Let's Build A Uni-Vibe: Introducing The Pадио Москва (Radio Moscow) Atmospheric Modulator - Sound Sample Added 2/1/2022

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Re: Let's Build A Uni-Vibe: Introducing The Pадио Москва (Radio Moscow) Atmospheric Modulator - Sound Sample Added 2/1/2

Post by sty »

Conway wrote: Mon Jan 31, 2022 4:37 pm From a selling/marketing point of view, the Russian name is going to cause lots of problems for people and potentially lose you sales - Google and site searches, customers not knowing what to ask for, etc. I would keep it as a secondary name but use an English name to market it by. Probably Radio Moscow.
This was my first thought, and I think Conway hits the nail on the head.

I'm not a graphic designer but I spent quite a while working with then and some observations from me, but few solutions I'm afraid

1) The russian letters/name is going to cause you issues in the market, people will come up with their own name and you might not like it (this is a variation on the old Branding speak of "If you don't position yourself, someone else will"

2) You got a hell of lot going on there. Russian Name, Fantail Audio, lots of control words, Atmospheric Modulator

3) Fantail audio is very lost, and it's a beautiful little logo.

My thoughts:

A) I'd call it the Radio Moscow

B) I'd drop the Atmospheric Modulator and use this in your marketing blurb, and I'd use it on the Box art maybe.

C) I'd try the Radio Moscow name in front of the tower in the way that the old RKO logos used to work in the Black and White movies days (see below)
[EDIT]Actually IGNORE THIS as it's pretty much the same, I sort of remembered it more curved and lower down, my bad

D) Find somewhere consistent for your Fantail logo that would work for other effects units you make, or etch it on the back or something.

E) I like the idea of using Vibe/Chorus for mode (you may even catch the market of people looking for a Chorus who give it a go and love the sound/flexibility.

F) If you have a taller (Portrait type) box the artwork might work better, but you don't so therefore...

I LOVE the LED in the top of the radio tower.

G) This might not work, but you could put the Radio mast (and pulse LED) off center to the right, and you could put the fantail logo off center to the left (in clear space with just black or nearly all black), and you could put the mode LED in the O of AUDIO. This will either look like shit or could be mafic, I have no idea.

H) One thing my designer colleagues used to say, and would continually criticise anything done by techies like me for, is to keep it simple and concise, one font, one size (or not many), Less is More. Simple layout with things aligned on a simple/consistent grid. Use Space a lot more.

Like I said I'm not a designer, I appreciate design, and these are just tiny ideas that may or may not help. If you have a budget ask a designer to help.


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Re: Let's Build A Uni-Vibe: Introducing The Pадио Москва (Radio Moscow) Atmospheric Modulator - Sound Sample Added 2/1/2

Post by MiniForklift »

Conway wrote: Tue Feb 01, 2022 8:47 am I quite like the "Atmospheric Modulator" tag. You could make things clearer by having the footswitch label "Vibe/Chrous" instead of "Mode".
That would work :thumbup:
“𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧”

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Re: Let's Build A Uni-Vibe: Introducing The Pадио Москва (Radio Moscow) Atmospheric Modulator - Sound Sample Added 2/1/2

Post by FuzzMonkey »

Conway wrote: Tue Feb 01, 2022 8:44 am Spaceman Effects did the full on Russian thing with the Sputnik germanium fuzz, but they were limited edition runs alongside the standard pedal.
That's pretty cool. It reminds me of the time I tried using a Pics Only Orange amp once in a music store that somebody had turned up incredibly loud and was trying desperately to turn down.
Conway wrote: Tue Feb 01, 2022 8:47 am I quite like the "Atmospheric Modulator" tag. You could make things clearer by having the footswitch label "Vibe/Chrous" instead of "Mode".
I quite like using Name/Tagline thing. For example, you might have a pedal called the 5 O'Clock Shadow with a tagline of Germanium Fuzz. The name of the pedal kind of hints at what it might (this example is probably not the best) while the tagline leaves no doubt. Atmospheric Modulator is probably still not clear enough, however.

The issue with renaming the Mode footswitch is it actually has three functions, not just one. Switching between Chorus and Vibrato modes is one of the three, but it will also be used to switch between the two-speed controls and the input modes. If you can think of a better word to use than Mode to use to describe that functionality, I'm all ears.

