Can This Make Anything Sound AWESOME???

[@ohmypoo123]

Do you edit your own videos?

[@TheCrowHillCo]

No a fantastic chap called Robbie does. He’s my savour and deserves a knighthood.

[@Owtyg23]

@@TheCrowHillCo He does an incredible job. Well done to you both

[@ohmypoo123]

@@TheCrowHillCo Thanks for the reply! Love the videos!

[@BellsCuriosityShop]

Can't be easy editing a vlog. Chap must work 25 hours a day!

[@Broth3rz]

@@TheCrowHillCo I reported a dog barking many times in 2 different notes in SSS, the Violas, C3 and D3, and it's been 7 months and no update and I'm going to spend 200$ to mix this track with a dog barking? This is quite ridiculous since I paid $1100 for SSS. Can we get this fixed.....?

[@alvinviklund]

"I would describe Bontempi as the Behringer of children's music toys" LMAOO

[@artemshishlo]

You don't even know how much you've helped me with my track by showing that compression trick. My night was just saved!!!!! 🙏🙏🙏

[@chrisdawson1352]

This contest had me sweating like i was defusing a bomb. Congrats to the winners!

[@adithompson199]

Outwitted by a pink Bontempi plastic keyboard. I had tears rolling down my face. So so so funny. Personally I would have taken it outside and blown it up and videoed the explosion in slow motion, then sent the pieces back to Bontempi asking for your money back. On another note, ducking has it's place as a heart beat of a piece of music in the right place. Thank you Christian for all your exuberance of all things sound samplings and all things musical with a smile you can bring me. Carry on.

[@christopherhageman_]

"Behringer of children's toys", i nearly spit out my drink lol

[@DamamakeBeats-RnB]

Hands down best video ad that doesnt force the product down your throat!

[@mrnelsonius5631]

Rainger FX makes a sidechain ducking pedal that I’ve used on tour for several years. I attach a tap tempo pedal to my synth, run that into the Rainger FX pedal and it triggers a 4 on the floor side chain envelope I can keep in time with the tap tempo. It was a lifesaver, when I bought it several years ago nothing on the market could do that without either a laptop or an actually sidechained compressor (which wasn’t practical in that scenario)

[@duncanthompson957]

The OBERHEIM TWO VOICE PRO was an utterly gorgeous instrument! A bass section and a lead section - both blending together seamlessly - the sound and expressively making complete sense of the two note limitation as a viable and logically whole as a musical instrument.

[@2011markhunter]

Wasn't the ARP Odyssey a 2 note polyphonic synth?

[@jackcapalditallon]

I was thinking the same… have to fact check tho

[@kgfht5120]

Late model ARP 2600s were also duophonic.

[@joelnegus]

I got my pill a few weeks back - man it’s so simple and so wonderful 🙌

[@thepillpedal]

yeeee thank you :)

[@JonnyMonday]

When planning my modular I heeded the advice that you can never have too many VCA's. They're useful for controlling all sorts of things with all sorts of other things. Get your drums mixed and use the output to control the amplitude of a pad. A little attenuation and hey presto, instant ducking, no outboard required. Try putting a filter somewhere in the signal chain, maybe an envelope follower. Try it with anything anywhere. A modular is a big box of audio Lego and it's up to you what you build.

[@nofriendsmatt]

this video definitely made me crack up. Love your content Christian.

[@iam607]

I just got an Alesis 3630 last week to do this since the pill takes awhile to get!

[@dudleyspikeclarke1355]

Great video Christian and thanks for doing the giveaway. Congratulations to Bill and George on your wins.

[@JaysonNgComposer]

So close!! Only miss the change hand part , got all others correct . Congrats to the winners!

[@matthewcolosus]

Congrats to the winners.

