Malekko Heavy Industry Scrutator
While much of the world strives for the most pristine audio quality imaginable, including terms such as bits and sample rate, many of us long for a device that is the opposite of that. We want a device that is pristine until we want it to be otherwise, and when the time calls, we want to mangle the sound within inches of its life. We want to crush those bits and flatten those sample rates. For this, we call on a “bit crusher,” an effect that’s largely existed in plug-in form for many years. And as of now, there’s no better unit in the business than the Malekko Scrutator.
While most bit crusher-type effects feature three knobs—sample rate, bit depth and volume—the Scrutator features a much more robust control set, featuring Mix, Q and Filter. The Mix knob is key here, as players can subtly mix in just as much post-musical desolation as they wish, and the onboard adjustable Preamp keeps the signal cookin’. Of course, this nuclear winter wasteland isn’t the only setting inside the Scrutator—not by a long shot.
DAW-equipped musicians have been using bit crushing plug-ins for years now, as they excel on fattening up any lead line when set subtly, or for adding a bit of digital crumble to multi-tracked guitars. The Filter knob can be set to either low pass or band pass; holding down the bypass switch and powering the Scrutator up changes between these two types. The sweep in the Filter knob is a heavy one as well, and this only adds to the effect, and it creates for quite a dynamic effect when used with an expression pedal.
Yes, there’s a jack for an expression pedal. Prepare to be amazed. Any of the Sample, Bit, Filter and Q can be controlled simultaneously. What’s more, users can determine which way they want the knobs to sweep. That’s right: with some simple knob wrangling, players can set the Scrutator to INCREASE the Q and Filter and DECREASE the Bit and Sample knobs when the attached expression pedal is rocked forward. Best of all, these can be combined in any way. Set the Filter knob to open up and the Bit and Sample knobs to decrease, and turn the Scurator into a futuristic malfunctioning wah pedal. Try setting the Sample knob to decrease as the Bit knob increases; one end of the pedal has a hi-fi, yet aliased-to-shreds tone, while the other end of the pedal delivers a crystal clear destroyed tone. The choice is yours.
Malekko Heavy Industry Scrutator Features:
- Highly-customizable expression control: players can choose sweep direction and up to four knobs at once
- Selectable low- and band-pass filter
- Mix knob allows players to add in subtle textures as well as full-on destruction
- Preamp provides crystal-clear signal—until you destroy it
- Standard 9v center-negative power operation