CYSTECH FILTER DRIVE

[Chankgeez]

Yeah, LaoWiz, I'm totally diggin' it! Thnx!

Too bad expression pedal wasn't easily doable. LDR is an interesting option, but I'd probably prefer a separate pedal if it's in any way possible.

I love all the options on this. Can't decide which mode is my favorite yet. (It's definitely not DIST 1. )

I can see a stripped down version of this with your favorite mode though.

[Jero]

Just here to say again, this thing sounds great!

[LaoWiz]

Yeah, LaoWiz, I'm totally diggin' it! Thnx!

Too bad expression pedal wasn't easily doable. LDR is an interesting option, but I'd probably prefer a separate pedal if it's in any way possible.

I love all the options on this. Can't decide which mode is my favorite yet. (It's definitely not DIST 1. )

I can see a stripped down version of this with your favorite mode though.

At some point this weekend I will try to fuck around with an expression input. I think it's doable just don't know how what the sweep will be. Will report back!

Yea, the Dist 1 is definitely the least interesting. I almost didn't include it but then I kinda liked it and it was easy to keep in. And I like that it goes from the brightish boost/od sound with Dist 1 up to the imploding Cyst 2 mode. I actually before never played much with Dist 1 but think I like it more now due to PSQRCL's demo. \

I like Cyst 1 and Dist 2 the most and generally stick to those. But also love Cyst 2 and Dist 4. Least played would be probably Dist 3 (stock Systech - though there's a bit more gain that the OG) and Dist 1. And yeah I have already thought about doing a Cyst 1 only pedal. Or just doing more Cyst Modes only pedal. One thing I had tried with the breadboarded circuit was a couple of active tone controls but the filter whistled too much but think only in the Dist modes. Maybe something to experiment with would be a Cyst Mode pedal that has active tone control. But yeah, originally, about 2 years ago I was going to just do a stock clone but then found all these other interesting things in the circuit. I've also noticed the filter on the Vorg Warp Sound is almost identical to the Systech one so want to fuck with that one too (adding more gain/distortion of course)!

Everyone that has received one so far seems to dig it so I pondering another run. I would use a different place for UV printing but think most places have a 25 piece minimum so it's a bit of an investment but then I could a couple more demos. There's also some changes I would make with the circuit board so if I do it will be later in the year as I want to do this Hyperfuzz project next. For some reason, I keep thinking in my head of doing different colors for the print and I have the cystech part in my head in purple. And now trying to think of another color that works well with purple....

[LaoWiz]

Just here to say again, this thing sounds great!

[Dandolin]

just had an awesome sesh with the Cystech - more wrds comin' so much going on in here, and I've barely scratched the surface 4 hours in....

[Chankgeez]

Least played would be probably Dist 3 (stock Systech - though there's a bit more gain that the OG)

I actually like DIST 3 quite a lot. It's a nice balance between the cleanish and the chaos. As far as "clean tones" go, DIST 1 is pretty nice because of the potential filter-y-ness. Haven't determined yet which I like better between CYST 1 and CYST 2. They're both pretty fun.

I've got a Basic Audio clone of a Warp Sound John built for me (ironically as a double with an SRS EQ Exciter clone). I like that circuit too!

NSFW: show

I also have an SRC clone of a Harmonic Energizer with added gain. The EQ on that is pretty effective. (Moreso with single coils than with the humbuckers I'm playin' now.) Not sure how interesting it'd be to mess with that circuit, but it's certainly worth examining.

Another run would be great! I've always liked green with purple (as evidenced in the NSFW).

[goroth]

Green and purp is great. Though I'd go the other way around - purple with green highlights.

[Dandolin]

NSFW: show

i had no idea

[LaoWiz]

just had an awesome sesh with the Cystech - more wrds comin' so much going on in here, and I've barely scratched the surface 4 hours in....

Awe YEAAAAAAA!

[LaoWiz]

Least played would be probably Dist 3 (stock Systech - though there's a bit more gain that the OG)

I actually like DIST 3 quite a lot. It's a nice balance between the cleanish and the chaos. As far as "clean tones" go, DIST 1 is pretty nice because of the potential filter-y-ness. Haven't determined yet which I like better between CYST 1 and CYST 2. They're both pretty fun.

I've got a Basic Audio clone of a Warp Sound John built for me (ironically as a double with an SRS EQ Exciter clone). I like that circuit too!

NSFW: show

I also have an SRC clone of a Harmonic Energizer with added gain. The EQ on that is pretty effective. (Moreso with single coils than with the humbuckers I'm playin' now.) Not sure how interesting it'd be to mess with that circuit, but it's certainly worth examining.

Another run would be great! I've always liked green with purple (as evidenced in the NSFW).

That Basic Audio is dope!!! I made a Harmonic Energizer years ago and liked running stuff into it but it's been awhile, I will have to drag that one back out...

[LaoWiz]

3 left in this first batch BUMP

[Dandolin]

Folks - don't miss out on this.

This pedal brings so much. The demo is superb, but the pedal can get very agressive if you want that, too.

Drive 1 and 2 are outstanding for lofi textures and clang gang stuff. At this point the filter is more like an eq, and all the settings are fairly cutting and bass-light. Good thing that Damp switch is there to give the high frequencies a shave and a haircut.

