The OTO Biscuit is a lo-fi processor and multi-effects box from OTO Machines, built around 8-bit digital converters and stereo analog filters. OTO describes it as an "8-BIT EFFECTS & ANALOG FILTER" unit, made to "add depth, texture and organic behavior to synths, basslines, drum machines and virtual sounds from computers"1. MusicRadar's reviewer summed it up as "A magic black box for lo-fi, 8-bit and retro-game crunch. Perfect for adding quality grit."2
OTO Machines lists the Biscuit as a discontinued product1.
What it does to your sound
The Biscuit is designed to degrade clean audio. OTO says it "opens up a wide range of sounds from harsh distortion, digital and aliasing artifacts to warm and fat 8-bit sounds"1. The first stage of signal processing is the 8-bit converters, and the conversion adds a bit of background noise to everything passing through the box2. That noise floor is part of the character rather than a flaw: the whole point of the circuit is lo-fi color.
The effects section gives you a choice of four effects, and only one can be used at a time. You turn an effect on with the Brain button and program it with the bottom row of buttons2.
| Effect | What it offers |
|---|---|
| Waveshaper | Distortion and aliasing artifacts; MusicRadar's reviewer counted it as their favorite of the four2 |
| Pitch-shifter | One of the four selectable effects2 |
| Delay | One of the four selectable effects2 |
| Step filter | One of the four selectable effects, programmed with the bottom row of buttons2 |
The drive stage sets the effect drive level and provides analog saturation via diode clipping. It needs a few degrees of turn before the effect is audible, and it boosts the effect level above the dry or bypass level2. MusicRadar's reviewer found that "Things can get pretty crunchy and edgy with the waveshaper engaged"2.
MIDI and bypass
MIDI runs deep in the Biscuit. OTO lists the MIDI implementation as Continuous Controller, Beat Clock, Program Change and Sysex for presets1. In practice that means:
- All the pots, switches and buttons send MIDI CC messages2
- The effect settings can receive those same CCs via In and Out ports on the rear2
- The internal step sequencer syncs to MIDI clock2
- Preset storage is handled via SysEx dumps, as are firmware updates2
Bypass is true bypass by relay1. When you hit the Bypass button, its green light goes dim and the whole circuit is bypassed. The volume in bypass mode is fixed, and the Naked dial has no effect on the dry signal in this mode2.
What the reviewer said
MusicRadar's verdict on the Biscuit was warm:
"A magic black box for lo-fi, 8-bit and retro-game crunch. Perfect for adding quality grit."
The reviewer placed it among "little black boxes such as the OTO multi-FX box" that "tend to have an alluring mystique about them"2, and singled out the waveshaper as the standout of the four effects2.
Videos
OTOMACHINES
OTOMACHINES
sonicstate
Questions
Can the OTO Biscuit run more than one effect at once?
No. The effects section gives you a choice of four effects: waveshaper, pitch-shifter, delay and step filter, but only one can be used at a time. You turn an effect on with the Brain button and program it with the bottom row of buttons.
Is the OTO Biscuit analog or digital?
It is a hybrid. The processing is built around 8-bit digital converters and digital effects, and the filtering stages are stereo analog filters. OTO Machines describes the unit as an 8-bit effects and analog filter box.
Does the OTO Biscuit add noise?
Yes, by design. The first stage of signal processing is the 8-bit converters, and the conversion adds a bit of background noise to everything passing through the box. That noise is part of the lo-fi character the unit is built to produce.
Is the OTO Biscuit stereo?
Yes. It has stereo inputs and outputs, and the analog filter section operates in stereo.
Does the OTO Biscuit have MIDI?
Yes. It handles Continuous Controller messages, Beat Clock, Program Change and Sysex for presets. All the pots, switches and buttons send MIDI CC messages, the effect settings can receive those same CCs via In and Out ports on the rear, the internal step sequencer syncs to MIDI clock, and presets and firmware updates are stored and delivered as SysEx dumps.
What happens to the volume when the Biscuit is bypassed?
Hitting the Bypass button bypasses the whole circuit, and its green light goes dim. The volume in bypass mode is fixed, and the Naked dial has no effect on the dry signal in this mode.
Sources (2)
- BISCUIT - Oto Machines, Oto Machines
- OTO Biscuit review, MusicRadar, 2010-03-30