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What’s new at Zystrix? Read on… March 18, 2024 In this issue the fake news video above harkens back to when cloned guitar pedals first arrived in America. We also re-discover the flowers of Spring. And Easter resurrects again. And some clone pedals are more equal than others like the Dolamo D-8, the Donner Morpher, the Sandstorm by Caline, and the Morning Star by NUX, as we’ll see. And there’s a couple of free plugins you may enjoy, like tape emulation called the Ferric TDS mkII, and a cool synth called the SQ8L version 0.91b by Siegfried Kullmann. So sit back and relax. Welcome to Zystrix, the heartbeat of the universe. Where creativity and free- thinking have more value than conformity. Spring is Here Spring arrives in the northern hemisphere on Tuesday, March 19th 2024 at about 11:06 PM EST. Old man winter has finally gone his way. Yay! Happy Easter Easter arrives on March 31st, 2024 this year. There are various forms of this celebration of spring -- a holiday of re-birth and renewal. This is the time when the northern hemisphere begins to be warmed by the sun bringing hope to the hungry, sick, and disparaged. Many renewal myths are re-told this time of year throughout various cultures: Native Americans, ancient Greeks, ancient Chinese, ancient Egyptians, eastern Indians, Wicans, Norse, and others. Background Artwork Unfortunately the artwork that surrounds the edges of this website is invisible to many cell phone users. The artwork for today is included here for your enjoyment. Multiple copies are tiled together for a cohesive and seamless background board seen behind this page. Enjoy. Dolamo D-8 Distortion If you love guitar pedals that have a great sound at a great price, the Dolamo D-8 is no slouch. If you enjoy classic rock and hard rock sounds then you may like this one. The distortion sound is quite pleasant. The pedal has a sound reminiscent of the Xotic RC Booster, and as a matter of fact, I don’t think I could tell them apart if my eyes were closed. I found this solidly buillt pedal online at Wally World for less than $24.00 USA with free shipping. When you receive a whip pedal in the mail at a price like this it’s hard to complain. Sandstorm by Caline Set the EQ tone control where you like it, turn down the distortion, and set the output to unity or so. Now the pedal can be used as an excellent clean boost. As the distortion on the pedal is turned up the sound becomes more of an amp-like overdrive. This one has a very hard rock kind of sound. If you like the sound of the Cruch Box by MI Audio you’ll probably enjoy this pedal. I found a Sandstorm on Ebay for less than $30.00 USA with free shipping. That’s a deal. Just buy one. Morpher by Donner This pedal is made for high-gain distortion and has great sustain. There’s a three-way toggle for choosing between tight, natural, or classic crunch, although to my ear there doesn’t seem to be a lot of difference between the sounds. I found this pedal at the Walmart website for $36.00 USA and free shipping, and that’s a deal by anyone’s standards. If you like the Riot pedal by Suhr you’ll probably like this one. Morning Star by NUX This pedal is an excellent rendition of the Marshall Blues Breaker, and it offers slightly more EQ features with an additional bright option. I found one brand new on Ebay with free shipping for about $54.00 and used for about $10.00 less and free shipping. This is a great pedal -- give one a listen and see what you think. Ferric TDS mkII (32 and 64 bit) There are many tape emulators out there either paid or free, so do we really need another one? Well, this one is subtle for sure, but it adds realism not possible without this type of emulation. It reminds me of an old high-end tape deck in tip-top working condition. It also adds a nice touch to the drum bus, and it improves the overall mix. It’s also nice for smoothing out digital sounding synths and amp-in-a-box guitar pedals. It also comes with a number of presets to get a person started. There isn’t any hard tape stretch or warble abilities offered here, just a solid old tape deck sound with the associated roundness and warmth. Nice. Click on the Ferric TDS mkII photograph below to download one for free or click here. SQ8L version 0.91b by Siegfried Kullmann (32 and 64 bit) It’s hard to believe this walk down memory lane synth is free. It’s a copy of the Ensoniq SQ80 from the 1980s and has all the fat basses, classic sounds, and warm vintage response people have come to expect. It also comes with a bunch of cool retro sounding presets. The synth has 3 digital wave- table oscillators for