Designing a New Piece of Recording Gear Pt. 1: The Concept August 7, 2012 14:22 60 Comments

Thanks Don. Of course I have a price point in mind. Dare I put it out there before taking a serious look at suppliers and quantity prices? I think not ;)

ow this would be great . alredy searching a long time for an good distortion to use in my home studio. would be great to give mine oberheim ob 12 some real analog beef.

While this is probably a bit over my my still-learning skills (currently doing simple bending, circuits, and restoration), I dig the scope and goals of this project. Very much looking forward to seeing it bloom. I get why you’d go with the 500 format, but consider perhaps allowing for small standalone boxes, e.g. RNP. Some of us are still a ways off an actual API rack. ;-)

Love this idea P! Do you have an initial price point in mind?

Will it go to 11?

Awesome idea! Congrats!

What a great idea. Not 1, but 3 saturation units in one. I’d definitely grab a pair (once I get my 51x kit that is… ).
Realize it’s not digital, but something like bit-crushing sonic destruction would be nice!
Ditching the standard terms makes sense. Perhaps informative; label the controls for what they actually do.

Ah yes, a wise choice. We devout followers will start throwing some duckets aside in the hope that it will be enough to indulge in the sonic goodness of ‘color’. The 500 series is a big commitment. I don’t have one myself so I would prefer a rackmount unit. Also, would you consider making the unit stereo? I believe a lot of people would enjoy trying something like this over a 2 track bus. An independent stereo unit would give the user this ability while also giving them two mono channels for use on individual tracks

Indeed, it’s a tough decision. A single-unit, little box with a hookup for the 500-series back plane might be just the ticket. But that’s another big project right there!

Not sure about that. But it may go to Violet.

Great minds think alike! Link’s current PCB revision includes the ability to slave another channel to the controls of the first, making a Stereo “Colour.”

Sounds awesome! I could see an adjustable crossover between the mix sections for each drive type coming in handy, that is if’ it’s going to operate on multiple bands.. and distortion stages similar to those of crane song and empirical labs gear sounds really attractive and I’d definitely leave “tape” and “triode” in there, the more versatile, the better! Also agree with Don, preferring a rack-mount unit over the 500 series, a stereo option would be very welcome!

I will buy 8 channels of those!

in that case nothing said!

Glad you like the idea! Regarding the stereo version, see my reply to Don above. It’s not that the “tape” and “triode” stages will be removed, just that they won’t be called as such and that our end design goal will not be to emulate those sounds (to the extent that it even makes sense to group the wide range of tape and triode sounds under one term) as closely as possible.

That’s an interesting thought: analog “bit crushing.” Flip the paradigm on its head! Emulate digital with analog!

However, bit crushing rarely ever fits the “subtle” description, which is what we’re pursuing: a certain harmonic “je ne sais quoi.”

Very nice, I’ve been wanting to draw up something like this for sometime. It would be fun to create a list/database of optional/swappable JFET transistors, Opamps, Diode/LED’s, etc for different saturation stages. All of the tried & true stomp-box designs for example are more then well documented. A user list tried/tested configurations would be good information as well.

Great idea. If you can make something simple that can get that Thermionic Culture Vulture kind of sound without breaking the bank, I would dig this so much…

Very promising…I am curious to try this out with some “cheap” digital preamps…

Keep up the good work!

I’ve been toying with this idea my self. In my quest i stubled over this thread at GDIY. http://www.groupdiy.com/index.php?topic=44946.0 Read mr coffee’s post on the first page. He outlines a completly new way of introducing distortion with precision controll over the harmonics that i haven’t seen any one do before. Thaught that it might be worth checking out.

What about parallel/series switch for each colour stage?

Oh and next to all, it would be cool to add one setting of compression with release setting!

Count me in for some solder smoke!
Might be interesting if it is possible to de-tune the harmonics order on one or more channels.
Just weirding out out loud here, lol.

I’m with you on this, amigo! Although we all love the sound of the vintage gear, like the Neve 1073, etc. for many of us it’s beyond our financial reach… there are many different units available at low cost, but then again, they use cheap components, and you’re basically getting what you pay for… so that leaves getting a true unique and quality performance piece of equipment unavailable for so many home studio or small/beginning studio folks out of the loop. So, in my opinion, you’re on the right track… making gear that actually enhances our studios and projects at an affordable price… end result will be new and better music to our ears, right? (Hopefully) Thanks for all you’re doing for us!
Best Regards,
Buzzy Gruen

