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What’s new at Zystrix? Read on… October 14, 2024 Happy Columbus Day, or as some say in the USA, Happy Indigenous Peoples Day. Today we’re looking at some cool but not necessarily affordable guitar pedals you may enjoy: the Mooer Cab X2, the Radar, the Model X X2, the Joyo Preamp House, and the Rowin noise gate. We’ll also look at the artwork surrounding this page. And slave labor exposed at the Geek Pedal factory. So sit back and relax. Welcome to Zystrix, the heartbeat of the universe. Where creativity and free-thinking have more value than conformity. Background Artwork The colorful artwork that surrounds the edges of this website is invisible to many cell phone users. It’s included here on the left for your enjoyment. Multiple copies are tiled together for a cohesive and seamless background seen all around this page. Enjoy. Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples’ Day Columbus Day is a holiday in the USA that lands on the second Monday of October observing the arrival of Christopher Columbus to the Americas in 1492. This year it’s celebrated on Monday, October 14, 2024. Unfortunately the history of Columbus’ “discovery” is tainted with violence, abduction and slavery of native people, the introduction of new diseases that wiped out large populations, and a forced religious ideology. On his first arrival he enslaved and brutalized six people to be his servants. He later sent thousands of natives to Spain to be sold as slaves with many dying during the voyage. Columbus saw the indigenous people as obstacles. In the area now known as the Dominican Republic there was an uprising and revolt. Columbus ordered a severe crackdown and had their dismembered bodies paraded through the streets to bring fear to the natives. So the holiday is seen by many as a nod to Western imperialism and continues to stir controversy. Since 1991 some states and many cities observe the holiday as Indigenous Peoples’ Day. It is thought that Columbus couldn’t discover an America that over 100 million indigenous people already knew about, but the indigenous people did discover the brutality of Western imperialism. GUITAR PEDAL INTRODUCTION Here are some pedals I think a person who enjoys and plays rock and metal guitar would appreciate. Most are not really affordable by many people’s standards (over $100.00 USA), but they all have a great sound. Well, except that the noise gate is silent, but that can sometimes be a good sound too. I do not make any money or kickbacks on the click-throughs for these pedals, I just like them. And I suspect you will too. Enjoy. Rowin LEF-319 Noise Gate The Rowin noise gate is an affordable way to clamp down on offending noise in between djents and chugs. It has two modes of gating: hard (for rock and metal) and soft (for not-so-brutal sounds). It didn’t take me long to find the gating sweet spot. I’ve owned many gates and this is the one I use all the time. It also features a full metal pedal casing and true bypass. This micro pedal requires a 9-volt DC power supply (not included) because it is not big enough to house a battery. This pedal is available for only $28.80 USA and free shipping. That’s a deal. Click here for more info or to order one. Preamp House R-15 by Joyo The Joyo Preamp House features 9 different amp simulations with 2 channels each (clean and dirty). The 9 amp simulations include the 1965 Twin Reverb, Marshall JCM 900, Vox AC 30, Mesa Boogie Lonestar, Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier, Peavey EVH 5150, Engl Powerball, Orange TH 200, and the Friedman BE 100. The speaker emulations can be on or off via the XLR output and the ¼ inch output jack. The headphone output has the speaker emulation on all the time. The XLR Output features a ground lift button, and the pedal is true bypass. And there is even an effects loop for using your favorite chorus, delay, reverb, or what have you. This pedal runs on 9-volts but the adapter is not included. I found this one for only $160.00 with free shipping. Click here for more info or to order the Preamp House by Joyo. Preamp Model X X2 by Mooer The Preamp Model X X2 is a Dual-Channel Digital Preamp pedal has 14 editable presets and three built-in cab simulations. It can be used in stereo or dual mono. That means that two guitars or a guitar and a bass can play through it at the same time, or a single guitar using a stereo output (i.e. stereo chorus pedal, ping-pong delay, TC Electronic Mimiq, etc.) can have two different amp and speaker emulations. This pedal also offers a three-way EQ section (Bass, Mid, Treble) for extra tone sculpting. There is also free Mooer Studio editing software available which allows loading of third party impulse responses, and sample files of actual amplifiers using Mooer’s MNRS technology. And unlike many other pedals, the 9-volt power adapter is included -- a nice feature. This pedal can be had and shipped free for $140.00 USA. Click here to learn more about the Preamp X X2 by Mooer or just order one. Cab X2 by Mooer This pedal has 11 pre-installed impulse responses, and they are selectable through the rotary knob. This pedal also has the ability to load your own IRs via the free Mooer Studio