PixelWave - Phase distortion synthesizers and why they are awesome

video upload by Subdecay

"Some brief history of 1980s synthesizers, the origin of phase distortion synthesizers. We use the Subdecay PixelWave to demonstrate some of the sounds that bridge the gap between retro analog and retro digital synthesizer sounds.

00:00 Intro to the PixelWave and the origin of phase distortion synthesis.
01:42 Analog-ish sounds - individual clips.
02:30 Analog-ish sounds in a mix.
03:28 Digital and harder sounds - individual clips.
04:31 Digital and harder sounds in a mix."

Note there is also an unrelated mobile app called PixelWave by Alexander Zolotov of https://www.warmplace.ru you can find in previous posts here.

Synth Guitar Tones

Synth Guitar Tones "I am the Universe" pt.1

SynthGuitarTones

"All you're about to hear was recorded using guitar, pedals and a few fx plugins. #electroharmonix , #earthquakerdevices ,#subdecay , #digitech

Pedals: Electro-Harmonix POG2, Electro-Harmonix SuperEgo, Electro-Harmonix Attack Decay, Electro-Harmonix Graphic Fuzz, Earthquaker Devices Bit Commander, Earthquaker Devices Data Corrupter, Subdecay Prometheus, Subdecay Octasynth, Digitech Dirty Robot

Plugins: Eventide BlackHole, Eventide Ultratap, Sinevibes Multitude, Output Movement, Fabfilter Timeless2, Soundtoys Crystallizer"

Ambient Guitar pt.1 EHX Synth9, EHX SuperEgo, EHX Attack Decay, Earthquaker Devices Data Corrupter


"All you're about to hear was recorded using guitar, pedals, fx plugins and few percussion samples.
#electroharmonix #earthquakerdevices #ambientguitar

Guitar: Fender Fishman Fluence Stratocaster

Pedals: Electro-Harmonix Synth9, Electro-Harmonix SuperEgo, Electro- Harmonix Attack Decay, Earthquaker Devices Data Corrupter.

Plugins: Eventide BlackHole, Soundtoys Crystallizer, Native Instruments Raum, Sinevibes Singularity, Sinevibes Multitude, Output Movement"

Subdecay Octasynth Octave Synthesizer Pedal

YouTube Uploaded by subdecay on May 17, 2011
via this auction
"The Octasynth uses square waves, suboctaves and a resonant low pass filter to create thick creamy gritty synthy goodness"

Roland SH-32 design/panel graphics.


Uploaded by PrymaxeVintage on Jun 29, 2011
Ghostbusters!
"As a synthesizer enthusiast, i was immediately drawn to the Subdecay Octasynth. Featuring a unique envelope function, the Octasynth stands in a class of it's own in a world of ordinary octave pedals. The Octasynth has the ability to bring you the Bass synth tones of yesteryear, blue box like glitch lower octafuzz and standard, smooth poppy octave heard in hundreds of popular tracks on mainstream radio! The key to unlocking the different tones in the Octasynth is how well it responds to different playing dynamics. Try palm muting and playing softly to bring out the Octasynth's envelope! It'll make you feel like a real synth player!!

Pick one up at www.prymaxevintage.com TODAY!

Note: The Octasynth was only used for the bass synth on the ghostbusters track. I used the 320Design's Landmighty for rhythm and lead guitars."

via this auction

"Bask in the illuminating glory of the Octasynth!!! Taste the synthy goodness! (we do not actually recommend ingesting the Octasynth)

This pedal with streamlined controls converts your guitar signal in to three octaves of square waves singing in unison, then sends them through a resonant filter. The end result is reminiscent of a vintage analog synthesizer… or in some cases a malfunctioning analog synthesizer.

The Octasynth reacts to your guitar and playing style. Tracking is usually best with the neck pickup. For some guitars it may help to roll the treble back a little too. Some experimenting with your playing style may be needed to really get full use out of this pedal. Palm muted runs can yield anything from funky bass stabs to staccato sequences. Let the notes ring for some sub bass thump or dreamy filter sweeps.

