The Phi (golden ratio) thread

[midwayfair]

If you're scratching your head wonder what Phi is, it's the Golden Ratio:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_ratio

It's a ratio found throughout nature, such as the shell of the nautilus, and it's also used in the anatomical aspects of art because apparently we see proportions that more closely match it as inherently beautiful.

It also has a few uses in music, and consequently in pedal design. Here's a couple to get things started:

1) As a tempo division. It sounds like a perfect swing beat. Pigtronix figured this out and added it as a division in their delay pedal.

2) As a clipping ratio. It's tough to nail this in a stompbox with only two diodes, but it can be done with a schotkey + 1N34A, or an average 1N34A and a 1N400X. There are a couple other combinations. If you're interested in trying to hit the target, use germanium for at least one -- the tolerances on silicons will usually keep them from being variable enough to find the right match. I won't say it makes a world of difference, but it's definitely more pleasing than throwing any old thing in there. (The other "ideal" clipping ratios are 2:1 and exact 1:1.)

There must be more uses. Ideas?

[pickdropper]

It's also used for room acoustics.  The "Golden Ratio" has been around for a long long time.

[Om_Audio]

Ok this is crazy but after seeing the title of this thread I remembered one of the dreams I had *last night* and I remember looking at a row of pedals and the 2 large ones on the left were an original and a clone of some pedal that used the golden ratio. They belonged to Jon! The orig was interesting looking chrome plated sheet metal and looked to be from the '70s.
Crazy. I have been staying up late many nights experimenting and learning, my brain is well saturated w DIY.

I am def going to experiment with the ratios mentioned here.

C

[midwayfair]

It's also used for room acoustics.  The "Golden Ratio" has been around for a long long time.

You mean for determining the dimensions of a concern hall for instance, or something else?

[pickdropper]

It's also used for room acoustics.  The "Golden Ratio" has been around for a long long time.

You mean for determining the dimensions of a concern hall for instance, or something else?

Yep, or a studio.  Any acoustic space.

Note that I've never setup a room with it, but I've heard about it over the years.

[midwayfair]

It's also used for room acoustics.  The "Golden Ratio" has been around for a long long time.

You mean for determining the dimensions of a concern hall for instance, or something else?

Yep, or a studio.  Any acoustic space.

Note that I've never setup a room with it, but I've heard about it over the years.

I know it was used in architecture, too. It could have something to do with the excellent acoustics of many churches and other similarly designed spaces. Possibly by accident ... though we're talking about something that's older than Pythagoras, who knows.

[DutchMF]

This is one of the building blocks of nature, so it would be really weird if it wouldn't affect music, and thus pedal building in one way or another... It's found in the placement of flower petals, the relation of limb length to overall body length (in humans), cochlea (snails)..... We could use it in so many ways! Tonestacks, Vrefs, diodes (as mentioned), knob placement, enclosure size.....

[Haberdasher]

dang i was planning on naming an overdrive the golden ratio one day.  turns out that wasn't such an original thought.

[madbean]

Golden ratio, bah! Fibonacci is where it's at!

[gtr2]

I always wanted to try the echolution for the Phi setting.