Trem Pedals - Digi vs Analogue

AxeWieldingBastard

I have a tremolessence on the way, can't wait!

JohnPerry

noisepolluter said:

I've tried various - yet to try the Flint but am happy to take it on authority that it's ossomez. 

The best one I've tried has been the Empress Tremolo - which purports to be digital control but analogue signal path. to be fair, I've tried some digital pedals in the past which have been quite 'artefacty' - though for £200-odd you wouldn't expect to hear any extraneous digital goings-on, and indeed you don't.

When I got a bit carried away a few years back I bought a Frantone Vibutron, which is a posh analogue trem. I have to say that some serious work has obviously gone into it to make it sound as good as it does with such a simple control layout. I tend to use this most of the time.

Equally I have an EHX Wiggler which is absolutely ridiculous. Probably the least practical and user friendly design I've ever seen, but it has a couple of sounds in it which are absolutely amazing, and some quite outlandish ones. 

I also have a deluxe reverb - when the amp is turned up past neighbour-friendly volumes, the trem sounds amazing. At practice volumes, it's ticky and you can't get much depth to it.  

i had the Empress for five years and loved it. Then I took the plunge on a Kingsley Bard. Simple, beautiful sounding tube trem. But no tap tempo or other alternatives. I sold the Empress and haven't missed it. But I do have an Adrenalinn for trem trickery and it is brilliant at it

ThePrettyDamned

So, to update, I've been out and tried a couple.

I had a quick play on an M5 and loved the crazy stepped sounds I could get - I could find it very easy to write a simple chord progression with some drive and get the trem to do all the hard work for me, so to speak.  

The analogue models were fine, too - just trem.  

Then I tried an analogue pedal - an EHX one.  It was... I don't know, nicer I suppose.  I don't think it had better tone or anything, but it seemed easy to just dial in and sound good with.  

So... In conclusion, I'm still not convinced there is *any* real difference as such - they both raised and dropped the volume of the signal.  It was a dry signal, and it made it louder then quieter.  

So... Maybe I need to spend more time.  I didn't buy one because I felt like I wouldn't really justify either.  But I've yet to see why an analogue one would be better than digital, besides having a particular 'shape' to the rise and fall of volume relative to digital, but I don't see any reason why digital couldn't copy that either.  

So... Still feeling pretty indifferent!

joeyowen

Seems a fair conclusion.

Interesting read this thread, I've wondered before the digi /analogue difference on effects like trem. They are after all, just automated volume pedals

ThePrettyDamned

It's odd - I did prefer the analogue one, but it's almost certainly because it was easy to dial in.

I would be interested in someone more experienced trying to match a digital to an analogue more closely. But the trem experts here are happy with both - so I guess I could just pick either

joeyowen

If anyone wants to do a YouTube video, I will pay you in cookies

shady

Another vote for the EHX Pulsar here, the newer stereo XO one, not the massive olde one.  Is that what you tried in the shop?  It killed my trem gas ages ago, the way it allows you to tweak the waveform is a massive win.  The depth and rate can be a little touchy to dial in, but I think you'll be hard pressed to find anything as good for the price. 

Shark_Eyes

shady said:

Another vote for the EHX Pulsar here, the newer stereo XO one, not the massive olde one.  Is that what you tried in the shop?  It killed my trem gas ages ago, the way it allows you to tweak the waveform is a massive win.  The depth and rate can be a little touchy to dial in, but I think you'll be hard pressed to find anything as good for the price. 

I have one of these and it's great, as @shady said the rate and depth are a bit sensitive, seem to do nothing or loads. Great for really choppy stuff and you can get a nice gentle vintage trem sound with it,

impmann

If you like choppy, check out the EarthQuaker Devices Hummingbird - its basically a revamped and sorted Vox Repeat Percussions (Spaceman 3 et al). Wonderful sound - couldn't tell you if its digital or analogue, though... I don't frankly care!

SRich

FWIW, I've had a Trem journey based on trial and error so far....

I have a Demeter Tremulator - based on the snake oil fact that Ry Cooder uses one - and have tried really hard to be impressed by it. It's been on my board for five years probably and doesn't get much use - despite trying to dial in the trimpot, it's still a bit 'Meh'

I got a ZVex Tremorama largely because I was trying to emulate the sounds Doug Pettibone achieved with Lucinda Williams band a few years back. That remains a special effect.

I get very varied trem sounds from my Peavey Delta Blues 115 and that's cool.

My latest GAS induced acquisition was the Strymon Flint which is almost perfect to my ears - but sadly is back at Strymon as we speak for a power stage / adaptor malfunction. It's the one I NEED back like right now. Much missed. Although very digital, it doesn't sound it.......although it's expensive. 

   

Shark_Eyes

SRich said:

I have a Demeter Tremulator - based on the snake oil fact that Ry Cooder uses one - and have tried really hard to be impressed by it. It's been on my board for five years probably and doesn't get much use - despite trying to dial in the trimpot, it's still a bit 'Meh'

   

I've been very tempted by the tremulator, you're the first person I've heard that doesn't like it. It's supposed to be quite close to that fender valve trem sound.

Got any more details about what you're not enjoying about it? Not enough chop, etc.

SRich

It does chop quite well.........I guess I was looking for a more subtle shimmer & chop which the Flint does in spades. More like a Fender I guess.

Maybe it's telling me to sell and move on!

Shark_Eyes

@SRich ah it sounds like you were expecting a lovely warm sine wave type of trem. Which is what I thought it did.

The flint looks wicked.

BluesyDave

I've had a Flint for a year or so and it is amazingly versatile.  3 distinctly different flavor trems and reverbs all great quality imo.  In a band context most half decent pedals will sound pretty authentic.  I've found its only when playing solo do I really notice the different nuances.

AxeWieldingBastard

Tremolessence is here now and it's pretty much all i wanted it to be. Does all yer middle o'the road vintage style trem in its sleep, but is most fun pushed to nth degree doing square wave synth throbs and super fast ring-mod-esque type sounds.
I really liked the Moog Mini Trem; great sound, loads of range like the Dr S. A close second for me.
I hear the CB Semaphore is also worth a good look.

Ive never used digi trems, so cant compare. But if ur in London get down Wunjos and try the Dr S and the Moog Mini; both in stock when i was there at the weekend.

Wazmeister

I've owned all the usual suspects, and I know that im selling my Tremulator now, but the best 2 I've played (by a country mile) are;

1. Demeter tremulator

2. Goatkeepr v3