[ST]: Mega Thump

mtmattan

What up guys,

The first and last delay I will build ?

Coming soon..

arjunmenon

Wow! This looks EPIC!
Is the MOD section before or after the delay?
I think i'd be interested in a Sonic Tonic Mega Thump delay.

billionairebum

Matt, wow. Get it done.

mtmattan

Hey Arjun,

The Mod section only affects the delay signal.
It's essentially an expanded version of the Icky Thump pedal.
Except this version adds:
Tap tempo (with multiplier)
Separate effects loop
Tremolo
EQ (Bass and Treble)
Better envelope but without the fuzz.

I wanted to build a delay that offered something unique - ie not offered in say a Boss DD20.
Also, as it's a completely analog signal path (except for the PT2399 chip), it means it's not exactly a Strymon Timeline.
The approach I took was to mess with the delay signal in different ways.
An effects loop, envelope and EQ aren't common at all in delays so that's where I believe the value/uniqueness lies.
I also found a chip (Taptation) to incorporate Tap Tempo, which is something I can't live without! ?

The other motivation was I've had a delay and trem PCB assembled and idle for months. Until now, hadn't found an interesting way to incorporate them.
Due to the complexity of this pedal, I'm really stoked to have these as a starting point!

Matt.

arjunmenon

Wow! Seriously nice work Matt. Thanks for the education.
Is the wave knob for all the modulation effects or just the tremolo?
I'd really be interested in one of these if you decide to build them commercially.
Looking forward to how this build progresses.

Cheers
Arjun

mtmattan

What up guys,

Not many people realize the kind of planning that goes into building a complex pedal.
It's not just a drill and wire ?

Here's a quick look just at the planning phase:

Matt.

mtmattan

Hey Arjun,

The Wave knob affects the Tremolo and Vibrato.

As to making some available for purchase, I don't think it'll happen for the following reasons.
1. If I start selling pedals commercially, I can't post on GFSA, and I like GFSA ?
2. Other delay pedals offer more features ie something like a Boss DD-20 can store 5 presets etc.
3. Highly labour intensive - especially in this build which combines 6 different circuits
(Input splitter, delay, delay tap tempo, LFO tremolo, vibrato, envelope follower)
4. Requires lots of wiring: this was intended to be a once off.

So as a once off, I couldn't sell it at a price that would cover my work as well as compete with other delays on the market.

This is especially so with something like a delay - which is highly complex compared to say an overdrive circuit.
What I mean is something like the Mega Thump certainly offers some interesting features but a DD-20 would be a better choice for the guitartist.

Hypothetically if it was for sale, I'd wouldn't recommend buying it as your first/only delay - buy a Timeline, DD 20 etc
I'd only recommend it if:
A) digital parameters like the Strymon Timeline are overwhelming and want something straightforward
B) you want something totally unique with experimental sounds.

Where something like the Skeedish Muff, has features and versatility that is (like a Tone Bypass and Clean blend) that other Muffs don't have - that's why I built it in the first place.
In that way, if I were to sell it, it would provide more value to the guitarist if I ever did decide to sell any pedals.
ie I would personally recommend a Skeedish Muff over a Pharoh or Muskett because of the versatility and Bass-player friendliness.
I try to only build things that haven't been done before, or if they have been done, have some value to add.
Otherwise just buy the original pedal! ?

Just to clarify, no pedals are available for sale commercially I'm afraid ?

arjunmenon

? Lol. Step 3 is priceless!

arjunmenon

Mattocaster wrote: Just to clarify, no pedals are available for sale commercially I'm afraid ?

Matt, in all honesty, you really should be taking this further.

mtmattan

Thanks for the encouragement Arjun ?

Last post for the day, been peddling for 4 hours now...
So not looking forward to wiring this thing up.
Still looking for inspiration for the artwork as well.

mtmattan

Got a FB page now:
http://www.facebook.com/SonicTitanFx
Like! ?

mtmattan

Made a start on the wiring.
Man I hate wiring!!!
2 hours of life gone and only about half of it done.
Still gotta rip it all out before I make the enclosure pretty so it's not too neat yet.

May rethink the Treble and Bass in the delay.
Any opinions on whether an EQ for the delay'd signal would be useful?
Or should I replace it with something like a fixed wah filter for more extreme madness?

peterleroux

Looks great.
I think something interesting on the delay would be more fun than the usual low-pass filter - every PT2399 based pedal uses the filter to get the fake analog sound. A resonant wah might be fun.

I'm with you on hating wiring- even a simple one-knob pedal takes me longer to wire than to build the circuit

mtmattan

Fixed wah would be interesting at the least.
Would have to build a new little circuit for it tho.
Why not I suppose!

domhatch

Mattocaster wrote: Fixed wah would be interesting at the least.
Would have to build a new little circuit for it tho.
Why not I suppose!

now that's the spirit!

this is one of the things i enjoy most about this forum - guys willing, and even eager, to share their projects, knowledge, and expertise. it's awesome.
dh

mtmattan

Delay and tap tempo working. ?

Made a slight error with the vibrato section.
With tremolo, the brighter the led the higher the Depth but with vibrato it's the opposite.
So gonna need 2 depth knobs.

DDR4LYF

All your projects are really inspiring! Thank you so much for posting stuff like this!!!!

mtmattan

Thanks man, glad you like it ?