Starting with Drive 3 you get a lot more bass flooding the gain stages, so things get fuzzy fast, and that filter! It really starts to shine here - getting more into cocked wah and synthy zones - very chewy. Plus, starting with Drive 3, pushing the gain up to the higher levels pushes the filter into *very* cool oscillation. Also also, while the oscillation can get plenty crazy, it's also much easier to get a stable, controllable pitch set up to play against than with your typical over-gained oscillatin' fuzz (not that's there's anything wrong with that, amirite?).

I totally get why expression control of the filter sweep would be on the wishlist of a savant like Chank, and I'd love to see something like that in an expanded v.2 if LaoWiz evers wants to do something like that
( psst ), but the oscillation is also a cool feature blended in with a "clean" signal in something like a Klein Bottle, or a simpler parallel looper such as made by EHX or Dwarfcraft - it gets to be more about texture and less about pitch, if you catch my drift. So much so, that, if I were to, say, seek out a custom custom down the line, I'd be looking at a clean blend option (but even better would be a dirty-clean like on the Gnomeratron). Things are starting to get real complicated there, though, so I can see that it might get to the point of a build nightmare, but the point is - the potential is there for so! much! tone! when you toss this thing in a blender.

Other thoughtful touches abound. The crossover switch introduces some cool gnarly grit to the lower gain Drive 1 and 2 settings, but in the higher gain settings it can create jawesome autowah effects, or bring interesting focus to the filter's oscillation, sometimes even tightening that up and bringing it more under control. And the 68/10 (typo here - maybe should read "69" ?) switch is an input bass selector, and really helps tweak in the exact imploding galaxy foley fx you're reaching for in the Cyst modes.

I will probably come back and write some more, just because this pedal is that way, and I am continually finding new WTF moments, which in this fucked up world is just what at least 3 more ILFers need.

Thanks LaoWiz!!!

[goroth]

Ungh! Do want!

[LaoWiz]

Folks - don't miss out on this.

This pedal brings so much. The demo is superb, but the pedal can get very agressive if you want that, too.

Drive 1 and 2 are outstanding for lofi textures and clang gang stuff. At this point the filter is more like an eq, and all the settings are fairly cutting and bass-light. Good thing that Damp switch is there to give the high frequencies a shave and a haircut.

Starting with Drive 3 you get a lot more bass flooding the gain stages, so things get fuzzy fast, and that filter! It really starts to shine here - getting more into cocked wah and synthy zones - very chewy. Plus, starting with Drive 3, pushing the gain up to the higher levels pushes the filter into *very* cool oscillation. Also also, while the oscillation can get plenty crazy, it's also much easier to get a stable, controllable pitch set up to play against than with your typical over-gained oscillatin' fuzz (not that's there's anything wrong with that, amirite?).

I totally get why expression control of the filter sweep would be on the wishlist of a savant like Chank, and I'd love to see something like that in an expanded v.2 if LaoWiz evers wants to do something like that
( psst ), but the oscillation is also a cool feature blended in with a "clean" signal in something like a Klein Bottle, or a simpler parallel looper such as made by EHX or Dwarfcraft - it gets to be more about texture and less about pitch, if you catch my drift. So much so, that, if I were to, say, seek out a custom custom down the line, I'd be looking at a clean blend option (but even better would be a dirty-clean like on the Gnomeratron). Things are starting to get real complicated there, though, so I can see that it might get to the point of a build nightmare, but the point is - the potential is there for so! much! tone! when you toss this thing in a blender.

Other thoughtful touches abound. The crossover switch introduces some cool gnarly grit to the lower gain Drive 1 and 2 settings, but in the higher gain settings it can create jawesome autowah effects, or bring interesting focus to the filter's oscillation, sometimes even tightening that up and bringing it more under control. And the 68/10 (typo here - maybe should read "69" ?) switch is an input bass selector, and really helps tweak in the exact imploding galaxy foley fx you're reaching for in the Cyst modes.

I will probably come back and write some more, just because this pedal is that way, and I am continually finding new WTF moments, which in this fucked up world is just what at least 3 more ILFers need.

Thanks LaoWiz!!!

AWE YES! Thanks for the extensive write up!

Those parallel processing ideas are really interesting, I think my time experimenting with this circuit is over other than fucking around with an expression input and/or doing a expand Cyst Mode only pedal. There's just too many other circuits I want to get to next...

Glad you are liking the oscillation. I think the added gain I introduced makes the filter whistle when in brighter settings which I took as a trade off but glad users are experiencing it as a feature. For me, I tend to keep the filter range mostly in the deep end for most of the time except for Cyst mode 2 since it's so bass heavy, getting the filter in the brighter ranges here is pretty noisy fun for me.

Let me know if you record anything with it that you can share!

[Dandolin]

that all makes sense - I'd rather see what else you come up with on other circuits (easy for me to say since I am already blend-ready).... I may record some snippets of particularly interesting tidbits - with the constant chaos in my house, there's no way anything extended or other than lofi will really come off well, lol. (I personally enjoy all the howls, growls, chirps and squeaks that join in - just sometimes wish I had a blend control for them)....