On the fence about doing a pedal setup...

VST, AU, AAX, CLAP, etc. Plugin Virtual Effects Discussion
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So... I had this idea to take the Arturia MicroFreak (pre-ordered) and pair it with some pedals like the Strymon Timeline, Möbius, etc. Maybe an Analog Heat. I’ve got about $1200 to spend. Now I’m getting cold feet. I’ve got a bunch of great plugin effects, including the new Valhalla Delay, Shimmer, MXXX, Soundtoys bundle, etc. Great stuff. I’ve been running them inside Maschine FX to get instant access to a knobby interface, but it’s one plugin at a time. I’m not looking for a “no computer” setup. My computer is always on. Should I just forget this foolishness, get a few plugins that I’ve been hanker’n for, or is it worth it to have all the knobs laid out there all nice. The idea is that this will be sort of an experiment station.
Zerocrossing Media

4th Law of Robotics: When turning evil, display a red indicator light. ~[ ●_● ]~

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With $1200 I would get a summing mixer and or something like the Behringer X-Touch that way you can also optimize the investment you already have in VSTs

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Pedals have reasonable resale value but even so you have to be careful as 1200 can disappear quickly. I went through a pedal phase, probably spent well over 2k, sold a lot, bought replacements. Now I just have a few quality pedals left but it cost me quite a bit to figure out what I wanted to keep.
Intel Core i7 8700K, 16gb, Windows 10 Pro, Focusrite Scarlet 6i6

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I also have the MicroFreak on preorder. And I have a bunch of those pedals... Strymon El Capistan, Volante, BigSky, Eventide H9 Max, Analog Heat, Red Panda Particle and Tensor, Infinite Jets, Boss MD500, and a few others.

If you're going to mostly work in the box, you'll probably be perfectly content with Valhalla and Soundtoys plugins. I've never really gotten as much use out of MXXX as I thought I would, because I simply don't like the basic character of most of the effects, even if you can patch them together in all sorts of creative ways.

You've missed the Kickstarter now, but check out the Plankton Electronics SPICE as an alternative to Analog Heat. It seems to offer much more aggressive distortion, which I always found a little underwhelming on the Heat.

I also have a Line 6 Helix Floorboard, which I bought mostly for guitar and bass, but is fantastic for running synths through as well. Honestly, it has all but killed my GAS for pedals.

I also have a T-Rex Replicator, and there truly is nothing that can beat a genuine tape delay. The new Valhalla Delay sounds fantastic, Echoboy sounds fantastic, and so on and so forth, but when you hear the real thing, the difference is still night and day. Especially if you run it at the lowest speed with a bit of motor speed modulation. If you aren't particularly enthralled with the sound of a tape delay, this needn't concern you.

I can't justify any of this stuff. My VST effects are all great, and I'd be perfectly content with only those. I just like getting new toys, and it is fun to have physical boxes to interconnect. So my workflow is that when I use hardware instruments, I run them through hardware effects, but when I use virtual instruments, I use virtual effects. it works for me, and keeps life interesting.

The only other thing I would suggest is to maybe not run out and blow $1200 on pedals right away. Pick one or two pedals to play with, and add new ones over time. Buying one new pedal a year isn't going to break the bank, and before you know it, you'll have a decent collection.
Incomplete list of my gear: 1/8" audio input jack.

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These things (https://www.fractalaudio.com/p-fx8-mult ... edalboard/) are in my opinion incredible, and only 899 at present.

I have the AX8 which might be unnecessary but adds about an insane amount of guitar amps and cabinets.
Intel Core i7 8700K, 16gb, Windows 10 Pro, Focusrite Scarlet 6i6

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At the other end of the scale, I have been eyeing the Zoom G1 FOUR. Small but with buttons and knobs looks like it might work on a desktop. And incredibly cheap at £69! Any reason why this might not work with a desktop synth setup?

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What about just a controller like Keith McMillens SoftStep? And then have all the toys in the box...

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Get the pedals and attach them to a patchbay for fast patching.
Effects are like synths. Some are different enough from vst equivalents to warrant having both and you always have the controls right there in front of you.
I often find it quicker to dial in what I want on pedals than with something like echoboy.

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Acid Mitch wrote: Thu Apr 25, 2019 11:30 am Get the pedals and attach them to a patchbay for fast patching.
Effects are like synths. Some are different enough from vst equivalents to warrant having both and you always have the controls right there in front of you.
I often find it quicker to dial in what I want on pedals than with something like echoboy.
I’m just as happy dialing in basic effects sounds on a VST as I am a pedal... maybe the VST wins a bit, if pedals are on the floor. The point of having something with knobs is so that I can mess around with it during a performance.
Zerocrossing Media

4th Law of Robotics: When turning evil, display a red indicator light. ~[ ●_● ]~

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theres something primal about stepping on a foot switch, feeling that click!
connects you with the sound in a way clicking a mouse button just cant :(

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morelia wrote: Thu Apr 25, 2019 6:01 am These things (https://www.fractalaudio.com/p-fx8-mult ... edalboard/) are in my opinion incredible, and only 899 at present.

I have the AX8 which might be unnecessary but adds about an insane amount of guitar amps and cabinets.
I’d considered going AxeFX a while ago, but I stuck with my Kemper Amp Profiler. It really just seemed like a tossup. Both so good. But my issue with that unit is that it doesn’t really have many knobs at all. Are those knobs at the top good enough to select an effect and start tweaking? Also, one of the reasons I thought separate effect pedals would be good was because I could do something like adjust chorus speed at the same time I’m increasing feedback on a delay.
Zerocrossing Media

4th Law of Robotics: When turning evil, display a red indicator light. ~[ ●_● ]~

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vurt wrote: Thu Apr 25, 2019 1:28 pm theres something primal about stepping on a foot switch, feeling that click!
connects you with the sound in a way clicking a mouse button just cant :(
A Behringer FCB 1010 will do, and tweaking a knob on a korg nanokontrol is better than longing down to the floor to tweak a pedal...

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zerocrossing wrote: Thu Apr 25, 2019 1:26 pm I’m just as happy dialing in basic effects sounds on a VST as I am a pedal... maybe the VST wins a bit, if pedals are on the floor
My pedals are never on the floor. I made some shelves under my desk so that I can easily reach them from my stool.

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for some fx the difference is negligible and vst can be as much fun.
but for certain things, hw wins, actual tape delay, phasers, flangers, fuzz :love:
even chorus theres something about the analogue modulation fx that so far digital hasn't quite got right.

now, obvs, there are great digital versions of some of these, which are useful, it really depends on how close you personally need things to be.
ie not everyone loves fuzz, so a digital one might cover your needs. me, i can sit and listen to my guitar feeding back through different fuzz and sit for a while just absorbing the sound :love: so the "failings" of an analogue unit add to that.

horses and courses 8)

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go for it, its not like you cant use the pedals for other stuff too if it doesn't work out with the synth

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