Blacklight DIY Guitar Pedal Compressor Pedal - Demo and Circuit Explanation

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Kris Slyka

Kris Slyka

Күн бұрын

Пікірлер: 59
@carrotwine3649
@carrotwine3649 2 жыл бұрын
how is it possible that you have so little subscribers for such a high-quality content...
@KrisSlyka
@KrisSlyka 2 жыл бұрын
Probably not feeding the algorithm enough :p
@elpechos
@elpechos 5 жыл бұрын
Fantastic. Love the old-school analogue circuitry.
@abdullahdanny9420
@abdullahdanny9420 3 жыл бұрын
I guess it is kinda off topic but do anyone know of a good site to watch new tv shows online ?
@kendrickmaurice5419
@kendrickmaurice5419 3 жыл бұрын
@Abdullah Danny I use FlixZone. You can find it by googling =)
@amirizaiah7179
@amirizaiah7179 3 жыл бұрын
@Kendrick Maurice definitely, I've been watching on Flixzone for months myself =)
@abdullahdanny9420
@abdullahdanny9420 3 жыл бұрын
@Kendrick Maurice thanks, I signed up and it seems to work :) Appreciate it!
@kendrickmaurice5419
@kendrickmaurice5419 3 жыл бұрын
@Abdullah Danny Glad I could help xD
@christopherchristopher4482
@christopherchristopher4482 4 жыл бұрын
Interesting circuit. I really like your modular PCB system. Nice video and good work all around!
@LuxLucidOfficial
@LuxLucidOfficial 2 жыл бұрын
A million thanks for sharing your knowledge and hard work. This is my first pedal build, I was hoping you could help me out with adding a variable compression time switch? Maybe 'release' is what I'm going for. Could I change the cap and resistor values between transistor 3 & 4 to achieve this?
@KrisSlyka
@KrisSlyka 2 жыл бұрын
Yeah, R13 and R14 are responsible for the release, R12 for the attack and the value of C7 for the overall timing. You have to be careful when changing R13 and R14 though since their ratio also sets the operating point for Q4, which is carefully tuned to avoid artifacts during attach and release.
@LuxLucidOfficial
@LuxLucidOfficial 2 жыл бұрын
@@KrisSlyka Thank you for the insight. I have it on a breadboard at the moment Haha... waiting on some greatly needed hardware before pcb-ing this. I'll be checking out your channel today for sure!!
@LuxLucidOfficial
@LuxLucidOfficial 2 жыл бұрын
Also the second link that supposed to be for your etsy instead goes to github. And on that note, I think this would be super marketable if you could add a blacklight 'indicator' somehow, that glows like a VCU style reading. Put some glow powder around that indicator (strontium aluminate is really nice looking) so it leaves a 'burning glow' effect... and also fluoresces in the light -- I think it would be so cool. Especially with some wicked art design. But I really like UV and glowing things, so may be biased heh
@snowscape
@snowscape 2 жыл бұрын
@@LuxLucidOfficial jumping in to back up that idea, love UV reactive stuff and I had a similar idea looking at this pedal that a cool selling point would be if it's fluorescent in stage/UV lighting but fading glow like that would be wicked and way cooler
@LuxLucidOfficial
@LuxLucidOfficial 2 жыл бұрын
​​@@snowscape I have been playing with one particular schematic for VU LEDs but I doubted I could just add it into this circuit... However, upon trying, a curious thing happened; LED1 in the Compressor circuit started responding to the sound pretty visibly (not fully lighting it, and only when the signal level was quite loud) and the 'bottom/first' LED in the VU circuit slowly dimmed on... Progress? I have no idea, I am far out of my depth 😅 as I am very fresh to the hobby. I'll make a vid if I make significant breakthrough (edit: happy new year you awesome ppl)
@JapanoiseBreakfast
@JapanoiseBreakfast 5 жыл бұрын
Super interesting. Thanks for making this!
@jlrinc1420
@jlrinc1420 3 жыл бұрын
Thats an interesting effect its almost like a reverb and makes it sound fuller
@migrantfamily
@migrantfamily 2 жыл бұрын
I’ve been looking for a pedal that emulates the compression and eventual distortion of magnetic tape. It seems to me this could be achieved with only slight tweaking of this circuit. Compression kicks in and when the level goes even higher, clipping happens. Where would you place the sweet spot for forward voltage to achieve this?
