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