to buy them (the good ones aren't particularly "cheap", tbh). For most of the traditional guitar-based genres (jazz, blues, classic rock, etc.), it works for sure. But not for all genres, neither for all musicians. For instance, you simply CAN'T do that complex and pristine modern live-looping with a classic analog reel-to-reel recorder, nor get those amazing shimmer reverbs with "analog plates or springs" only. And a massive pedalboard full of great analog pedals is not a practical option for itinerant and busking musicians. Some degree of digital control like MIDI is a _must_ when you work with synths, sequencers and drum machines to get perfect sync between them. Sometimes, digital is an option, or even THE option. Please, don't get me wrong: I love analog stuff such as classic fuzzes (which they're poorly modeled on ALL digital systems, so they should remain 100% analog to me). But not always analog is "better", nor digital. They're, in fact, pretty complementary and the decisions about it (going analog or digital, partially or fully) depend deeply on the musician's style, preferences, objectives, practical considerations and economy.
Excellent list, I completely agree. And your point about being able to replace a component has me thinking twice about purchasing any more mini analog pedals, way more difficult to diagnose and replace an SMD component than a through hole. Please keep up the great work, I've learned a lot of helpful things from your channel.
Good point! Though the two mini pedals I own - Decibelics Golden Horse and Analogman Beano - are both through-hole design in a mini footprint....so not all minis are SMD :-) Thanks for the kind words RE the channel!
@@JoePerkinsMusic Very true, I own a Fuzz Factory clone that's not SMD and in a mini pedal format. I've built a few pedals of my own and have much respect for anyone that can squeeze so much in a 1590A size enclosure, takes some serious dexterity. Thanks for the reply, Joe, your videos help keep me sane in these weird times. Cheers!
Hey Joe what's up? Nice rant. I definitely lean on the analog side. But I can't help guilty pleasures like my ct5 and my timeline! Thanks for the video brother.
Dude! Long time no see, how's it going?? Yep absolutely - nothing wrong with digital pedals at all, and they're certainly not guilty pleasures!! Digital stuff is incredible nowadays - I just prefer to use other things :-)
Analog and tubes sound best for guitar. Why do you think they still haven’t made a realist alternative?
Correct on all counts, I value repairability and longevity. The same for why I buy vintage amps, not because I'm a snob, but because you can't repair new crap the same way
Important for me is that the signal is analogue dry-through.
Absolutely. I know conversion technology is getting better all the time but I’ve played digital pedals before that have absolutely destroyed my sound even with the effect blend at zero!
@@JoePerkinsMusic I only use Strymon for reverb, delay and modulation. They sound great to me :-)
I got an LA Lady pedal because I wanted a Marshall in a box. Then I found that the dozens of other effects in it were actually pretty good (Fuzz face, Muff, Rat, Klon, tube screamer, etc) and the analog - digital - analog conversion is impossible to detect by ear. There's also excellent stereo multiband EQ with every effect to make it work with MY amp and MY guitar. It handles stereo in and out, or mono in and stereo out, or mono in and mono out. Tone prints are available for free online. It supports MIDI switching if you need that. So I got a lot better deal than I realized. Hey! It can happen!
And then my most recent pedal purchase was a Thorpy camoflange. It is a modern remake of the Electric Mistress with a few useful improvements. What a great pedal! All analog, using a bucket brigade device.
Í love analog pedals
Might sound like a daft question but how can you tell if a pedal is analogue or digital? The obvious way would be to Google it, but is there a physical difference? Examples I’m talking about are Wampler Tumnus and the new Wampler Belle, the Danelectro 3699 Fuzz, and the J Rockett series. If it doesn’t tell you on the website, how can you tell?
Another great vid by the way Joe, really enjoyed it!
Generally speaking, _most_ overdrive pedals are analog...there are a few digital ones nowadays (Strymon Sunset, etc). Opening them up is one way of telling (look for a processor rather than BBDs, etc), but also the current draw is typically much higher in digital pedals - analog are usually 120mA draw maximum (roughly), but digitals are typically 300mA or more. But checking with the manufacturer is probably the most reliable way of finding out. :-)
Do this again love..yeah
Oh, if only I had the money to purchase tape, drum and oil-can delay units and hire the team to maintain them. What do you do for delay? DMM, DM2-3, CC, AD900... or do you go all in with tape, drum, can...?
