MixMuff
fuzztone // mixing
distortion...
DIAL YOUR
EDGE ... BIG MUFF TURNED CRAZY OVERDRIVE AND MORE
The standard
transistor Big Muff pedal contains three gain
stages: a clean boost, a first distortion stage
(overdrive), and the final distortion stage --
which is all you normally hear. The Mix
Muff provides mixing capability to
select from and combine all 3 of these
great sounds. The overdrive stage is also
reversed in polarity (antiphase, or inverted), subtracting
from the clean and distortion signals, clashing
with them, so a fuzzier effect can also be
generated.
A 95% stock Muff
sound is included. A huge number of the new
sounds are in an overdrive level of gain, but may
also be fuzzier. In contrast to my SubZombie pedal, the 3 mixed sources
are very different from one another. The
clean-distortion mixes feel almost like playing
through a chorus pedal with a clean sound on
chords, erupting into fuzz sustain on single
notes. Plenty of muffy, metallic, and
"Zombie fuzz" type effects are also
possible. Extra tone functions allow the
distortion sound to be smoothed as well as
emphasized, and the clean sound to be brightened.
The clean mix also
makes this pedal a natural for stacking with
other effects, including chorus, compression and
any other distortion source including a
distorting amp, allowing through the better
aspects of the other device while still adding a
new complexity and control.
This produces a
"total conversion" of the Muff in
purpose, producing one of the most sophisticated
signal manipulators available from only a
moderate addition of circuitry ... and the big
Muff case certainly can handle a few more knobs!
PRICES/TERMS/BUY
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black Russian
larger |
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NYC
reissue (small metal knobs can be bright
or black)
larger |
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 larger |
Spencer Amps is not affiliated
with Electro-Harmonix [tm].
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| SOUND
SAMPLES |
NEW
NYC version 1.1
and better recording qualitty
(not soundcard) ... starts with a complex mix
sound, later a good Clean+Muff ... mmm002_4-20-08.mp3 .. KNOB
POSITIONS & info here (2:22
stereo, 2.2 MB; clean tube / me)
AUDIO TOURS:
mixmuff-phasedemo demo with
stereo voiceover comparing clean plus antiphase
and inphase distortion sources, comparing the
distortion alone vs. the OD antiphase with it,
and combinations of all 3 signals (7:02, 6.6 MB;
NYC / clean tube / me)NYC version
/ LINE 6 SPIDER III SOLID STATE AMP / me:
cleanamp-gritty-chords red clean
model, some ambience (1:48)
line6spider3clean_more clean+dist
sound, standard Muff sound, etc. (2:12)
line6spider3insane_o-really Insane amp
model ("Soil" preset), then boosted by
MM (1:41)
BLACK
RUSSIAN / SLIGHT CRUNCHY TUBE AMP / me:
clean_mixeychords_84sec
clean+distortion type sounds, includes
"clean" reference for set
muffywithattack_41sec bassy
distortion with some crispness to the attack
bashy-chords_36sec more
mix-ish stuff
supra-sweet_72sec includes
some smooth tone-down solo-y stuff driven by a
cheap DOD Supra FX55C pedal
supra-metal_42sec MixMuff
driven by the Supra and more metal than either
supra-sustain_77sec feedback
sustain with the stacked pedals, done at medium
volume
=> not quite clean (but still responding to
pedal volume) tube amp prototype, Ibanez RG-550
guitar w/bridge humbucker, black Russian MixMuff.
128 kbps mono MP3s (about 1 MB/minute).
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Operation
MIX varies between Overdrive (which is antiphase) and
Distortion (that is, the original Big Muff).
CLEAN adds
in the clean boost sound, and gets brighter at low and
high settings, and it does get loud. Clean is not
affected by SUSTAIN, which affects gain and volume of the
Overdrive and Distortion signals.
MIDS does
two things. The normal Muff produces a "notch"
or hole in the midrange (~1 KHz) due to the TONE control.
MIDS produces flat midrange at full counterclockwise, by
widening the treble boost side of the TONE range, undone
rapidly as MIDS is turned "up" ... but also the
Overdrive starts getting flat midrange by itself and even
bypassing MIX ... and this goes into the treble side of
the TONE control only. Since the overdrive signal is
antiphase, this tends to cut/modify mids first. At higher
MIDS settings the Overdrive affects the treble also, and
takes over the entire treble when set to max..
Anytime
the total mix (all three knobs) results in the Overdrive
signal balancing against the Clean and/or Distortion
signals, the antiphase effect increases the fuzziness and
the sensitivity to control tweaks on the sound.
All the
mixing sources "fight" a bit to take over the
sound. Notably, when CLEAN is turned up to the bright
setting, it makes the OD and distortion less bright.
Turning MIX far towards one of OD or DIST puts that
through more directly and reduces the Clean signal,
allowing it to be set for a different brightness.
DIST also
does two things. The main range allows reduction of gain
of the distortion signal only, compared to stock, and
simultaneously widens the bandwidth of that stage for
more intense cancellation effects when mixed against the
overdrive. Also, at full clockwise (almost like a switch)
the high end of the Distortion signal is smoothed off ...
really a whole new range of sounds just there!
