Circuitbenders Forum

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

News:

Pages: [1] 2

Author Topic: Maplin Voice Vandal  (Read 35501 times)

Circuitbenders

  • crustypaul
  • Admin
  • This person is dangerously insane.
  • *****
  • Karma: 1102
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2451
    • Circuitbenders.co.uk
Maplin Voice Vandal
« on: July 28, 2006, 11:15:06 PM »

Has anyone ever actually owned a maplins Voice Vandal? If i recall correctly they were some kind of voice processing kit you could buy from Maplins electronics about 10 years ago. i always meant to buy one but never got around to it.

What exactly do they do?

I know both Fluke and Underworld used to use them and i have a feeling that it produced the strange pitch dropping flange effect on the vocals at the start of 'Bullet' by Fluke, the first track on the OTO album.

Can anyone shed any light on these things? They come up every now and then on ebay but i haven't seen one recently. Anyone want to sell one?
Logged
i am not paid to listen to this drivel, you are a terminal fool

Signal:Noise

  • Closer to the meat
  • *****
  • Karma: 16
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 291
Re: Maplin Voice Vandal
« Reply #1 on: July 29, 2006, 02:46:05 PM »

That sounds utterly cool, even if i have no idea what it does.
Logged

voodoolikeudoo

  • Way to much time on his hands
  • **
  • Karma: 23
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 80
Re: Maplin Voice Vandal
« Reply #2 on: August 27, 2006, 08:37:33 PM »

One of these just went on ebay for £43

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250019930576

i seem to recall the kits cost £15 or so from maplins about 10 years back
Logged

george lazenbleep

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Karma: 5
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 26
    • haha-fresh
Re: Maplin Voice Vandal
« Reply #3 on: September 03, 2006, 11:02:18 AM »

NOT the same
but i got 1 of these
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=47493&doy=3m9&C=SEO&U=strat15
from craplin, sounds crunchy with line out, tweakable, but mine flys straight
:#

rusty sheriff

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Karma: 4
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 12
Re: Maplin Voice Vandal
« Reply #4 on: July 23, 2007, 01:20:32 AM »

NOT the same
but i got 1 of these
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=47493&doy=3m9&C=SEO&U=strat15
from craplin, sounds crunchy with line out, tweakable, but mine flys straight
:#

Yeah I've got one of those too! Mine's staying unbent too!

This one is good too...



Science museum 'storker-me-tron'. Allows you to listen to far away stuff... Great for vocal takes.
Logged

Circuitbenders

  • crustypaul
  • Admin
  • This person is dangerously insane.
  • *****
  • Karma: 1102
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2451
    • Circuitbenders.co.uk
Re: Maplin Voice Vandal
« Reply #5 on: August 16, 2007, 05:44:10 PM »

Science museum 'storker-me-tron'. Allows you to listen to far away stuff... Great for vocal takes.

But with an unfortunate side effect of looking remarkably camp
Logged
i am not paid to listen to this drivel, you are a terminal fool

Matt the Modulator

  • Kicks like the DADDY!
  • ****
  • Karma: 14
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 197
  • 8Bit Brain Analog Heart
    • THE MAGIC MESS
Re: Maplin Voice Vandal
« Reply #6 on: December 08, 2007, 11:40:13 PM »

hi paul ive got a maplin voice vandal and the original schematics for it which i can scan and send you if you wish

its a digital delay with 256k memory with built in robot voice changer (i think it uses a nand gate chip to do this) with 4 selectable frequencies (you can select combanations as well) it was sold as a kit which you put togther

i have opened it up and could not find any desent bends on the ram chip i was pritty gutted but then its a realy  realy crazy bit of kit any way well worth having for a moderate price ide say mine has a earth problem which could be due to the actuall design as i have not found any real solder faults hope this helps matt newlove
www.magicmess.co.uk
Logged
8Bit Brain Analog Heart

Circuitbenders

  • crustypaul
  • Admin
  • This person is dangerously insane.
  • *****
  • Karma: 1102
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2451
    • Circuitbenders.co.uk
Re: Maplin Voice Vandal
« Reply #7 on: December 18, 2007, 10:25:39 PM »

if you could post the schematic or email it to me that would be very cool.

