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What’s new at Zystrix? Read on… January 20, 2025 Modulation for the Metal Guitarist There are many guitar pedals that offer modulation whether you play metal guitar or not, and as usual, today we’re looking for the best for the most bang for the buck. We also have the newest neo-classical solo piano tune from Dangerous Neighbors called Beautiful Pink Casket, and it’s in video and MP3 format. 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 for your enjoyment. Multiple copies are tiled together for a cohesive and seamless background seen all around this page. Enjoy. Guitar Modulation Introduction As we saw in the last episode (click here to visit that page, click the yellow bull horn at the page top to return here), getting a basic metal guitar sound is the first step in forming your own sonic signature. Once that is accomplished the next logical step is modulation, that is, if you enjoy that type of thing for yourself. Modulation is a type of movement, and in this case, of guitar volume, or phase, or timing, or tuning. And it’s even possible to have all at the same time. For me, I prefer slight vibrato because I feel it makes the guitar sound a little more interesting. There are many guitar pedals that offer modulation (even boutique pedals you never heard of), and we’re going to examine some that do this job very well in the most-bang-for-the-buck category. As we’ll see, a guitar modulation pedal doesn’t have to cost a lot to do a lot, but unfortunately most modulation pedals tend to be expensive. And away we go… THE FINE PRINT: We never use affiliate links to monetize this website. Unlike most music websites, Zystrix never receives any commission on any gear or software you may purchase via a link on this website. This keeps our reviews dead honest, and also helps keep your price of gear lower. Flamma FC05 The most bang for the buck modulation pedal I could find was the Flamma FC05. It's amazing they stuffed 11 modulation effects (Chorus, Flanger, Tremolo, Phaser, Vibrato, Rotary, Liquid, Auto Wah, Stutter, Ring, and Low-Bit) in a pedal this small. It weighs in at under 7 ounces or about 200 grams, so it’s very light weight. It’s also made of metal so the general feel is solid and sturdy. Unfortunately this one is a mono pedal, so if you need sounds that move around like a 1980s style dual-amp stereo chorus effect then you’ll have to look elsewhere – this one can’t do that. The nice thing is the price is low enough it could also be used as a spare mod pedal. To me the sounds have a more modern or experimental slant than the classic sounds I’m used to hearing, so let your own tastes dictate. Click here to get more information on the Flamma FC05 $39.99 USA with free shipping. Caline CP-506 Multimod The Caline Multimod offers seven modes: Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, Doubler, Vibrato, Tremolo, and Pitch with 3 independent control knobs. This pedal is also mono so, like the Flamma FC05, you are stuck with sounds that are static in the stereo field, if that makes a difference to you. To my ear the sounds are more vintage or traditional, so think late 1970s to mid 1980s. The prices are in ascending order in this pedal list so this one is a little more expensive. Click here to get more info or buy a Caline CP-506 Multimod ($58.80 USA and free shipping). Flamma FS05 As usual, at least in modulation effects, as we go up in price, the effects generally sound better or more professional, and begin having stereo, input and output, if needed. This is the price range where the old school and modern effects begin to separate. And like the FC05, we also have 11 modulation effects, but we also have 7 preset slots for saving your favorite settings. That’s a nice feature. And the effects here are, at least to my ear, sonically more advanced with more control. And it also seems to glide from modern to vintage effects, although I feel the forte here is leaning toward modernism. Makes sense I suppose. And like the more thought-out guitar pedals, the low- noise buffer bypass reduces signal loss. Click here to get more info or buy a Flamma FS05 ($78.00 USA and free shipping). Joyo Vision This larger foot print pedal is two stereo boxes of modulation built in an A and B channel, and you can mix and blend (in parallel or series) all with their own separate speed, depth, and control parameters. This makes it easy to chain two effects like a phaser to a tremolo, or a ring modulator after a lo-fi effect, or a tri-chorus along with an octave, or put a stuttering effect after a flanger, and so on. It’s like having several single modulation pedals and hooking them up in whatever order of two you decide. Channel A has: Mod-Phase, Chorus, Stereo-Phase, Flanger, Phase, Rotary, Tremolo, Liquid Phase, and Tri-Chorus. Channel B has: Opt-trem, SM-CH, Low-bit, At-Wah, Analog Flange, Phase, Octave, Stutter, and Vibrato. Each Channel has its own Depth, Speed Control, and there’s a Parallel or Series Switch for more stereo fun, and a tap-tempo switch for playing live, and it even has true bypass. This pedal feels rugged because it’s made of an aluminum alloy. It can be run stereo in and stereo out, or mono in and stereo out, or mono in mono out, or (for whatever strange reason) stereo in and mono out. If you’re looking for serious value in modulation then give this pedal a serious listen. Click here to learn more about the Joyo Vision ($92.00 USA and free shipping). For Deeper Consideration MORE FINE PRINT: There are a couple of other OK pedals, like the very large footprint and vintage sounding Line 6 Modulation MM4 that can be found used for about $110.00 USA. And the Zoom G3n is another one worth a listen, and that one can be had brand new for about $200.00 USA and free shipping. On the other hand, if money is no object you might want to listen to the Strymon Mobius. It has been out for a while but it’s still relevant. And the price generally comes in at a whopping $450.00 USA, but that usually includes free shipping. And I also wasn’t going to include the pedal shown below because it doesn’t really come under the heading of an inexpensive modulation pedal. However, it’s built like a tank, the sounds and controls are quite exceptional, and this one may be something for a person to consider who’s looking for some excellent modulation. So here goes nothing. Listen to the... Boss MD-200 This 12-modulation type pedal has stereo in and outs, and it’s got 4 storage places for a live setup. However, with the new free software upgrade, if you have a MIDI pedal controller the storage places becomes 128. I believe that would handle the requirements of most guitarists in any live or studio situation. It also has tap tempo, once again, this is excellent for a live situation. This pedal is somewhat larger than many, but it takes the place of several mod’ pedals on a pedal board. And this saves you space if you enjoy lots of different modulation. Give this pedal a listen. The used-to-new price of a Boss MD-200 seems to wander around a lot depending on the “weather” and the prevailing “winds” of the market, but it’s about $180.00 to $250.00 USA. So you’ll have to shop around for the best deal, but here’s a typical free shipping price and usually some used prices included as well to get you started. Conclusion There are many old and new inexpensive single effect modulation pedals available, but what I tried to do here is wade through the waters and dredge out the best of the best for the least. Unfortunately there are pretty slim pickings when it comes to great wobble-on-a-budget. I hope these purchase ideas get you going in the right direction; sonically and financially. Dangerous Neighbors Here’s a new solo piano tune in video and MP3 format. Maybe you heard it or saw it on “Farce-book”. It’s a neo-classical solo piano tune called Beautiful Pink Casket. Click here to see the video rendition or click here to hear the MP3 version. Enjoy. Don’t touch that dial… Stay tuned next time… Modulation is cool, but what comes next? What else? Delay. We’re going to look at some delay pedals that are great sounding and inexpensive. Maybe I’ll see you next time. I intend to live forever. So far, so good. Knowledge, art, and music for all.

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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. 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