OUROBOROS

In order to encourage experimentation, I haven’t written much about Ouroboros. But that isn’t the entire story, either. I don’t actually know the limits of what it is able to do. The longer I play with it, the more new ways I find to use it. I used to mostly use it to create a cacophony of sound, but I’ve been getting into some less weird stuff with it lately. Here are a few examples.

Drone

Fuzz pedal in the send/receive network. I usually use Fire, but most fuzz pedals I’ve tried work to some extent. The more controls on the pedal, the better—with the feedback engaged, it will self-oscillate. The controls on the pedal will effect the character of the oscillation. The instrument connected will also play a big role. I like using a strat because the 5-position pickup selector allows me to easily access five different tones.

All of that on it’s own is actually what I do for a general noise setup as well, the difference is that for drone, I like very slowly change settings (for the most part) and will add lots of reverb and modulation to smooth it out and add a bit more motion. (For a more noise-oriented experience, just keep twirling knobs on the pedal/instrument and flipping through pick-ups).

Add in a loop pedal, and you got yourself a sound-stew, without (the need to) pluck a string.

Regular Ol’ Feedback

Some dirt and overdrive pedals will work similar to fuzz in that they oscillate, but usually at a much higher frequency—it sounds like feedback from a loud amp, but you can generate it at a reasonable volume. It isn’t always appropriate to crank your amp and let your guitar squeal, but with some pedals in Ouroboros, you can get that squeal at bedroom volumes.

Generally speaking, oscillation will be overpowered by notes ringing on the guitar, meaning that you can hold a note and let it morph into feedback as the note decays.

Thickening Agent

Some pedals won’t really oscillate. And yet, you can hear something is different—the sound is just a little fuller, maybe it’s got just a little more hair. Who would have thought a feedback looper could be subtle?

New Dealer and new versions!

It has been a wild few months.

One of the most difficult things to believe has been working with Guitar Center! The paperwork is finally finished and pedals are available for pre-order on Guitar Center’s website.

This happens to coincide with the re-release of Fire and Earth!

I make some changes to the circuit boards and design after every run of pedals that I do. This time, it was a little more than usual. That is largely because I wanted to start using higher quality enclosures. Far too many of the old ones would arrive with defects leaving them unfit for engraving, and my options for higher-quality metal did not include the same size enclosures. This has lead to a slightly smaller, re-oriented enclosure. With some of the changes I’ve made to my workshop, engraving and drilling smaller enclosures has become much less painstaking as well.

Every now and then, a better engineered circuit board actually produces audible change. Fire, the nasty, fuzzy beast that is, has made it through this transition with no audible difference every time, but something interesting has happened with Earth: it has a bit more gain on tap. While this isn’t a huge change (it still calms down to the same gentle compression as the old one, it’s just like you can crank the Stone up further than before), I am planning to make new audio samples showcasing this additional saturation.

Eventually, these new versions will be available on my website, but as it happens, Guitar Center has purchased my entire release stock! So, for the time being, the new variants will only be available through Guitar Center. All pedals are still handmade, and Ouroboros and Y, since they are visually all one-off pieces, will remain exclusively available on my website.

This change also means the first run of engraved pedals has ended. In an effort to make some space for my new versions, I’ll be dropping the price of the older versions while supplies last.

I’ve also made some stickers and my first run of custom guitar picks should be finished soon. Research and development for Air is underway. And there are some other things I’ve got cooking that I’d rather keep the lid on for now. Stay tuned!

Black Lives Matter

Given the state of things now, and my role as a black business owner, I feel it is important to mention that black lives matter. I am currently unable to get into the streets to show my support, but I want to make it known who I stand with.

There have been some nasty things said by a member of the guitar pedal community, and their hurtful words have inspired some to seek out pedals made by people of color. I have looked into this as well, and there are shockingly few of us (shout out to Native Audio!). My business is small and I enjoy running it by myself, so while I may not be a source of employment (for now at least), I am available for those who want to learn about building guitar pedals and noisemakers and such. It is the least I can do to get more people of color in this industry. If you are interested in learning to build pedals or even just starting and managing a business, feel free to reach out to me with any questions.