Bit Reducer?

Has any one done this, or is this dumb?

I have a 1k, but from my understanding the 3000 and up, they all sample at 16bit. Supposedly there is a different crunch in the 3000, 2000, 2000xl, form the 1k 25000, 5000. Thats from my current understanding, how right or wrong I am I dont know.

What im getting at, has anyone used an analogue bit reducer, between the turn table and the mpc and finding the right crunch before recording it directly in the mpc? Possibly getting that sp 1200 feel.

Iv been looking at some bit reducing pedals, and im curious if anyone has attempted this, or am I wasting my time.

shesawe wrote:
Iv been looking at some bit reducing pedals, and im curious if anyone has attempted this, or am I wasting my time.

I think you would be wasting your time trying to achieve the sound of a specific machine... however it isn't a waste of time trying to achieve a cool sound. You could look into some of the moogerfooger pedals.. or maybe an EQ or filter module etc...

you could get an Oto Biscuit (bitcrusher/filter/fx/synth), im sure it sounds nothing like any MPC but its awesome and I want it. I think I could live with no other gear but the Oto Biscuit/monosynth + MPC.

If you use a computer, get the Decimort vst, it sounds great!

nah no digital VST's I want to use analogue for sure, there's a difference in sound from sending a signal through circuits and wires vs digital ones and zeroes. I was really wondering if anyone has attempted it them selves since there is no control over what bit rate the mpc records at, as far as I know?

IMO & what was stated beforehand, it's based on everything beyond the d/a conversion. I personally still own a number of external efx modules. I'm still holding on to these because I can't guarantee that what's completely in the "box" will yield the same results that I'm looking for in the formentioned efx modules.

You're using "analog" when I think you just mean hardware devices. There's a difference.

You might have a hard time finding analog "bit reducers" because reducing bit rate is fundamentally a digital operation.
The OTO biscuit suggested earlier converts analog signals to digital values, then process them digitally, then converts back to analog. That's what most bitcrusher pedals and effects units will do.



Another option, JJOS2XL (and maybe OS2 or OS1, I dunno off the top of my head) has a TRIM mode function to reduce bit depth and sample rate. Bit depth anywhere from 12 down to 4 bit, I believe, and sampling rate at 44, 22, or 11 KHz.

Check out digitech pds 20/20. Its 12 bit, mono, after you turn the internal trimpot, you can get very low sample rates and much more loop time. and smoothly turn the knob to get any sample rate you want (or to repitch a loop). There are other delay hold loop pedals that can do this, but the pds 2020 in particular has a nice crunch that remind me the sounds on records I know are produced with sp1200, like really sharp hihats and sandpapery cymbals, decay times are strangely shortened, impossible to get a vocal "shh" sound into it. very neat pedal.

Or maybe get a cheap 12 bit sampler like the S900 or S950?

Well I think the pedal I was looking at is from Luck Duck, and its not much of a device as it is just literally plugging a quarter inch cable in and it reduces bit rates, its a very simple analogue pedal. When I think of hardware device I think of more recent pedals that have display screen on them.

Yes s900 or s950 would be awesome to have later down the line.

shesawe wrote:Well I think the pedal I was looking at is from Luck Duck, and its not much of a device as it is just literally plugging a quarter inch cable in and it reduces bit rates, its a very simple analogue pedal. When I think of hardware device I think of more recent pedals that have display screen on them.

luck duck 8 bit(link with demo)
wow! that thing sounds cool, I did not know about analog bit crushers before, there are others:
other "bit reduction" pedals analog and digital

looks like they might be based on these designs:
experimentalist anonymous(link)
arron nelson (link
)
seems like a relatively easy build

Borat wrote:Or maybe get a cheap 12 bit sampler like the S900 or S950?

Unfortunately, the current going rate for these doesn't make them a cheap alternative anymore.

MeSoHordey wrote:

Borat wrote:Or maybe get a cheap 12 bit sampler like the S900 or S950?

Unfortunately, the current going rate for these doesn't make them a cheap alternative anymore.

man.. if you compare guitar pedals (even the cheapo DOD pedals) on craigslist to the s900 samplers that once in a while pop up on craigslist.. oddly enough... the s900's wind up sometimes being the same price or cheaper.. lolol..

a s900 popped up yesterday on my local craigslist for a $100, thinking about grabbing it just in case I need parts for the one I already own

The only way I know to get some lofi kinda sound the analog way is to route the signal thru a VCA or VCF that is controlled by an LFO with a very fast rate. Pulsewave for the LFO works good. Its also known as AM (if you modulate the Amplitude). Think about it as if you turn up the volume of your sample and then turn it all the way down but not just once but something like ....15.000 times in a second

I've stumble over this accidently in 2000 when I wanted to use the filter of my Doepfer MS404 synth for a sampleloop. The 404 have an audio in so you can use it as filter or tremolo for external signals.


BUT. This has nothing to do with bit reduction. Bit reduction is digital only.


peace