“I have not failed [to clone the MA 856] 10,000 times – I’ve successfully found 10,000 ways that will not work… […but what I ultimately landed on is a hoot!!]”
– Thomas [f.c.s.] Edison

Never having played an through an 856 for Zellersasn (and likely never will), this is what I came up with based on watching videos and reading “the manual”. It probably doesn’t resemble the 856… but it might! Regardless, I really like what the patch can do. I also really like the $400+ USD that I didn’t spend on a used pedal.

In a nutshell…

– It’s a 3-track looper-based effect with 4 modes of operation: MODE 1 = fixed (adjustable start/end points with a fixed playhead position), MODE 2 = modulated stride (playhead moves forward over the entire loop), MODE 3 = random stride (playhead jumps around relative to start/end points), and MODE 4 = step stride (playhead moves forward in adjustable steps relative to start/end points).
– Loop slicing/sampling, pitch/speed shifting, forward/reverse, loop feedback (of a sort), secondary clocks, and record enable/disable *are all independently controllable for each track.* The “secondary” clocks for each track are relative to the global clock. MODES 2-4 can be enabled/disabled on a per track basis, and MODE 1 can be mixed with MODES 2, 3 or 4.
– There is also a 16sec delay for each track running in the background. This buffered audio comes to the foreground while recording is activated. No drop-outs when re-recording makes for better continuity IMHO. More on that in the controls description below.

Have fun!!

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All controls on page 1.

For the most part controls are grouped in columns. Refer to the included grid layout:

– Columns 1-2 = Track 1 (top 4 rows) & some global (bottom row)
– Columns 3-4 = Track 2 (top 4 rows) & some global (bottom row)
– Columns 5-6 = Track 3 (top 4 rows) & some global (bottom row)
– Columns 7-8 = MODE selection X4 (upper right hand corner), MODE enable/disable X3, and MODE 4 step # adjustment X3
– Bottom row = record (RED), feedback (ORANGE), and drop-out (BLUE) indicators. Dry-wet mix, global clock, and MODE 2 LFO type toggle (ramp or triangle).
– L-stomp = start/stop record. Mid-stomp = enable/disable feedback. R-stomp= enable/disable dropouts.

Global controls, Columns 7-8, and bottom row:
– MODES selected with 4 upper right-hand buttons:
o Mode 1 = fixed playhead position. The default. “slice” start and end points are adjustable per track. Playback loops the range of the *selected slice* The playhead remains fixed at the chosen start point. *MODE enable/disable buttons are ignored.*

o Mode 2 = modulated stride. The “playhead” moves forward through the range of the *entire loop* at global clock rate. The frequency of the playhead triggers are adjustable using the multiplier/divider controls (row 4). *Individual slice start/end position settings are ignored*. The LFO that moves the playhead can be toggled between sine and triangle with the “MODE 2 LFO toggle”. Now seems a good place to point out two things:

 You can toggle between all 4 MODES during playback for some interesting question & answer phrase contrasts.
 Disabling a MODE for a particular track (column 8, below the MODE 4 button) is effectively setting it to the default MODE 1. *This opens up an enormous number of MODE permutations*. Because you can (for example) enable/disable MODES 2-4 at any time and thus have MODE 1 (the default) running alongside any of the other 3 MODES. For example: MODE 2 (or 3, or 4) on track 1 & 3, and MODE 1 on track 2… and vice versa.

o Mode 3 = randomized stride. The “playhead” jumps around through the range of the *selected slice*. The rate of the randomization and playhead triggers of all tracks are adjustable and relative to the global clock.

o Mode 4 = skip stride. The “playhead” moves forward through the range of the the *selected slice*. As in MODE 3, stride rate of all tracks are adjustable and relative to the global clock. The “Step Num” controls (column 7, below the MODE 2 button) determines a) finely/coarsely the slice is chopped up as well as 2) increases/decreases the frequency of playhead triggers.

– Bottom Row
o RED, ORANGE abd BLUE indicators for recording active, feedback active, and drop-outs active.
o Dry-wet mix
o Global clock
o MODE 2 LFO toggle – ramp or triangle

– Regarding recording/re-recording:
o Overdub is disabled for all loopers. Rather than all audio dropping out while you are re-recording (whether it’s 1, 2 or 3 tracks being re-recorded), when recording starts (ie, left stomp is pressed), the “silent output” from the looper module(s) is bypassed, and the audio from each track’s background delay line is enabled. The result being that the most recent 16-seconds of buffered looper material is re-played while you’re recording. When the left stomp is pressed again, the delay line is once again bypassed into the background and the newly recorded looper material is now audible, and once again starts filling the bypassed delay line. This works on a per-track basis, and avoids the “audio dropping out while I’m recording new material” problem.
o To emphasize *this is on a per track basis*. For example, if you’ve got matrial playing back on all three tracks, and you begin re-recording on just track 3… the delayed audio from track 3 will be audible along with the looping audio from tracks 1 & 2. When you stop recording track 3, the newly recorded track 3 material will begin playing along the pre-existing track 1 & 2 material. To my ear, this results in greater musical continuity.

– Regarding the “feedback” option
o “Feedback” is more descriptively accurate than technically accurate. What is being fed back is the signal from the delay buffer back into the input of the looper *but ONLY when recording is both enabled and active on a particular track*. The point being, that when you’re goofin around with all the other parameters and find an effected/mutilated/etc loop that you like, you can enable recording for that track, and feed the exsting buffered audio back into the looperrecord/loop… either with or without any additional new signal. Super fun. Probably stating the obvious here… pitch shifts are compounded when fed back into the looper.

– Drop-outs injects some randomized drop-outs into playback. Randomization is relative to the global clock. While increasing/decreasing the global clock rate does effect the amount/frequency of the drop-out engine’s parameter randomization, it doesn’t necessarily directly correlate to “faster tempo = more dropouts”… but it might…! for a while… To me the difference is more felt that heard… like a little more salt in a kettle of soup, versus the same amount of salt on one spoonful of soup. *Drop-out are pre-delay line*, and as such if you feed the delay buffer back into the looper, you’ll catch the dropouts in that new loop. Also super fun.

Track 1 controls, Columns 1-2:

– Row 1 (top) = track 1 level and record enable/disable
o Playback levels can be adjusted per track. You can use this as a simple one-track looper, or a two-track looper if that’s all you want/need.

o Recording for all three tracks can be enabled/disabled individually. You can record all three tracks at once and manipulate the playback of the same material in 3 different ways. And/or, you can record/re-record tracks individually while your previously recorded tracks are playing back. As discussed above, re-recording a track will engage the background delay line until recording is stopped with the 2nd press of the L stomp. And with feedback enabled, you’ll send that buffered audio back into the loop.

– Row 2 = Slice start and end points can be set independently for each track in MODES 1, 3 & 4.
o Slice start/end point adjustments are ignored in MODE 2.

– Row 3 = pitch/speed and forward/reverse playback can be independently adjusted for each track. Although reverse doesn’t play well with MODES 3 & 4… then again, it can produce some wonderfully horrible sounds. Percussive sounds too.

– Row 4 = clock multipliers/dividers.
o Multiply the primary clock 1-32 Xs (ie, 2X rate, 3X rate, etc.). Divide the primary clock 1-32 Xs (ie, 2/8 rate, 3/8 rate, etc.). Combine the two for more complex math (ie, 2/7 rate, 3/5 rate, etc.). Everybody dance!

Track 2/3 controls, Columns 3-4/5-6:
– Same as track 1 controls.

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Edison’s 856(g), Take 5:

Edison’s 856(g), Take 3: