EHX Deluxe Memory Boy modulation... what were they thinking?

[Aentons]

I have a DMB and some people like it just fine and others don't for various reasons that have been discussed elsewhere so I understand it has flaws. But, it has one flaw in particular that bugs me to deth and i'd like to try and understand why they designed it the way they did. Which brings us to.... the modulation.

The Depth knob has a center detent that turns modulation off.  From the center detent, turn CCW and you get increasing amounts of triangle wave. From the center detent, turn CW and you get increasing amounts of... square wave. huh? Neither are subtle either, it goes crazy deep. On both sides about half way through the rotation it starts doing this wild stair-step down thing too.

Isn't almost every other modulated delay either and approximated sine wave or just occasionally a triangle?
Anybody have any insight as to why they went with these features knowing that they were whacked out and super touchy? Is it a design flaw, something not implemented well, experiment, meant for a different market, does it do some thing that I'm missing or wasn't explained well. Does the effects loop play into it somehow? What's the deal?

[matmosphere]

I had one for a long time and just never got into it. I agree the modulation is to touchy. It goes from zero to totally wacko in about a 15 degree rotation, and I feel like most of the sounds I want are in that first 5-10 degrees. I think the extremes were both pretty cool, but that knob needs to be a different taper or something. I'm guessing using the center as off, while it's kind of cool, limited their ability to use a good taper on that pot.

[Aentons]

I had one for a long time and just never got into it. I agree the modulation is to touchy. It goes from zero to totally wacko in about a 15 degree rotation, and I feel like most of the sounds I want are in that first 5-10 degrees. I think the extremes were both pretty cool, but that knob needs to be a different taper or something. I'm guessing using the center as off, while it's kind of cool, limited their ability to use a good taper on that pot.

So why the square wave option tho?... It seems almost unusable. Is that something that people use? Is it on any other pedals?

[Muadzin]

Sounds like my kind of pedal. I like extreme sounds. None of this subtle analog sustain for me please. I want Pterodactyl noises!

[Aentons]

I want Pterodactyl noises!

Then you definitely need one of these!

[matmosphere]

I had one for a long time and just never got into it. I agree the modulation is to touchy. It goes from zero to totally wacko in about a 15 degree rotation, and I feel like most of the sounds I want are in that first 5-10 degrees. I think the extremes were both pretty cool, but that knob needs to be a different taper or something. I'm guessing using the center as off, while it's kind of cool, limited their ability to use a good taper on that pot.

So why the square wave option tho?... It seems almost unusable. Is that something that people use? Is it on any other pedals?

Why not!? Because they could!

Honestly though, there are a few other commercial pedals that have it as well.

Maybe it's a more common thing in the synth world. The pedal world seems to be looking in that direction for inspiration these days. (which is a good thing)

[lars]

Is it a design flaw, something not implemented well, experiment, meant for a different market, does it do some thing that I'm missing or wasn't explained well.

That. Remember, EHX pcbs are built in China now using smd components. No doubt some hold-overs from other mass-produced pedal designs make their way into the build process now and then, rather than spend the time and money to re-design something for a specific pedal. That was probably a modulation design for the Mooshobing Modulatormater X2. Since they already had the design, it was just plug-and-play.
Look at all the synth-type pedals EHX has been barfing out lately. They are not spending time designing a new pedal each time (even though that's how they promote it). The platform and software engine is already there. They just tweak some parameters in the software. If it's not quite right, oh, well. It's easy.