[@ElJoellito]

Hi Christian, I have one of those from batch #2. I am using it live with a juno (well, ju-06), that mainly plays pads, which I sidechain after it went through a lush reverb (Polara with lexicon algorithms). I'm very happy that it gives me the ability to do sidechaining/ducking outside of the box, as I prefer to play without a computer on stage. That being said, unfortunately, mine is one of the earlier models without the thru and without the gate in, wich would be really handy for me. Bummer. But it's still a magical box and it does a lot of the sound I am looking for. I think there is definitely a market for it, especially in electronic music

[@SrNutritivo]

Top notch content, Christian. Thank you for the privilege of taking a look inside your head.

[@IceLocus]

Nice! Christian I think you'd love the Meowsic Cat Piano. It has 2 note polyphony and purrs in a creepy way to startle you when you forget to shut it off. 😅

[@pauldeakin7727]

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! That's the most I've laughed in a long time! Christian, the timing of your reactions to the Bontempi was spot on! OK, back to The Pill and being serious....

[@luxaritas]

I had a good laugh from many points in this video, so thank you! :D Some fun sounds made to boot. My 43 wasn't in your spreadsheet, but I didn't include the hand to hand thinking you meant "between your two hands" as in one to the other... ah well! XD

[@Lance_G]

The absolute audacity of the toy kept me laughing my ass off and required many rewatchings - priceless!😂

[@keiththeodosiou]

Congratulations to the two winners! As for the pedal, that would be very usefull in certain situations. As for the Bontempi, that would be an absolute NO! lol

[@darkreavenmusic]

6:34 that's the sound Mr Henson . we have to sample it for the archive.

[@marklovatt1545]

Running your sound through a swell pedal for shorter sections especially I’ve found pretty effective and more subtle and varied.

[@seneschiepouka5272]

"All of this and I can't figure this out", "STOP!" LOL The pain is real.

[@Broth3rz]

I reported a dog barking many times in 2 different notes in SSS, the Violas, C3 and D3, and it's been 7 months and no update and I'm going to spend 200$ to mix this track with a dog barking? This is quite ridiculous since I paid $1100 for SSS. Can we get this fixed.....?

[@dizlerimkupsis]

Ducking pedals are very good idea. There is a recent free plugin called STFU that is a fantastic ducking unit that you can customise according to bpm. Pedal version of that would get my money.

[@lockyp204]

Johnny Greenwood went overboard with odnes martenot. All he needed was a ducking pill pedal and bontempi - the behringer of kids music toys 🤣

[@JeanLoupRSmith]

I'm not sure I'd ever use that pedal if that's something you can relatively easily do in a DAW but this definitely gave me ideas for a future composition project so thank you for that it was fascinating. And it's kinda sad I know exactly what you mean when comparing Bontempi to Behringer. The brand name Bontempi always amused me because in French it essentially sounds like you're saying "well nevermind" (which we'd spell Bon tant pis) which is rather appropriate I think

[@kavokei1337]

Same, I don't think I'd use a pedal like that as Bitwig allows me to do the same and mess up the sound a lot more besides, but it did give me some ideas too. Love the French take on Bontempi

[@JeanLoupRSmith]

@@kavokei1337 Kudos to you for making Bitwig work for you, that DAW hurts my brain even more than Abelton does ;)

[@SpikesStudio3]

Hey bro, i know the competition is a more topical subject than the actual topic, but i think a ducking pedal would be great for the type of sunday jams i do with a few bits of gear on my outside table in the sunshine. It gives a nice overall pump. Great work tiger...

[@denes.andras]

Is it just me who created a playlist called SAMPLES and saves every dizzy silly sound videos on that? (inclucing this one)

[@swettyspaghtti]

yup,just you mate

[@skylightmusicshowree]

I remember you once side-chaining the radio in case of attack!!...(in the days when Oscar was still allowed in the shed!). That was how I discovered you and Spitfire. I eventually ended up meeting you in Air Lyndhurst during a blizzard...all from searching for side-chaining. I wonder which window we'll go through today...

[@lodewijkvos]

Maths into a VCA or 2 for stereo, and then Modulate the release and debth of Maths has been giving me very interesting side chain results.

