Comfortably9Numb
Dark Side of the Moon
Posts: 1,254
Joined: Aug 2005
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with all of this recent debate about pedals i was wondering exactly how analog pedals work....i know how digital ones work but not analog...any input my fellow floydians?
Me = God of Chicken Wings
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| 06-21-2007 06:51 AM |
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Comfortably Daniel
Ummagumma
Posts: 302
Joined: Jan 2006
Reputation: 0
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It's actually not very complicated. It's done by feeding the signal through capacitors, resistors, transistors, diodes, IC's, potmeters and trimpots...that sort of stuff.
Every component does it's own thing to the signal to change it...for example the phase. Which modulates the signal up or down.
You could do some research on DIY pedals and see how and with which components a pedal is build. There are a lot of sites about this. :)
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| 06-21-2007 11:53 AM |
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The Great Pig in the Sky
Atom Heart Mother
Posts: 431
Joined: Nov 2004
Reputation: 5
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Basically, analog pedals have a circuit board (Here is the circuit board of what is probably the most infamous fuzz of all time, the Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi, which Dave used multiple times). It's very simple and has a natural tone.
Digital pedals will have chips in the circuit, similar to that of a computer. (Here is a photo of the inside of a digital effect pedal...note the Texas Instruments chip). Digital pedals don't sound as full, instead they are more thin and a lot of purists despise digital pedals. However, because digital pedals have chips, they are able to have many settings, because the differences are saved on a chip, much like a computer.
I believe that this is another digital pedal circuit board, but I'm not sure.
![[Image: 2buoae.gif]](http://i31.tinypic.com/2buoae.gif)
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| 06-21-2007 06:39 PM |
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Narrow Way
More
Posts: 292
Joined: May 2007
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Well said, Great Pig.
I would add that typically , digital pedals "feel" lifeless,kinda cold, not responsive. Much like the difference between a SS and a tube amp.
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| 06-22-2007 03:43 AM |
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Philintheflesh
The Wall
Posts: 2,557
Joined: Jun 2005
Reputation: 13
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Narrow Way Wrote:Well said, Great Pig.
I would add that typically , digital pedals "feel" lifeless,kinda cold, not responsive. Much like the difference between a SS and a tube amp.
Agreed.
Analogue pedals & valve (tube) amps all the way. 
Icy wind of night be gone...this is not your domain
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| 06-22-2007 05:37 AM |
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Comfortably Daniel
Ummagumma
Posts: 302
Joined: Jan 2006
Reputation: 0
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But don't confuse a microchip with an IC. They look very similar but aren't always the same. Some IC's are actually just a very small circuitboard and do the same thing without storing any data.
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| 06-22-2007 09:24 AM |
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paguitarist
Piper at the Gates of Dawn
Posts: 16
Joined: Oct 2006
Reputation: 0
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Great Pig, I believe those are ICs in the PCB link you posted, could be wrong but I think they are ICs. And yes ICs are just really tiny "circuit boards" giving them the name Integrated Circuit. Google DIY guitar effects and you'll get a wealth of information. Thats how all those boutique pedal makers make a living (seems like a pretty good career choice, bringing in $200 dollars for one that cost $50 to make).
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| 08-02-2007 06:54 PM |
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Comfortably Daniel
Ummagumma
Posts: 302
Joined: Jan 2006
Reputation: 0
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paguitarist Wrote:Great Pig, I believe those are ICs in the PCB link you posted, could be wrong but I think they are ICs. And yes ICs are just really tiny "circuit boards" giving them the name Integrated Circuit. Google DIY guitar effects and you'll get a wealth of information. Thats how all those boutique pedal makers make a living (seems like a pretty good career choice, bringing in $200 dollars for one that cost $50 to make).
Indeed a good career choice if look at it like that. It sometimes seems that some pedals are very overpriced...though it does take some time to build a pedal the proper way.
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| 08-03-2007 02:24 AM |
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Narrow Way
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^ It also takes one with skill, knowledge, patience and a bit of marketing savvy to make a go of pedal making. Those who can actually triple their investment on a pedal are very very rare. You'd need to have some sort of credibility to sell more than a few.
I know there are a few corksniffers and tone snobs who want their pedalboard to be completely different than any one else's. But for the average Joe, 200 clams for a pedal that is basically derivative of something else is too steep a price. :unclesam:
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| 08-03-2007 03:30 AM |
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