VOLUME is
used to match the volume to the bypassed sound and
compensate for changes in volume due to the other
controls. VOLUME and TONE affect the entire mix including
clean.
STOCK
"MUFF" SOUND: MIX max., CLEAN min., MIDS 8:00,
DIST GAIN 4:00 .
MIX YOUR OWN DISTORTION
For all their controls, most distortion units
provide no substantial control over their actual
distortion response. There is pre-distortion
control (gain, sometimes EQ) and post-distortion
control (volume, EQ) but this should not be
confused with changing the sound of the
distortion section itself -- the nonlinear
transfer function. There are exceptions, but
so far these tend to be limited ... mostly,
players get different distortion responses by
using different devices such as fuzz and
overdrive. Mix
Muff provides 3 different sources and also mixing
in ways sounding mixed but also the
sources can fuse together into a new single
sound, and other combinations.
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| An important
instrument to this is antiphase mixing ...
subtraction, not addition. The example to the
right shows graphically how this works.
"A" is the positive portion of a
distorted wave. "B" is more distorted
(more gain) and inverted (upside down).
"C" shows how these add together,
forming a harsher, more complex, turbulent
waveform. This still only hints at the sonic
possibilities. Since even tortured sounds are
produced by cancellation between otherwise
natural-acting distortions, some of the less
desirable aspects of other kinds of effects can
be avoided and natural guitar properties tend to
make their way through. Also, response is always
instantaneous. Altering the frequency response of
one distortion source relative to the others
causes a change in distortion characteristic with
frequency as well as a conventional tone control
effect (i.e., a nonlinear filter). |
 |
Consistent with the Big Muff design, the added
active circuitry uses discrete transistors, but
only as mix drivers. The added circuitry does
inevitably change the stock Muff sound a bit, but
the change is not undesirable. One important
change is the elimination of the high frequency
rolloff of the clean boost stage, which makes the
distortion more open and less distinctively
Muff-y, but is essential for the clean mix.It has been said that the
BMP is a distortion unit, not a fuzz. The
distortion stages are related to many
"distortion" units. What makes it
"fuzzy" mainly that it gets rid of the
high end at least twice and often 3 times before
the signal even hits the first distortion stage,
but the high end from the distortion itself is
unrestricted and there is a powerful tone
control. As mentioned, one rolloff, of the clean
boost stage, is eliminated with this mod. A
variable rolloff is that, like all Big Muffs,
this unit will load down the guitar signal due to
its low-ish input impedance, reducing high
frequencies and slightly reducing gain (while
technically still "high impedance", it
is 20 times the load of a good amplifier input).
Further, except for recent production True Bypass
units (reissue), Muffs use a "partial
bypass" that results in the loading being
applied to your guitar even when the distortion
is turned off! One solution is to drive the Muff
with another pedal (most modern "silent
switching" pedals will drive or
"buffer" the signal even when in their
bypass state). While the loading effect is part
of the traditional Muff sound, I suggest all Muff
users try this both ways: you may find the
brighter, more open sound an improvement, and it
also it deals with the partial bypass problem.
I can modify older
units to True Bypass -- another advantage to this
for well-used units is the switch will be new.
Another option is a standard Boss-type AC adapter
jack (Muffs do have great battery life, with mod
slightly less, but adapter isn't really needed
unless you want to leave the unit plugged in all
the time).
New
12/3/07: in the quest for perfection,
the 1.1 version reduces volume
loss at some settings, plus increases volume
overall 4 dB, adding 5 more components. No demos
yet, this may sound too close to tell in samples,
but feels even more responsive to use.
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PRICES/TERMS/BUY
- Choose NYC
Big Muffs for an aggressive sound and intense
stock and stock+clean modes. Choose black Russian
for a smooth sound that excels in the complex
overdrive settings.
Modifying your
unit is possible:
MIX mod for NYC reissue $60. Change AC jack to
Boss-style $10.
MIX mod for black Russian depends on type. Older Low case with
raised edges (<2.5" high) $70 as it takes longer;
Current version case with flat edges I have not seen
inside, price TBD ($60-70); Older Tall case (over
2.5" less feet) has additional internal structure,
retain structure and use alternate knob pattern $75,
modify structure and replace pots and chicken head knobs
with standard shaft types $85. Optional, included in
price: increase gain slightly OD and/or DIST stages,
increase diode capacitor values if outside normal range.
Add True Bypass (if needed) or Boss-style power jack $12
each except old Russian style switch price TBD.
Mix
mod for original v6, or others, inquire. Can
not modify Metal Muff, LBM, op-amp Muff, Green Muff, or
rarer models.
Mods without
the MIX mod: TB or
AC $20, $35 for both. Gain, cap tweaks, repairs $15 and
up.
All prices less shipping. Shipping con. US insured
Priority Mail: $11; or Parcel Post $7.
Pre-built units
will range from $100-$130 depending on condition.
Available
now
(3/3/08): None, but have NYC
version ready to modify upon request. Matching wood box avail.
w/purchase only, add $8 (includes extra ship weight).
Ordering
Information
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