Organ sounds are OK for guitar for a fairly limited amount of time. I mean, otherwise guitar players would be playing organs, no? The POG pedals are fantastic because they offer a wider sound spectrum than one organ sound. However I do take your point.

The Freezer should be handling the true sample of whatever input source is run through the pedal (in true EHX style) so voice, reed, keyboard, bass, guitar etc would be “sampled and sustained” using integrated feedback of the loop with automatic ms fade-in and fade-out to avoid any cutting interference at start and end of the sustained sample. I worked on a similar effect with the sampler unit of my Korg DSS-1, trimming and sustaining sample loops before assigning them to the keyboard for Midi sequences or drone effects. In the case of the DSS-1, the trimming has to be done anew for each sample/sustain in the Edit mode. The Freezer should have this feature as a default setting.

Was the Mothership disappointing sound wise or just did not suit your style? I tried out the Pigtronix Echolution which is no doubt a great pedal, but could not feel comfortable with it at all and preferred to buy the SMMH which I use as a regular feature of my set up.

The 500 ms I mentioned was the sample time, not the duration of the freeze function which, of course, by definition should be infinite. Longer sample times take us back to looper functions, such as the DMMH has.

… the enclosure you prefer would be Nano, XO or CT?

Well, Matt, for a starter, the EHX OM/DOM is mono and analog. This basically means it can handle one note at a time, thus enhancing single-note riffs and bass lines etc. (For polyphonic octaving we have to look to the POG family.)
This does NOT mean, however, that one cannot play chords on a guitar while using the DOM.

It is all a matter of set-up:-

Amp is ON with usual settings. EHX DOM/OM is OFF.

Now the best thing to do is to set up the Les Paul first using the neck PU only, with the volume control at about two-thirds and the tone control at about one half. This being done, WITHOUT the DOM on, check amp settings again to ensure a decent sound is being produced, i.e., presence, clarity and warm medium/bass tones.

Then, the DOM/OM is turned ON, and is set up to optimum response while playing an open A (5th string) striking the string half-way down the bridge PU position, but letting the A note resonate without dampening. Optimum response naturally means true octave and virtually zero or very little wobble. (Slinky light strings to be avoided!) Now completed, the DOM/OM set-up should not be changed.

The DOM/OM set-up done, one uses the guitar neck PU volume settings to compress the attack or lighten the attack, and the guitar neck PU tone settings to accentuate treble or accentuate deep bass, depending on the sound desired at any one time.

Also, the position at which the guitar string is struck (anywhere between bridge and string nut, in fact!) changes the parameters once more, giving a whole new palette of sounds. Position changes for this are principally between the bridge and mid-fingerboard.

Further to this, dampening the string played with the flat of the hand at the bridge while playing a line on the guitar changes the parameters again.

And, using the flat of the thumb on the string played to increase, decrease or select harmonics also adds new parameters to the DOM sound.

During all this playing and experimenting the original DOM set up, completed at the start, should not be changed, remember.

Once one feels all possible variations have been explored for the present, and the amp, still with its original set-up, is sounding good, then one flicks the selector switch on the Les Paul to Treble, the bridge PU volume is put to two-thirds, and the bridge PU tone control is set to two-thirds.

One starts out with a basic barré chord, mid-neck, let us say, a straight A minor. And let us start simple with a reggae-type groove, meaning striking the 6th string on the first beat of the 4/4 and, yes!, a chord on the top 4 strings of the guitar on the 2nd and 4th beat of the 4/4.

(All very basic for which I apologise, but we are setting the DOM plus Les Paul up at the moment and the real playing comes later)

One strikes the bass note firmly with a slight dampening of the string with the palm of the right hand at the same time, if you are a right-handed guitar player, and play a medium down-stroke or a light up-stroke on the 2nd and 4th beat chord.

After a certain amount of messing around, re-positioning of hand and fingers/plectrum, and adjusting of the Les Paul bridge PU volume and tone controls, one is amazed to discover that a bass line can be developed, while the three-note/four-note chords are clear and trail a beautifully light medium octave effect, in contrast to the round heavy bass tone from the bottom string.

Add the #1 Echo to the DOM/OM output and life gets even more interesting.

Insert the Metal Muff between the DOM/OM and #1 Echo, and using the same technique one finds that the DOM allows one to play monstrous bass lines, both simple and crazy ones as well as fast or slow, while at the same time letting one pump out screaming distortion and fuzz chords.

One number I have played a lot live features a clean guitar sound with delay, playing a classic-like theme with a deep bass counterpart on the bass strings of the guitar but none on the top three strings of the guitar, all done with the vintage Octave Multiplexer, no problem, and then later with the DOM, also no problem. I control which string(s) trigger(s) the DOM through the guitar set-up and the dynamics of my playing.

Believe me, Matt, once you get into it, the DOM/OM can produce amazingly powerful sounds.

And the set-up procedure described above can be applied to all the EHX octave multiplexers. And remember, it is not a description of how or what to play with the DOM/OM, just how to set everything up and a glance at the dynamics at one’s fingertips once the set-up is done.

One last point I mentioned before. If one uses an EHX OM/DOM adding a bass enclosure to your sound gear is extremely worthwhile.

I trust this post, if long, will be of some help to you…and long live the Deluxe Octave Multiplexer!

PS. I have added a picture of the basic FX pedals set-up I have just been using in the studio. (All EHX except for the Ampeg Scrambler).The DOM is featured in the chain.

A few questions to get closer to the Freezer pedal concept… Are we favouring analog-type grunge sound or digital purity? What time space does the freeze function imply? Do we stay basic or start getting into endless modulations? An integrated effect loop I/O would take care of all possible sound architectures, leaving the pedal relatively basic? Nano, XO or CT (Crying Tone) format? Mono or stereo? Do we aim low price or expensive?

My views at this point are:
Analog-type grunge sound – i.e. warm, low definition
500 ms
Basic
EL I/O
CT format
Mono
LP

PS. The Crying Tone format would have two foot switches top-mounted forward of the treadle, one for effect on/off and one for treadle on/off, the treadle in on mode would give the player the possibility to go from dry to wet with the sweep of the treadle, choosing any desired mix (ref soloing and further EHX FX waiting down the line), mounted on one side of the CT pedal signal IN, on the other signal OUT, and at the front of the housing FX Loop OUT / IN, further to this, on one side of the CTF pedal housing a 4 frequency range selector knob (to make the Freezer vocal/guitar/keyboard/bass/reed friendly), and on the other side of the CT pedal housing a reverse knob selector switch for inverse sweep on the treadle.

The Freezer in this form could be sturdy, reliable, straightforward… and classic EHX, selling around the 120 to 150 USD mark, I reckon.

Your thoughts gratefully received, as always….

Good, interesting reading. Great input, for which thanks to everyone. In my case, I set up the distortion to about a third of the way, the tone control about two thirds, the sustain two-thirds, the compressor volume one third, and the sensitivity knob at the bottom to a quarter (this is with a Les Paul), then I change the volume, crunch, tone and compression with the volume, tone and PU controls on the guitar and the dynamics of my playing. The pedal responds incredibly well.
I also use the compressor out sometimes as a stand-alone compressor unit, with high volume and low sensitivity to cut in to the music with a clean, near jazzy solo sound to stand out when bass, drums and other guitar effects have risen to ungodly volumes. The DBM compressor always comes through clear as a bell…..not to mention finger-picking overtones. Magnificent pedal. :thumb: