Moog Music Forum

I have the Koma FT201, the brand new Dreadbox Omikron and my MF104m. Some people in another thread were curious about how the Koma interacted we the foogers. Before I make a video about these three, are there any requests?

Info on the Omikron
http://www.dreadbox-fx.com/omikron-2/

Koma FT201
http://www.koma-elektronik.com/manuals/FT201_A2.pdf

I'm very interested in how they talk CV to each other.

Stephen




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Do the Koma units take 1/4" or 1/8" jacks?

I got the impression at some point that it was 1/8." The Rhythm Generator really interests me.

they use 1/4

TS compatible . . . or TRS only?

The Koma stuff is 1/4 TS. The dreadbox is 1/8 TS. I've been playing around with lots of different configurations, and haven't found anything that "doesn't work". I say it that way, because everything does what logic dictates it would do, but whether you'd ever actually need it to do that is a different story.

Current usable interactions:
1. CV sequencer on the Koma modulating the PWM on the Dreadbox Omikron. Very nasty synth distortion, in a bad ass kind of way.
2. Sequencer running its filter, as designed, without routing. Running this effect in the Feedback Insert of the MF-104m. The bandpass and high pass especially. Stacking the low pass on top of the sub37 filter doesn't do much for me. Maybe a drum machine?
3. CV Sequencer out to Cv Pitch input on the sub 37. Fun step sequencer, like all step sequencers. I also really like changing the Cv mapping on the sub37 to use the sequencer to modulate the release time of the VCA. Sounds fantastic on arpeggiated stuff, if the sequencer is synced to the same clock as the arp.
4. Using the optical controller on the Koma for just about anything. It's just fun.

More results to come, and a video soon.

Sorry, I meant to ask how does the Koma talk CV to any of the Foogers.

Stephen




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I had a BD101 and it worked just fine! I ended up selling it off, though, because it had a lot of the same functionality as my ClusterFlux. It did, however integrate seamlessly with my XL and other Foogers. It was nice to have the 1/4" to 1/4" plugs so I didn't have to mess with adapters. The CV was compatible and plug 'n play with the rest of my Moog rig...

I agree. It does everything CV should do. I haven't been able to make it NOT work. I don't think it really needs a video, but if I find anything really interesting I will post one. The CV options on the Dreadbox stuff are much more expansive. Intellegent design and implementation. I only wish they were 1/4 jacks instead of 1/8, but they make euro rack gear, so it makes sense.

The build quality on the Koma gear seems quite cheap. The metal has a lot more flex in it that my moogerfooger. Also, it has sliders. I hate sliders. They make me feel like it's a Roland, and not in a good way. The caps always come off of sliders. It's a pet peeve I guess. Another annoyance is the plywood sides. Obviously they are a cost-saving component, which is fine. Plywood exposed edges can be cool. But mine weren't even sanded. If you look at the high res product photos, you can even see splinters and tear out on the cheeks. That's just sloppy. It would take an extra 10 minutes to sand them by hand before install, or about 45 seconds with a machine. I replacement mine with oak ones, stained to match the moog. The footswitch feels low grade as well, and I only use it with my hands. I assume actually using your foot on it would break it in a short time. It does have CV attenuators on the back, which is very helpful.

The Dreadbox Omikron I have is a tank. Thick metal, nice screen printing and wood panels. It's a very specialized pedal (actual the Koma is too) but when I need fuzz/overdrive/mayhem, I turn it on and it always sounds great. The built in sub osc is fantastic on the moog sub37 (although redundant) but it is stellar on my Korg Ms-20, and likely great on the minitaur as well. They are both so specialized, it's hard to justify, but if I had it to do over again, I would definitely buy the Omikron again, not so sure on the Koma.

Just got my Koma RH 301 today. Can't wait to get started. I wish they had it in black tho, since I sold all my white pedals long ago.

Croyote wrote:Just got my Koma RH 301 today. Can't wait to get started. I wish they had it in black tho, since I sold all my white pedals long ago.

I got mine from Big City in California. $15 more than all of the white ones on eBay, but a cheap price to pay to sleep at night.

jsharpphoto wrote:I got mine from Big City in California. $15 more than all of the white ones on eBay, but a cheap price to pay to sleep at night.

I'm not losing sleep over the color of the pedal lol. I got it because the financing was affordable using the only dealer on Reverb offering Affirm.

You seem pretty experienced with these pedals, so I wanted to touch on the cable thing again. It seems from our previous discussion and the manual that the Koma Elektronik works best with 1/4" TS cables, but what about 1/4" TRS cables?

I ask for a couple of reasons.

First, if you use TS cables you can only use one CV/EXP (white labled) input on any individual fooger as they short out the rest of the jacks unless you use TRS. Sorta limiting. . .

Second, I have a CoPilotFx Dual Broadcast and in my experience it only works with TRS cables. It has an EXP in jack that will interact with the LFO and tap Tempo. I would like to send the Sine wave from the RH-301 to the Broadcast EXP in and mix it with the S&H waveform to create a sort of smooth random wave. I also would like to get one of CoPilot's Broadband pedals which allow one to take any EXP in and send it to various destinations w/ independent attenuation/adjustment. It would be much cheaper than ordering another CP-251 (with no tap tempo, of course! erg!).

The lack of multiple outputs on the RH-301 is already mildly frustrating, but I'm still intrigued by the possibilities it offers.

If the pedals are incompatible TS to TRS wise, I wonder if a 1/4" TS to 1/4" TRS cable is the solution. Or will it just cause extra noise?

Honestly, all I know about using trs for cv is what I learned in the moogerfooger cp-251 manual. I've never tried it.

Just a question (may be a stupid one): can Dreadbox and Moog CV connections interact? They're different plug sizes (1/4" and 1/8"). I wanted to buy the Dreadbox Kappa to control my 104M and 108.

FourLegsGood wrote:Just a question (may be a stupid one): can Dreadbox and Moog CV connections interact? They're different plug sizes (1/4" and 1/8"). I wanted to buy the Dreadbox Kappa to control my 104M and 108.

Sure. Just get a pack of 1/8th to 1/4 adapters, or cables.