The Echo Bender is a mix of multi FX pedal and noise maker.
It can process external signals like guitars, keyboards, mics and drum machines or it can create complex sounds on its own.
It can function in several different stand alone modes:
-Warm analog sounding echo.
-Highly adjustable distortion.
-Ring mod style feedback.
-Complex noise generator.
-These modes can be used on their own or it can all be mixed together to achieve effects ranging from melodic and dreamy to chaotic and screamy.
The noise generating capabilities are especially interesting. The echo rate range has been set much lower than the standard echo pedal. When the rate is turned WAY down, the sound breaks up into blipping squeals and screeches. Combine this with distortion and feedback tones and a reverse decay setting and you’ve got a lot of variety and tonal complexity.
Video demos and additional information on the Casper Electronics site.
Awesome :o)
ReplyDeleteI thought you didn't like noise circuits :P
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Shit I thought it was an overdrive. Not interested now :o)
Delete:DDDDDDDDDDDDDd
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Have to build this monster! Tomorrow will purchase some cap values that I lack, and put hands on it.
ReplyDeleteThis one seems built on purpose for Milkit's enclosures!
Hi,
ReplyDeleteThanks for another great layout!
Looking at the schematics, isn't Dry 1 supposed to be connected to ground?
Keen eye! I've changed the way i placed the 1M resistor, and left the Dry 1 accidentally behind a cut.. I'll fix it right away...
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Fixed. It may be an ugly fix, but that should do it :)
DeleteThanks Alex!
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I'm glad I could help.
ReplyDeleteThere's also a cut missing after the Feedback 3 - 100R resistor connection.
Hope that's it :) Fixed.
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Well, board finished. Finally I had exactly 3x 82nf caps and some 27nF ones that I didn't remember.
ReplyDeleteThis board is a real pain in the ass, there's no place for the electrolithics, but I managed to fit'em.
Tomorrow I'll wire the pots (another PITA I'm afraid) and we'll see if it works!
http://sphotos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/408026_10200166091747551_1459405442_n.jpg
BR
OMFG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Noise, delay, more noise, distortion....this effect is pure MADNESS.
ReplyDeleteDon't really know if it works 100% as it should, because with noise effects you can't never be sure, but it really works.
Signal is processed, distorted, delayed, set into a wall of noise in a very similar way to the Casper's web demos, all pots interact with the sound you get, so I'd say you can tag it.
I'm really loving this effect, I wanted something like days from long long time ago.
Gettin' Nine Inch Nails sounds with a Les Paul? Yeah!
Great! Thanks Javi! I was beginning to wonder if i got any of the current batch correct.. So this helps my day a lot. Thanks!
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Hi Miro,
DeleteWe have a "problem" :P
The fact is that on "dirty" way it works fine, but when looking for clean sounds (yes, this pedal is capable of clean sounds too :P) and so you have to set the Feddback konb full CCW.... the sound vanishes, so I'm afraid that there's some minor problem in the layout.
I have cut the Feddback 1 wire from the Wet1 lug, son now the feedback is working as a variable resistor. Now I have clean sounds if I wish, dirty ones and mixed ones.
So maybe you want to take a look to the schematic, as something is not correct in this part of the circuit.
Les us know!
BR
Problem solved, been checking the schematics and it's just a slight mislabeled pot:
DeleteFeeback 2 and Feedback 3 should be swapped, and works just fine :)
BR
Tomorrow i'll try this effect with the valve amp at high volume, but what i'm hearing with headphones is driving me crazy.
DeleteDelay + Distor + Ring mod + Noise generator, would only need a fuzz part to be perfect.
Maybe the effect that has amazed me the most in years!
Taking a deeper look, it seems that you have used the published schematic on Casper's web:
Deletehttp://casperelectronics.com/images/finishedpieces/echo/V2/Echobender_v_02.jpg
And the Feedback pot wiring is correct according to this schematic, but i did find this one:
http://cdn.makezine.com/make/blogs/blog.makezine.com/upload/2009/10/build_an_experimental_echo_pedal/Echobenderrev02.jpg
where the Feddback lugs 2 and 3 are swapped.
The fact is that if you wire the pot as published on the first schematics and set to 0 the Feedback knob, you kill the signal, so no clean / pure delay sounds. I think that the correct way is to wire it as showed on second schematics.
Will have to try a B1M knob on Coarse knob too to see how it works.
BR
Swapped the labels. Thanks.
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In Javi's schematics C1 is 47uF, R5(330K) and R19(4.7K) are no longer there.