I stick with BBDs (got a few on my board & a coupe of vintage ones on the shelves) but I'd LOVE to get a tape delay at some point. Either the Fulltone TTE or the new EchoFix...both look ace!
Indeed. Ace they are! I tend to play a lot cleanish, like you, but I've never really bonded with any mod effect other than tremolo. For me, various delays are where I get my modulation, and I like one box to cover all those bases. An AlterEgo X4 is doing it now, but a DD-20/200, DL4... something Strymon could do it, too. Anyway, the AlterEgo is bringing my modulation and consequently the currently "necessary" 1s and 0s at the moment. (I keep an analog delay on my board, too, for actual delay, weirdo that I am.)
Joe, what about Analog pedal with digital control? like the Chase Bliss Brothers? are those allowed in your rig?
Tough call :P To be honest, I've never felt the need to even look at those sort of pedals...I'm quite happy with twisting knobs when I want a different sound. If I was a live player then I can definitely see the worth in those sorts of things, but for recording/making videos/etc, they've always seemed a bit overkill for my liking :-)
I like analog pedals and i have lots of them for many of the reasons you say but i got to a point where i "only" use about 80% analog pedals because in some cases digital have more advantages
...mostly digital reverb and tape/drum echo simulations because:
-in this case good digital gear costs much less than original analog stuff even if i buy new digital gear every 5 years
-no moving mechanical parts so it does not need regular repair or maintenance to work consistent
-it's easier to carry and set up
-less unwanted noise
-latency does not rly matter since that's what these fx are supposed to do anyways
-my BBD-Reverb sounds awful and i don't like the degrading echos of BBD-Delays
-even if i had original Echorec, Space Echo, Spring Tank and Plate reverb units i'd leave them collector's items at home for recordings and use stuff like DD-200 and Oceans11 "on the road" for jams, gigs etc
-> i also have a Digitech Whammy and a digital polyphonic octaver but my drive, filter and modulation pedals are all analog
A lot of valid points there :-) Digital still isn't for me, but I can absolutely see why a lot of people prefer it for certain jobs!
There's a whole new reason now: Buy analog so you can't be charged again after-the-fact. The most predictable move ever. Charging me twice for one unit! Those aren't updates either; neither are they true upgrades. They're functionality already built in to the units from factory, and after you buy the unit you're being charged again to unlock basic functions and then charged for a third time to unlock all functionality. A boycot-level anti-consumer move.
I too am analog only, in fact we play a lot of the same guitars and pedals, and I'm even a Dr. Z guy too, so it stands to reason I found your alnico shootouts invaluable and want to know everything possible about the new alnico 100! Just a thought, because they came out some time back, sound awesome from what I have heard, and like Barefaced cabs, inexplicably disappeared the moment they were about to make waves.
Agree with cheap digital pedals! They sound very bad. But I do feel my volante and meris M7 sounds fantastic! With that said I recently started using some analogs: Analogman chorus mini and Jam Pedals the chill, and I can see what you are referring to when stating they are warmer and “organic”. Those pedals are very nice. Considering the lama analog delay now 😊
Absolutely - the Strymons, Meris, Source Audio, etc pedals get some phenomenal sounds. The high-end digital stuff is crazy-good nowadays. But yes, for me there's something special about analog circuits that coding can't replicate for me - even if that is mostly how it makes me feel using it. P.S The Delay Llama is astonishing - I have the Delay Llama+ on my board :-)
Joe Perkins thank you for all your help! I’ve learned a lot from you! Keep doing what you do! Inspires us all!
@@empathysgone96 Thanks Jose - will do! :-)
I’m an analog guy but the biggest downside is the delay chips - they do fail...and they don’t make them anymore... The Reticon SAD chips used in the EM are nigh on impossible to get ahold of and silly money if they’re even legit ones.