@KrisSlyka
@KrisSlyka 2 жыл бұрын
Ohh, interesting idea! You could probably start out with just a pair of normal silicon diodes, 0.7V isn't too bad for an instrument level signal, but you could maybe look into some infrared LEDs. They tend to have a forward voltage of around 1-1.2V, which should give you alright headroom while still allowing for distortion without having to push the signal too far.
@migrantfamily
@migrantfamily 2 жыл бұрын
I’ll let you know when I have a working circuit.
@snowscape
@snowscape 2 жыл бұрын
Love your channel, it's been a fantastic resource in my own dives into pedals!! This one in particular really has me pondering some stuff I was curious if you had any input on. In this circuit you use the UV diodes as a variable resistance element for compression, but I've got a bunch of old grain-of-rice tungsten filament bulbs that work at 12v (still gotta test but probably around 30-60mA based on preliminary datasheet googling). Someone else made a compressor using similar bulbs in an old forum, so I can't claim the idea but this video had me reeling as your schematic and explanation work really well to lay out the fundamentals of compression and had me thinking that filament bulbs are non-linear and have a history of use as post-power-amp compression elements in guitar amps, but since I've got these lil tiny guys and they are higher resistance as they heat up -- since they're AC devices, would I be able to create a similar compressor to your topology and explore biasing the bulbs with DC to change compression ratio on audio signals also going through the bulb? I'm also researching Wien bridges and related radio squelch circuits. My other thought was using an AC peak detector (something something diode bridge compressors...?) to sample audio signal and apply that as (additional?) bias to a bulb passing audio through its filament to get even more variation from the element to ideally aim for something musical. Because then the bulb could even be run at low levels which don't light up the bulb, yet the varying DC bias would move around our location on the loadline to accentuate compression when peaks are detected...been a while since I returned to circuits but there's so much info and idk just thought I'd shoot some thoughts off into the void towards your general direction because I really dig your pedals, content, vibe, and knowledge. I've got an oscilloscope and cheap digital spectrum analyzer so I intend to run some tests after I finish moving houses~ Keep up the killer work!
@snowscape
@snowscape 2 жыл бұрын
Basically my end goal is combine a starved plate tube preamp, lm386, and tungsten-bulb-as-compressor into a low voltage practice amp. I've also been checking out starved 6AU6 designs and may even try to do a clean boost 12AU7 to overdrive a starved 6AU6 (iccaros on YT and forums has shown me that the idea definitely works but schematic images are no longer hosted), but either way there will probably be a solid state amplification or boost at some point and I thought it would be fun to experiment with new compression methods to further innovate on valvecaster-like pedals. Definitely would add input and output buffer like your tube boost or the Hagerman Reactivator. Anyhow thanks for humoring these rambles eheheh
@KrisSlyka
@KrisSlyka 2 жыл бұрын
@@snowscape that's an interesting idea! I've not seen bulbs used for this kinda diode bridge-ish arrangement but it's certainly worth a try. One thing that might be slightly problematic is that you're basically using them in "reverse" to how they're usually used, i.e. in their high resistance on state during normal operation and in their low resistance off state for compression. This will probably result in a relatively slow attack because the bulb needs to cool down for compression and a pretty fast release. One idea I had would be to just use them like a normal bulb current limiter instead. Amplify the signal up to, say, 12V p-t-p and send it straight through the bulb with a series resistor after it, then take off the signal between the bulb and resistor and attenuate it back down to normal audio levels. That way you would basically replicate the exact function of a light bulb compressor, but at low voltage. Could be a pretty unique circuit with probably pretty pleasing compression. And it would be super simple to boot.
@mgli_
@mgli_ 2 жыл бұрын
Awesome video!
@czonios
@czonios 4 жыл бұрын
Great content Kris. I really like your enclosures and designs. Could you add the circuit schematic in the description? Would be great to print it out for ourselves, I'd like to make this pedal as well.
@KrisSlyka
@KrisSlyka 4 жыл бұрын
Sorry, took me a while, but I finally got it all up on github. Link is in the description.
@MrSalefish
@MrSalefish Жыл бұрын
Nice i saw this kind of circuit in the electronic ilustrated magazine (1966) i wondered how it sounds now i know. Btw great sounding distortion what is it ?
@KrisSlyka
@KrisSlyka Жыл бұрын
Thanks! The distortion pedal is one I designed myself. It's a transistor based diode distortion with a wet/dry mix. The plans are on my github: github.com/NuclearLighthouseStudios/Vector
@MrSalefish
@MrSalefish Жыл бұрын
Wow nice i will look in to that ! Thank you@@KrisSlyka
@trevortjes
@trevortjes 4 жыл бұрын
hey a tried building this, kinda worked but I used white LEDs instead of UV LEDs, got the problem that the compression is asymmetrical and one LED is always slightly on while the other is off. Do I have to match the LEDs for Vf?
@KrisSlyka
@KrisSlyka 4 жыл бұрын
Yeah, the forward voltage of both LEDs should be as close as possible. I got really lucky with the ones I'm using and they generally match well, but if one lights more than the other it could be a sign that they're quite mismatched. Another reason could be that there is a path to ground from between your diodes where they meet the signal. Make sure that that point is completely decoupled with DC blocking caps.
@trevortjes
@trevortjes 4 жыл бұрын
@@KrisSlyka Argh, made a small but big mistake by tying the collector of the buffer stage to ground instead of +9V. I am wondering tho, when I turn the pot for compression down all the way, the signal goes almost muted. Is this expected behaviour?
@KrisSlyka
@KrisSlyka 4 жыл бұрын
@@trevortjes yeah, that's to be expected. The compression control really just controls how loud the signal is that goes into the compressor. So turning it all the way down will silence the sound
@trevortjes
@trevortjes 4 жыл бұрын
@@KrisSlyka Yes ofcourse, I should look at the schematic more before asking questions. Anyway thanks! Will have some fun and experimentation now with it!
@simonleonard5431
@simonleonard5431 4 жыл бұрын
Hi, I know this question is a bit late, but listening to the sound on the video it might be perfect for me. I want to build one but the GitHub link doesn't seem to have the schematic you show in the video, or at least not that I can find. Can you please provide the path to the schematic on GitHub if it's there or upload it to GitHub of it's not there? I want to build on (very noisy) breadboard before I commit to solder. Thanks, really lovely work. Liked and subscribed.
@KrisSlyka
@KrisSlyka 4 жыл бұрын
Hey, the schematic is on the releases page on github: github.com/NuclearLighthouseStudios/Blacklight-Compressor/releases/tag/r02 Let me know if you need anything else.
@corrinmana9324
@corrinmana9324 4 жыл бұрын
Have you made the pcbs or the schematics available anywhere?
@KrisSlyka
@KrisSlyka 4 жыл бұрын
Hey, thanks for reminding me to do that. Added a link to the description!
@corrinmana9324
@corrinmana9324 4 жыл бұрын
@@KrisSlyka Thanks for providing the world with documentation :) Do you mind if I ask what your build cost is? I saw your etsy shop, and I think you had this listed at $187, which is a moderate price for a handmade pedal, but I'm curious how much of that is parts/labor/trying to keep the house warm.
@KrisSlyka
@KrisSlyka 4 жыл бұрын
@@corrinmana9324 Raw material cost, depending on if you buy things in bulk or not is maybe 12-15€? Add to that the machine time for printing the enclosure which is 5-6h and assembly time of maybe half an hour to an hour. I tried very hard to keep assembly time as short as possible by investing a lot of time into engineering a well thought out enclosure and modular PCB system. Not to speak of the substantial amount of time that went into analyzing the original circuit, designing my version of it and tweaking it till it sounded good. Pricing something like this is a big challenge and there are some people who consider what I do less "hand made" than other handmade pedals. (Which is fair, I think.) I arrived at the price I charge now as kind of a compromise between that an the fact that on the other hand I'd like to think it's different from other handmade pedals in that it's not just a clone of an existing pedal in a pretty box. As far as I know this is the only compressor pedal on the market right now that works like this and the feedback I've heard from people using it is very positive. Lastly… etsy kinda sucks. It doesn't allow me to specify separate prices for EU and non EU buyers, so everyone ends up paying 19% VAT on the pedal no matter if they need to or not, which effectively makes the pedal 19% more expensive for US buyers who are not used to seeing VAT in their sticker prices. (Plus, they have to potentially pay their own state sales tax on top of that, making the situation even worse.) I actually only end up with around 120€ before etsy takes their cut for pedals I sell in the EU. Hope that clarifies the situation a little.
