Where to even begin with a pedal like this? While Moog is known for their incredible synths and revolutionary sonic invention, we here at Pedal of the Day are much more familiar with their line of Moogerfooger® effects pedals. Having checked out the 12-Stage Phaser, Ring Modulator, MuRF and Analog Delay so far, the next logical step was the MF-107 FreqBox®…for which we were overwhelmingly unprepared.
The FreqBox® is a little difficult to explain, but here goes: the effected sound it produces is not a processed version of your input signal, but the sound of the input signal modulating an internal oscillator, containing a VCO with continuously variable waveshape (thanks to Moog for helping me with that). Part fuzz pedal, part envelope filter, part video game and part space-station control panel, this thing is a pedal explorer’s dream machine. While you’ll be able to recall the settings you find useful, there’s a good chance the FreqBox® will never produce EXACTLY the same sounds twice, which is half the fun of it.
The video below shows you all the features and a small portion of the sounds available with this effect, so without going into too much detail here, the FreqBox®’s VCO (Voltage-Controlled Oscillator) can do the following:
– be hard synced by the input signal
– be frequency modulated (FM) by the input signal
– have it’s frequency modulated by an envelope follower which tracks the dynamics of the input signal
– the Amplitude of the VCO also tracks the dynamics of the input signal
I know, a little confusing to most of us, but once you sit down with this thing and get to work, the experimentation ond exploration of the controls will make your head spin and your fingers want to keep on strumming, just to see if you can tame the beast. Like all Moogerfoogers, the MF-107 is built like a tank, for extended years of use and abuse, and is sure to throw a new level of creativity and dynamics into your playing, whatever instrument that may be, as the FreqBox® will take them all on. If you are new to the world of these incredible Moog pedals, check out the video below, as well as our other reviews, and see which one (or ones) are going to be your next effects purchase.
Specs:
The MF-107 FreqBox® contains an analog VCO with continuously variable waveform which can be modulated by the audio input signal. Modulation of the VCO includes: hard sync, Frequency Modulation, and modulation of the VCO frequency by an envelope follower. The amplitude of the VCO is controlled by the amplitude of the input signal.
Front Panel Controls:
Frequency: sets the frequency of the VCO.
Wave: Morphs the VCO waveform from Triangle to Sawtooth to Square to skinny pulse.
Sync On/Off: Enables/ Disables Hard sync of the VCO by the audio input signal.
Env. Amount: Sets the amount of modulation of the VCO frequency by the Envelope
Follower.
FM Amount: Sets the amount of frequency modulation of the VCO by the audio input signal.
Mix: Sets the blend of input signal and VCO signal
Drive: Sets the input sensitivity and gain of the effect when active. Half to full drive amount adds overdrive.
Output level: Sets the output level of the effect when active.
Bypass Switch: Bypass LED is red when effect is off, and green when effect is on. The MF-107 uses a high quality buffered bypass ‘ when in bypass, the input is disconnected from the effects’ electronics.
I/O
Input and output connections are on ” jacks.
Audio Input: accepts instrument level to line level inputs.
Freq: Accepts EP-1 expression pedal, or -5 to +5V Control Voltage to set the frequency of the VCO. Input voltage is added to position of the front panel Frequency control.
Wave: Accepts EP-1 expression pedal, or -5 to +5V Control Voltage to set the waveform of the VCO. Input voltage is added to position of the front panel Wave control.
Env. Amt: Accepts EP-1 expression pedal, or 0 to +5V Control Voltage to set the amount of envelope follower modulation of the VCO frequency. Input voltage is added to position of the front panel Env. Amount control.
FM Amt: Accepts EP-1 expression pedal, or 0 to +5V Control Voltage to set the amount of frequency modulation of the VCO by the audio input. Input voltage is added to position of the front panel FM Amount control.
Mix: Accepts EP-1 expression pedal, or 0 to +5V Control Voltage to set the waveform of the VCO. Input voltage is added to position of the front panel Mix control.
Audio Out: Supplies the output signal.
Env Out: Outputs the unconditioned Envelope Follower Control Voltage signal.
Osc Out: Outputs the wave-shaped VCO signal as a +/-2.5V Control Voltage signal.
POWER REQUIREMENTS: 105-125AC, 5W. 220AC 50Hz either European or UK style power adaptor available on special order.
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