In the line of this great topic from @SrMouraSilva (and as promised here) :
I’m explaining all I can in this pedalboard which is my main and only one I use :
You can download it here :
main concept
At first I used my dwarf as an advanced replacement of my Eventide Timefactor which I used for :
- stereo delay (feedback and volume of the delays adjusted with an expression pedal
- reverse
- ringmod
- simple repeater
So my first goal was to find those effects as they were in my Timefactor.
Then I wanted to have easily access to :
- tremolo
- phaser
- panner
And if possible :
- enlarge stereo
- reverb
- amp & cab sim
To achieve this the Dwarf I need a lot of paralleling, so the CPU doesn’t have to wait for each effect to calculate the next one…
1. follow the audio signal
1.1 the 1st modulations :
I use the 1st input of my Dwarf that goes in parallel in those effect never played together :
- a single repeater delay synced in ♪. MDA DubDelay - MOD Audio
(after a Volume - MOD Audio which is here to be my “send” volume) - a reverse TAP Reflector - MOD Audio
- a phaser TAP Tremolo - MOD Audio
- a tremolo TAP Tremolo - MOD Audio
- a freeze from @Jacube
- a stutter mono from @zwabo
The dry sound with no effect goes through the phaser on OFF. I use two Stereo X-Fade - MOD Audio to
- move sweetly from the phaser (or the dry signal since the phaser is nearly always off) to the tremolo (always ON),
- move sweetly to the dry (or phaser or tremolo) to the reverse
The Freeze and Stutter are sending only wet signal, so it add sound only when pressed !
The single repeater delay goes straight at the end of the signal chain, I don’t care to mod it more, I just want it to consume the less CPU possible.
All this (but the single repeater above) goes to a single volume to be used as a boost if needed. The plugin is always ON
The Slew Rate Limiter - MOD Audio is here to go gently from the normal volume to the boost (and vice&versa)
1.2 going stereo !!!
From the mono boost the audio goes in 3 parallel directions :
- C* Wider - Stereo image Synthesis - MOD Audio always ON, this is the default path of the audio.
- the panning machine made of a single Stereo X-Fade - MOD Audio and 2dB boost. The Stereo X-fade is controlled by CV in one of these two ways :
- with a CV Clock - MOD Audio synced with the Dwarf’s tempo that triggers a Random Generator - MOD Audio to choose randomly a value between -5v to 5v
- with the expression pedal
- rkr Ring - MOD Audio cool ring mod that I can pan 46% on the left or put in centre with CV. I use the expression pedal to move the frequency
The Stereo enlarger and the panning machine are chosen apart by a Stereo X-Fade - MOD Audio trigged by a slew rate CV.
From here the audio goes either at the dual vibrato Larynx - MOD Audio the end of the signal chain + portal, or in another Stereo X-Fade (to choose between vibrato or not !)
All this (but the ring mod) goes to the Portal Sink - MOD Audio AND the end of the signal chain.
The Ring modulator is wet only, and like the single delay repeater it goes straight at the end of the signal chain too (without going into the delay/reverb). It’s mixed with the rest of the signal with a Stereo X-Fade, so I can dose the quantity with midi (I’ve set 3 steps on my midi controller : 0%, 50% and 100%, when it’s 100% it triggers its pan to middle)
1.3 temporal (delays / reverbs)
From the outputs of the Portal Sink the signal goes in parallel in delay and reverb, both wet only, and I use Volume 2x2 - MOD Audio to dose the send level :
- the amazing WOW by @Jacube ! This delay is synced in many ways :
- the tempo of the L delay is linked to the Dwarf’s tempo in 1/4th note.
- the tempo of the R delay is a 5/8th longer
- with the expression pedal I wan move the wet level (from 20% to 80%), the feedback (from 15% to 99%) and the lowpass filter (from 3200Hz to 20kHz)
- the amazing low CPU reverb dm-Reverb - MOD Audio
1.4 end of the signal chain : tools
Only to thins here :
- the Auto Output Selector - MOD Audio to the signal to a single output if there in only one output connected.
- on the 2nd output only : Zinvert_phase - MOD Audio, because it’s frequent to have 2 amps that are not in phase, so I can commute easily (you can’t always reverse + and - on the speakers without a soldering iron).
2. CV
It looks quite messy but thanks tu @SrMouraSilva and the Gossiper - MOD Audio it’s really simplier !
I use 2 instances of the Gossiper, you can easily read their functions here :
I don’t have to say much, but this :
- I can chose the mini and maxi of each value to meet the desired effect (for example, that’s here that I can choose the amount of the Boost, or the amount of the delay feedback + volume + filter that my expression pedal controls.
- I can see on the Dwarf’s screen the percentage of the expression pedal !!!
I use a lot of CV to change slowly the state of a button, mostly for the Stereo X-Fade going softly from one effect to the other.
(I will complete this section if there are some questions…)
3. midi
It’s quite messy too, since many, many, many the infamous mindi are used here, and a lot of midi cables are going back to the Dwarf’s loop :
3.1 about the infamous mindi
I use a lot of them because I need to control most of the effect with midi. So the Infamous plugins can send to the Dwarf the same midi signal I send with my midi controller. So I can trigger a plugin with the Dwarf AND midi at the same time.
The only downside of this method is that I don’t see the plugin triggered in my midi controller if it is triggered by the Dwarf (and vice & versa).
3.2 the other midi outputs
- The top one goes to my Kernom Ridge, I can send midi message from an infamous mindi or with my midi controller (which midi signal goes through the Dwarf)
- The second one goes to my midi controller, so I can change presets on it (I have about a preset per band)
- the third is supposed to send back some midi to the mini controller that receive my expression pedal and a dual footswitch
- the other ones are the midi loopback of the Dwarf
4. Remark
In some rare occasions I need a amp+cab sim, in these cases I need to follow those steps :
- augment the buffer to 256 frames
- add AidaDSP Vibro after the booster (after going stereo)
- add 2 cab sim somewhere in the stereo part (I put 2 different IR for L and R)
With each modifications made, I always save the pedalboard with a different name, like 25-01-04 - smoother panning !, so I can easily find the last one and the main difference with it’s predecessors.
Here is my hardware setup which goes in two different amps :
The signal :
guitar → wha (optional, not in the picture) → fuzz (feed me) → boost (katalina) → Kernom Ridge (analog overdrives and distortions) → volume → Dwarf => amps
(the 2nde Ernie Ball is an expression pedal ; the switcher on the bottom right triggers mostly the Freezer and Stutter but I can change this easily on the Dwarf ; both are connected to the Dwarf with a beatbar E&F2M)