Sounds interesting !. I have been playing far too many years to mention. It has taken me years to shape the tone sound of notes as i play, yes it’s subtle and many guitarists feel it’s the overdrive pedal i use. But its a variation of pinched harmonics vibrato, and damping, in a nutshell Hendrix occasionally when the set up was right, and what makes david gilmour sound as he does. Also Rory gallagher live especially . What annoys the hell out of me is the amp volume , setting, pedal, temperature, day of the week , Weather, all seem contribute to the abliity to enhance this subtle technique. If a pedal could be made simply to enhance these harmonics then i think this is the device enhancing colour you are aiming to build. I use a colorsound overdriver (old one) that i have always used, having recognised its potential ever since i got it out the bargain bin at carlsboro sound in mansfield in the mid 70’s. I also messed with an orange squeezer, which after the original 741 op chip failed has never been as good with newer ones. The frequency is similar to the squish for want of an overall sound description for the 70’s colorsound wah wahs just in the on position not rocked back, similar to the tube screamer slightly, with the treble taking a back seat, note, gilmour uses a mid boost too.
So what are we talking about enhancing ?. well its the compression and boosting of the mid frequencies probably and the mids are boosted at different mids on the upper mids, but needs to be affected/react by the volume / attack of the guitar, so when the guitarist digs in it it reacts, but when after subtle slight pinching it remains detailed enough to bring out these mids, when strumming the response needs to return to a more flat response accross the frequencies. Many guitarists think its the gear i use, but as they say it’s in the fingers and technique, and have used their amp set ups, twiddled and got a similar sound.
I’m probably boring the chips off you at moment so i will retire and see what transpires, I hope all this waffling this helps !

I certainly like the idea. A tilt style EQ before would be really nice to tailor the saturation.

Is is it 3 serial stages, or a parallel system when ‘mix’ is actually the level of the distorted signal being mixed in.

If the first case then I would have two more feature requests:
- The ability to switch the order of the stages.
- Individual gain controls for the racked version.

I’ll take 4!

Peterson, this sounds like a great idea…I’d be interested in checking it out when it’s ready. I do like the idea of getting away from words like tape and triode…some pretty funny misconceptions are blathered about in the name of that! Great idea, and I think you and your site are great!

This is exciting to say the least. I can hardly wait to see how this project turns out.

I’ve been wanting to do something just like this for a long long time. I’m thrilled you’ve found a design partner and are taking the initiative.

I like the design goal of subtle magic. And would like to politely vote ‘no’ to the earlier suggestion of bit crushing, which is inherently non-musical and better accomplished with plugins like the SoundToys bundle.

Also I LOVE the idea of keeping the trendy words off the front panel. No “tube,” no “tape,” no ‘warm,’ and above all, no ‘creamy.’ Leave that bullshit to the marketing dept. at Harman. In fact, I’d go so far as to not map the inspiration for each in the documentation / write ups. I’d always rather use my ears than my preconceptions. Forcing the possibly reluctant end user to really listen and adjust knobs to taste is a gift.

Bravo – I’m excited about following the progress. This is a really unique initiative.

Great find, thanks! Mr. Coffee’s VCA idea is certainly worth a look.

Allowing for both series and parallel modes is something Link and I continue to mull over. What we’re debating—and we won’t know for sure until we proto it—is whether it would make a significant difference for the kind of subtle distortion we’re talking about.

Great :)

Really interisting project.
I would add a filter maybe three fixed hpf frequencies.
Have one slot left on my lunchbox for one :) haha
(yeah i know i will have to buy another rack soon)

Hi Sam, while we’re off topic let me say that your sound has been a big influence on how I hear the drums. Glad to have you here!

I appreciate your vote of confidence for the “Colour.” You make a good point that the continual imperative to make something “completely new” (weak as it may be in the audio design world today) inspires at least as many gimmicks as innovations. In the realm of dangers facing the DIY community, though, I feel it’s a rather remote and benign one. Of course the world doesn’t need more trendy junk, but I would welcome an influx of gimmicky DIY projects if they were done in an open source and well-documented way. Done that way, every gimmick would also be a valuable heuristic for the community.

The distortion stages are in parallel exactly as you said.

Link and I had a fierce debate over individual gain vs. mix controls during the initial stages of defining our design goals. I really liked the idea of being able to drive each stage as hard as I wanted to and then perhaps have a master wet/dry mix. Link saw the device more as a subtle “warmth control” (I know, I know, terrible word!) which would remain subtle even with the mix control made all the way “wet.” Link won that debate.

Thanks for the encouraging words. I agree with your sentiment of keeping preconceptions as far away from audio as possible. And in truth, Link never pitched the distortion stages in terms of “tape,” triode," etc.—he stuck to more objective words like “assymetrical,” “second order,” etc.

Hello to all. This here is my first post. Firstly (Pardon me if this strays off-topic), I’d like to extend my respect and admiration to this fine community — who really do make a big difference, in the wide field of “audio gathering”. As with a lot of things in life, [a large part of] the recording arts/industry et al., in my humble opinion, sold its soul long ago . But, coming to find this forum has excited/inspired me. Hope is not lost, and maybe I can ditch that dull sense of feeling well beyond jaded. Getting to the topic at hand…. The concept of a entirely “new” piece of gear is something I ponder quite often. Invariably, I more often than not draw a blank. At this point in the juncture, it’s almost like trying to introduce a new universal language from which to communicate on a global level – and I don’t mean electronically! The challenge is huge due to the simply “tried and true”. Moreover, this field has seen so many “innovations” fade into the realms of trend and/or gimmick. On the other hand, “Colour” is a wonderful idea; a piece of gear that I would, if it was currently on the market, buy on description alone. As there’s nothing quite like it available, but it’s still not over-arching practical application. Link and Peterson’s concept is pushing towards re-defining, without changing the meaning. Put me down for 2, please!

I dig that idea. Of course, Link and I will come up with a “canonical” configuration that we like, but experimentation and documentation is where the real fun will be for the community. That’s why all schematics, etc. will be released open source.

I fully agree with you. I try very hard to not dismiss any idea based on categorical preference. We can always improve upon any given idea/concept – especially within an open forum (such as this one!).
When I started to take my [“project”] studio to a higher level, I became more aware of the much smaller builders of really great, well designed/crafted, recording gear (Chandler LTD, BAE, Retro Audio, et al). For many years prior I only knew of the mainstays (Neumann, Studer, Neve, Trident, SSL – and that list goes on) and was blown away by the all around quality – better yet, I was spending my cash on something that had the manufacturers finger prints all over the it! The gap, between consumer and company, became a bit more narrow in the best of ways. Fast forward to the now, not only am I broaching on my own DIY projects, but I make a real effort to try and fill my equipment need[s] from within the growing range DIY builders.

Interesting indeed
For about a year I am researching a lot of different types of distortions (mostly guitar pedals) to use on mostly drum busses and – loops. So I am most definitely interested in what’s going on here! For the subtle coloring you are talking about, the mix function is essential. I have found that for “real” sound designing, you would really want to split the signal in different frequency bands and then be able to apply the different distortions to different bands:
Low (anything below 140Hz), Mid (140-5khz) and high(5khz+). Ideally, with variable crossover frequencies.
That might be a bridge too far for this project, but still interesting this to see how you want to achieve different kinds of distortions. I would strongly advice to take a look at some of the guitar stompbox designs on e.g. Do It Yourself stompboxes or Free Stompboxes… there are a lot of good designs and knowledge out there.

This is a great idea. I often send itb tracks through an outboard pre to get some xformer vibe. If this product provides more consistent results it’ll be great for workflow.

I would pick two of these up. I don’t have a 500 rack, but I’ve been thinking about getting one. Also, that assumes that the soldering part is pretty simple.

CULTURE VULTURE! PERIOD!

Ah yes, ‘Color and Shape’. So, are you talking cascading color stages?

ditto :)

how about transformer saturation?

I’ve been thinking about this exactly same box for a couple of years but I quit building stuff when I realized I’m better off with plugins. However one thing that I wanted to make for a saturation box like this was transformer overdrive saturation, just a pregained signal prior to trafo and then minus the same level aften the trafo. I was thinking the harmonics from the distorted subs could be cool ie. for a bass instrument (and even have a high-pass after the trafo to add just some of the higher freqs (>100hz) of the distortion to the signal mix to make it phatter).

Thanks for the in depth ideas. Splitting the frequency bands is something to seriously consider.

Stay tuned for the next post. We’re brainstorming ways to make this a possibility.

Not so much cascading as parallel. Though the idea of a series/parallel switch has been thrown around.

Hi Nick, thanks for the kind words! Of course we’ll ship overseas—Germans, Australians, and Quebecers especially seem to love building stuff.

dude, heard ur stuff on home recording show, have you considered running for the presidency? This is such an awesome concept – was blown away hearing u talk about it – you’ll ship O/S won’t you. Listen I’d love to throw my 2 cents in the ring re: specs but I couldn’t tell a resistor and capacitor apart, having said that I wish you well, i think it sounds terrific. Nik the bus driver, australia.

99.9% THD

Hey peterson! This sounds like an awesome project. I recently was listening to the home recording show with ryan and heard your piece on the ferrite DI and this new project. I think the idea for the modular distortion pieces is awesome!! You were saying that you both were looking for suggestions for different types, and immediately two jump at me.
1. redd47 type & 2. shure level-loc type
If this happens, i’ll be one happy dude. that’s for sure.

Thanks for being the man.

Put the graphic or sticker under the faceplate and have a cut out “window” to see how much colour you are adding.

Nice idea. Does anyone with more labeling knowledge than I know how this might be done? The only way I can think of is with a vinyl sticker.

In the spirit of the colour theme instead of having numbers on the wet/dry you should have hue. White to a bold colour as you turn it up. the would be rad. also loving the idea of the transformer distortion.

Hi,
Is this project still allive?

Im ready! Alot of talk ablout Sonic Varnish in some distinct ‘circles’…lately

Window idea got me thinking, what if the faceplate had openings which corresponded with the color modules which would have a small faceplate of their own? Easy way to see which modules are in and in what order.