- The original Cacophonator was developed by Art Harrison, a theremin designer from Maryland, and his friend Kevin Buckholdt as part of a project to design a unit capable of "producing complex sonic effects with few components." It was then taken and improved into the Cacophonator II by a one-man company called SubtleNoiseMaker. In an effort to turn it into a mono effect rather than just a noise generator, Alexander Renner, the man behind the company, added a few extra controls, but the basic remit remains the same.
Before actually playing it, the impression that you might get from its name and background is that it's just a box of circuit bent noises. The sound does bear similarity to this description; the Cacophonator II is in its element producing wild and caustic sounds that sit halfway between a run-of-the-mill subtractive synth and a hacked speak-n-spell. The difference, though, is its ability to work these sounds.
But before we have a look at exactly how these sounds are worked, it's worth pointing out that one of its defining characteristics is the appeal that the Cacophonator II will hold for electronics enthusiasts. The schematics for the first one and a general explanation are freely available online. It's nothing too advanced, making it a good circuit to investigate and learn from even if you don't particularly consider yourself an expert. As a rough overview, each of the arrangements of components based around the Schmitt triggers (they're the triangles with the wiggly lines inside them) make a feedback loop that resonates, producing a square wave whose characteristics depend on the values of those components. But these resonators are all connected together, so they interact, depending on where they are in the circuit.
It's a similar kind of concept as the signal path on an analogue synth, but requires a different way of thinking. In Renner's redesign, the audio input interacts with the oscillators as well, and he's added switches which switch the capacitors around the Schmitt triggers to different values, a feedback knob and a large effect bypass switch that you can stomp on if you're a guitarist, or just an angst ridden artiste.
These controls have differing amounts of predictability when it comes to manipulating your sound. Some—the oscillators for example—have a more direct and readily understood effect. If you turn the oscillators higher, some aspect of the sound's pitch goes higher. The Speed knob increases the speed of the patterns that are produced in standalone operation. The Input knob, meanwhile, controls the amount of the audio input that is added to what's already being generated by the unit, and the Input Cut switch cuts it completely and increases the "sonic possibilities" (read: chaos) of the internally generated sounds.
Some controls are less intuitive—although I get the idea that spending extended amounts of time with one of these units might well allow you to get a growing feel for how the sound reacts to some of the more esoteric controls. Modulation 1 and 2 and the capacitor change switches certainly have an effect, with the switches seeming to affect the frequency. The Feedback knob is more self-explanatory, presuming you know what feedback sounds like.
The Current knob is probably the most interesting control on the Cacophonator. It's the potentiometer connected near the power supply in the circuit diagram at the link above (that's RV5). Turned further clockwise, it decreases the power supply impedance, which increases the current to the circuit. Firstly, this increases the effect of power supply fluctuations on the sound, meaning it flutters and croaks more. This is a neat feature that is akin to the drifting of analogue synths, and since it works off either battery or power supply, you can affect the sound by switching between these, depending on the charge of the battery.
Additionally, when you switch the unit off, there's a discharge time during which it still produces sound due to a beefy capacitor having stored charge, and this knob affects the decay time. It also changes the effect of the oscillator and the other controls, from deterministic (predictable) to stochastic (unpredictable but with some statistical characteristics). What does this mean for the sound? If you turn it clockwise, it gets wilder.
On its own, the Cacophonator produces loopy noise that has rhythmic and tonal characteristics, and that sounds distinctly like circuits whipping, or charging up and deflating. When an input is processed, a wide range of effects can be produced, ranging from harsh distortion and edgy shrieking through to heavy overdrive and phasing, depending on the settings.
Running a 909 kit through it and pushing hard, for example, gives endless joy for those for whom producing the filthiest, most bloody-minded techno beats possible is their end goal. It can also be used to apply a smaller amount of grit and harmonics, although a send bus is called for in this case as even at the more tame settings, whatever is put through the box is guaranteed to come out pretty mangled. It's also completely analogue, and although it's at the crispy end of an analogue sound, what with the design being more appropriate for experimental sounds than warmth, what comes out can be satisfyingly thick.
The whole lab-in-the-garden-shed style of the product is carried through to its looks and general build quality. It comes in an untreated aluminium case, looking very prototype-esque. The knobs are sturdy, although the position markings on them are difficult to see if you're not positioned right over the unit. The capacitor changing switches are a bit flimsy, which suggests that they might be broken by a misplaced boot that was meant for the hardier stomp switch, or even by regular use over time. Taking the back cover off, you can see that it's a rather simple circuit, which agrees with the idea you get from the literature that it's not an extensive overhaul from the previous design.
I can't comment on expenses related to developing this unit as a small business rather than a larger company, but the bottom line is that the price tag is pretty high. It's more expensive, for example, than the option of chaining a number of guitar pedals, like the Boss or Electro Harmonix ones, or using the Korg PX5 multi-effects pedal. However, the Cacophonator II stands apart from the usual suspects as a unique processor. Using an effect that nobody else uses is a great way to sound like nobody else. So if you feel it's worth the money, what you'll have is an intriguing and charismatic tool that's likely to find its place in a range of areas of your productions and performances.
Ratings
Cost: 2.5/5
Sound: 4/5
Versatility: 5/5
Build: 4/5
Ease of use: 4