Earthquaker Devices - Bit Commander Analog Octave Synth V2

Featured in the November 2011 issue of Premier Guitar, check it out here!

The Bit Commander is a monophonic analog guitar synthesizer with four octaves of vintage square wave synth tones. It’s no-nonsense interface makes it easy to add or subtract octaves to create a wide variety of sounds without having to dial in envelopes or oscillators. Ripping sub-octave thump, pulsing octave down, a lightly squared base tone and a swelling transformer based octave up all join together to make a single guitar sound like an army of olde tyme synths.

Like all analog octave effects, there are some basic rules to follow that will get you the most enjoyment from your Bit Commander. Use the neck pickup and play single notes. The best tracking occurs from the 7th fret up on all the strings. Below the 7th will still track but there will be occasional glitches and stutters. The lower the note, the harder it is for the Bit Commander to register. The use of Bass and lower registers on keyboards will yield unexpected, sometimes pleasing, sometimes disgusting results. These are not mistakes or flaws, it is the nature of analog octaves.

Controls:
Sub: Two octaves down level
Down 1: One octave down level
Up 1: One octave up level
Base: Squared input signal level
Level: Master volume
Filter: Tone control, more highs clockwise, more warmth counter clockwise

Analog, true bypass and hand made one at a time in the republic of Akron Ohio.

Measures 4 5/8" x 2 1/2" x 2.25" with knobs

Power A standard 9 volt DC power supply with a negative center 2.1mm barrel, no battery option.