software via the USB-C port. It’s also possible to bypass the internal cab simulation IRs for each of the two channels for connection to an external amplifier, or turn it on for a recording console, mixing board, PC, or other pedals in the chain. There’s a headphone output which is great for rehearsing privately. And unlike many other pedals, the 9-volt power adapter is included. This is another pedal that can be had for $140.00 USA with free shipping. Click here to learn more about the Cab X by Mooer or just order one. Radar by Mooer Radar is a full-featured professional speaker simulator in a micro size pedal, and it had very little serious competition for a long time. There are 30 different speaker cab models, 11 mic models, 4 power amp models, customizable EQ, it’s capable of loading custom IRs, it can store and recall up to 36 user presets, there is software available to connect to a PC editor via USB, and it supports headphone and line out. Basically any distortion pedal can be used as an amplifier preamp through this pedal. It also makes other (and older) amp emulators (like the old red bean-shaped POD and many others) sound even better. And unlike many other pedals, the 12-volt power adapter is also included. There are some excellent video comparisons between this and the Joyo Cab Box. The Joyo costs a little more and seems to have a slightly fatter sound, but both pedals are excellent. The Radar by Mooer is a pedal that can be had for a mere $119.00 USA with free shipping. Click here to learn more about the Radar by Mooer or just order one. Don’t touch that dial… Stay tuned next time… That’s it for the cool but expensive pedals (except the Rowin noise gate is quite affordable). Next time we’ll cover the guitar essentials (strap, tuner, amp, etc.) as viewed through the eye of Halloween. Maybe I’ll see you then. I saw a commercial on TV that said 4 out of 5 people suffer from diarrhea. Does that mean one person enjoys it? Knowledge, art, and music for all.

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ZYSTRIX POPULAR FREE DOWNLOADS The Best Free Synthesizers of 2024 It’s another epic issue, and there’s lots of FREE downloads here. And the Honorable Mention Synthesizer List might surprise you. This list is long, so prepare yourself. And if it seems like too much to take in, I warned you. Click here for the official list of The Best Free Synthesizers of 2024. The Best Free Mastering Plugins Your DAW (digital audio workstation) will be so happy. And so will you. Here are the best of the best for EQ, compression, limiting, tube and tape emulation, reverb, delay, and honorable mentions. This list is a must have with lots of downloads. Check out The Best FREE Plugins for Mastering 2024. Here’s a free download of almost one and a half hours of original neo-classical solo piano by Dangerous Neighbors. This full length album called Piano Top to Bottom consists of 18 original piano pieces with the final piece in two movements. There is a bonus track making 20 files total. This download comes in three format options: the first option is a single file MP3 containing all the tunes in one chunk similar to tape recordings. The second download option is a folder with all of the separate MP3 piano pieces named and arranged in album order similar to a CD or MP3 player. The third download option is similar to videos found on “ZooTube” with the names and times on the screen. There is also a fourth surprise version made only for “ZooTube” and it is edited down to less than 15 minutes long because of their telephone number required rule. Basically it just guides the listener here. To download any or all of these options simply click here. Enjoy. Free Guitar Cabinet Impulse Responses Introducing the next generation in guitar cabinet impulse responses. Try the new Djammincabs Maxxx 4x12. All of these cab IR files are based on old, new, and boutique 4x12 cab curves. All are recorded in beautiful 24-bit 48K mono and will work on most free and paid digital convolvers. 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Djammincabs for Guitar Free Guitar Impulse Responses This is the original Djammincabs guitar cabinet impulse response collection that started it all. Click here to download over 200 Free Guitar Cabinet Impulse Responses. Djammincabs for Bass Guitar Download Free Bass Impulse Responses Click here to download over 200 Free Bass Guitar Cabinet Impulse Responses. Best Free Guitar Impulses. The Top 11 Best Free Guitar and Bass Cabinet Impulse Responses for 2022 (in alphabetical order…) Find, download, and test the best free guitar cabinet impulse responses for 2022. 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. 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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. And for some reason most book sales go to Japan. Who would have thunk it? 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. We do not store, sell, give away, or barter with any of your personal or private information including your email, IP address, links clicked, location, habits, tastes, online activities and behaviors, or anything else considered personal or private information. We never have. 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