I'm so annoyed i didn't buy one when they were selling off the last batch in Maplins a couple of years back. >:(
Logged
i am not paid to listen to this drivel, you are a terminal fool

Matt the Modulator

  • Kicks like the DADDY!
  • ****
  • Karma: 14
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 197
  • 8Bit Brain Analog Heart
    • THE MAGIC MESS
Re: Maplin Voice Vandal
« Reply #8 on: January 01, 2008, 12:01:02 AM »

hi ile email you the schematics in mid january as iam away at the minute merry christmas and have a good new year all
Logged
8Bit Brain Analog Heart

Circuitbenders

  • crustypaul
  • Admin
  • This person is dangerously insane.
  • *****
  • Karma: 1102
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2451
    • Circuitbenders.co.uk
Re: Maplin Voice Vandal
« Reply #9 on: January 10, 2008, 02:11:05 PM »

OK, thanks to matt i have have uploaded the voice vandal documentation. Its got the parts list, construction guide and they have even kindly given you a PCB layout diagram so you can print it off and etch your own board if you have the facilities. i may have to have a go at building one.

http://www.mediafire.com/?a9dgz3gzxje
Logged
i am not paid to listen to this drivel, you are a terminal fool

wiredtoygeek

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Karma: 0
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 14
Re: Maplin Voice Vandal
« Reply #10 on: January 11, 2008, 03:16:47 PM »

Hey all!

Is the voice vandal a kids megaphone with different sound settings?

Rich
Logged

Circuitbenders

  • crustypaul
  • Admin
  • This person is dangerously insane.
  • *****
  • Karma: 1102
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2451
    • Circuitbenders.co.uk
Re: Maplin Voice Vandal
« Reply #11 on: January 11, 2008, 10:52:39 PM »

I think its a bit more interesting than that. From looking at the documentation it seems to have distortion, 'chopper' and echo / delay effects.
Logged
i am not paid to listen to this drivel, you are a terminal fool

Circuitbenders

  • crustypaul
  • Admin
  • This person is dangerously insane.
  • *****
  • Karma: 1102
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2451
    • Circuitbenders.co.uk
Re: Maplin Voice Vandal
« Reply #12 on: February 05, 2009, 09:37:36 AM »

I actually got hold of a broken voice vandal from ebay a few weeks back and as matt says, its got a short and gritty digital delay, but regardless of how it actually works the 'chopper' sounds remarkably like a ring modulator of some description.
Logged
i am not paid to listen to this drivel, you are a terminal fool

Gordonjcp

  • This person is dangerously insane.
  • *******
  • Karma: 78
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1005
    • http://www.nekosynth.co.uk
Re: Maplin Voice Vandal
« Reply #13 on: February 06, 2009, 05:09:38 PM »

If it's the same as the circuit in the .zip file linked elsewhere in this thread, then it's not a ring modulator, it really is just a chopper.

Have a look at the circuit diagram.  IC4 is an oscillator and binary counter, which has four outputs which are buffered by the transistors and fed to the switching inputs of IC3, a quad analogue switch.  The outputs can be independently switched on and off, and fed to the mixer comprising RV2, R25, R26 and IC2b and friends.

The distortion part is is IC2a, the resistors around that, and D2 and D3 to do the actual clipping.

Last but by absolutely no means least, IC5 and IC6 are the echo chip and its memory.  It's used as serial memory, so don't expect too much from bending it.  You might be able to do something clever with RV4, to wobble the delay time.  Break into the circut around RV3/R30 to mangle the feedback loop - possibly adding a pitchshifter here to get "fairy dust" effects.
Logged
If at first you don't succeed, stick it through a fuzzbox.

Matt the Modulator

  • Kicks like the DADDY!
  • ****
  • Karma: 14
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 197
  • 8Bit Brain Analog Heart
    • THE MAGIC MESS
Re: Maplin Voice Vandal
« Reply #14 on: February 06, 2009, 05:18:19 PM »

Break into the circut around RV3/R30 to mangle the feedback loop - possibly adding a pitchshifter here to get "fairy dust" effects.
thanks for that i like the sound of fairy dust :o. i have tried adding shorts to the digital delay circuit and got nothing of any great interest although its a great sound device anyway. the delay wobble idea seem good to i mite try adding a LFO some time to the points you mentioned.
Logged
8Bit Brain Analog Heart
Pages: [1] 2