Elta Music PLL-4046 Analog Phase Locked Loop Synth Effect Multi-Voice Analog Harmonizer and Fuzz Pedal

PLL-4046 Monophonic Analog Harmonic Synthesizer

The PLL-4046 is a monophonic analog harmonic synthesizer effect that turns your input signal into a square wave and then has a multiplier and divider that add intervals to your note. Two harmony notes are controlled by the loop function, which controls how it tracks your original note.

• Makes one note into a chord
• Make any triad out of one note
• Makes it sound like there's someone else playing along with you
• Set the loop control to decide how it follows your playing

The three notes have a three-channel mixer that has a master volume. PLL is capable of the kind of ragged polyphony and noisy collapse you’d hear in an ’80 s arcade game like Missile Command, with descending laser-beam pitch glides and vocal roars as notes decay. The heart of this pedal is a CMOS Phase Locked Loop (PLL) IC – CD4046. In a nutshell, the PLL takes your input signal and compares its phase and frequency against an oscillator, generates an output proportional to their difference then feeds it back to the oscillator. The result causes the oscillator to lock onto the input signal and generate a synthesized frequency.


Fuzz Voice

The input signal is first filtered then goes to the detector circuit. The detector circuit extracts the fundamental frequency of the signal and outputs it as a square wave FUZZ-VCO. This section has two parameters, “gain” and “offset”. By manipulating these controls you will find the effect similar to PWM (pulse width modulation of square VCO). This is the first voice of the PLL-4046, which is called FUZZ.


Multiplier / Divider Voices

From fuzz the signal goes to a multiplication and then to divider circuit. Each of these circuits has it’s own output to the device’s internal mixer. The Multiplier is a main harmonic voice, the Divider is a subharmonic. There are 3 pots (lag time, reaction, loop track) and a loop speed selector to adjust the behavior of the Multiplier and Divider circuits. Next are separate divider and multiplier value selectors which can be used for setting the musical intervals for each voice.


Mixer Section

The mixer section allows you to achieve a desired balance between the available 3 voices (divider, multiplier, fuzz) and adjust the overall output from the device using the master pot. You can use 3 voice footswitches to switch voices in and out of your sound. Using various settings you can make the PLL-4046 track your input almost perfectly and make it sound completely out of control.


Connections

IN - Guitar, bass, synthesiser and other electronic music signal.
OUT - Output.
CV In - Connect LFO, Sequencer, and other 0-5v CV modulators.
DRONE - Connection for optional DRONE pedal or expression pedal.
DRONE and CV inputs are for controlling the internal VCO.


Power Supply

The PLL-4046 uses standard BOSS style 9v, center negative power adapters. Power consumption is 30ma. You can change the power supply by changing the placement of an internal connector under the bottom cover of the pedal.