Fortin Zuul Issue

psychodave

psychodave

Well-known member
So I'm having a problem with the Fortin Zuul pedal creating a high pitch whistle in my signal. I'm using it with a Chase Tone Secret Preamp. When I use the Zuul to try and clamp down the signal, it adds a high pitch noise. I've tried different amps, different cables, different power supplies (batteries too) and nothing helps. It doesn't matter if I am using the little side switch on the Zuul either. It really sucks since I like the Zuul, but it doesn't like this echoplex preamp :thumbsdown: Even when using the Zuul with the knob turned up higher to remove the noise and gate faster, it is there in the sound before it clamps down. Also, when turning up the Zuul (and other gates) really high, it changes the feel due to the quicker clamping...which is why I use it around 9 o'clock.

Note that I mis-spoke in the video saying the Secret Preamp is causing the noise... it isn't. With the Zuul out of the signal, there is no high pitch noise. The Zuul is the issue.


https://youtu.be/loY8G45AoN8
 
Oblivion DC":3dd1ol5d said:
What happens when you use the key input??
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I haven’t tried it in the key input since not all of my amps have loops. I also don’t care for having to split my signal at the input (I’ve yet to find a buffer that doesn’t screw up the tone). I could try it for the noise sake later tonight/tomorrow with a Fulltone ABY box. Either way, the Zuul out front is adding an unpleasant noise when using the SP.
 
Oblivion DC":nlw7n4qx said:
What happens when you use the key input??
Click to expand...

I tried it with the Key input and it didn't make the noise, however, the tone was a bit buzzy on the bottom end. Not sure if it was due to the ABY I was using, but I didn't like that it does to the tone.
 
Seems to be a common mode input signal problem. There's possibly a bias of some sort to find the middle of the signal, and then some bandwidth above and below to act as a threshold? Just speculating that the pedal might be pushing the input of the noise gate pedal beyond designed specifications. What could also be a problem is that there's a defective chip in it that is out of spec (which happens). Basically I'd first assume the pedal is a dud. If replacing it still doesn't fix the problem, you've found a design flaw.

I'd almost be curious as to what's going on with that bright switch to cause the noise gate pedal not to clamp that high pitched whistle. I know for a fact that the ISP pro rack gear has a completely different ASIC chip dedicated to just hiss and high pitched white noise, separate from the noise gating ASIC.

Sucks that you're having that problem. I will say however that tone sounds god damn massive :rock:
 
glpg80":3fhsaixj said:
Seems to be a common mode input signal problem. There's possibly a bias of some sort to find the middle of the signal, and then some bandwidth above and below to act as a threshold? Just speculating that the pedal might be pushing the input of the noise gate pedal beyond designed specifications. What could also be a problem is that there's a defective chip in it that is out of spec (which happens). Basically I'd first assume the pedal is a dud. If replacing it still doesn't fix the problem, you've found a design flaw.

I'd almost be curious as to what's going on with that bright switch to cause the noise gate pedal not to clamp that high pitched whistle. I know for a fact that the ISP pro rack gear has a completely different ASIC chip dedicated to just hiss and high pitched white noise, separate from the noise gating ASIC.

Sucks that you're having that problem. I will say however that tone sounds god damn massive :rock:
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Seems that it is a design flaw. Others have had the same issues with the Secret Preamp and other pedals as well as phasing issues with running multiple amps. It sucks since I really like the Zuul.

Thanks for the sound comments. Just a typical day at Madison Square Basement. Haha
 
Interesting. I had a MXR Mini Booster that has an internal trim pot for the EP type of preamp and it did the same thing with a Boss NS2. If the pedal was on, the gate wouldn't clamp the whistle.
 
Had a similar issue with my G string 2 and Rev 2 Uber. Same exact squeal only much, much louder. I went through all kinds of troubleshooting and it brought quite a bit of heartache since I had no plans of changing amps. Someone on here told me to connect the pedal a different way, other than the manual suggests and it worked. No issues now whatsoever.

This doesn't really help you since it is a completely different pedal but I am siding with glpg80 with "Seems to be a common mode input signal problem". Maybe not a design flaw but more of a mismatch somewhere with the specific gear variables. Does it still do this with a different pedal other than the Chase? Not saying to replace the Chase, just to see if it does not interact well with the Chase.