The Octasynth takes a “blunt instrument” approach to create synthesizer sounds. The filter is controlled by the depth knob AND how hard you pick each note. As a note fades away the filter sweeps lower and lower. This can trail notes off gracefully with the right settings and playing style.

The Octasynth is 100% analog. The Octasynth is MONOPHONIC. It will only track one note at a time. Power chords can sometimes create a musical, but glitchy effect. Diminished 9th chords… not so much. They just splatter and make a mess. Don’t try this on the carpet.

Controls:
The Octasynth’s controls are tailored to creating a sound quickly. No endless tweaking required.
Blend- A mix control for 3 octave voices. To the left, two octaves down. To the right, one octave. In the center a mix of all three.
Depth- The range of the filter. As this knob is turned to the right each note you play pushes the filter cutoff frequency higher. This control can be a bit touchy, especially in the lower range. When turned all the way down the filter stays below audible frequencies (i.e. there will be no sound at all.) It needs to be turned up at least a little bit for any audible effect. This design allows the filter to trail off to ultra low frequencies, which can make notes trail off gracefully rather than sputtering out.
Res- Resonance/Feedback for the filter. Turned to the right the cut off frequency of the filter is intensified. Turned all the way to the right the filter will approach near oscillation.
Level- Total output volume.

The Octasynth is tuned for electric guitar. We do NOT recommend the Octasynth for use with Bass guitar."

FX Pedal feedback loop (Subdecay Noise Box JoMoX T-Resonator Eowave Sci-Fi Bug Bugbrand Weevil06)

YouTube via softfreak | July 18, 2010

"Eowave Sci-Fi Bug
Subdecay Noise Box
JoMoX T-Resonator
Bugbrand Weevil06
Boss Compressor CS3
Boss Delay DD-3"

SubDecay Noisebox Synth Sequence

YouTube via bigcitymusic. Part I here.
"Part II. Here's a short sequence using an Analogue Systems rs95 oscillator, pulse out, into the rs100 low pass filter into the Metasonix r51 vacuum tube Distortion/VCA and finally into the SubDecay Noisebox.

The Noisebox sounds gooood! It certainly spiced up this otherwise plain sounding sequence!"

SubDecay Noise Box Bass Synth

YouTube via bigcitymusic. Big City Music on Ebay
"Holy cow. This pedal is awesome. We're pretty sure is some sort of syncing squarewave but whatever it is, it kicks butt. There's a lot of unheard tones in this guy. The built in envelope is a great shaping tool. Oh man. We can't wait to run some synths through this!"

Subdecay Prometheus Resonant Filter

YouTube via ProGuitarShopDemos. via sendling.
"www.ProGuitarShop.com- Subdecay Prometheus Resonant Filter Pedal-
The Prometheus is a voltage controlled 12dB filter which can be manipulated by playing dynamics or an internally generated signal.
Subdecay Prometheus Resonant Filter Pedal - Everything You Want in a Filter Pedal. * Loads of headroom * Reasonable size (measures about 3.7x4.7 inches) * Highpass, Bandpass, and Lowpass filtering with adjustable intensity (resonance) * Forward and reverse envelope following * Sample/Hold step filtering based on 3 different wave forms. * No special power supplies required. Operates with a single 9 volt battery or standard 9 volt adapter.

Subdecay Prometheus Resonant Filter Pedal -- Hidden Features * The LFO rate can be adjusted to run much faster than the the step rate. This can be used to create very interesting arpeggiation. * The Depth knob can push the filter cutoff frequency outside of the audio range. This can be useful to create a slow attack effect. * The step rate can be turned up high enough for smooth modulation. This can be used to create and autofilter effect, that can sound similar to a phaser or tremolo. * A fixed filter effect is possible by turning the depth knob down all the way, and using the Frequency knob to set the filter cutoff."