Introducing: 424 Studios

[culturejam]

Some of you guys know that madbean, myself, and pickdropper have started our own effects pedal company called Function f(x). It's been a long process, and although we're not quite ready to formally launch with our first products, we have made a lot of progress and generated a lot of really fun/cool circuit ideas. So we wanted to have a side gig under which we could release fun/wacky circuits and share them with the world, and so 424 Studios was born. And actually it's not the whole Function f(x) crew in on this, it's just me, Dave, and Brian, and we're doing all the fun stuff we want to do that isn't related to the main business.

The name comes from our shared love for the old Tascam 424 Protastudio 4-track. All three of us slaved away on a 424 during the early-mid 90s creating music and testing out ideas. 424 Studios is our way to create new things and test out ideas. And what better place to have a home that the wonderful and wacky community at I Love Fuzz??

We plan to do several types of products: some short run production pedals, some PCBs, and even some projects that can be etched and built without buying anything from us. We're currently working on a couple classic fuzz pedals (Fuzz Rite is first) and hope to have some original fuzz and modulation and delay projects released over the next couple months.

So keep an eye out on this subforum. The first short-run fuzz will be dropping over the next couple weeks.

[goroth]

Awesome!

What are the 'profiles' for the two companies?

[AxAxSxS]

sounds fun! and I was wondering the same thing

[culturejam]

Awesome!

What are the 'profiles' for the two companies?

I suppose the biggest difference is that Function f(x) is a legit LLC that will be doing everything "by the book", including things like FCC testing. Once we get it going, the PCBs will be populated "out of house" and we'll do the final assembly and QC. So whatever designs we choose need to be able to be reproduced at volume and with currently available components. So no mojo germanium fuzz pedals or anything that requires parts last made in 70s, nothing that's chocked full of lead or asbestos, and that sort of thing. We want to be able to export to Europe and be fully compliant with all those regulations as well. It's quite a bit more work than just slapping together pedals and shipping them.

424 Studios is the opposite. It's an outlet for any the cool ideas we stumble upon that can't be scaled up for whatever reason. For any given project, we might do a run of 10 pedals or offer a PCB (or both). It's also going to be run primarily as a "beer and gear money" operation for the three of us. It's not financially connected to Function f(x) in any way. We will of course support anything we sell, but it's a very laid back operation in terms of release schedule and all that.

[Chankgeez]

Awesomely nicely groovy.

[skullservant]

sweeeet

[culturejam]

Thanks for the kind words and encouragement, guys!

[goroth]

Would you be able to sneak 424 pedals into Europe? I like the sound of

original fuzz and modulation and delay projects

, and your builds are always sick.

[culturejam]

Would you be able to sneak 424 pedals into Europe?

I don't see why not.

[Chankgeez]

I volunteer as the mule that will carry these obscene electronic devices onto European soil.

[goroth]

You're always welcome buddy. Expensive beer, cold weather... We've got it all!

[pickdropper]

Thanks for all the positive vibes, folks.

As Culturejam said, this is basically a PCB and small scale pedal building gig. Function f(x) is a larger scale operation (with an actual business and manufacturing plan), Studio 424 will be oddball brainchild pedals, fun classic circuits, and basically anything that we like and think that other people might dig too, but we don't want to (or can't) build on a larger scale. Our plan is to have no formal plan; it should be a good time. It'll still get our standard attention to detail, though. We do have our standards. :-)

[Chankgeez]

... Our plan is to have no formal plan; it should be a good time.

Sounds like a plan.

[Jero]

Great man, I look forward to seeing what you guys churn out!

[univalve]

424 Sounds like the shit i dig! Thumbs up guys!