If possible I would also try the key input with a different ABY to see if it gives you what you need. I know that is a lot of hassle for one little thing but it might make the difference.

Have you tried any other noise gates with the same set up?
 
I recommend building a klon BBP circuit in front. That is the best buffer circuit that I have had.
 
swamptrashstompboxes":3ntrx3dm said:
I recommend building a klon BBP circuit in front. That is the best buffer circuit that I have had.
Click to expand...

What is a Klon BBP? I tried googling but no luck...
 
slaktarn":3shp5nm2 said:
swamptrashstompboxes":3shp5nm2 said:
I recommend building a klon BBP circuit in front. That is the best buffer circuit that I have had.
Click to expand...

What is a Klon BBP? I tried googling but no luck...
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Buffered by-pass.

...and FWIW, I hate the klon buffered bypass. I was looking for a simple way to get rid of it when the pedal is off. :LOL: :LOL:
 
psychodave":skchm5no said:
So I'm having a problem with the Fortin Zuul pedal creating a high pitch whistle in my signal.
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Same. Took it off my board. I've had it over a year so it's a paper weight. P.o.s.
 
Bump.

Just got a Zuul Mini and it's also whistling. Tried multiple different cables, amps, guitars, power adaptors, pedals in front and behind but no dice. When it's on my bigger board which has no boost/dirt pedals it's perfectly usable. Seems like once you bring up the pedal leval at all the whistly starts. I did a bit of testing on my bass board.

ISP + Bass BB Preamp = silent.
ISP + Spark mini = silent.
Zuul + Bass BB Preamp = whistle.
Zuul + Spark mini = silent.

All powered off a Zuma R300 and using the same cables. The Zuul + BB are not playing nice for some reason which is a shame because I intended to use them together.

Versus the Decimate, The Zuul Mini buffer has less hiss and a smoother decay on my dirty amp whereas the ISP is smoother on my clean amp. That said, the whistle is impossible to ignore regardless of performance. I shot a quick video and sent it to Fortin support so we will see how this goes. Will report back.
 
Well it didn't go well. He said it's an issue caused by my gear my gear even though I tried 4 different amps, 3 different power supplies, 5 different brands of cable, 2 different guitars, multiple power bars and outlets. My only option is to return it and pay shipping again + a 25% restocking free. He mentioned that I reach out to the Fortin FB group, but I do not have a FB account. He then said I reach out to two different pedal board builders on FB for guidance. In all of my years of buying pedals, I've never once had a pedal builder unable to help me troubleshoot. Not to mention that I shouldn't have to spend hours troubleshooting a rig that is working perfectly fine just to add a new pedal. Ah well, he gets to keep the sale, but he lost a customer.
 
Boy_Narf":2ydaeviv said:
Well it didn't go well. He said it's an issue caused by my gear my gear even though I tried 4 different amps, 3 different power supplies, 5 different brands of cable, 2 different guitars, multiple power bars and outlets. My only option is to return it and pay shipping again + a 25% restocking free. He mentioned that I reach out to the Fortin FB group, but I do not have a FB account. He then said I reach out to two different pedal board builders on FB for guidance. In all of my years of buying pedals, I've never once had a pedal builder unable to help me troubleshoot. Not to mention that I shouldn't have to spend hours troubleshooting a rig that is working perfectly fine just to add a new pedal. Ah well, he gets to keep the sale, but he lost a customer.
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that's crappy
 
Boy_Narf":1cxosojy said:
Well it didn't go well. He said it's an issue caused by my gear my gear even though I tried 4 different amps, 3 different power supplies, 5 different brands of cable, 2 different guitars, multiple power bars and outlets. My only option is to return it and pay shipping again + a 25% restocking free. He mentioned that I reach out to the Fortin FB group, but I do not have a FB account. He then said I reach out to two different pedal board builders on FB for guidance. In all of my years of buying pedals, I've never once had a pedal builder unable to help me troubleshoot. Not to mention that I shouldn't have to spend hours troubleshooting a rig that is working perfectly fine just to add a new pedal. Ah well, he gets to keep the sale, but he lost a customer.
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Wow, terrible customer service. Look at it this way, now you wont have to deal with Fortin's lacky, Zack.

Had you joined their FB page, you would have either been run off, or banned.
 
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