Maplin Voice Vandal

Circuitbenders · July 28, 2006, 11:15:06 PM

Has anyone ever actually owned a maplins Voice Vandal? If i recall correctly they were some kind of voice processing kit you could buy from Maplins electronics about 10 years ago. i always meant to buy one but never got around to it.

What exactly do they do?

I know both Fluke and Underworld used to use them and i have a feeling that it produced the strange pitch dropping flange effect on the vocals at the start of 'Bullet' by Fluke, the first track on the OTO album.

Can anyone shed any light on these things? They come up every now and then on ebay but i haven't seen one recently. Anyone want to sell one?

Signal:Noise · July 29, 2006, 02:46:05 PM

That sounds utterly cool, even if i have no idea what it does.

voodoolikeudoo · August 27, 2006, 08:37:33 PM

One of these just went on ebay for £43

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250019930576

i seem to recall the kits cost £15 or so from maplins about 10 years back

george lazenbleep · September 03, 2006, 11:02:18 AM

NOT the same
but i got 1 of these
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=47493&doy=3m9&C=SEO&U=strat15
from craplin, sounds crunchy with line out, tweakable, but mine flys straight
:#

rusty sheriff · July 23, 2007, 01:20:32 AM

Quote from: george lazenbleep on September 03, 2006, 11:02:18 AM
NOT the same
but i got 1 of these
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=47493&doy=3m9&C=SEO&U=strat15
from craplin, sounds crunchy with line out, tweakable, but mine flys straight
:#

Yeah I've got one of those too! Mine's staying unbent too!

This one is good too...

Science museum 'storker-me-tron'. Allows you to listen to far away stuff... Great for vocal takes.

Circuitbenders · August 16, 2007, 05:44:10 PM

Quote from: rusty sheriff on July 23, 2007, 01:20:32 AM
Science museum 'storker-me-tron'. Allows you to listen to far away stuff... Great for vocal takes.

But with an unfortunate side effect of looking remarkably camp

Matt the Modulator · December 08, 2007, 11:40:13 PM

hi paul ive got a maplin voice vandal and the original schematics for it which i can scan and send you if you wish

its a digital delay with 256k memory with built in robot voice changer (i think it uses a nand gate chip to do this) with 4 selectable frequencies (you can select combanations as well) it was sold as a kit which you put togther

i have opened it up and could not find any desent bends on the ram chip i was pritty gutted but then its a realy realy crazy bit of kit any way well worth having for a moderate price ide say mine has a earth problem which could be due to the actuall design as i have not found any real solder faults hope this helps matt newlove
www.magicmess.co.uk

Circuitbenders · December 18, 2007, 10:25:39 PM

if you could post the schematic or email it to me that would be very cool.

I'm so annoyed i didn't buy one when they were selling off the last batch in Maplins a couple of years back.

Matt the Modulator · January 01, 2008, 12:01:02 AM

hi ile email you the schematics in mid january as iam away at the minute merry christmas and have a good new year all

Circuitbenders · January 10, 2008, 02:11:05 PM

OK, thanks to matt i have have uploaded the voice vandal documentation. Its got the parts list, construction guide and they have even kindly given you a PCB layout diagram so you can print it off and etch your own board if you have the facilities. i may have to have a go at building one.

http://www.mediafire.com/?a9dgz3gzxje

wiredtoygeek · January 11, 2008, 03:16:47 PM

Hey all!

Is the voice vandal a kids megaphone with different sound settings?

Rich

Circuitbenders · January 11, 2008, 10:52:39 PM

I think its a bit more interesting than that. From looking at the documentation it seems to have distortion, 'chopper' and echo / delay effects.

Circuitbenders · February 05, 2009, 09:37:36 AM

I actually got hold of a broken voice vandal from ebay a few weeks back and as matt says, its got a short and gritty digital delay, but regardless of how it actually works the 'chopper' sounds remarkably like a ring modulator of some description.

Gordonjcp · February 06, 2009, 05:09:38 PM

If it's the same as the circuit in the .zip file linked elsewhere in this thread, then it's not a ring modulator, it really is just a chopper.

Have a look at the circuit diagram. IC4 is an oscillator and binary counter, which has four outputs which are buffered by the transistors and fed to the switching inputs of IC3, a quad analogue switch. The outputs can be independently switched on and off, and fed to the mixer comprising RV2, R25, R26 and IC2b and friends.

The distortion part is is IC2a, the resistors around that, and D2 and D3 to do the actual clipping.

Last but by absolutely no means least, IC5 and IC6 are the echo chip and its memory. It's used as serial memory, so don't expect too much from bending it. You might be able to do something clever with RV4, to wobble the delay time. Break into the circut around RV3/R30 to mangle the feedback loop - possibly adding a pitchshifter here to get "fairy dust" effects.

Matt the Modulator · February 06, 2009, 05:18:19 PM

Quote from: Gordonjcp on February 06, 2009, 05:09:38 PM
Break into the circut around RV3/R30 to mangle the feedback loop - possibly adding a pitchshifter here to get "fairy dust" effects.

thanks for that i like the sound of fairy dust

. i have tried adding shorts to the digital delay circuit and got nothing of any great interest although its a great sound device anyway. the delay wobble idea seem good to i mite try adding a LFO some time to the points you mentioned.