Baby Box Noise Generator v4

Description

Baby Box Noise Generator is a chaotic noise machine. Use it to destroy your guitar signal, take in sounds from space (AM receiver), make spooky backgrounds or odd beats. Baby Box is a combination of several effects, but basically there is a “Noise oscillator”, which is based on several astabile multivibrators. The signal from the Noise oscillator passes through filters and the various effects.
You can run Baby Box in one of three modes: Auto, Constant or Trig. In Auto and Constant modes, it generates sound itself and you control parameters such as noise pitch and tempo, delay intervals and length with its eleven control knobs. In Trig mode, the characteristic sound of the box starts when it receives an input signal.
The sound is generated in the BabyBox circuit oscillators. Their signals are superimposed and there is a “noise” at the output. One of the oscillators has a much lower oscillation frequency than the others. It adds a kind of rhythm to the noise (switches between sound-silence-sound …) and the tempo is adjusted with the Sun and Earth knobs, to the left of the panel. Sun sets how long the sound pulses should be and Earth sets how long the silence should be between the pulses. You can thus set everything in from short sound shocks, to long brittle tones with short pauses. If both knobs are turned to minimum, the pedal goes into Constant mode, giving a constant tone.
In Trig mode, it is possible for other sound generators to talk to the Baby Box – a signal at the input makes it sound. The large knob, Pluto, adjusts the mix between dry and wet. If Pluto is turned all the way to the left, the input signal will come out as clean an unaffected. When Pluto is turned up, classical guitar fuzz is mixed in. The BabyBox’s noise circuit is triggered if Pluto is close to max.
The noise circuit is connected to a delay circuit and this puts a little “width” on the sound. The delay circuit has two controls: number of repetitions and time between repetitions (Neptune and Uranus).
Baby Box v4 is equipped with an old school AM receiver, based on germanium diode, adjustable capacitance and amplifier stage. There is also an antenna socket on the box and you can adjust received frequency and received signal strength with the Aries and Taurus knobs.
A bandpass filter with adjustable center frequency is also available and this filter is controlled with the Gemini knob.
To further give you creative opportunities, the box has a send-return loop. You can thus lead the signal to an external circuit, let it be affected by it, and then lead it into the baby box again. Beautiful with an external chorus to a screaming noise? Test it!
Baby Box Noise Generator has stereo output. The signal is divided into two signals at one place in the circuit and different sounds are heard in the two output channels. Plug in a pair of headphones and steer around!
Built in handmade box with metal panel and side pieces in wood. The box is made and engraved by FSÖ Öland.
This is a very moody pedal. If you are looking for an effect that behaves decently and predictably, then maybe something else is better. We have added a real bypass switch if you want to quickly return to normal again.
The first Baby Box was built by Johnny Roslund in 1976. It only had the noise generator part of the current Baby Box circuit but it had a small amplifier with a speaker as well, all built in a wooden box. Baby Box number 2 was built in 2004, also in a wooden box. Number 4 got a metal box and the circuit was adjusted a bit. The circuit was further developed in the following years and it got stereo output and delay. A little later, it was fitted with an input with fuzz and true bypass, version 3.0. The version, v3.2 Nov 17, got another noise tempo knob and a jack for EXP pedal but the EXP jack was removed in the V4. New with V4 are AM receiver, bandpass filter and box with engraving and wooden sides (oak).
Note. The image shows the first model 4 built with sides of cherry. The model that is for sale has sides of oak.