welcome

Mode Zero presents a repository of photos, mp3 demos, and reviews of phase shifters, flangers, choruses, leslie simulators, delays, and other audio effects and devices.   You can use the mp3s to compare what different effects sound like on the same source material.  The index lists all the effects and is grouped by effect type (flangers, phasers, etc).  mp3s, photos, and reviews are always being added to the individual effect pages -- eventually, almost everything will have mp3 demo files for your listening pleasure. 

The frequency feast page takes a different approach, featuring combinations of effects, one-off tests, effects not included in the index, longer mp3s, etc.

Newly added or beefed-up pages are listed on the what's new page.  Subscribe to the RSS feed (or here) to receive update notifications.

Unlike many effects and music sites, Mode Zero is completely free of advertising.  In exchange for providing this free, spamless archive for your gratification, education, and entertainment, we ask that you please observe the usage policy (see below).

We respect your privacy and don't use any cookies, scripts, applets or plugins.

usage policy

All images, audio, reviews, and other content on modezero.com are copyright (c) Mode Zero.  Of course, the designs and appearance of the effects are trademarked and/or patented by the original manufacturers.  We usually do not include schematics or other proprietary information; circuit boards are shown, but only on one side.

You may download MZ content for your personal viewing, reading, and listening.  However, we ask that you not copy, sell, post, or hotlink to MZ images, audio files, or reviews:

-- to advertise, auction, or sell audio gear (for example, in an eBay or Craigslist posting, or a dealer website) or for any other commercial purpose.  This is partly because MZ is a non-commercial site, and partly because some people have misrepresented MZ photos as the actual item they were selling.

-- as content for another web site, forum, mailing list, book, CD, DVD, compilation, etc. 

If you would like to refer to content on MZ for non-commercial purposes, please feel free to use a link to any html pages on the site.

Attempts to hotlink directly to a jpeg, gif, or mp3 result in a small red-and-black "mode zero" placeholder image appearing instead; this is so that we don't have to pay for the bandwidth used by sites who try to embed our content.

faq

q: Where can I find basic info on how different kinds of effects work?

a: Try this R.G. Keen article on The Technology of Phase Shifters and Flangers and the effects tutorial at Harmony Central.

q: Can I buy the effects?  How much do they cost?

a: Sorry, but we're not dealers.  None of the effects here are for sale, and this isn't a buyer's guide, although it can be helpful in comparing effects if you can't play with them in person.  You might try looking at sites like eBay, although the price, condition, and availability of vintage or rare effects can vary wildly and you should proceed with a healthy dose of skepticism and caution.

q: How do you decide what to include? 

a: It's completely at our imperial whim, which tends to be slanted towards analog modulation effects like phase shifters and flangers.  Look at the index to get the general idea. 

q: I've got an XQJ-36 Roto-Plooker, would you like some jpegs or mp3s?

a: Thanks, but we only include effects to which we have hands-on access, so that we can record mp3s in the same way as the other effects.   Or, we may already have an XQJ-36, but it hasn't been added to the site yet.

q: Do you have schematics for the XQJ-36 Roto-Plooker?    Do you know where I can get a new Vactrol for my Vibra-Plooker?

a: Sorry, but due to the large volume of email (including spam) that we used to receive, we couldn't respond to most requests for information and had to remove our contact info.  For schematics and parts assistance, you might try some of the effects and DIY forums listed on the links page.   Search engines such as Google can usually locate schematics and info.

q: I have a Roto-Plooker, but it sounds different than the MZ mp3s.

a: There's no way that a set of mp3s can completely capture the sound of an effect, or the experience of playing through it.  Many of the mp3s here tend to be recorded fairly dry -- try adding a little reverb or delay on playback as needed.  Also, vintage effects of the same model can differ from one unit to the next, due to component aging, calibration, manufacturing tolerances, circuit changes between production runs, etc.

q: Some of the mp3s won't play correctly.

a: All mp3s from 2005 on are encoded with variable bit rate (VBR) to maximize the audio quality while keeping file sizes reasonable.    Some older mp3 players and home stereo DVD/CD players do not support VBR.