[@timothychun1558]

It's actually pretty cool to sample christian's voice and use this technique on simple sine pads

[@matheusgabrielcamilocunha5165]

Chris, dinging that Bell was the best thing I've done in a while. Sadly almost every video you post is right before I get into work, so I have to wait till I get home, but nonetheless, it's something I look forward throughout the day. Love your content man!

[@Neopoete]

Where does the cue at 0:45 come from ? I like the guitar part

[@gonzalozubillaga9341]

Spectacular!!! Warm regards!!!

[@jonaseggen2230]

Yes, useful pedal. I want that pedal but other things, like a second case and a sequencer module are higher on my wish list. This was funny though. I like the melody. Thank you.

[@JulianDoe]

Congratulations to the winners! Man, I was far off but I can't expect to win Indy 500 with a Fiat 500. LOL

[@cjbarrowmusic]

Hey Christian! Thanks again for hosting the competition. Question for you! The 05/10/21 spots, at :28 seconds, was the shallow pedal not up on the craftsman table in the shadows? I understand I probably still wouldn't win since I didn't count the hand changing situation, but just curious since the spreadsheet suggests it wasn't present at that point. Maybe it's another pedal! Lol

[@rich_in_paradise]

Amazed Bontempi are still around. I remember playing with their plastic reed organs when I was a kid.

[@Kruse1]

I full FOMOed this thing.

[@MikeLindup42]

I think you need a different pedal to transform that Bontempi :) But like the madness that ensues. Congrats to competition winners.

[@PhillipParr]

Looking forward to a sample library consisting of 8:33 and 8:38

[@Proxima04]

It all went a bit ‘Acid Clanger’ in the end. Priceless demanding toy machines. The plastic button noise noodling was a great texture. 😆

[@StephenTallamyMusic]

Pretty sure are some point in recent history Dot has said “not another ducking pedal”

[@pmc5532]

Lol the Bontempi moment😂

[@jimsanger]

You playing that organ reminded me of Vim Fuego playing Imogen in Bad News :)

[@kimina310]

You explained sidechain is the most elegant way.

[@firesailstudios1003]

I think a ducking / gate or hands on multi fx box could be pretty fun!

[@ivanpastyrcak]

I was sooooo closeee :((( Thank you Christian for giving me hope to win something for the first time in my life :D I messed up.. congratulations to the winners :)

[@TheLeon1032]

your win is coming Ivan, keep putting it out there brother

[@AndyHolt72]

Christian, do you know of the 'neon egg planetarium' pedal, looks like something from the 70's but is in fact an amazing ducking pedal also but with a twist..... check it out

[@cruachfilms]

I was 10 off for the competition, oh well maybe next time 😀 thanks for doing it Christian 😁

[@MusicalWizardryMarcoIannello]

Rise of the (toy instrument) machines!

[@MePeterNicholls]

ARP odyssey was 2 note poly i think?

[@sonicmistress]

The end result is music, some will like it, some won't....Don't think most people actually care or think about how music is made as long as it agrees with what their braincells tell them to like....It's interesting to some if it grooves with their hobbies/pastimes/work train of thought, musicians etc. I liked it and the inbetween bits as well but that's just me and that's what is cool about music, there's enough sauce for everyone....

[@GenuineHeather]

I wonder how the Bontempi would sound if you cracked open the case, disconnected the little speaker, and took the audio straight off the board. Hmm...

[@electronictiger]

I don't think the Pill pedal made it cooler. I know it's probably a minority opinion but I don't like the sound of heavy side chain compression / ducking. It sounds "fake" to my ears. Like it's trying too hard. Those buzz words of "cool, edgy, gritty or powerful" that are often used to describe that sound don't apply to how I perceive it. That said, it is of course a valid production technique. One that I use myself as well, albeit in moderation. And I can see some use for that pedal especially in a live environment.

[@thepillpedal]

Hey! On my website I created a video course, where I show the more uncommon uses of Sidechain Compression with The Pill Pedal, far beyond that classic EDM ducking effect.

