Frequently Answered Questions
Is the footswitch plastic?
The footswitch is entirely made of a non-sparking zinc alloy and can apparently survive a 5kg mass being dropped from 40cm. They are used by the military and in anti-vandal applications. It is by far the most expensive part of a Horrothia pedal.
Explain the gain structure of the Type One.
The gain structure within the Type One I worked on at length to get it set up just right for the maximum headroom for the BBD delay IC, and so it gives a healthy satisfying output both bypassed and when engaged. When bypassed, the input signal is buffered and split to both outputs. With a 1V pk/pk input signal, you get 1V pk/pk from both outputs, so in a stereo amp setup it is a 6dB boost. When the effect is engaged (in stereo mode) you get a very bump on the L (dry) output (1.1Vp/p) and the R (wet) is around 1.5Vp/p. This ratio between dry and wet is taken straight from measurements I took from my own 1979 Boss CE-1, and A/B'd it at length to get it just right; by ear, and by maths. In mono mode (only L jack plugged in) the summed wet/dry signal modulates between about 0.36V and 1.35V.
How close is the Type One to the Boss CE-1?
The max and min delay time of the Type One is trimmed to be exactly that of my 1979 Boss CE-1; so the sway and motion is exactly like that unit. The LFO waveform is also identical to that in the CE-1 which is quite mathematically beautiful and unlike any other chorus effect that I've examined. The Type One doesn't have the same preamp as the CE-1; it has a high impedance (1Mohm) input perfect for high impedance sources such as passive guitars.
The Type One has one knob? What does it adjust?
The single knob adjusts the speed of the LFO, the depth is fixed. If you fix the modulation width (or depth), the ear perceives a faster modulation as a deeper effect, so arguably the depth control isn't required. IMHO the Boss engineers who designed the SDD-320, Dimension C and CE-1 were geniuses for recognising this. I'm a believer in the connection between simplicity and beauty, and as a gigging guitarist too many controls often means repeated or unmusical combinations which get in the way when speed in the studio or on stage is needed.