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Sorry, I need to get this out of my system first:
OMG OMG OMG OMG AAAAAAH OMG … ok I’m good now.HI boys and girls! Today I received my Riddle: Q-balls, as far as I know one of – if not the – first in europe! (eat that Discofreq!
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So here goes for reviewing it, I’ve tried to split it into subjects, to make my rant a bit more readable. Have fun!Size
First off I have to say the small size of it struck me! Of the large XO’s I’ve only seen the PolyPhase before and I thought the double footswitched ones were bigger. On one side: cool, more space. On the other it does make it a bit understated for the power that’s in there!The knobs
One key thing that made me go for the Riddle: full control. With this you have exact control over the attack, decay, start and stop of the filter, something that bothers me with all other filters I’ve tried and own (my Doctor-Q is modded for this very reason).
I’ve only played with it for about half an hour or so, and I have already made at least 15 completely different sounds, all dialed in perfectly! The effect of the individual knobs is perfect, small tweaks make a difference, but it’s always easy to find what I’m looking for.
The start and stop make it very easy to single out the part of the range you want to work in, I personally don’t like the very upper range of the travel. With the Riddle I can easily dial the filter to just under that and have the most perfect sweep I’ve ever heard.The sounds
That brings me on to the sound of the thing! I have to say: it is a descendant of the Q series, that’s obvious. But the start and stop frequencies reach far further than anything before. I’ve even gotten a very usable setting for playing low notes on a dropped-D string, which had been impossible for me to do.
The key part of it is usable, due to the blend knob it’s possible to make even the most extreme filter sounds – which would otherwise be very cool, but useless in music – very usable and beautiful.The distortion
Well.. drive It’s not really what you’d expect with the word distortion. The drive is a lightly growling but smooth. I find it to be the perfect balance for the type of stuff you’d play with an envelope filter. Of the second thing I did: use it in a way it shouldn’t be. I turned the sensitivity (which doubles as drive) all the way up and the Q all the way down, ending up with a sort of overdrive that could be EQ’ed with the start and stop knobs.
When used properly .. it can squeal and go over the top like the Tube Zipper (I haven’t tried self oscillation .. I’ll go and find out ) But when I’d set the sensitivity normally like I would for the filter, the distortion is a light drive that works very well with the filter. Due to the smoothness of the drive it stays nice and smooth .. unless you want it to of course! Conclusion
In short: it rocks… a lot. I am extremely picky in filter sounds, and have not-bought a lot of pedals because they were just not awesome enough when I tried them. I got the Riddle without trying it, and I love it.
Pros
– Very easy to dial in
– Tweakable and intuitive
– Very useful sounds
– Small size
– Distortion, which is usefull and very nice
– The esthetics (very different from most pedals, very nice)
– EXP pedal
– Blend!! Start!! Stop!! Attack!! Decay!! (all knobs.. basically)Cons
– Small size, a bit less imposing (this is more a personal thing, the old Q-tron size would be too much)
– No FX-loopThe FX loop is the only thing I miss, although there is fuddling available via the EXP/VC in
Clips, Pics ‘n Vids to come!!
Quote:in your clips and videos, could you try to get some slow attack microsynth type filter sounds?Sure! I think I’ll have to keep it to clips for now. I can’t find the right cables for my camera and refuse to shoot a useless cam-video.
Quote:What I’m looking for in the Riddle is stuff like this:2:00 to 2:30, 4:50 to the end.
I’m mainly talking about those smooth resonant filter swells. That’s what I don’t like about a lot envelopes- the attack is very very quick and not super smooth, and the decay can vary but usually kind of gurgles (which can be cool.)
With the attack and decay I’m hoping to hear that in the Riddle.
Haha I like the gurgle
But yeah by tuning the attack and decay you can smooth it out greatly
What do you mean by 2:00 ? Start, Stop o’clocks?Lol!
Yes, you beat me :p
I just bought some other stuff, so I’ll have to wait a little
Quote:Mojo have you used a expression pedal with it yet?No, I haven’t got one.
I have an old wah enclosure though, so I’m ordering a new pot for that and a stereo jack and build myself one!Once I do I’ll post my experience and a clip or two here. I cant’t wait, because of course I’ve heard the sound and the sweep, and I think it can make an awesome wah!
Quote:Lol!
Yes, you beat me :p
I just bought some other stuff, so I’ll have to wait a little
Whooohooo! Haha, you can come over and try it out if you want.
Just a few hours driving! :thumb:
I do hope you get yours soon, it’s an awesome pedal!Quote:holy shit joris congrats!pics
clips
vids
more pics
NOW!
Haha thank’s Nick, they’re coming up! Yesterday didn’t work out for getting the mic, so I’ll have to check out when I can make clips. Unless you want clips made with a crappy headset mic?? :poke:
Quote:a comparative with the Q-Tron+ ? Specially about knobs, their functions. thanks a lot.Well, it’s pretty obvious really.
The attack, decay, start and stop are not available on the Q-tron. This gives you way more control over both the envelope reaction and the sweep of the filter.
Those are additions compared to the Q-tron, the only real difference is the Sensitivity knob instead of the Gain knob and Boost switch. Basically in the Q-tron the sensitivity is set at a certain level and the signal is then boosted by the amount set at the Gain knob to reach that. Often that boosts the overal volume, plus the peaks of the filter that means there are some nasty volume changes sometimes.
With the Riddle you get a sensitivity knob to adjust that to the gain level of your instrument as it comes in. So basically it’s the other way around. So there’s far less of those peaks unless you want them (by turning the sensitivity up “too far” and the Q).
The other great addition is the blend knob. Instead of fully wet or 50/50 (at the Mix setting), you can blend in the filter as much or little as you want. As said in my review this makes a lot of sound much more usable in music.
Sorry for my long-winded-ness. I have a tendency to keep going once I begin, but I hope it gives you a clear vision of the pedal!
Any other questions, fire away!
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It’s not really what you’d expect with the word distortion. The drive is a lightly growling but smooth. I find it to be the perfect balance for the type of stuff you’d play with an envelope filter. Of the second thing I did: use it in a way it shouldn’t be. 
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