Moog Music Forum

I've got a Voyager, MF102, 103, and 105 currently but would like to add a little 'dirt' to the sound through the use of a guitar pedal. I was wondering if anyone has had good results with any particular distortion, fuzz, overdrive, etc. guitar pedals?

i have a super fuzz remake (made by a friend of mine @ way was efx) and it sounds AMAZING with my micromoog. i can only imagine what the voyager would sound like through it. ive tried it with a big muff pi but i didnt really care for it, there wasnt that drastic of a sound change. the super fuzz is grittier. so thats my vote

what is you budget?

Do you have the proper cable to use the mixer out/ filter in on your Voyager?

There are a LOT of OD, distortion, and fuzz pedals available, so there's no right answer to your question (what works and sounds good to me may be the opposite for you).

A while back, I wrote an article on this topic called "Kicking It Up A Notch". You might find it helpful in your quest to add a little 'dirt' to your tone. The article includes a couple of MP3 audio examples. Find it here:

https://www.moogmusic.com/members/?sect ... file_id=55

Since you already have the MF102, I'd suggest experimenting with its input gain circuit to see what it might do to dirty-up your signal. The MF102 can be used as a distortion device when the Mix control is set to '0' and the Drive control is cranked up (note: you may need to attenuate the output of the MF102 when the Drive control is set high). This is a no-cost option for you to explore, and is described in an article called "Lord of the RingMod", found here:

https://www.moogmusic.com/members/?sect ... file_id=41

Moving up the scale cost-wise, the cheapest OD, distortion and fuzz pedals that I've found is the line of Danelectro 'FAB' pedals. They are $15 each at Guitar Center, and give pretty good results for the money.

After that, there's the Boss DS1 distortion pedal ($40), and after that the sky is the limit. Everyone has their own favorites when it comes to these devices, and you can easily spend hundreds for them.

Another way to go is to use an amp/cabinet simulator, like a Line 6 POD, or a real amp.

One thing to keep in mind while you are experimenting is that not all Voyager patches benefit from the extra dirt. It's not like auditioning a stompbox with a guitar - you'll have to try a number of Voyager patches to see if the sound is working for you, and also to get an idea of the range of the stompbox. If you know a guitarist, try to borrow a few pedals and plan to spend an afternoon exploring. Have fun!

Thanks GregAE- as usual you have some great ideas and advice.

Analoghaze- Yes, I have the Mix/Filter Loop cable and I don't really have a budget. I'm just curious what other people were using.

I'm trying to find someone that I can borrow a few pedals from.

I use a Metasonix TM-1 in the loop for my distortion needs.

I have used and sold a ZVex Fuzz Factory and a Troubled Variance Noise Swash. (the TM-1 kills both IMO)
I love the Metasonix, I had it for quite a while. (longer than both pedals listed above and my Voyager)

I also use a Sherman Filterbank 2 which is super cool, but a little hard to use.

The Mooger FreqBox 107 sounds really strange too.

I recently asked this question elsewhere, and got a lot of different answers.

I ended up just deciding to try the Fuzz War (price was good, liked the samples), I'll let you know how it works when I get it (should be soon).

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/for ... ?t=1916443

There are a lot of good suggestions in that thread though.

The Metasonix beast is quite expensive, though I keep hearing good things about them. What happens in the Tube fails? Where can you get replacements? Or do Vac Tubes even fail that often?

Also, how easy is it to damage your Speakers with ther Sherman? They seem to warn about that, though how can it best be avoided? Just don't crank levels up to 12, or what?

llamastorm wrote:I recently asked this question elsewhere, and got a lot of different answers.

That's because there are a lot of choices, and then there's the issue of personal taste. That means there are no right answer to this question, but if you do find something you really like (a device & Voyager patch combo), please let us know.

llamastorm wrote:Also, how easy is it to damage your Speakers with the Sherman? They seem to warn about that, though how can it best be avoided? Just don't crank levels up to 12, or what?

Basically, the warning is overstated. It's always a good idea to keep the volume levels down while patching/programming, just on the off-chance that you create a wicked feedback loop or generate a loud resonance. As always, just use common sense and you'll be fine.

Yeah, I expected a lot of different answers, that was the point

Good to know on the Sherman not being lethal too!

Had the day off today.... which gave me a chance to make a few very short demos.... Oscillator 2 on the Voyager is the only one turned on. The filter on the Voyager is wide open. The Voyager is being sequenced by a Dot Com Q119.

Pretty straight foreward... nothing too complicated here.
Metasonix in the loop:


The next are with a FreqBox 107 in the loop. First with no CV going to the 107.


Now with CV from a CP-251. Sync is now turned off on the 107 as well.


thanks for watching and enjoy.

Wow, analoghaze! Thanks for the great demo clips. I'm actually really interested in the Metasonix boxes. The multimode filter looks like a pretty good one as well as the one you demoed. I already have 3 foogers in a rack so I wasn't planning on getting anymore(at least for a while!) but the MF107 is starting to look really cool. You've given me a lot to think about!

GregAE wrote: Moving up the scale cost-wise, the cheapest OD, distortion and fuzz pedals that I've found is the line of Danelectro 'FAB' pedals. They are $15 each at Guitar Center, and give pretty good results for the money.

GregAE,

As you have suggested here and elsewhere, the $15 Danelectro pedals do indeed work well for the purpose of adding some grit and dirt to the Voyager. Per your suggestion I inserted the Dano FAB Metal pedal in my Voyager RME's Mixer Out / Filter In - along with the Moog MF-102 and MF-104Z and got some great results. I recorded a nice new electronic work this way called "Zone Of Alienation" - I also had a Flower Electronics Little Boy Blue synth plugged into the RME's External Audio In. The FAB Metal seems to give the Voyager's Noise more of an edge and bite, as well as giving the Filters something with just a little more texture (or spice) to chew on.

Hal

I'm partial to a box called a Sparkle Drive made by Voodoo Lab. Has a warm OD circuit (based on an Ibanez TS808, I believe), but also has a clean boost circuit that lets you mix the dry signal back in with the distorted signal, which lets you dial in just the amount of "edge" you want. They run about $120. A little pricey, but you get what you pay for.

Thanks for the great demo clips.

you are welcome.

Those were swell demos man! I wish we could see the sequencer in action.

Is that a 50th anniversary ed Voyager? I was wondering if you had a mirrir or a lucky half dollar on the LHC.

EricK