[@samshrimpton407]

Was it me or did that second toy piano sound a lot like Olivia Colman??? Definately a cool pedal! I can see there being a demand for specific instrumentalists or live performance beat makers, using synths and groove boxes. Maybe also ambient guitarists, playing live with electric drum kits/percussionists etc.

[@sweeterthananything]

i'd be most interested in having this in pedal form when playing with at least 2-3 other pedals and i'd especially try running it in parallel chains - e.g. for ducked reverb/complex delay. would also frequently want to feed it into either envelope follower effects or ones without envelope that still have good timbre change in response to dynamic change, like some fuzz/distortion/OD. to me personally, it's cool but by itself it feels incomplete - not that additional effects should have been tacked on by the manufacturer, just that it's a little closer to a utility pedal like a line selector from my perspective. ciao!

[@thepillpedal]

Hello! I know we're here mainly in the eurorack/modular world - but I created this pedal first hand for live musicians without eurorack gear; for example a synth player who wants to sidechain his:her synths with the kick drum of a drummer, simply with a drum trigger...

[@sweeterthananything]

@@thepillpedal well hello! thanks for the reply. that makes perfect sense to me - my comment was almost entirely about my own imagined use cases. the most interesting thing about it for me is that you seem to be inviting collaborative effects in using a live drummer for the trigger - i know live drummer triggered sidechain ducking has been done before, but probably not so much by teenagers in a garage. i would also love to hear it used by contemporary jazz/improv group like snarky puppy whose keyboardist/whatever could really lean into the ducked groove on something more complex than 4 on the floor.

[@thepillpedal]

💙

[@dialnfornick]

Heheh "Bontempi is the Behringer of childrens toys" 🤣🤣🤣

[@tonymckeown1314]

Hilarious. Bontempi - havent heard that name for decades. Maybe you should upgrade to a Casio? ;-) i did wonder what would become of that tweed jacket...

[@marcoforni]

ARP Odyssey is indeed two notes polyphonic

[@gianandrelubin3145]

Best video

[@lahattec]

Why did you not put it in Blackhole ?????? :)

[@g3cd]

Same idea here ... I thought the Bontempi through the pill sounded a bit week, a reverb would've helped loads.

[@loicdesjardins809]

Brilliant ! Those Bontempi toys are not only more complicated to use than actual synth but they also have a clunky design, awful sounds, terrible speaker and casing, and buttons & keys tend to break after a few weeks of use. And they are not even that cheap. It is legendary crap here in Europe. I had a good long laugh watching you Christian, especially the stare at the modular rack. I wonder if even the great Alex Ball could do something decent with it.

[@LongshanMusic]

First, PresentDay Productions marry, have intimate relations with, and carry an ATC SCM45a monitor into the ocean, and now Christian is filming himself playing with kids' toys in his studio. What's happening on that side of the Atlantic?!? 😆

[@MadayMaday]

The Pill sounds like a side-chained gate to me.

[@MadayMaday]

Then the look you give when playing with the kids keyboard was like the look a mate gives you when you both overhear an absurd conversation in the pub. That look makes this video. LOL! This made my day.

[@howardsandford]

Moog Sonic 6 was a duo-phonic synth. I really shouldn’t have given it away some 30 years ago … 🙁

[@TheCrowHillCo]

Oooh no!!!

[@Ben_R4mZ]

Imagine being called the "Behringer of children's toys"

[@mkkrt]

And the being shot.

[@RussellClewett]

Hold up, hold up!! My Realistic Concertmate 500 (Casio SK-1) was (and still is) 4 not polyphonic. Kids musical instruments have really let themselves go over the years!

[@MeriaDuck]

5:00 that sounds better than it looks 🤣

[@latashabundy2059]

should have gone with the cat piano, lmao granted I took the speaker out and made it line out 😅 (no sustain tho...)

[@svenhegenmusic]

The ducking pedal could find it's use in live performing without a big crew and / or a good mixer that supports side chaining. Like singer / songwriter style, send the vocal in and duck the guitar performance when you're singing. Something like that maybe.

[@AndreaGiordaniComposer]

"This is so demanding!" Ahaha I love it! Why don't you play anymore, Christian?! hahaha so good! Pill's interesting though. Would love to see it in action in a live (Techno) setup! Congrats Bill and George., well done!

[@mosharv]

Hey Chris great video, just wondering if there is a benefit of this pedal over a standalone compressor with sidechain such as RNC1773 or similar asides from the CV input?

[@echosonicmusic]

Congrats to the winners! 44!! 😵‍💫 that's one fidgety pedal. Ducking pedal? Cool idea, but yes, all in the box for me I'm afraid.

[@alainterieur794]

That's an expensive setup to do what A1Triggergate can do for free! ;-)

[@allaboutbookbinding8339]

I think the Pill pedal is quite a silly thing BUT I also think you were a bit unfair on it with your choice of S/C signal. The 808 BD was much too long to make a good trigger.

[@thepillpedal]

Hello, thanks for calling me silly, but I don't care since I am a heartless pedal :) ...actually: this is the great thing about me: by turning down the trigger pot, you can make a short trigger out of long bass drums... (most of the times, since also long bass drums mostly have a shorter transient in the beginning, so by setting the trigger knob accurately, you can catch just that transient)

[@AurelienGivernaud]

Bontempi Bad 🤣

[@TheCrowHillCo]

Yeah like fucking awful!

[@h2o1969]

I would have smashed the toy with a hammer, but, the pedal really did make it sound kind of cool. Possible a one trick pony.

[@thepillpedal]

Hello Video, Hello Christian! Thanks for sharing this - it made my day. Yhaaaa! On my website I also created a video course, where I show the more uncommon uses of Sidechain Compression with The Pill Pedal, far beyond that classic EDM ducking effect. LOVE, david

[@arseniykunin3423]

Hilarious!😄

[@richardburnett8595]

Yard. Sorry. I think you should educate the bontemp guys. Christian then kids electronic musical toys would actually be good . it's a good pedal

[@bricelory9534]

Honestly that crap toy pad could be used as a transition in some other track, it just needs a bit more depth. I think the pedal can be cool for doing some playing around away from the screen - being able to tweak knobs as you go rather than popping up a new window can really keep you in the flow of the music.

[@jackflynn-oakley6137]

You don’t need to do the old - bus - no output trick on Logic anymore, you can straight up sidechain to MIDI instruments

[@featherycoffee1401]

Music Tom Scott. Why didn't I notice it earlier

[@cutseencinematics]

Why wouldn’t you just use side chain in your DAW? Maybe I’m missing something?

[@g3cd]

I, for once, am trying to produce music without a computer as a) I sit in front of it all day anyway, it's closely related to WORK = not fun. And b) I prefer turning knobs on hardware while listening to the result instead of relying onto some visual interpretation on screen. I am using a Polyend Seq though to try out stuff, sequence melodies and do arrangements. It's not as accurate as a DAW (try doing a volume swell on the Seq, good luck with that), but it's soooo quick and inuitive, pressing a bunch of buttons. I though of buying a Drawmer 1978 for compression and sidechaining, but this pedal is more compact and costs 1/3, so it seems like a very good alternative.

[@huldraslaat225]

Fuck, that thing sounds great and also it IS time for my medicine, my blood pressure thanks you

[@thepillpedal]

❤️

[@tarnishchris]

So the pill pedal makes you sound like massive attack

[@TheCrowHillCo]

I can’t tell you how much that’s gonna tickle Robbie.

[@cherrysound]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@blindianajones]

Yikes, I dont think Roli deserve any more attention. Roli greatest accomplishment was burning shed loads of money. Maybe Roli could hire Elizabeth Holmes to take their shams to a whole new level.

[@dialnfornick]

Am I first here?

[@tomtebby7408]

Only just 😄

[@dialnfornick]

@@tomtebby7408 minor victory of the day! 😁 I'm done

[@thehowlingterror]

RTFM 😁