Below is a draft submission for Waveform Magazine. Read the published article here.

Quarters were an asset in my adolescent years. At lunchtime, I would load up my pockets with them and walk, pants sagging, several blocks to the convenience store. I could be found beyond the junk food aisle, by the corner window, sinking quarter after quarter into that arcade console. I loved playing Narc. Trying to take out bad guys as the rogue narcotics officer cost me about fifty cents a minute--a lot of money in those days--and my games didn't last long. Still, although I never possessed the funds (or the skill) to advance to the end stages and unseat the drug kingpin, cratering half the gaming screen with the rocket launcher and watching my enemies rain down as burnt lasagne was cathartic to a socially awkward high schooler. I am more well-adjusted these days, and my interests have shifted since. However, when I pass those grimy, beat-up machines with their vibrant, pixelated displays bearing chicken-scratched graffiti and see kids chuckling at the downsampled rumbles of rocket bombs, I still get nostalgic. Some things never change.

The Ottobit Jr. by Meris is an auditory tribute to those years. As a stompbox variation of their Ottobit 500 rackmount, the Ottobit Jr offers a sample rate of 48Hz-48kHz, bit-crushing between 1-24bits, a low pass filter of 96Hz-24kHz, and a sequencer with up to six customizable steps. The tap tempo, expression jack, and "stutter" features make the Ottobit incredibly versatile and accessible for live performance. If you are an avid string player like myself and oriented to traditional guitar stompboxes, this pedal will have a learning curve; robust pedals do. However, the Ottobit Jr makes me think less like a guitarist and more like whatever the Ottobit is, which I greatly appreciate. Think less like Malmsteen and more like Metroid.

The upper three knobs of the Ottobit Jr--Sample Rate, Filter, and Bits--are the primary articulative palette, operating in reverse conventionality. Fully clockwise provides a 48kHz sample rate, no filter sweep, and 24 bits, disengaging the Ottobit's features. Proceed counterclockwise, and the samples and bits begin dropping off while the Meris original ladder-style filter takes effect. While feeding the Ottobit a hastily-made loop of "Le Freak," I struggled to focus on constructing a pedal review amidst the siren's song of industrial disco breakbeats and crushing arcade fuzz. Finding the discipline to perform any substantial songwriting using the Ottobit will likely prove more challenging than locating the inspiration.

The Ottobit's lower three knobs are Stutter, Sequencer, and Sequencer Multiplier. The stutter feature is a riot, playing back slices of audio in rapid repeats of full, double, and half-speeds of the tapped tempo, creating that famous 'stuck buffer' sound from the eighties popularized by Max Headroom. Dialed fully clockwise, the stutter randomizes while including a reverse variant. You can also stutter freeze by holding the tap footswitch. As "Le Freak" raged on under the influence of the stutter, I could not contain myself.

The sequencer and multiplier knobs control the number of repeats and multiples of the original sequence speed. When the sequencer is active, the six operational knobs become fully customizable sequence steps for the sequence modes of sample rate, filter, and pitch. Holding ALT allows you to program the sequence steps, and sequence speed can be changed via MIDI or the tap tempo footswitch. I found pitch sequence mode entrancing by setting each knob to gradually increase (dials at 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11). With a bit of C minor noodling, I became shipwrecked alongside Tom Waits in a fog of gravelly bit-crushing sizzle. Lower bit and sample rates in filter sequence mode create anything from fuzzed-out sounds reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine to expansive chordal synthwave. A little exploring creates cascading Mogwai-esque shoegaze electronica, with single-note lines becoming orchestral and mesmerizing. Sample rate mode creates those classic arcade sounds. Increasing the sequencer multiplier here allows you to produce laser beams while Mario shoots fireballs and enters warp zones with slower settings.

You'll need an external footswitch to access Ottobit Jr's sixteen MIDI channels, preset banks, and save settings--a sore spot for Meris fans. However, connecting an expression pedal will allow you to save/recall two presets by assigning one in toe-up and the other in toe-down positions. The expression feature might be my favorite aspect of all, allowing transition between two unique settings of all the knob values (yes, even the stutter!). For example, by tying the filter and bit depth to the expression pedal, you can create a wah effect while closed that blooms into bit-crushing fuzz when opened. Morphing between sequencer settings gets wild.

When the bit rate drops below 8, the Ottobit's volume begins to ramp up (substantially around 3 or 4), which is a little concerning when you want to push the bitcrusher into and out of overdrive. Depending on your flexibility, this dynamic could be considered a creative opportunity. You could harness the volume spikes via a MIDI controller if you were dead-set about a specific bit rate.

Meris has a unique black box here. Although it perplexed me a bit at first, the Ottobit Jr. is a refreshing change of pace that makes me uncomfortable in the right ways--a real inspiration I am glad to stumble upon. Although I hadn't picked up a musical instrument until after my convenience store days, if I had, I would have been stoked to have it sound like the Ottobit Jr.

Pictured above
Walker, Coire: Photograph of Waveform Magazine. 30 Nov. 2024. Author's personal collection.