Bounce Chord’s Modulation Mayhem: Drum Machines Get Twisted

Bounce Chord kicks things off with a mission: run a drum machine through a pile of modulation pedals and see what sticks. No fancy studio tricks here—just raw signal, a touch of compression, and a heap of analog weirdness. The creator’s dry humour sets the tone, promising a journey through chorus, flanger, tremolo, phaser, and univibe, all for the love of sonic chaos.

What’s refreshing is the hands-on, experimental approach. Instead of endless menu-diving or pristine DAW chains, we get real-time knob fiddling and a celebration of imperfection. The magic, as Bounce Chord puts it, is in constantly shifting the controls, letting the machine breathe and groove. If you’re after clinical A/B tests, look elsewhere—this one’s about vibe and happy accidents.

Bounce Chord lines up five modulation pedals, all under a hundred quid used, and each one brings its own flavour to the party. First up, the Boss CE-5 Chorus Ensemble delivers a subtle wash, with a filter control left untouched for maximum simplicity. The MXR Micro Flanger follows, praised for its minimal controls and ability to add movement without overwhelming the drums—though it’s voiced for guitar, it still brings some tasty swirl.

The Ibanez Mini Tremolo gets a nod for being weird but surprisingly effective, even if it doesn’t quite chop like a helicopter. The MXR Phase 90 is a classic, but not without its quirks—Bounce Chord shows both a botched take (too hot, volume dips) and a corrected one, proving that gain staging is everything. Each pedal is demoed with real-time tweaking, so if you want to hear the nuances, you’ll need to watch the video. Trust us, words don’t do the wobbles justice.

The Guptek V.D. Vibe steals the spotlight as Bounce Chord’s new favourite. This optical univibe pedal, with its pulsing light bulb and lush tone, inspires dreams of entire Vaporwave albums. Cranked almost to the max, it transforms the drum machine into something woozy and hypnotic. If you’re after instant atmosphere and a dose of nostalgia, this pedal is your new best mate.