each of its 8 voices which are fed through analog 4-pole low-pass filters with resonance. Click on the SQ8L synth photograph on the left to download one or simply click here. Don’t touch that dial… Stay tuned next time… Next time we’re going to look at at some bargain guitar pedals that peel paint with old and new metal distortion sounds. We’ll also cover some more free plugins that are great to have on hand for your DAW. Maybe we’ll hear a new neo-classical piano tune from Dangerous Neighbors. I’m not sure. I consulted with my Magic 8 Ball and it says, “Concentrate and ask again”. And don’t forget to tease your friends on April Fools Day. Here’s a little known scientific fact: A north american alligator can grow up to 15 feet, but I’ve never seen one with more than 4. Knowledge, art, and music for all…

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FREE BASS LOOPS SAMPLES DOWNLOAD ROYALTY FREE BASS LOOP SAMPLES FREE BASS LOOPS Over 200 samples are included in the collection Download the complete collection of 24-bit bass loops here. NOTE: This download size is approximately 369 Megs. Free Pendulate Synthesizer Presets Original Newfangled Audio Pendulate synth patches/presets Click here to download over 240 Free Pendulate Synth Presets (patches) Synapse Audio Dune Synthesizer Download Over 200 Free Synapse Audio Dune 2 and Dune 3 Synthesizer Patches and Presets Click here to download over 200 FREE Synapse Audio Dune 2 or Dune 3 synthesizer patches or presets. NOTE: This synth patch download is slightly over 1 Meg in size. Free Reverb Impulse Responses Choose from hundreds available in 48K 24 bit WAV format including new original reverbs. CabSpace Over 400 Guitar Isolation Booth Reverbs Download over 400 Free Zystrix Original Reverb Impulse Responses, and over 200 Free Zystrix Original BONUS Reverb Impulse Responses. Download all the Alesis MIDIVerb 4 reverb impulse responses. Download all the Lexicon MPX-1 reverb impulse responses. Download all the Alesis Wedge reverb impulse responses. Download over 50 Reverb Relics from the past. Click here to download free reverb impulse responses. Free Drum Samples Only Available from Zystrix Free Gong Samples and Sounds Free Snare Drum Samples and Sounds Free Bass Drum Samples and Sounds Free Oriental Cymbal Samples and Sounds Free Oriental Bells Samples and Sounds The Ultimate Original Drum Sounds List Download over 2000 original slammin’ rock bass drums. Download original Gongs, Cymbals, Broken Cymbals, and Bells. Download Over 200 Free Original Bass Drum Sounds and Samples. Download over 200 Original Free snare drum sounds. Click here to download Drum Kit Sounds. Dangerous Neighbors The SW Michigan Rock Band Power Trio. Free Rockin’ Music Downloads Download tunes from the 80s to today. Use the special codes on the Embalmed for Life page (see the DOWNLOAD FREE AUDIO BOOKS link below) and get free downloads for the complete album and the free horror audio book The Fluid - Embalmed for Life. Click here to download various music from the rock band Dangerous Neighbors. Download Free Synth Samples for Intros, Interludes, and Endings Listen to example #01 by clicking here (MP3 Sample) Download FREE professional quality stereo sample packs that slowly evolve over time. All samples are in 48K 24 bit WAV format and are about 20 seconds long or more. If you like suspense, psycho, outer space, or terror then this collection is for you. These range from paranoia to sci-fi, cinematic gore to strange industrial horror, and creepy creatures to insane laboratories. Click here to download all the synth Intros, Interludes, and Endings. DOWNLOAD FREE AUDIO BOOKS The Fluid, Embalmed for Life There are Free Audio Book codes for Audible downloads (must sign up). There are also free sample downloads of the book reading. There are free downloads of music samples. There is a free “Look Inside” download of the paperback. There is a free glossary of the largest list of mortuary slang in the world. The Free Dangerous Neighbors Album The Fluid, Embalmed for Life comes included as part of the audio book and parts are available here as a free download. The paperback book is available for sale at Amazon dot com. I have no control over these sales; because of the Amazon agreement I cannot offer complete paperback or complete audio books here. I’m sorry for any inconvenience. Click here for free audio books, book reading samples, music samples, etc. Take me back to the top of the page. Zystrix Privacy Policy THE FINE PRINT: Zystrix is a world leader in personal privacy and we take your privacy very seriously. 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