Description
To call the Meris Ottobit Jr. a simple bitcrusher is underselling it. This is a truly unique piece of kit to assemble your instrument tone from the ground up. There’s a whole eight-bit adventure to explore, from vintage side-scrolling pitch shifting to contemporary maze worlds.
Meris’ handcrafted algorithms are the envy of the effects pedal industry. There are very few stompboxes that can conjure the plethora of textures the Ottobit Jr. can. Inject your pedalboard with a sonic array of retro gaming console stutters, analogue synth sounds, lo and hi-pass filters and crush sequencers.
About Meris
Meris are a boutique guitar pedal company at the forefront of artistic sound design.
The Californian-based brand consists of three tonal masterminds behind the direction of their incredible pedals: Angelo Mazzocco, a DSP engineer; Jinna Kim, creative director and Terry Burton, founder and engineer.
They treat each of their pedals as individual instruments, equipping them with expansive sets of parameters. You can shape the sound from your Meris pedal into something completely unique to your style.
Sound & Controls
Founder Terry Burton says: “I asked Angelo to design a filter to tame the harsher bitcrush settings. Damn that filter sounds good… like an analog synth. There were an infinite amount of cool sounds we were getting, so that’s what drove the decision to add MIDI and presets under the hood.”
Meris are renowned for their two layers of control parameters, accessible through an Alt button. On the face of the pedal you’ll see simple Sample Rate, Filter and Bits functions to alter the general depth, frequency and speed of the sound.
Below you have Stutter, which can randomise the sound and completely change the dynamics of your instrument. Sequencer goes even further to let the Ottobit Jr. take hold of your signal and transform it into video game goodness. Sequencer Multiply is a manual tempo setting for precise sound sculpting.
Hold alt and you gain access to working with each step of the sequencer in six small chunks. This means you have ultimate control over a seemingly uncontrollable pedal. As with most Meris pedals, it makes use of a handy tap tempo footswitch and expression pedal compatibility to change your tones on the fly in live situations.
Connectivity & Utility
Meris are at the forefront of pedal design, incorporating MIDI into the control system. This is the best way to get the most out of your effects. Built into the pedal are 16 MIDI presets for you to experiment with your sound seamlessly in preparation.
The pedal is equipped with stereo ins and outs for panning effects. Great for live use with PA systems, multiple cab setups, drum machines or sequencers.
You have the ability to select true bypass switching or buffered signal to suit your rig. A great pedal to add into long signal paths. There’s also a switchable output headroom level to accommodate for guitars, synths or to keep at line level.
Specifications
- Premium quality 24 bit A/D and D/A
- 32 Bit floating point DSP hardware
- Premium low noise Analog signal path throughout
- Analog Devices JFET input circuitry
- Selectable True Bypass (Relay) or Analog Buffered Bypass
- Durable black powder coat with fine metal flake
- Current draw < 150 mA
- Dimensions – 4.25″ wide, 4.5″ long, 2″ tall
- Power supply not included