ReplyDeleteWhat would that change? Which one is correct?
Thanks
Would have to ask from Caspor. He's still having the layout i drew on his site - and both different versions are marked as 02.
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Don't really know, but C1 is the filtering cap of the 9v rail, so no big problem
DeleteR5 and R19 being the ones driving current to the opamp are more important, of course. Mainly R5 (330K), R19 is very low value so I think is of less importance. We have too the Coarse pot that is B1M instead of B500K
Taking into account that Miro's layout is based on the schematics published on Casper's site and works like a charm just swappin' two wires of the feedback pot, would bouild this very layout. To try the 2nd schematics you only need to replace both resistors with junpers.
BR
P.S. Didi i tell you that this pedal is incredible??? :P
I've also found this:
ReplyDeletehttp://makezineblog.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/echo_bender_partslist.jpg
Boxed!
ReplyDeletehttp://sphotos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/485147_468261313245722_988611828_n.jpg
BR
Is that black/orange waterslide on white enclosure?
DeleteNo, is a printed white water slide decal on a painted black enclosure :)
DeleteMiro, another detail that I've seen now. Don't you think that your layout lacks a cut under the 4,7k resistor?
ReplyDeleteRight now Dry2 and Wet 2 have a direct bridge to Input 2 - (Pin6) of TL072 through the link you use for the 12k resistor between pins 6 and 7. This could explain the very low output that the pedal has when no feedback is engaged.
Let us know what you think.
Hah. No. The cut is not missing. It's just 2 holes off to the right. Link is there to connect 12K from pin 6 to 7. Thanks Javi! I'll fix it asap.
ReplyDelete+m
Fixed. To be honest i have no idea why it worked :) I know how that mistake is done though. When schematic is big enough, there's always need to swap component places around to make them fit. That's when it's too easy to not see one cut after a rejig.
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Thanks Miro, new cut done. Increased output as supposed but the pedal works as previous.
DeleteI noticed that the volume with just the delay engaged was very low (under unity), while when you trigger the distortion, the output gets wild and that's why I checked again the schematic.
Anyways, the "clean" volume is still slightly under unity and when I max the Dry knob, you can hear an oscillation and the signal vanishes and you get no sound, so I'm afraid that this pot is not working well and should change it.
BR
Great :) Dry por was a bit dodgy.
DeleteI don't tet Tayda pots from long ago because usually are very accurate, about 5% tolerance, but this one was just 82k on my dmm.
Replaced it with a new one (measured 99'2K): sound cut when turn fully CW solved and clean volume at unity gain with Dry and Wet knobs set a 12 o'clock.
So finally built, verified and so on :P
BR.
P.S. Don't forget if you built the first layout that you have to bridge the former cut.
Which cut is that?
ReplyDeleteI've updated the layout when Javi inoticed it.
DeleteIt's the cut next to right hand side link's bottom joint.
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Im not getting any clean delay.
ReplyDeleteJust built this and it's a great little pedal. Not sure ill get to use it too much live but I'll be trying that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteI don't have any 1n5817's.... can I use anything else?
ReplyDeleteYes, you can even ommit it, as is used as polarity protection. A 1N400x would be fine if you want to use a diode anyway.
DeleteBR
great! thanks javi. i have all 1n400x, which do you recommend?
ReplyDelete1n4001 would be perfect.
DeleteBR
I do not have any 82nf capacitors, but i have plenty of 100nf, would this be an issue to use a 100 in place of the 82?
ReplyDelete100n will work fine there
DeleteJust built it, its amazing! I will post a video soon
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ReplyDeleteBooo, all my vero from Tayda have 19 rows! Guess some lucky eBay seller is getting my business today...
ReplyDeleteDependeing on where you live, banzaimusic has the best prices for vero in europe imo, especially if you buy larger quantitys. :)
DeleteI'm getting a POP sound when I turn it on, should it be related to the grounding?
ReplyDeleteCould be the LED. Or even more likely - the output, as there's no pulldown there. Try taking something like 220K resistor from the output strip to ground and see if that helps. If it doesn't, then snip the LED and see if that makes the pop.
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Yes! That was it, i've just added a 220k and the pop is gone.
DeleteI was thinking, how hard would be to to have the led blink according to the coarse/fine selection? is there any pin on the IC I could get this? =)
Thank you!!!!
As i said in another post, i've been terrible posting my builds lately but here's my echobender: http://instagram.com/p/cLTiqhxWCn/
ReplyDeletehello
ReplyDeleteI can't find 5pF and 82nf ceramic capacitor. What can I use instead ?
4,7pf and 100nf ceramic capacitor ?
Yes no problem for both
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DeleteHello, i have a noob question, what are the red dots on a white square and what are the 3 blue dots behind the ic?.. Its my first project and im still a bit lost.. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThose are track cuts.
Deletehttp://tagboardeffects.blogspot.fi/2012/04/vero-build-guide.html
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Awesome, thanks a ton!
DeleteHi,
ReplyDeletemine works. Incredible sounds...
one question please:
Have you got a little hiss, even with no distortion and no delay?
thanks guy
hi
ReplyDeleteI built this effect, Casper Electronics Echobender, it works, but I have to put the volume up and attack the strings very hard to hear the effect. It me also with other effects that I built. Any idea? Is that it is possible that the output level of my guitar is too low (squier bullet strat)?
Boris
I believe you have some error on your builds...
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This one really benefits from a momentary stomp wired to ground out Decay 2. This essentially sends the decay time to 0 and kills the effect, but leaves the settings in place once you release it. If you have the delay time set long you have to hold the stomp down for a while to clear things, but you can short press for an interesting effect too.
ReplyDeleteThe first one I built didn't work and after hours of trouble shooting I couldn't find the issue. I decided to start from scratch and test everything as I put it on the board. It payed off and works great. This one is so versatile. I love it.
ReplyDeleteIve just started this build. Any new mods? LFOs, Oscillators, ect?
ReplyDeleteBuilt this and it's cool, but there's not much interaction between fine and coarse in mine. Judging from the comments there should be more, but I don't know.
ReplyDeleteThe bigger issue is that if I have feedback and decay set high the circuit shorts out, and I get no wet signal for about a minute, but dry still works. After I wait about a minute, the wet kicks back on.
Any ideas? An IC problem maybe?
like earlier posts i dont have the 27nf and am guessing like suggested i can use a near enough replacement
ReplyDeletei have 22nf and 47nf should i use the lower or higher
im guessing from what i read on another post that going higher usually adds more bass which is desirable for me as its for use with a drum machine but 22nf is closer to the original mark
what do you guys suggest?
finished mine and works i guess but at a very low volume wondering if anyone has any thought on why?
ReplyDeleteBuilt one, and after having some issues with it when it was done, I would suggest NOT using a 78L05. I swapped it out with a 7805 and it finally worked. The difference is 78L05 is 100 milliamps, and 7805 is 1 amp (or 1,000 mA). Delays draw a lot of current from what I've read, so it's better to be safe than sorry. Go with a regulator that has more max current than you need.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI built one of these recently, and all I got was noise, controllable noise, but only noise. No clean delays at all. The dry knob goes a bit above unity so that's cool. I can however hear the delay in the background of all the noise when I max out the decay knob and then turn it all the way off, I can hear about 1.5 repeats in the background. I have switched out both IC and I have actually rebuilt the whole thing two times, yet the problem persists. For the second build I actually added in a few columns the all the caps around the 7805 had space to sit properly. Help?
ReplyDeleteI have exacly the same problem.... Delay seems to work, but the hiss/ white noise is too loud....
DeleteI built this the other day for a friend and was gutted that he was available to pick it up the same evening as it was so much fun to play with. It can be very noisy as some comments above have said but I've found that with the coarse set very low (around the first 5th of the sweep) it's more than usable. Also helps to have feedback at zero. I think the knobs are somewhat misleadingly labelled. The feedback does not work like it would on a normal delay pedal. Great distortion too. Gonna have to build another one for myself.
ReplyDeleteHi everyone ! I have an issue with my building, I post in the debbuging forum about it. If someone whisky had build one could checker my IC voltage it will be gérant.
ReplyDeleteTl072 :
5,06 (1)---(8) 8,95
4,47 (2)---(7) 4,58
433 (3)---(6) 4,47
0,00 (4)---(5) 4,47
Pt 2399 :
5,06 (1)---(16) 2,53
2,53 (2)---(15) 2,53
0,00 (3)---(14) 2,53
0,00 (4)---(13) 2,53
2,64 (5)---(12) 2,53
2,34 (6)---(11) 2,53
0,74 (7)---(10) 2,53
0,75 (8)---(9) 2,53
Thank's!
Traverse
Sorry its pretty late to ask, where should the regulator go and whats IGO on the layout?
ReplyDeleteI = in (9v)
ReplyDeleteG = ground
O = out (5v)
Does anyone have IC voltages from a working unit?
ReplyDeleteDry and wet work, but I have no delay at all.