Talk:Mu-Tron

This says auto-wah at one point then envelope filter at another. Which is it? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.52.96.137 (talk) 00:14, 26 August 2009 (UTC)

Answers to your question(s):

"envelope filter" or "envelope-controlled filter" is (or has become) a generic name for an audio filter in which at least one of its parameters (for example, center or roll-off frequency) is controlled or "set" by a signal derived from the "envelope" of the input audio signal (rectified and low-pass filtered variable control voltage or signal derived from the audio signal at the device input).

"auto-wah" is a semi-generic name describing the most obvious audio (sound output) characteristic of the envelope-controlled filter process. The result most often sounds like an automatic "wah pedal" controlled by the loudness (envelope) of the audio being played INTO the effect processor. Actually the first "prototype name" for the Mu-Tron III was indeed "auto-wah".

But the "auto(matic) wah" sound only happens when the filter frequency is driven UP (from a low frequency to a higher frequency)by the envelope of the input signal. In our product, we had also added a function that drives the filter frequency DOWN from a fixed higher frequency in response to the input signal envelope. It is a sort of "chunky" sound, and no acronym really describes it except maybe "down drive". When our product had been finished, with the extra down drive function, we looked for a more general yet distinguishing product name. "Mu-Tron" is a contraction of Musitronics (our once-new company), and Mu-Tron III means: either it was the THIRD prototype that finally made it to the marketplace, or the coincidence that 3 is a favorite number of mine (I forget, it was almost 40 years ago....)

January 24, 2010  by Mike Beigel, designer of the product and inventor of the system patent issued for it.

I know in Viewphoria they said they run everything through it, but everything else they say in that segment is tongue in cheek, and I'm pretty sure that comment is, too. Given the context, I think that means the Smashing Pumpkins hardly or never used the thing. A specific Big Muff Pie (since they had such varied production quality) overdubbed 2-3 times on itself, once per channel, with the right guitar and amp then post-production pretty much perfectly generates the correct sound. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.207.43.9 (talk) 16:30, 2 October 2014 (UTC)

overreaching
I see no source that says Musitronics was brought down by production problems with the Gizmo. On the face of it, the company was already having problems, and Gizmotronics looks like a convenient scapegoat. Besides, sane companies create divisions in order to insulate the main operation from a product line failure — what happened here?

Speaking of WTF: In 1978 Musitronics was sold to synthesizer company ARP Instruments in 1979

I've changed the infobox. Until a source is offered, it's at best murky to claim that Newman's short-lived Gizmo Incorporated somehow took Mu-tron's place. (Besides, the current company is Gizmotron LLC (http://www.gizmotron.com/).) Weeb Dingle (talk) 18:14, 14 January 2018 (UTC)