As always, I appreciate the feedback Conway.
sty wrote: Tue Feb 01, 2022 9:01 am This was my first thought, and I think Conway hits the nail on the head.

I'm not a graphic designer but I spent quite a while working with then and some observations from me, but few solutions I'm afraid

1) The russian letters/name is going to cause you issues in the market, people will come up with their own name and you might not like it (this is a variation on the old Branding speak of "If you don't position yourself, someone else will"

2) You got a hell of lot going on there. Russian Name, Fantail Audio, lots of control words, Atmospheric Modulator

3) Fantail audio is very lost, and it's a beautiful little logo.

My thoughts:

A) I'd call it the Radio Moscow

B) I'd drop the Atmospheric Modulator and use this in your marketing blurb, and I'd use it on the Box art maybe.

C) I'd try the Radio Moscow name in front of the tower in the way that the old RKO logos used to work in the Black and White movies days (see below)
[EDIT]Actually IGNORE THIS as it's pretty much the same, I sort of remembered it more curved and lower down, my bad

D) Find somewhere consistent for your Fantail logo that would work for other effects units you make, or etch it on the back or something.

E) I like the idea of using Vibe/Chorus for mode (you may even catch the market of people looking for a Chorus who give it a go and love the sound/flexibility.

F) If you have a taller (Portrait type) box the artwork might work better, but you don't so therefore...

I LOVE the LED in the top of the radio tower.

G) This might not work, but you could put the Radio mast (and pulse LED) off center to the right, and you could put the fantail logo off center to the left (in clear space with just black or nearly all black), and you could put the mode LED in the O of AUDIO. This will either look like shit or could be mafic, I have no idea.

H) One thing my designer colleagues used to say, and would continually criticise anything done by techies like me for, is to keep it simple and concise, one font, one size (or not many), Less is More. Simple layout with things aligned on a simple/consistent grid. Use Space a lot more.

Like I said I'm not a designer, I appreciate design, and these are just tiny ideas that may or may not help. If you have a budget ask a designer to help.
I appreciate all those comments from you and everybody else. That's the exact reason I posted it; for feedback like this. Definitely, a lot to consider about. FYI, my Fantail Audio logo was outsourced design-wise so it is the way to go I think. But it would be nice to have a strong concept to present to them first and you guys are helping with that. So once again; thanks.

~ Blake.
"There's no creativity without vulnerability."

www.fantailaudio.com

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Re: Let's Build A Uni-Vibe: Introducing The Pадио Москва (Radio Moscow) Atmospheric Modulator - Sound Sample Added 2/1/2

Post by StrummersOfThunder »

You could make your fantail a massive grainy over sized stencil wall painted looking thing with a low opacity

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Re: Let's Build A Uni-Vibe: Introducing The Pадио Москва (Radio Moscow) Atmospheric Modulator - Sound Sample Added 2/1/2

Post by FuzzMonkey »

StrummersOfThunder wrote: Tue Feb 01, 2022 6:26 pm You could make your fantail a massive grainy over sized stencil wall painted looking thing with a low opacity
A re-think of some sort is definitely needed.
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www.fantailaudio.com

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Re: Let's Build A Uni-Vibe: Introducing The Pадио Москва (Radio Moscow) Atmospheric Modulator - Sound Sample Added 2/1/2

Post by rickenbackerkid »

I do love the name Atmospheric Modulator. That is gold.

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Re: Let's Build A Uni-Vibe: Introducing The Pадио Москва (Radio Moscow) Atmospheric Modulator - Sound Sample Added 2/1/2

Post by FuzzMonkey »

rickenbackerkid wrote: Wed Feb 02, 2022 8:52 am I do love the name Atmospheric Modulator. That is gold.
I like it too. It fits the back story extremely well.
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www.fantailaudio.com

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Re: Let's Build A Uni-Vibe: Introducing The Pадио Москва (Radio Moscow) Atmospheric Modulator - Sound Sample Added 2/1/2

Post by Miza »

Hey, Crowther calls his ring mod a Harmonic Generator, so there's a precedent for that naming convention.
Nothing to see here.

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Re: Let's Build A Uni-Vibe: Introducing The Pадио Москва (Radio Moscow) Atmospheric Modulator - Sound Sample Added 2/1/2

Post by FuzzMonkey »

Miza wrote: Wed Feb 02, 2022 10:30 am Hey, Crowther calls his ring mod a Harmonic Generator, so there's a precedent for that naming convention.
Good company to be in that's for sure.
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www.fantailaudio.com

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Re: Let's Build A Uni-Vibe: Introducing The Pадио Москва (Radio Moscow) Atmospheric Modulator - Sound Sample Added 2/1/2

Post by FuzzMonkey »

It has been a while since I last posted any updates in regards to the Uni-Vibe build as life, work, Chinese New Year, and a few other things that were out of my control got in the way there for a while.

Anyway, the parts for the updated power supply finally arrived and I was able to do away with the temporary for something closer to the final design. If it all works as it should of course. Like the make-shift power supply, the new one utilises an XL6009 DC-DC Converter module and the same power filtering as the original Uni-Vibe. Featured again is the same non-sacrificial Mosfet-based reverse polarity protection with the voltage output is set so the LFO see 24.11-volts and the audio section; 18.85-volts.

Not wanting to wait for a fabricated PCB to be turned around, I decided to etch my own like the good old days. So I thought I'd share exactly the process of how I did this.

First, I designed the PCB layout in Eagle.
Image

Then export it as a BMP and invert the colours.
Image

Next, the image is flipped horizontally ready to the transferred to the copper-clad board.
Image

The invert and flipped image is printed out onto Press 'N Peel PCB transfer film ready for transferring.
Image

Using an old clothes iron, the artwork is transferred to the copper-clad board.
Image

The transfer is complete.
Image

Any imperfections from the transfer process are touched up with a PCB marker pen.
Image

Finally, the excess copper is removed using a chemical etching agent.
Image

The transferred artwork is then removed with a little acetone before the holes are drilled into the PCB and everything is populated.
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Installed and ready for testing.
Image

This was the first SMD PCB I had etched and it was a little trickier than usual to solder as the lack of a solder mask on the PCB meant the solder paste didn't behave as it normally would but we got there in the end.

I was also able to modify the LEDs on the prototype. Most noticeably, the LFO speed/depth LED. It now flashes blue in chorus mode, green in vibrato mode, and remains solid red when the LFO is cancelled. The two separate speed controls now have a green or red LED assigned to them to help identify which one is engaged. I just need to get a couple of different colours knobs to match.

~ Blake.
"There's no creativity without vulnerability."

www.fantailaudio.com

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Re: Let's Build A Uni-Vibe: Introducing The Pадио Москва (Radio Moscow) Atmospheric Modulator - Sound Sample Added 2/1/2

Post by robthemac »

I don't know what any of that means, but it seems awesome!
Jops wrote: Sun Sep 18, 2022 7:46 am Spring is the comic sans of reverbs anyway.

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Re: Let's Build A Uni-Vibe: Introducing The Pадио Москва (Radio Moscow) Atmospheric Modulator - Sound Sample Added 2/1/2

Post by Bg »

Oh I remember doing that alright, and also using letraset style transfers - we never had fancy computer software back then.
So, is that low alcohol or no alcohol at all? mmmm, no alcohol, do you want to try it? Noooooooooo.

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Re: Let's Build A Uni-Vibe: Introducing The Pадио Москва (Radio Moscow) Atmospheric Modulator - Sound Sample Added 2/1/2

Post by FuzzMonkey »

robthemac wrote: Wed Mar 23, 2022 2:56 pm I don't know what any of that means, but it seems awesome!
Believe me; it is!
"There's no creativity without vulnerability."

www.fantailaudio.com

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Re: Let's Build A Uni-Vibe: Introducing The Pадио Москва (Radio Moscow) Atmospheric Modulator - Sound Sample Added 2/1/2

Post by FuzzMonkey »

Bg wrote: Wed Mar 23, 2022 3:11 pm Oh I remember doing that alright, and also using letraset style transfers - we never had fancy computer software back then.
I used to use a graphic design programme to literally draw the traces. I prefer to get my PCB fabricated when I can these days but that usually means having a batch of designs ready to save on shipping but needs must in this case.
"There's no creativity without vulnerability."

www.fantailaudio.com

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Re: Let's Build A Uni-Vibe: Introducing The Pадио Москва (Radio Moscow) Atmospheric Modulator - Sound Sample Added 2/1/2

Post by Bg »

Nothing wrong in prototyping the old fashioned way.
So, is that low alcohol or no alcohol at all? mmmm, no alcohol, do you want to try it? Noooooooooo.

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