Mewtone (Galleri)

Mewtone is a clone with extras! The pre-model is the classic funk circuit Mutron 3, the envelope filter wah wah from the 70’s. Its mode knob makes it useful for both bass players and electric guitarists. With the Drive switch, you can choose whether the wah should go up or down in frequency, “ooaii” or “iiaaoo”. Additionally, you can set more raw sounds with “Gain”. “Peak” sets how nasal or sharp it is and the Range switch acts as a pitch selector. The mode switch sets whether the pedal is in high, low or bandpass mode. A pedal that sounds like a talking elf / aunt, or maybe like a cat? Many sound options in this amazing circuit!

In connection with designing the Mewtone, which is largely a clone of Mutron 3, we looked a bit on the original layout with the knobs in a row as shown. The circuit itself is also taken almost “straight-off” but with some practical adjustments. What separates the two would be:

* Mewtone has toggle or rotary switches in the places the original has rocker switches.
* Mewtone has true bypass, Mutron 3 does not have it.
* Mewtone runs with 9v adapter, original with 2 x 9v battery.
* Mewtone has additional adjustment pot, “adjust”, to set touch sensitivity and depth.
* Mewtone has a smaller and lighter box.
* Mewtone does not have a separate main power power button (it starts when plugged in the adapter).
* Mewtone has LED that shows power on / off.
* Mewtone has bigger range of the Peak knob (I use 250k instead of 150k pot, which means that the original range is covered and you can set even sharper / more nasal sounds).

The real challenge was finding optocouplers similar to the original. After a time with searching and resistor tweaking, I ended up with a component called VTLC3. Release time feels good, reasonable and the adjust pot compensates for differences in sensitivity. This is a fun pedal if you like funk a la Stevie Wonder or if you want to put some spice on classic rock n roll!