@corrinmana9324
@corrinmana9324 4 жыл бұрын
@@KrisSlyka Yes, very thorough breakdown. Have you considered setting up a website and using square or a similar storefront system? Have you patented your Modular PCB design. I think your correct in the assumption that it allows for faster assembly time, and could also allow a consumer to buy 1-2 backplates with IO, and 4-5 effect front boards and interchange for different setups ( a niche method to be sure, but in the quest for dollars, any niche an be worth filling).
@KrisSlyka
@KrisSlyka 4 жыл бұрын
@@corrinmana9324 Yeah, I've though about setting up my own site, but it's a whole bunch of work that I'm not particularly fond of. But in the end it looks like the only real solution if I want this to work. Etsy in general is not very well suited for selling this kinda stuff with it's inability to add audio samples. I'm not seeking to patent any of this stuff since this would go completely against my desire to make this as accessible as possible to everyone. And in general I don't think this is nearly novel enough for that. Most commercial pedals have something very similar on the inside.
@user-uf3nn4jb5s
@user-uf3nn4jb5s 3 жыл бұрын
can you switch the tube for a 12ax7?
@KrisSlyka
@KrisSlyka 3 жыл бұрын
Kinda. I have some cheap chinese 12AX7 that work fine in this circuit but the more expensive JJ 12AX7s I tried need a higher voltage to work well. So it's kinda down to just trying it out.
@user-uf3nn4jb5s
@user-uf3nn4jb5s 3 жыл бұрын
@@KrisSlyka Is there a notable difference in sound between the 12AX7 and the AU7? And if so, how would you discribe it (and what chinese brand are you using)? Thank you for your response.
@KrisSlyka
@KrisSlyka 3 жыл бұрын
@@user-uf3nn4jb5s The 12AX7 has quite a big higher gain than the 12AU7, but the AU7 generally works better at lower voltages because it has a higher transconductance, so basically lower internal resistance. Sound wise you'll get a lot less headroom from a 12AX7 and much more distortion. The 12AX7 that I tried was just a "Bugera" rebranded generic tube, probably made by Shuguang like almost all of them.
@Yt5hdf5g5g5g
@Yt5hdf5g5g5g 4 жыл бұрын
Nice work dude... But don't use 547, use 548 or 549 for better noise reduction 👍👍
@KrisSlyka
@KrisSlyka 4 жыл бұрын
Huh, good point. I should probably do that.
@LuxLucidOfficial
@LuxLucidOfficial 2 жыл бұрын
Do you know what grade? I read that, typically, low hFe are desirable, and thus, go for A grade. But typical doesn't equate to always...
@ferdinandstrat
@ferdinandstrat 5 жыл бұрын
I know tube, OTA, VCA, Photocell and FET compressors. First time I see a diode compressor.
@KrisSlyka
@KrisSlyka 5 жыл бұрын
Yeah, I had never seen one used in practice before either. I've read about some other diode based designs but they all had issues with the control signal leaking through to the output. So I was really happy to stumble over this circuit when fixing that old reel to reel machine. The one in the reel to reel was FET based but it wasn't too hard to adapt it to work with BJTs for simplicity.
@ferdinandstrat
@ferdinandstrat 5 жыл бұрын
@@KrisSlyka FET based but the compression is done by the diodes Correct me if I am wrong but arent FET compressors just adapted tube compressors?
@KrisSlyka
@KrisSlyka 5 жыл бұрын
@@ferdinandstrat Yeah, it replaced the BJT that "shorts out" the LEDs with a FET, mostly to reduce the current draw from the timing capacitor and allow for much longer release times on the order of 10-20 seconds. But I didn't really want that long of a release anyway, so that was fine with me. And yeah, I think traditional FET and tube compressors have a very similar architecture. Which makes sense seeing as tubes and FETs operate very similarly.
@ferdinandstrat
@ferdinandstrat 5 жыл бұрын
@@KrisSlyka Thanks for the info man, this channel is amazing
@justinyoung2738
@justinyoung2738 3 жыл бұрын
I love you
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