Aye yeah, discontinued parts can be an issue with the vintage stuff - most components can be swapped out no trouble at all, but the chips can be a dealbreaker. I'm glad the SAD1024 in my Mistress seems to be stable & going strong...!
Joe Perkins Hopefully X-Vive revives it like they did with MN3005😍
@@MrChrisPalmer Absolutely!!
The Analog Manifesto, cannot agree more despite my Empress sins.😂
Haha..."Empress sins"!
I'm a bass player that loves analog simple pedals, but what do you recommend to add reverb to a board? Great vid!
Analog reverb is a tricky one - you're pretty much limited to 'spring tank in a box' pedals (Carl Martin Headroom / Crazy Tube White Whale / Gurus Sinusoid / Anasounds Element / Surfybear / etc) but I'm not sure how well they'll work with bass, being a hotter & more transient signal (usually). I tried running a snare drum through one of mine once and it was so splashy it wasn't really useable :P Spring pedals are usually huge, too!
Great video
What's your tracking setup with respect to monitoring and low latency / playability?
My setup right now -> Lately I've been direct-monitoring the dry signal on my 2i2, and then adding some effects in Logic later. Going the other way, and monitoring the round-trip signal, I'm not sure I can hear the latency with a reasonably small buffer size. It's definitely more fun to monitor with the effects going, so I've been thinking about either looking at an UAD Apollo, or some outboard analog effects.
I don't monitor anything whilst I'm playing, so there's no problems with latency - I just have the amps in the room turned up nice and loud :-)
So... what do you think of modeled versions of analog pedals?
Getting better as tech improves, but I'd still rather play the real deal!
Kemper? Ahhhh, no thanks. I agree, spend your money how you want. When buying a compressor, I went with a more expensive Jangle Box. I even sprung the extra cash for the Byrds edition. I enjoy it every time I hit the switch.
How it makes you feel is a very important consideration :-) That comp looks ace!
I have a question I have a high end studio AKG headphones if you plug in too different amps speakers can you tell the difference ass maybe a greenback too a scumback over the headphones ???
I'll try to answer that one for you in a video (but for now, listen to this and see if you can hear a difference: ruclips.net/video/gdqk1dSINJ0/видео.html)
*Cries in Strymon Time Elapse, Big sky, and Lex*
*But cheers in Analogman* ;-) hehe
@@JoePerkinsMusic touché
Now if only someone could produce an analog reverb pedal (or simply clones of that old DOD), my board would be 28/28 analog instead of 27/28.
Aherm ;-) ruclips.net/video/qKd1h22Jh5U/видео.html
Everything Joe says...Simplex Vigilum Veri .
Do you play live anymore? Are you planning to as you a great player with top tone.
Thanks mate :-) Nah, not really - I've got a big project on atm (non-music) that's going to keep me busy through until July, but after that I do hope to start work on a new album though :-)
Binson Echorec Gang.
Dude was crying about you not demoing Kempers and Bias FX?? Is he really lacking for MORE RUclips demos of that type of stuf??? 🤪👌
He couldn't have been more lost finding this channel :P
I spent way too much money buying/selling/trying all the different modelers on up to axefx 3 to learn what you’re talking about.. digital is not for me. Even if it sounds good I end up looking at my hands like, what’s going on here? I don’t hear any dynamics and I’m pounding away here… Anyway, I totally agree with you, and thanks for saying it. Sometime I feel crazy asking these digital cultists why I feel so disconnected from my guitar!
The thing with me is I’m jealous of people that can’t seem to look back to analog when they cross that line, but they seem to also want everyone else to settle for that too. It’s weird tribal shit.
It's whatever works for you :-) Some people love digital; others don't. There's no right or wrong...just personal preferences.
👍🏿🤘
Sorry mate I thought you was another bloke !
Cork sniffing nonsense.
K
Zzzzzz
I find that creating analog pedals out of the same (mostly) basic components but being able to achieve such varied and wonderful sounds is a true art form. There is something quite beautiful about the creation of analog circuits and manipulating these basic components to create radical effects!
Yep, 100%! I can definitely get excited by that...coding, not so much!