Harman and Sound Technology are shipping the new DigiTech Dirty Robot Mini-Synth effects pedal.
The pedal features seven controls and two different, selectable synth voices: straight envelope-style synthesis (V1) or vocal formant synthesis (V2). Other features include true bypass, which allows the guitar tone to remain pristine even when the device is off. A huge variety of cyborg sounds can now come to life with the simple spin of a knob.
“We designed the Dirty Robot to provide guitarists or bassists with a slew of synth effects in a small footprint. The Dirty Robot is a worthy successor to the Synth Wah, but it also has some great new features that players will dig,” said Tom Cram, Marketing Manager, DigiTech. “In addition to the obvious glut of concentric controls we are also introducing our new Drift Knob that allows you to blend Square Wave with Sub and Octave sounds for even more variety.”
A concentric potentiometer features two knobs for MIX/MOD control. The inner MIX knob controls the amount of effect added to the dry (unprocessed) signal. Turning the knob clockwise adds more effect, whereas turning the knob counterclockwise decreases effect. The outer MOD knob adds chorus modulation to the synth signal for classic thickening.
The pedal’s momentary vibrato allows the effect to be available to the player on-demand via the footswitch. When depressed, the synth signal will modulate with vibrato much like a mod wheel on a keyboard synth, useful for emphasising specific notes or building crescendos. When the footswitch is released, the active/green LED will change to red and the vibrato will stop.
A Drift Knob rotates a full 360 degrees to control morphing between sub, octave and square waveforms. The inner sensitivity knob on the concentric potentiometer sets the trigger sensitivity for synth sweep. Higher settings increase the sensitivity making it easier to trigger the sweep. The outer time knob sets the time for the sweep between the points set with the start and stop knobs, allowing the player to fully customise the synth sweep effect.
