Bit Crushers

**Rainer.** · 10-08-2005, 12:01 PM

Wouldn't it be awesome to have an effect pedal that simulates a bit crusher? Anything like it out there? It'd have to be a totally digital effect, I bet.

**thesteve** · 10-08-2005, 04:49 PM

what exactly is a bit crusher? for some reason i think i've heard of them, but i don't know why

**Rainer.** · 10-08-2005, 05:50 PM

A bit crusher effect takes a digital recording's bitrate, and lowers it. On higher bitrate settings, the sound gets a bit fuzzy. On low bitrate settings, it gets really fizzy. It's a really cool effect. I'll put some sound clips up of what I can do with a digital bit crusher.

If you have a copy of Sigur Ros's ( ), go to the beginning of track 2. There's a bit crusher effect put on som voals in the beginning of that one. Or towards the end of Staralfur on Agaetis Byrjun.

**Rainer.** · 10-08-2005, 06:11 PM

Here's a recording I did on my piano last night of a little bit of The Scientist (Coldplay). First it's totally clean, then I added a bit crusher to it on medium, high, and insane. (though I could probably get a ton more bit crushed tones out of the bit crusher plugin I have... interesting little thing.). On a guitar it'd be like a whole new realm of distortion. As you kill more bits, it's like you're sucking the life out of your digital recordings.

iAMspartacus · 10-08-2005, 10:58 PM

gross, hahaahaha

on the note of weird distortions, i think i should check out what the "butt probe" does

jbm222 · 10-08-2005, 11:18 PM

I think I like that.

This is very strange and I'm not sure what I'm hearing. There's a distinct octave up harmonic in there (especially obvious in the 2nd sample with the bit crusher). But it doesn't sound like a typical octave fuzz because there's still too much of the orignal signal in there.

Do you have any idea what the effect does technically speaking? I know you set it lowers the bitrate, but how? Does it reduce the number of samples per second, or the number of bits per sample? What controls do you have on the effect?

tht00 · 10-09-2005, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbm222

I think I like that.

This is very strange and I'm not sure what I'm hearing. There's a distinct octave up harmonic in there (especially obvious in the 2nd sample with the bit crusher). But it doesn't sound like a typical octave fuzz because there's still too much of the orignal signal in there.

Do you have any idea what the effect does technically speaking? I know you set it lowers the bitrate, but how? Does it reduce the number of samples per second, or the number of bits per sample? What controls do you have on the effect?

Yeah, it sounds like it lowers the sampling rate... especially when you listen to the last one, the signal is too far gone that it is random noise.

**Rainer.** · 10-09-2005, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbm222

This is very strange and I'm not sure what I'm hearing. There's a distinct octave up harmonic in there (especially obvious in the 2nd sample with the bit crusher).

Yeah, on the plugin I have, it has a filter, so the upper overtone can change. (It's called E-Phonic LOFI, if you want to check it out)
http://www.e-phonic.com/vstplugins/lofi.html

tht00 · 10-09-2005, 10:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rainer.

Yeah, on the plugin I have, it has a filter, so the upper overtone can change. (It's called E-Phonic LOFI, if you want to check it out)
http://www.e-phonic.com/vstplugins/lofi.html

I listened to it again, and now it seems that the main degradation is comming from a low sampling rate, there is something introducing the higher harmonics (which simply a lower sampling rate shouldn't do).

Anyway, I'll play with it when I get back to college... I'm on fall break right now and at home, so.. yeah.

BTW, what player is that plugin for?

**Rainer.** · 10-09-2005, 10:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tht00

I listened to it again, and now it seems that the main degradation is comming from a low sampling rate, there is something introducing the higher harmonics (which simply a lower sampling rate shouldn't do).

Yeah, there's a filter on the plugin that accentuates the overtones.

Quote:

BTW, what player is that plugin for?

The plugin is a VST plugin, which is a standard plugin format for most audio recording and sequencing programs.

Griffon · 10-10-2005, 11:56 AM

I think the Alesis Ineko and Bitrman both have a BitDecimator setting. Good luck finding one though...

dcunning30 · 10-10-2005, 02:57 PM

I like it. It sounds like a really cheap 1970's fuzz pedal. There was this one a guy gave me that was orange and plastic made by Kay. It sounded just like that. I bet it was $10 new, but if you could find it, you might pay $200 off ebay right now.

Anyway, Ibanez makes a LoFi pedal. It's part of their ToneLoc series.

LWatford · 10-10-2005, 07:33 PM

Yum...Orange Kay Fuzztone...I will have one someday. I've bid on three or four already. The last two I bid on went for over $200 (was willing to go $150 at that time, but no more than that), and one just ended with a $500 BIN. I may just find someone to clone it for me.

Another cool pedal was FX Doctor's 8-Bit fuzz. Don't know if he's still making it, or even what his current situation is though.

What5647 · 10-10-2005, 10:07 PM

...interesting...at points it just sounds like added static, but it's static that's kinda "in tune." now if you had control over the various byproducts of the process (namely the cool harmonics) you would really have a new host of sweet sounds...very interesting...this is something i'm gonna check out more of...

**Rainer.** · 10-10-2005, 10:23 PM

The filter on the clips acctentuates certain overtones, not necessarily part of the static. It's like distortion, where overtones are accentuated with the filter as the signal degrades.